Mumbai

India's 1.3 billion people will continue to live under strict curbs until May 3, but the government said farms and factories could resume activity on Monday in the hinterland, which has been less hard-hit by Covid-19.

Forex traders said the weakness in the rupee was largely due to strengthening of the US Dollar against a basket of currencies as investors fled to safe-haven greenback amid weakening risk appetite in the markets.

Some branch staff have complained on social media of the difficulty in imposing social distancing in such conditions, earning a rebuke from employers and even from the police.

People "misconstrued" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said, adding that Modi should clearly spell out what it expected from citizens and those not obeying orders should be punished.

In the first hour of Monday's trade, benchmark indices cracked over 10 per cent, triggering a 45-minute trading freeze as coronavirus-led lockdowns across the world stoked fears of a massive global recession.

The release came after the six-week stay on the Bombay High Court order, granting the former media baron bail in the murder case, ended on Thursday and the CBI not moving an appeal before the Supreme Court.

Essel Group Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra, who skipped his first appearance on March 18 owing to his engagement in the Parliament session, has also been issued a fresh summon.

With the drastic reduction in international oil prices over the last week, it was widely expected that the benefit would be passed on to the consumers.

The decision by the Shiv Sena-led government is being seen as a snub to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who faced allegations of favouring the leading private bank where his wife works at a senior position.

The TADA court had convicted six people, including the mastermind of the attack Mustafa Dossa and Abu Salem on June 16 this year for their role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Arguments over the degree of sentences continued after the conviction in June...