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Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Most countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and many are experiencing outbreaks. Authorities in China and some other countries have succeeded in slowing their outbreaks. However, the situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.   Protecting yourself and others from the spread COVID-19 You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands. Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. Why? When someone coughs, sneezes, or speaks they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain vi

(CNN) At least eight people, including children, have died and hundreds more have been hospitalized in southern India after a cloud of toxic gas leaked from a chemical plant in the early hours of Thursday morning. Footage from the area surrounding the LG Polymers plant in the city of Visakhapatnam shows people lying crumpled and unconscious on the ground, some next to motorcycles and vehicles that have toppled over. Most of the people who died were driving a vehicle or standing on their terrace when they lost consciousness and fell, said Mekapati Goutham Reddy, minister for Industries, Commerce, and Information Technology in the state government of Andhra Pradesh. Many others were sleeping and simply slipped into unconsciousness. Three of those who died are children, added Reddy  Rescuers evacuate people following a gas leak incident at an LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam on May 7. Images show roads and highways leading away from the plant-filled with people sprinting to safety, many

Elon Musk and singer Grimes have confirmed they have named their baby X Æ A-12. The Space X CEO announced the birth of their son on Monday. "Mom & baby all good," he said on Twitter. He posted that the child would be called X Æ A-12 Musk and his girlfriend later offered an explanation to her followers on social media. The name X Æ A-12 has been trending on Twitter with many asking how the name will be pronounced. What does the name mean? When Musk, known to joke on Twitter,  announced the name , many people questioned whether he was being serious. However, Canadian singer Grimes, real name Claire Boucher, explained the name's meaning to her fans. Skip Twitter post by @Gri End of Twitter post by @Grimezsz Æ, a ligature of a and e known as ash, appeared in Latin and Old English but has mostly fallen out of use. However, in some languages such as Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic, Æ is classed as a letter. The singer has used Æ before, naming a song on her latest album 4ÆM

The showers of last evening cleaned out the remaining of Delhi’s usually toxic air. The first, decisive blow had been struck of course by the national lockdown of nearly a week ago. Unaccustomed to the freshness, lungs jerkily expanding as I step into my yard, I untangle the wind chime that has been twisted out of shape by the storm, playing a little with its bars. Face heavenward and smiling a little idiotically, I turn back towards my room. The cobalt blue skies, the unseasonal winter chill in late March; and most welcome of all, the preternatural silence — gifts we have been given suddenly and unexpectedly by the coronavirus outbreak. I am not alone in thinking of this time as a series of benedictions. Social media posts on slowing down, do-it-yourself spas; and getting back to the pleasures of gardening and star-gazing are flooding my timelines; the consensus is there has never been a better time for self-care. People are sharing inspirational poetry from Neruda to Rumi, a colleagu

Michael aged 5 explains what lockdown means to him. “We have to stay at home because of the virus. It’s home learning every day. I see my friends on Zoom, like daddy has his work meetings. I like being at home because I can play with my cat.” Indie aged 14 talks about his experiences of lockdown. “At first it was annoying, because all my friends are at school. But I have to stay at home, it’s not a choice. I’m sharing a room with my younger brother.” “My school uses Google classrooms, it’s alright because they put videos to explain it. We can email teachers. Hopefully it doesn’t affect GCSEs next year.” “Sometimes it worries me. Seeing people in masks, it’s a bit weird and people need to stop sitting in the park. There’s loads of people with picnic blankets and that’s not allowed.” “I exercise on my bike and there was a bunch of police officers that passed me and one of them stopped and shouted at me for being selfish for being on my bike. It was embarrassing because there were other p

Mother's Day is a celebration honouring the  mother  of the family, as well as  motherhood ,  maternal bonds , and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honouring family members, such as  Father's Day ,  Siblings Day , and  Grandparents Day . The modern Mother's Day began in the  United States , at the initiative of  Anna Jarvis  in the early 20th century. This is not (directly) related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have existed throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to  Cybele ,  Rhea  the Great Mother of the Gods, the Roman festival of  Hilaria , or the Christian  Mothering Sunday  celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood). However, in some countries, Mother's Day is still synonymous with these older traditions. The U.S.-derived mo

  Recognizing the great challenge that governments, employers, workers and whole societies are facing worldwide to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work will focus on addressing the outbreak of infectious diseases at work, in particular, on the COVID-19 pandemic. The concern is growing over the continuing rise in COVID-19 infections in some parts of the world and the ability to sustain declining rates in others. Governments, employers, workers and their organizations face enormous challenges as they try to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and protect safety and health at work. One of the main pillars of the Global Strategy is advocacy, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a significant tool to raise awareness of how to make work safe and healthy and of the need to raise the political profile of occupational safety and health.28 April is also the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers organized worldwide by the trade union