National News

AGENCIES New Delhi The nationwide lockdown – the fourth phase of which ends on May 31 – is likely to be extended beyond this date with more relaxations as most states are in favour of continuing it for two more weeks, sources said on Friday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed the views of states on the issue to Prime …

PTI New Delhi/Leh Amid heartrending stories of migrants longing to return home, the Jharkhand government on Friday gave a ray of hope to many such stranded workers by facilitating return of 60 of its natives, stuck in the snow-clad fringes of the Himalayan mountains in Ladakh, by air, in a first-of-its-kind initiative by a state. After two months of anxiety …

PTI New Delhi The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has attached assets, including five Swiss bank accounts, worth Rs 385.44 crore of Rajiv Saxena, a middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers money laundering case. It said the value of the properties attached is USD 50.90 million (Rs 385.44 crore) and a provisional order under the Prevention of Money …

PTI Kolkata Two days before the end of the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced a slew of relaxations, including reopening of shrines from June 1. She also announced restarting of private and public sector offices with full attendance from June 8. After Karnataka, West Bengal became the second state to …

AGENCIES Meerut In a bizarre incident, a troop of monkeys on Friday ran away with coronavirus test samples from the Meerut Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. The monkeys attacked a lab technician, who was carrying samples of suspected COVID-19 patients for testing and ran away after snatching three samples. The incident occurred inside the premises of the Meerut Medical College. …

PTI Raipur Ajit Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh and a mass leader, who dominated the state’s politics for long, died at a private hospital here on Friday, doctors said. Jogi (74) had been battling for life at a private hospital for the last 20 days and suffered a cardiac arrest in the afternoon, they said. He is survived …

PTI New Delhi India’s coronavirus death toll has surpassed that of China after it reported a total of  4,706 fatalities, while it overtook Turkey to become the ninth worst-hit nation by the pandemic with 1,65,799 COVID-19 cases. The country has registered 175 deaths and a record 7,466 fresh coronavirus infection cases in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 am, …

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that no fare for travel either by train or bus be charged from migrant workers, stranded across the country following the COVID-19 lockdown and want to return to their destinations, and said they be provided food and water. The apex court, which passed interim directions, said all the migrant workers stranded at …

New Delhi: The southwest monsoon is likely to make an onset over Kerala on June 1, thanks to a cyclonic circulation, the India meteorological department said on Thursday. The IMD, in its onset date forecast on May 15, had said the monsoon is likely to hit the southern state on June 5, four days after its normal onset date. The …

New Delhi: The much-delayed 36th National Games, scheduled for October-November in Goa, was on Thursday postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian Olympic Association  recently asked the Goa government to host the National Games as scheduled from October 20 to November 4 this year. However, a spurt in the number of novel coronavirus cases has led to a …