Mumbai, April 5 (IANS): Portending fresh troubles for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary probe into allegations of corruption levelled against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh by former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni has asked the CBI to complete its 'preli

New Delhi, April 5 (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Chhattisgarh on Monday to chair a high-level meeting in connection with the Naxal attack in the state's Bastar region that claimed the lives of 22 security personnel, a senior official said. Shah will reach the Jagdalpur airport (in Bastar district) at around 10.35 am, following which he will attend the wreath-laying ceremony to pay respect to the martyred personnel at the Police Lines in Jagdalpur, he said.

New Delhi, April 5 (PTI): India recorded an all-time high of 1,03,558 coronavirus infections in a day pushing the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,25,89,067, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday. The single-day rise in cases surpassed the earlier peak of 97,894 infections reported on September 17, last year, making it the highest since the pandemic began in India, while the death toll increased to 1,65,101 with 478 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am show

New Delhi, April 4 (PTI) Police recovered bullet-riddled bodies of 20 jawans in the jungles of Chattisgarh Sunday, raising to 22 the number of security personnel killed in a fierce gunbattle with Naxals the previous day -- the biggest massacre in more than a year that also left 31 injured. Police had on Saturday said five security personnel were killed in the encounter and 18 were missing. Two of the five bodies were recovered on Saturday itself, they had said. The remaining thre

NEW DELHI, APRIL 4 (IANS): Taking note of the alarming rate of growth of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country with 10 states contributing more than 91 per cent of cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chairing a high-level meeting on Sunday, directed that the "mission-mode" approach be continued in states and districts reporting high cases. Reviewing the pandemic situation and vaccination programme across the country, he exhorted all states to take required stringent me

Mumbai, April 4 (IANS): With Maharashtra in the grip of the second wave of Covid-19, the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government on Sunday announced a "week-end lockdown" across the state besides stringent weekdays norms to combat the sweeping pandemic. The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, after he held detailed discussions with all stakeholders over this weekend. The weekend curfew would commence on Fridays at 8 p.m. a

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS): The Central government has decided to close the registration of healthcare and frontline workers for Covid-19 vaccination after reports of fake registration under these categories came to the fore. About 24 per cent spike in registration under these categories has been observed in last few days. In a letter to states and union territories, Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that some ineligible beneficiaries are being registered as healthcare an

Chennai, April 4 (PTI): The high octane campaign for the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections ended on Sunday at 7 pm, with the stage now set for the polling on April 6 which will decide whether it will a hat-trick of terms for the AIADMK or the return of DMK after a decade in opposition. The Election Commission said items and cash totally worth over Rs 428 crore have been seized in the run-up to the polls. As many as 3,998 candidates, including Chief Minister K Palaniswami

Raipur, April 4 (IANS): As many as 21 security personnel, including seven CRPF and remaining DRG men of the state police, were still missing at the gunfight spot in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, said officials on Sunday. The CRPF officials on the ground suspect that the personnel may have been killed by the Maoists during the encounter on Saturday. A total of five bodies of security personnel, including two CRPF and three DRG men, have so far been recovered from the gunfig

New Delhi, April 4 (PTI): A search operation was underway on Sunday to trace 18 security personnel who went missing after a fierce gun-battle with Naxals in a forest along the border of Bijapur-Sukma districts in Chhattisgarh, police said. At least five security personnel were killed and 30 others injured in the three-hour-long encounter took place on Saturday afternoon near Jonaguda village which falls under Jagargunda police station area (in Sukma). "Following the gunfight

New Delhi, April 4 (PTI): India on Sunday recorded 93,249 new coronavirus infections, the highest single-day rise so far this year, which took the total COVID-19 cases to 1,24,85,509, according to Union health ministry data. This is the biggest daily rise in cases since September 19, when 93,337 fresh infections were recorded. The death toll climbed to 1,64,623 on Sunday with 513 new fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase for the 25

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), April 4 (IANS) The auxiliary nursing midwife (ANM), who gave two successive jabs of Covid-19 vaccine to a woman at a primary health centre in Akbarpur area of Kanpur Dehat district, was allegedly busy on a phone call which made her commit the lapse. Kanpur Dehat Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Rajesh Katiyar , who probed the incident, said, "From now onwards, every vaccinator has been asked to deposit his/her mobile phone prior to giving Covid vaccine sh

Raipur, April 4 (IANS) The CRPF has launched a massive search operation from early Sunday as seven of its troops went missing during more than nine hours of gunbattle with Maoists in their core area in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur, a day ago resulting in loss of lives of five security personnel and injuries to 20 others. The injured are stated to be out of danger, and a fresh Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) has been launched by a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) an

Mumbai, April 3 (IANS): In a significant move, the Maharashtra government has decided to promote all students studying in Class I to Class VIII without exams to the next level, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced here on Saturday. "In view of the ongoing situation due to Covid-19, all state board students across Maharashtra state from Class 1st to Class 8th will be promoted to the next class without any examinations," Gaikwad said. However, the minis

Panaji, April 3 (IANS): Ideals of Jesus Christ should be implemented in everyday life, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in his message to the state on Easter Sunday eve. "Easter is an auspicious occasion when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ - manifestations of the triumph of good over evil. The world remembers the great message of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, compassion and brotherhood, which Lord Jesus Christ gave to humanity," Sawant said. "As we

Lucknow, April 3 (IANS): The .303 rifles which had been discarded earlier will once again be used in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections by the Home Guards. Uttar Pradesh's Additional Director General (ADG) for Law and Order, Prashant Kumar, has written to the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) and the Superintendents of Police (SP) of all districts directing them to equip the Home Guards engaged in poll duty with .303 rifles. Prashant Kumar said that as per th

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS): President Ram Nath Kovind has been shifted from the ICU to a special room in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday and his health is improving continuously since his bypass surgery, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. The president on March 26 was rushed to the Indian Army's Research and Referral Hospital after he complained of chest discomfort, following which he was shifted to AIIMS a day later and underwent cardiac bypass sur

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India has overtaken the US to become the country with second-highest daily Covid-19 cases in the world. Brazil leads the chart with 91,097 cases recorded in the last 24 hours. India recorded 81,466 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. About 77,718 new cases were reported in the US on April 1. India has been witnessing a spike in cases since the last three weeks. India recorded its first Coronavirus case on January 30 last year and since then, a to

New Delhi, April 2 (PTI): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday self isolated after her husband Robert Vadra tested positive for COVID-19. In a video message, she said she has been exposed to coronavirus and is accordingly self-isolating. She also announced the cancellation of her poll campaign in Assam on Friday, in Tamil Nadu on Saturday and in Kerala on Sunday. Priyanka Gandhi has been campaigning for the Congress and party candidates in the states of A

New Delhi, April 2 (PTI): Scientists have predicted using a mathematical model that the ongoing second-wave of COVID-19 pandemic across the country could peak by mid-April, following which the infections may see a steep decline by the end of May. During the first wave of COVID-19 infections across India, the mathematical approach, named SUTRA, predicted that the initial surge of infections in August would peak by September and lower in February 2021. Scientists, including Manindr