Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) As many as 3,570 Indian citizens died of COVID-19 abroad with the maximum number of 1,154 deaths reported from Saudi Arabia followed by 894 in the United Arab Emirates, the government told Rajya Sabha Thursday.

According to the details provided by the Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, 546 Indians lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Kuwait, 384 died in Oman, 196 in Bahrain and 106 deaths were reported from Qatar.

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) The Indian Navy and the UK's largest warship HMS Queen Elizabeth and its strike task group carried out a mega wargame featuring a range of complex drills in the Bay of Bengal, signalling a resolve to deepen military cooperation in critical sea lanes.

The Indian Navy said the military exercise on July 21 and 22 was designed to hone the ability of the two navies to operate together in the maritime domain.

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The Kisan sansad', being held at Jantar Mantar near Parliament where the Monsoon Session is underway, entered its second day on Friday.

Paramilitary forces and police personnel have been deployed at the site with heavy barricading at the entrance to avoid any kind of untoward incident. The protest by the farmers was peaceful.

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) India saw a single day rise of 41,383 coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 31,257,720, while the active cases registered an increase for the second consecutive day and were recorded at 409,394, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The country's COVID-19 death toll rose to 418,987 with 507 fresh fatalities.

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) As many as 56 Air India employees have died due to COVID-19 till July 14, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Thursday.

"A total of 3,523 employees of Air India Limited have been affected by COVID-19. Out of this, 56 employees succumbed to this pandemic till July 14, 2021," he stated in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

The minister said the national carrier has taken various measures to safeguard the interests of COVID-affected employees and their families.

New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) A court here on Tuesday acquitted a man accused of being a part of an unlawful assembly, dacoity and rioting in last year's northeast Delhi riots case.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said that there is no identification of the accused and testimonies of witnesses are completely contradictory to each other.

"It is a clear-cut of acquittal," he added.

New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "wholly uncalled for" the relaxations granted by the Kerala government for the Bakrid festival in areas having the highest COVID-19 positivity rate and warned that it will take action if the easing of curbs leads to further spread of the virus.

The apex court pulled up the state government for giving in to traders' pressure by granting relaxations ahead of Bakrid and said it disclosed a "sorry state of affairs".

New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on Eid-ul-Adha on Wednesday.

May this day further the spirit of collective empathy, harmony and inclusivity in the service of greater good, he wished.

Modi tweeted, "Eid Mubarak! Best wishes on Eid-ul-Adha. May this day further the spirit of collective empathy, harmony and inclusivity in the service of greater good.

Mumbai, Jul 19 (PTI) The NCP on Monday sought a probe into the alleged phone tapping of certain individuals using Israeli software Pegasus and demanded action against those responsible for the act.

Party spokesman and Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik said only an inquiry will establish which agency of the central government allegedly hacked the phones of journalists, ministers and industrialists.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) The Congress on Monday demanded an independent probe into the issue involving alleged phone tapping of prominent personalities including journalists in India using Israeli Pegasus spyware.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the prime minister on the matter using the hashtag "Pegasus".

"We know what he's been reading- everything on your phone", he said on Twitter.