India

New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the four phases of nationwide lockdown have "failed" and not given the results that Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected.

Addressing a press conference, he asked the central government to clarify its strategy as far as opening up of India is concerned and how it intends to support migrants and states.

"What is the central government's plan to go forward as the disease is growing exponentially in the country," he said.

New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) The Central Industrial Security Force on Tuesday reported 20 fresh coronavirus cases, with 18 from its unit that guards the Delhi airport, officials said.

The over 1.62 lakh personnel strong force has a total of 78 active COVID-19 cases, while 132 personnel have recovered from the disease till now.

Jaipur, May 26 (PTI) The Rajasthan government has restored the working hours for factory workers to eight hours per day, according to an official statement.

On April 24, the government had increased the working hours to 12 from 8 hours per day to reduce the requirement of workers in all the registered factories, in view of the coronavirus spread.

New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,167 in the country, while the number of cases climbed to 1,45,380, registering an increase of 146 deaths and 6,535 cases since Monday 8 am,?the Union Health Ministry said

The number of active COVID-19 cases climbed to 80,722. As many as 60,490 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.

"Thus, around 41.61 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior Health Ministry official said.

The total confirmed cases includes foreigners.

Srinagar, May 25 (UMMN): Two Kashmiri separatists were killed on Monday in an encounter with Indian security forces in Khud Hanjipora area of Kulgam of Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) Two Pinjra Tod women activists, who were granted bail on Sunday in a case related to the northeast Delhi communal violence, were sent to two days of police custody moments later in a separate murder case linked to the riots.

When Metropolitan Magistrate Ajeet Narayan granted bail to Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita in a rioting case, a Delhi Police crime branch investigating officer moved an application for their interrogation and arrest in a separate case of alleged murder of a local during the riots.

Amaravati (AP), May 25 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered the seizure of the premises of LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, where there was a gas leakage, and also barred entry into the plant by all except the committees appointed by the state government.

The court had, in its order on May 22, ordered the companys directors not to leave the country without courts permission and instructed the authorities not to release their surrendered passports without its permission.

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI) Indian skies will open up for domestic passenger services from Monday after a gap of two months, with Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights being among the first to take off, aviation industry sources said.

All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended since March 25 when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram, May 25 (PTI): Members of a right wing group allegedly vandalised the film set of a Malayalam movie near here on Sunday, prompting a sharp reaction from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who warned the culprits of strong action.

Expressing anguish over the attack, actor Tovino Thomas, who is starring in the film, said the "contractual set" of film "Minnal Murali" was destroyed by a group of "racialists".

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said states will have to seek permission from his government if they want UP migrant workers back, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said labourers will have to seek nod of the Maharashtra government also if they wish to work here.

The Maharashtra government needs to take such things seriously, said the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, who is the estranged cousin of state Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.