Coronavirus: Toll in India rises to four as 72-year-old man dies in Punjab

A 72-year-old man in Punjab, who returned from Germany via Italy two weeks ago, is the fourth person to die of coronavirus in India, PTI reported on Thursday. The man had complained of severe chest pain and died at a hospital in Nawanshahr district.

Coronavirus: All samples tested for community transmission negative, says ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Thursday said all samples taken to monitor the presence of community transmission of the novel coronavirus have tested negative. The health research body is the nodal authority for screening patients for COVID-19 in India. So far, 167 people have been infected in India, four of whom have died.

Coronavirus: SpiceJet suspends international flights, IndiGo announces pay cuts for employees

With airlines being severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, budget-carrier IndiGo announced on Thursday that it will introduce pay cuts for its senior employees, PTI reported. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta has said that he will take the highest cut.

Coronavirus: Centre asks some sections of government employees to work from home

The Centre on Thursday directed some sections of its employees to work from home and introduced three different timings for others till April 4 to contain the spreading coronavirus. So far, 166 people have been infected in India, three of whom have died.

2012 gangrape case: Delhi court dismisses convicts’ plea seeking stay of execution

A court in Delhi on Thursday rejected a petition filed by the four death-row convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case to stall their execution on Friday, PTI reported. The convicts – Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta will be hanged at Tihar Jail in Delhi on Friday as scheduled for raping and brutally assaulting a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in 2012.

SC bans Manipur MLA from Assembly, removes him as minister over pending disqualification petitions

The Supreme Court on Wednesday banned Manipur minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh – against whom multiple disqualification petitions were pending – from entering the state Assembly, Live Law reported. The court also ruled that he would cease to be a minister immediately

COVID-19: ‘Sit in the sun for 10 to 15 minutes to fight viruses,’ suggests Union minister

While India scrambles to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus – which has infected 166 people so far – Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Thursday claimed that spending time in the sun will help fight any kind of virus, ANI reported.

Coronavirus: Bengaluru airport to stamp international passengers advised home quarantine

The Karnataka government on Wednesday said that all international passengers who have been advised home quarantine in the state will be marked with indelible ink to control the spread of COVID-19, PTI reported. People arriving at the Bengaluru airport from abroad are being checked for coronavirus, and if directed to remain at home, are being stamped “home quarantined”. It also states “Proud to protect Karnataka” and has a date showing when the person was stamped.

Coronavirus: Mumbai’s dabbawalas suspend service till March 31 to avoid risk of infections

The dabbawalas in Mumbai who deliver food to homes and offices will suspend services from March 20 to March 31 amid a spike in coronavirus cases in the country, ANI reported on Thursday. The Union health ministry has confirmed 42 cases of infections in Maharashtra – the highest in India. However, the state authorities have pegged the number at 49 till Thursday afternoon. A 64-year-old man had died due to it in Mumbai on Tuesday.

CAA protests: Allahabad HC issues notice to UP in plea against recovery for property damage

The Allahabad High Court has issued a notice in relation to a plea challenging the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Private and Public Property Ordinance, 2020, introduced by the Adityanath-led administration, reported Bar and Bench on Thursday. The Uttar Pradesh government approved the ordinance on March 13.

Coronavirus: ICMR says 13,316 samples tested so far, 168 confirmed positive

The Indian Council of Medical Research said it has conducted tests on 13,316 samples from 12,426 individuals for the COVID-19 virus till 10 am on Thursday. Among these, 168 individuals were confirmed positive for the coronavirus among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases.

2012 Delhi gangrape: Day before hanging, Supreme Court dismisses Pawan Gupta’s curative petition

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the curative petition filed by Pawan Gupta, one of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case, against the dismissal of his petition claiming that he was a juvenile when the crime took place, Live Law reported.

Yes Bank crisis: Anil Ambani appears before Enforcement Directorate in money laundering case

Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani on Thursday appeared for questioning before the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai in connection with a money laundering case into the crisis-hit Yes Bank, reported PTI. Ambani received the summons from the agency on Monday.

MP: Speaker seeks time to decide on MLAs’ resignations, SC says ‘weeks gold mine for horse trading’

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it can appoint an observer to ensure the rebel MLAs’ in Madhya Pradesh resigned voluntarily and that they were not being held against their wishes. The court also suggested that the observer can connect with the Assembly Speaker through video conference for him to make a decision.

ICSE, ISC board exams postponed over coronavirus fears

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations on Thursday said it has postponed Class 10 and Class 12 board exams amid the rising cases of coronavirus in the country. The Central Board of Secondary Education had on Wednesday postponed board exams, scheduled between March 19 and March 31.

Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi takes oath as Rajya Sabha member

Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha on Thursday. President Ram Nath Kovind had nominated him to the Upper House on Monday, just four months after he retired as the chief justice on November 17, 2019.

Sensex falls over 2,000 points, Nifty goes below 8,000 in early trade, rupee opens at record low

Indian markets continued their downward slump on Thursday, predominantly brought on by coronavirus concerns, with the Sensex falling as much as 2,155.05 points to 26,714.46 in early trade. The National Stock Exchange Nifty50 began the session at 8,063.30 but fell 636.25 points soon after.

COVID-19: Second patient in Tamil Nadu is a ‘domestic case’, says health minister

Authorities in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday said a second coronavirus case has cropped up, with Health Minister C Viijayabaskar saying the 20-year-old man was a “domestic case” triggering speculation about community transmission. The Union health ministry’s latest update has confirmed 166 cases in India so far with two of them from the state, one of the patients has recovered.

Delhi: Suspected coronavirus patient taken for tests dies by suicide at Safdarjung Hospital

A man suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus died after he jumped off the seventh floor of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Wednesday, reported PTI, citing the police. The number of cases in India rose to 169, of whom 15 have been cured and three have died, says the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 8 pm to talk about the measures being taken to fight the pandemic.

2012 gangrape: Three convicts approach Delhi court against execution; Tihar, police to respond

Three of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case moved a court on Wednesday asking for a stay on their execution, saying that the second mercy plea of one them has been pending, reported PTI. The convicts – Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta – are scheduled to be hanged at Tihar Jail in Delhi on March 20 at 5.30 am. Mukesh Singh is the fourth convict.

NRC is a ‘necessary exercise’, Modi government tells SC, after months of playing it down

The Modi government on Tuesday said the National Register of Citizens is a “necessary exercise” for any sovereign country and it would have to carry it out as per the dictates of Indian law. The government made the submissions in an affidavit to the Supreme Court as its response to a batch of petitions challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act.

COVID-19: Cases in India rise to 169; Tamil Nadu’s 2nd patient raises community transmission fears

The number of patients infected by COVID-19 in India so far rose to 169 on Thursday, of whom 14 have been cured and three have died. The Kashmir Valley reported its first case on Wednesday, while Tamil Nadu reported a new case, which is a patient who reportedly has no foreign travel history.

Coronavirus: Seven Indonesians on pilgrimage in Telangana test positive, says state health ministry

Seven Indonesian citizens have tested positive for coronavirus in Telangana on Wednesday, reported The News Minute on Wednesday. The state’s Directorate of Public Health said the seven were travelling together on the same train with the fifth patient in the state. Once the Union health ministry confirms the new cases, the total number from the state will go up to 13.

PM Narendra Modi to address the nation today at 8 pm on measures to combat coronavirus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Thursday at 8 pm to talk about steps being taken against the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced at a review meeting that Modi chaired on Wednesday evening. As of Wednesday, the number of positive cases in India stood at 169. Three patients have died so far.

Coronavirus: CBSE postpones board exams following Centre’s directive

The Ministry of Human Resource Development on Wednesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education and all other educational institutions in the country to postpone exams till March 31 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Rajya Sabha elections: 37 candidates from 10 states elected unopposed

Thirty seven ruling and Opposition party candidates were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Elections to the remaining seats in the Upper House will be held in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat on March 26. The deadline for the withdrawal of nomination for 55 Rajya Sabha seats spread over 17 states ended on Wednesday.