India

(Reuters) --- An Indian state looking to procure COVID-19 shots to combat a nationwide surge in infections on Sunday said that U.S. vaccine maker Moderna (MRNA.O) had declined to supply its shots and said it can only deal with the federal government.

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) The Serum Institute has disassociated itself from its executive director's statement that the government began the COVID-19 vaccination of multiple age groups without taking into consideration the available stock, stating that this is "not the view of the company".

Muzaffarnagar, May 22 (PTI) The district authorities sealed a private hospital here after finding that it was being run by unqualified staff, an official said on Saturday.

City Magistrate Abhishek Singh said the Apollo Nursing Home staff here failed to produce any document to show the required qualification.

He said the owner of the hospital too lacked qualification to treat people. The authorities have ordered a probe into it, he said.

Mangaluru, May 22 (PTI): A police station at Padubidri in Udupi district of Karnataka has been sealed for 24 hours after 10 police personnel, including the sub-inspector, tested positive for coronavirus.

One of the policemen tested positive when he was subjected to the test after he developed fever recently, sources said on Saturday.

Subsequently, all the personnel were tested and results of 10 of them turned out positive, they said.

All the infected personnel have been placed under quarantine, the sources said.

Lucknow, May 22 (PTI) The condition of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan is stable, the hospital treating him said in a statement here on Saturday.

Khan and his son Abdullah were shifted from the Sitapur jail to Medanta Hospital here on May 9 for coronavirus treatment.

"On May 22, SP MP Azam Khan (72) was given two litres of oxygen. His condition is stable," the hospital said.

The condition of his 30-year-old son too is stable and he has been kept under the observation of doctors, the statement said.

Chandigarh, May 22 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept with humility farmers' invitation of talks over the Centre's agriculture laws and resolve the issue.

In a letter to the PM, AAP MP Bhagwant Mann and the party's Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha also claimed that 470 have died during the course of the agitation, which is unfortunate and painful.

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced extension of the ongoing lockdown in Delhi by another week, saying the process of unlock will start from May 31 in a phased manner if the number of COVID-19 cases continued to decline.

In the past 24 hours, Delhi recorded around 1600 positive cases and the positivity rate went further down to below 2.5 percent, he said.

Agra, May 23 (UP) A 12-year-old girl here was allegedly raped by two youths, who also made a video of the incident, police said on Saturday.

Police have arrested the accused.

The girl was alone at her home when her neighbour Sonu (20) turned up there and took her to his home by making an excuse, said police.

At Sonu's residence, the other accused, identified as Krishna (19), was present and they raped her, said police.

Kolkata, May 23 (PTI) With the TMC having emerged victorious with a thumping majority in the recently concluded assembly elections, turncoats who had quit the party to join the BJP seem to be making a beeline for re-entry into the Mamata Banerjee camp, the latest being Sarala Murmu.

Murmu, who had switched camp as she was reportedly unhappy with the ticket that was given to her by the ruling party, has expressed her desire to return to the TMC, a day after Banerjee's former aide, Sonali Guha, made a similar appeal.

Dewas, May 23 (PTI) The body of a 21-year-old man, who allegedly committed suicide, was taken for last rites in a garbage vehicle in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, prompting the local civic administration to suspend its health official and terminate the services of three temporary employees.

The incident took place in Sonkatch town on Saturday following which a video of it went viral on social media.

In the video, some civic employees were purportedly seen dumping the body in an empty garbage vehicle.