India

Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) Around 35 people are presently staying at isolation rooms set up at various hotels in Kolkata, which have been earmarked by the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Following a request from the West Bengal government, 31 two-star, three-star and four-star hotels across the state have offered a total of 640 rooms at subsidised rates to people who have been directed to live in isolation for 14 days.

New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The death toll due to novel coronavirus rose to 109 and the number of cases in the country climbed to 4,067 on Monday, according to the Union Health Ministry

While the number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 3,666, as many as 291 people were cured and discharged, and one has migrated, it stated. The total number of cases include 65 foreign nationals

Chennai, Apr 5 (PTI) As many as 10 Malaysian attendees of a recent Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi were on Sunday offloaded from a special chartered flight to Malaysia from here, officials said.

Of the 167 Malaysian Tamils who boarded the flight, 10 people, were offloaded after it was ascertained that they had participated in the recent meeting at the national capital, they said.

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out to top leaders from across the political spectrum, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak.

He also spoke to former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil, and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, sources said.

Details of the discussions were not immediately known.

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) The government has tightened the export ban norms on anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine by including special economic zones (SEZs) under its prohibition ambit to ensure there is no shortfall during Covid-19 crisis.

The drug is also not allowed to be shipped by export oriented units (EOUs) or under any export promotion scheme.

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) About 40,000 crew and seafarers stranded on cargo and cruise vessels across the globe are awaiting return to Indian shores, with the government assuring to extend help once the nationwide lockdown on account of coronavrius outbreak is lifted, maritime bodies have said.

There are about 15,000 seafarers onboard about 500 cargo vessels across the globe, and another 25,000 on cruise ships.

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) The Indian macroeconomic situation is bleak and all set to get worse if local or national lockdowns continue for some more time, renowned economist Jean Dreze said on Sunday.

Dreze further said that due to the country-wide lockdown, social unrest in many parts of India has already started.

The country is under a 21-day lockdown as part of larger efforts to curb spreading of coronavirus infections.

Lucknow, Apr 5 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed that there are not enough coronavirus testing kits for people, and termed it "a real challenge" in the fight against the viral infection.

"Not enough testing kits for people. Not enough personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Not enough meals to feed the poor. These are the real challenges today," he said in a tweet.

Aurangabad, Apr 4 (PTI) A middle-aged man has been arrested from Beed district in Maharashtra for allegedly raping his two daughters and attempting to sexually assault another, police said on Saturday.

Police also arrested four others, including family members of the accused, for allegedly not reporting the matter, an official said.

The accused is working as a headmaster of a school in Kej, he said.

He has been allegedly raping his daughters since the last eight years, police inspector Pradeep Tribhuvan said.

Shimla, Apr 4 (PTI) Seventeen Tablighi Jamaat members, who had attended a congregation at the organisation's New Delhi headquarter last month, were booked in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, Director General of Police Sitaram Mardi said here.

With this, the total number of attendees of the religious congregation booked in the state rises to 30, he added. A total of 14 FIRs have been registered against them for curfew violations and deliberately not disclosing information about having attended the congregation in the national capital, police said.