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Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday announced an intense lockdown in Chennai and parts of three neighbouring districts for 12 days, beginning on June 19. However, certain relaxations have been given.The chief minister announced Rs 1,000 cash support to all ration card holders of areas under intense lockdown. Similarly, similar assistance would be extended to all members of unorganised welfare boards and other welfare boards, the chief minister said. Mr. Palaniswami’s announcement followed recommendations by public health and medical experts and a discussion in the Cabinet meeting held this afternoon. He said that on June 21 and…

CLOSE ON the heels of a series of incidents that have inflamed bilateral ties, India Monday summoned Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah and issued a demarche demanding the return of two officials of the Indian High Commission who were reportedly arrested in Islamabad. The two officials have been missing since Monday morning. Pakistan TV channel Geo News claimed in a report that Islamabad Police had arrested two Indian High Commission officials for allegedly attempting to flee after their vehicle hit a pedestrian.

Talks are underway between India and China at the Brigade Commander and Commanding Officer (CO) level in the Galwan area of Eastern Ladakh to resolve the stand-off, defence sources said on Monday. "There has been limited disengagement of troops at more locations due to the continuous rounds of talks going on between the two sides," they said.Sources said that after the June 6 talks between Military commanders followed by other rounds of talks, there has not been any considerable build-up activity by both sides and Chinese aggressive behaviour has also been toned down, they said. At the military commanders' meet,…

Days after an Ahmedabad-based doctor was allegedly cheated of Rs 59,000 under the guise of being offered a VIP phone number, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell arrested three persons in the case, claiming that the group has been running the racket since December 2018. An FIR was lodged at Cyber Crime Cell police station in Ahmedabad on June 13 by 57-year-old Dr Vishwamohan Thakur, a resident of Adani Shantigram near Vaishno Devi circle in the city, who had alleged that he was cheated of Rs 59,000 on January 20 after being promised a VIP number from an accused claiming to…

The Indian Railways on Monday said it had ferried 60 lakh migrant workers home since May 1 through Shramik Special trains but managed to recover only 15 per cent of operational cost. Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said the average fare per person on Shramik Special trains was Rs 600 and the national transporter had run 4,450 Shramik trains so far. The Railways generated a revenue of around Rs 360 crore. “A very few of the migrants are now left to be sent back. We are coordinating with state governments to take them home as well,” Yadav said. Confirming that…

The death toll in the oil tanker explosion in east China's Zhejiang Province has risen to 18, the local authorities said on Sunday. About 166 injured people are undergoing treatment in hospitals, the publicity department of the city of Wenling said. The explosion took place on Saturday near a village along the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, the department said. A second blast happened when the blown-up truck fell onto a workshop near the expressway. The explosions resulted in the collapse of some residential houses and factory workshops. Hundreds of firefighters were sent to the scene for the rescue work. Rescue and search…