But rail officials expect to achieve at least last year's actual, which is close to Rs 1 lakh crore

26% bridges are over 100-year old, 5% crossed 140 years

The investors are looking for a safety fund for Railways

Railway authorities termed listing of these companies as a 'shocker'

Prabhu spoke about priority being given to safety and need for more funds for railways to move ahead

The domestic equity barometers traded near the day's high in morning trade. The Nifty was trading above the 9300 mark. Buying in index major Reliance Industries (RIL) pushed the benchmarks higher. At 10:29 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 441.29 points or 1.40% at 31,884.67. The Nifty 50 index rose 122.10 points or 1.33% at 9,321.15.

India VIX cools 3% to 38.53.

President Trump said the White House coronavirus task force will continue indefinitely and Airbnb plans to lay off a quarter of its workforce. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

Sales decline 2.83% to Rs 616.61 crore

Arguing that a one-time payment of USD 1,200 to most of the Americans during the coronavirus outbreak is not enough, three top Democratic senators introduced a legislation on Friday to provide a recurring USD-2,000 monthly check to those struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, introduced by former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Ed Markey, proposes to provide a monthly USD-2,000 check to every individual with an income below USD 120,000 throughout and for three months following the coronavirus pandemic. According to the proposal, married couples who file jointly would receive USD 4,000; USD 2,000 per child up to three children and it would be implemented retroactively from March. The coronavirus pandemic has caused millions to struggle to pay the bills or feed their families, Harris said. The previous CARES Act, she argued, gave Americans an important one-time ...

Three sisters who worked in Mexico's government hospital system were found murdered by strangling, authorities in the northern border state of Coahuila announced on Friday, stirring new alarm in a country where attacks on healthcare workers have occurred across the nation amid the coronavirus outbreak. Two of the sisters were nurses for the Mexican Social Security Institute and the third was a hospital administrator, but there was no immediate evidence the attack was related to their work. The state prosecutor told local media the motive might have been robbery. State police said the bodies were found in a house in the city of Torreon. The Social Security Institute said they were killed on Thursday. The National Union of Social Security Employees called the killings "outrageous and incomprehensible". In other parts of Mexico, nurses have had been hit, kicked off public transport or had cleaning fluids poured on them amid fears they might spread the coronavirus. Mexican health ...

Two men were arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of a security guard who demanded a woman wear a mask while shopping at a store. Genesee County authorities said Ramonyea Bishop, 23, was taken into custody at an apartment in Bay City. His alleged accomplice, Larry Teague, 44, was arrested Thursday near a motel in Houston. The men and Sharmel Teague, the wife of Larry Teague, are charged with first degree murder in the May 1 shooting of Calvin Munerlyn at a Family Dollar store in Flint. Munerlyn was shot at the store just north of downtown Flint a short time after telling Sharmel Teague's daughter she had to leave because she lacked a mask, according to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. Teague argued with Munerlyn, 43, before leaving. Two men later came to the store and allegedly shot the security guard to death.. Bishop's sister, Brya Bishop, was previously charged with tampering with evidence, lying to police and being an accessory to a felony. Leyton has said she attempted to

AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has revealed that some of his squad members were still recovering from coronavirus. Serie A has been on hold since mid-March but Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday he was hopeful group training could resume on May 18. "We have some infected players in the process of recovery," Scaroni told local media. Scaroni believes Italian football must live with COVID-19 and take an example from the Bundesliga which will restart on May 16. "We have to get used to living with the virus and this also applies to football," he said. "It is not possible to stand still until there is zero infection. Basically we can adopt the German formula that provides that those who are sick go into quarantine while their teammates continue." Milan technical director Paolo Maldini, together with his 18-year-old son Daniel, a youth team player, have both recovered from the virus. "Maldini father and son are doing well. There are players who are improving, but .

Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra's tenure as the chief of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has been extended till May next year after its annual congress was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to postpone the Congress, which was earlier scheduled to begin in New Delhi on October 28, was taken at an online meeting of the FIH Executive Board on Friday. "I'm looking forward to the numerous tournaments and competitions ahead of us, which we are preparing with full dedication and passion with all National Associations involved," Batra said. The exact date of the postponed congress will be confirmed as soon as possible, the FIH said in a statement. "This decision, made due to the current uncertainties following the global COVID-19 pandemic, is based on Art. 12.1 of the FIH Statutes, covering cases of force majeure," it added. The postponement means the tenures of all the current FIH office-bearers get extension until next year's ...

Actor Elle Fanning says she would love to pursue direction if she gets a good story. The actor said she "badly" wants to go behind the camera. "It's something that I do want to do badly. You've just got to find the right story. What is it that you want to tell? Is it going to be personal? Is it not? Are you going to write it? Are you not? A lot of big questions. I will for sure one day," Fanning said in an interview with Variety. She will next be seen as Catherine the Great in Hulu's 10-part satirical comedy series "The Great", which debuts on May 15. Fanning is also looking forward to The Nightingale, which also features her sister Dakota. The film, directed by actor Melanie Laurent, was scheduled to release in December but has been postponed by a year due to coronavirus pandemic.

Temuera Morrison will be making a return to the "Star Wars" universe as the actor is set to play Boba Fett in the second season of Disney Plus series "The Mandalorian". Morrison, 59, had earlier played the role of Jango Fett, the father of Boba Fett, in George Lucas' 2002 movie"Star Wars: Attack of the Clones". Boba Fett is a famed bounty hunter who first appeared on the big screen in 1980's"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and later in "Return of the Jedi". Jeremy Bulloch had essayed the role in the original films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morrison will have a small role as Boba Fett. The character also had a cameo appearance in the first season of "The Mandalorian". The show takes place after the events of "Return of the Jedi",in which fans saw Boba Fett die in sarlacc pit. "The Mandalorian" is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series depicts a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority .

President Donald Trump says he's in no rush to negotiate another financial rescue bill, even as the government reported that more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs last month due to economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus. The president's low-key approach came Friday as the Labor Department reported the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression and as Democrats prepared to unveil what Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer calls a Rooseveltian-style aid package to shore up the economy and address the health crisis. Some congressional conservatives, meanwhile, who set aside long-held opposition to deficits to pass more than USD 2 trillion in relief so far, have expressed reservations about another massive spending package. We've kind of paused as far as formal negotiations go, Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council told reporters Friday. He said the administration wanted to let the last round of recovery funding kick in before committing to ..

Pop star Taylor Swift has announced an hour-long concert special "City of Lover" which will air on ABC. The announcement comes weeks after Swift was forced to cancel all of her 2020 live appearances and performances, including "Lover Fest East" and "Lover Fest West" , due to coronavirus pandemic. The special, which will air on May 17, was filmed in September at the L'Olympia Theater in Paris, where she performed in front of audiences from 37 countries. It will be available for streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu on May 18. "Excited to announce the City of Lover Concert! We filmed my show in Paris in September and thought it'd be fun to share it with you. May 17 at 10p ET on @abcnetwork and available the next day on @hulu and @disneyplus !#TaylorSwiftCityOfLover" the 30-year-old singer tweeted on Friday. The musical event gives fans unprecedented access to behind-the-scenes moments with the artist and marks her only concert performance this year, ABC Network said in a press ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic. Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honouring the valour and suffering of the Soviet army during the war. Victory Day is Russia's most important secular holiday and this year's observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, but the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus. The only vestige of the conventional show of military might was a flyover of central Moscow by 75 warplanes and helicopters. In the final events of the VE Day commemoration in Western Europe, which took place a day earlier, Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate was illuminated late ...

When Eliud Kipchoge made history by beating the two-hour mark for the marathon, the Kenyan was wearing a pair of controversial Nike running shoes that has sent rival companies scrambling to play catch-up in a business worth billions of dollars. The likes of Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, New Balance and Saucony have recently released or are about to unveil their own carbon-fibre versions of running shoes. Critics claim the new shoes are the equivalent of mechanical doping, while supporters hail them as a revolutionary technical advance in footwear after decades of stagnation. Nike said its Vaporfly range, unveiled in 2016, was an "example of how product design can capture the fascination of an entire sporting community and, more broadly, inspire new benchmarks of athletic potential", boasting an improvement in times by up to four percent. Elite athletes wearing versions of the Vaporfly, the carbon plates of which lend a propulsive sensation to every stride, have set a rash of personal ..

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says Europe must acknowledge that it wasn't well-prepared for the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement marking Europe Day, Maas said that initially most countries, including Germany, were focused on coping with the outbreak at home. While defending the national response as necessary, in order to safeguard our ability to act and then also help other, Maas said the European Union had grown in the crisis. The EU's sluggish response has given way to cross-border medical aid, a massive financial support package and coordinated scientific research programs. Maas called the solidarity provided by EU member states unique in the world, adding that Germany wants the bloc to emerge from the crisis stronger. Berlin takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU on July 1.

Watford chairman Scott Duxbury says at least six of the 20 English Premier League clubs are concerned about the plan to use neutral stadiums to finish the season. Duxbury says there is no altruism in the Premier League and that there are 20 different vested interests, which sometimes align but more often than not work purely to protect each individual club. Ahead of Monday's crunch meeting of topflight clubs, the Hornets have joined Brighton and Aston Villa in making clear their opposition to the current Project Restart plans. With nine rounds left, Watford is 17th in the league and looking to fight off relegation amid a challenging backdrop brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. Duxbury says some clubs are happy to sign up to 'Project Restart' because arguably there is only an upside in participating in this compromised format. It means Liverpool can win the title, other clubs can book their place in Europe next season or potentially fight their way up the table from a position of ..

The UK is planning to bring in compulsory 14-day quarantine for all travellers arriving in the country from any part of the world, except the Republic of Ireland, as part of measures to track the spread of coronavirus, according to UK media reports. The new restriction, which means travellers including Britons arriving in the UK would have to self-isolate at a private residence and fined up to 1,000 pounds or deported for flouting the rules, is expected to take effect at the end of this month. According to The Times', the quarantine will form part of the announcements when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation on Sunday in relation to the COVID-19 lockdown. He has vowed to move with maximum caution as he reopens the economy by lifting some of the social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders next week, enabling people to exercise more than once a day and visit garden centres. These measures will help protect the British public and reduce the

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic. In neighboring Belarus, however, the ceremonies went ahead in full, with tens of thousands of people in the sort of proximity that has been almost unseen in the world for months. Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honoring the valor and suffering of the Soviet army during the war. Victory Day is Russia's most important secular holiday and this year's observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, but the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus. The only vestige of the conventional show of military might was a flyover of central Moscow by 75 warplanes and .

Jharkhand on Friday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 21 people testing positive, taking the total number of infections to 153 in the state, officials said. Of the total 455 swab samples tested during the day, 21 tested positive for COVID-19, said the Director of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Dr D K Singh. He said 25 more people recovered from the infection, bringing the total number of cured people in the state to 77. The officials did not provide any details of the 21 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the state on Friday. Since the outbreak of the pandemic on March 31 in the state, two persons have died of the infection while one COVID-19 patient died due to underlying health condition after testing negative.

The poisonous mushrooms that killed six people at a remote village in Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district have been identified as Amanita phalloides, commonly known as the 'Death Cap', a senior official said on Saturday. Six people, including a 14-year-old girl, of Lamin village along the India-Bangladesh border in Amlarem civil sub-division died after consuming wild mushrooms they collected from a nearby forest late last month. The wild mushroom has been identified as Amanita phalloides and is hepatotoxic as it directly affects the liver, state Director of Health Services (MI) Dr Aman War told PTI. He said it has been established after an investigation that the cause of the deaths was the poisonous mushrooms. At least 18 persons from three families were taken ill after consuming the mushrooms. The symptoms after consuming the poisonous fungus include vomiting, headache and unconsciousness, the senior doctor said. Most of those taken ill, including a pregnant woman, .

The Nagaland government has assured the high court that the laboratory in Kohima for conducting COVID-19 detection tests will be functional by May 12. The state government informed the Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court that finishing works for the lab have been completed and it would be functional by May 12. Additional Advocate General T B Jamir, however, told the bench comprising of Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice Hukato Swu that since the same technicians would be setting up the lab in Dimapur, at least two weeks are required to make that unit functional. The state government made the submission through an interim application filed on Thursday, praying for extension of time after the court on April 27 directed it to make the two labs functional within 10 days. The court on Friday directed the state government to make all efforts to make the lab at Kohima functional within five days and the one at Dimapur within two weeks. After two weeks, the state ...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer "Ghoomketu" will finally see the light of the day as the movie is set to premiere on ZEE5 on May 22. The film, directed Pushpendra Nath Mishraand produced by Phantom Films and Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), also features filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actors Ila Arun, Raghubir Yadav, Swanand Kirkire and Ragini Khanna. Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Chitrangada Singh,Lauren Gottlieb and filmmaker Nikhil Advani have made special appearances. "Ghoomkety" is a comedy- drama told from the viewpoint of an inexperienced writer (Nawazuddin) struggling to make it big in the film industry in Mumbai. "On his quest to come up with a great story, he is inspired by day to day mundane life activities. Will his ambition and determination exceed his talents? Or will a corrupt cop (Kashyap), who is on a mission to find Ghoomketu, put a brake on his 30-day escapade?" the official plotline of the movie read. Nawazuddin described 'Ghoomketu' as a quirky and ...

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Maharana Pratap on his 480th birth anniversary, saying his patriotism will always be remembered. In his message, Naidu said Maharana Pratap was one of India's greatest warriors. "His indomitable courage, valour, leadership skills and love for motherland will always be remembered and continue to inspire every Indian," he said. Modi described the 13th king of Mewar as the great son of Mother India. "His life full of patriotism, self-respect and might will always remain a source of inspiration for the people of the country," the prime minister said. Pratap Singh, popularly known as Maharana Pratap, was born in 1540.

17-year-old Pratyusha Jha, wakes up scrambling for newspapers these days to look for any news about her pending board exams and is anxious about what the future has in store for her. Similar concerns are shared by Bipin Kumar, a class 12 student, who says the announcement of board exams from July 1 to 15 brought limited clarity as the larger questions remain unanswered. The COVID-19 lockdown, came with a different set of concerns for class 12 students, whose board exams were postponed midway following the outbreak of coronavirus, putting on hold their future plans as well. "Everyday I have been looking for news about the exams and about entrance exam dates. I feel unfortunate that this happened during the year I was supposed to take the big college leap. I don't want my future decisions to be shaped by this very year as what I opt to study now will remain with me lifelong," Pratyusha told PTI. Ending some uncertainty for students, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Friday ...

Actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani forbodes that in the post-coronavirus film industry, it might take more time for movies to be greenlit. Talking both from the perspective of a producer and actor, Jackky said there will be some changes that will happen once the countrywide lockdown is lifted. "As an actor, I see that there will be a lesser number of projects that will go on the floors. Most investors and producers will take their time to green-light projects. "As a producer, there might be some pragmatic decisions to be taken on which projects to do first and how to minimise costs without affecting the scale or demands of the script," he told PTI. Jackky's production banner, Pooja Entertatinment's two films -- Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan-starrer "Coolie No 1" and Akshay Kumar's "Bell Bottom" -- were affected by the coronavirus pandemic. When asked about the plans for "Coolie No 1", which was expected to release countrywide on May 1, Jackky said, "I think it's insensitive to think of a

Hyundai Motor India on Saturday said its Chennai-based manufacturing facility rolled out 200 cars on the first day of resuming production. The company re-started manufacturing activities at its plant in Sriperumbudur (near Chennai) on May 8. The auto major has commenced production at the facility adhering to 100 per cent compliance of safety and social distancing norms, Hyundai Motor India said in a statement. In line with the government's objectives of reviving the economy and company's global vision of progress for humanity, the commencement of manufacturing operations is aimed at boosting economic activities and bringing back normalcy, it added. Several industries are resuming operations in a phased manner following an over month-long shutdown due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Two-wheeler major Yamaha Motor India Group (YMIG) on Saturday said its employees have voluntarily donated a day's salary to support the government in combating the coronavirus pandemic. The company's permanent employeesas well as some trainees based out of its three plants -- Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Surajpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Faridabad (Haryana), and employees at its other offices donated a total of Rs 61.5 lakh from their pay for April, YMIG said in a statement. Out of the total amount, Rs 25 lakh each will be donated to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (Government of Tamil Nadu) and Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund (Government of Uttar Pradesh). The remaining Rs 11.5 lakh will be donated to the PM-CARES Fund, it added. "This is a global crisis and Yamaha's task as a global company is enormous. During such time what COVID-19 has prompted, Yamaha feels that it is important for everyone to stand united against the pandemic and come forward to support the government in ...

Ahead of the arrival of a Naval ship here with stranded Indians from Maldives, a top police officer on Saturday said all arrangements are in place to facilitate safe stay of the repatriated comprising over 400 Keralites and people from other parts of the country in the southern state. INS Jalashwa, participating in Indian Navy's "Operation Samudra Setu" to bring home Indians stuck in foreign countries due to COVID-19 pandemic, has departed from Male port for Kochi with 698 Indian nationals on board on Friday night. It is expected to reach here on Sunday. This is the Indian Navy's first massive evacuation exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown. Inspector General of Police Vijay Sakhare said 431 people traveling via ship are from Kerala. Rest of the passengers are from other parts of the country including Tamil Nadu (132 people). A few people from states including Goa, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Lakshadweep ...

Five people were arrested for allegedly conducting congregational prayers at a mosque here in violationofthe COVID-19 lockdown norms. A case was registered against five people for conducting evening prayers on Friday, police said. We received information that prayers were being conducted in the mosque, they said adding they were held at Eriyad Masjidul Bilal mosque here. On Friday, four people, including the president of a local temple trust, were arrested for allegedly conducting a religious recitation in a temple here in violation of lockdown restrictions. Though lockdown conditions have been eased in accordance with the Centre's guidelines, public gatherings, including functions, weddings, political events and religious gatherings were not allowed.

He hops off a helicopter, whips off his shades and makes a dash through the grounds towards his home to give his mother a surprise, but there she is, waiting at the door with a pooja thali' in her hand. That admittedly cheesy scene between Shah Rukh Khan and Jaya Bachchan from the blockbuster Hindi film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham was playing in Sonali Puri's mind when she was on a Mumbai-Jammu flight to give her mother a surprise last month. Her mother was at the door just as she had imagined but instead of a thali' was a hand sanitiser! Good hygiene is a blessing in times of coronavirus, my mother told me, laughed the 37-year-old. That was in mid-March, a few days before the coronavirus forced lockdown began on March 25. And home in Jammu is where Puri still is, the short vacation turning into extended mother-daughter downtime, both recalibrating their equations as they spend focused time with each other after years. This Mother's Day, the first time perhaps that Puri has been home, she

At least 1,200 people from Manipur stranded in Chennai will be brought back in a special train that will reach Jiribam at the state's border with Assam on May 12, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. The train will start from Chennai later on Saturday, he said in a video message on Friday night. From Jiribam they will be brought to Imphal, around 200 km away, in special buses, Singh said. All of them will have to undergo isolation at the institutional quarantine centres set up at schools and colleges with the assistance of local MLAs and other organisations. Singh said that they will undergo full medical checkup before leaving Chennai and will further undergo check-up, including thermal screening, after reaching Jiribam. The cost of ferrying the stranded people from Chennai to Jiribam is around Rs 12,00,600, while the cost of transporting them in 50 buses is around Rs 1,05,000, Singh said. Two other special trains carrying migrants will also depart from Punjab and ...

India's senior hockey players, who are unable to train because of the coronavirus-forced lockdown, will undergo a basic coaching course online starting Monday, continuing the national federation's efforts to ensure that their time is put to productive use. The course will be attended by 32 senior men and 23 senior women core probables on May 11 and 15 respectively. Captain of the Indian women's team Rani Rampal has already attended the Hockey India coaching education pathway in the past and achieved a Hockey India Level 1 Coach Certification. "The Hockey India Level Basic Coaching Course will help them in broadening their understanding of the sport as it will give them a chance to view the sport from a coach's perspective," the HI said in a statement. "The core probables who will successfully clear the Hockey India Level 'Basic' Coaching Course will be eligible to attend the Hockey India Level '1' Coaching Course in the future, thereby paving the way for their development, not just as

In a slugfest over the transportation of stranded migrants to West Bengal, railway officials on Saturday said there was no proposal on record so far with the national transporter to run any more 'Shramik Special' trains to the state. The Indian Railways reaction came minutes after the TMC said they have already planned to run eight trains to ferry migrants from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Telangana. The railway said they did not even have the proposal yet for the train, which the TMC claimed has been scheduled from Hyderabad to Malda on Saturday at 3 pm. The Indian Railways has so far run only two trains to West Bengal, one from Rajasthan and the other from Kerala. According to the guidelines issued by the railways for these trains, the proposal has to be received from both the states along with the number of passengers for these trains to run. The officials said the railways has 47 planned for Saturday so far, none of them were bound for West Bengal. The TMC on Saturday accused

Tanishq, a jewellery brand from the house of Tata, on Saturday announced plans to re- open its 328 stores across the country in a phased manner by opening its first 50 stores by Sunday. It would continue to comply with all rules related to COVID-19 lockdown while re-opening and running operations, said a statement. Tanishq said it has rolled out a gold standard safety e-book that reiterates the company's commitment to safety and well-being of customers and its employees at the store. It covers all staff and customer touch points, entailing numerous safety measures, including contactless shopping and strict social distancing at all times, the statement said. CEO of jewellery division at Titan Company Limited Ajoy Chawla said: We are reopening our stores in a phased manner because each store has to pass an eligibility test prior to re-commencing operations. This is to ensure each store is 100 per cent prepared to manage the store, staff and customers.

A truck carrying fodder was damaged in a fire on Jammu-Pathankot highway in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said. The truck reached Pla-Morh from Punjab and was being unloaded when it suddenly caught fire as the driver tried to move it forward, a police official said. He said fire and emergency services personnel rushed to the scene and put out the blaze. The truck was completely damaged but its driver escaped unhurt, the official said.

Migrant workers returning from Rajkot to Ballia on a special train on Saturday claimed that Gujarat Police charged them Rs 725 fare. Authorities here, however, said they had no information about it. The train carrying 1,170 migrant workers from parts of UP reached Ballia in the morning, following which they were screened and provided food packets, District Magistrate Hari Pratap Shahi said. "The migrants were then sent to their states. As many as 420 are from Ballia, while rest of them are from Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Hardoi, Maharajganj, Kushingar, Etawah and other districts," he said. Some passengers claimed that they had to pay Rs 725 train fare to Gujarat Police, the district magistrate said, adding that he had no information on this.

: The 10th standard public examination will be conducted in Tamil Nadu after the COVID- 19 attack wanes and the resultant lockdown goes, state education Minister K Sengottaiyan said on Saturday. A decision on the exam would be taken based on the recommendations of a high-level education committee and getting concurrence from health officials, he said at Savakkatupalayam village near Gobichettipalayam where he distributed welfare schemes to 450 handloom weavers. The Minister said candidates appearing for the board exams would be seated in line with social distancing norms stem the spread of coronavirus. He said schools for the coming academic year would be re-opened only after the coronavirus attack blows over. He further said 2,000 mathematics teachers would be roped in to provide online training to students. Similarly, students keen on accountancy would be given online classes, he said. Replying to a query, the Minister said a decision on increasing the retirement age for

LG Polymers India Ltd on Saturday blamed leaking vapour from a storage tank for the leakage of deadly styrene monomer gas at its Visakhapatnam plant that killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands. Status quo at the plant was restored on Saturday morning, the company said in a statement. The gas leakage from the plant was reported on Thursday morning after the company tried to restart operations following the partial easing of the coronavirus lockdown. "Our initial investigations suggest that the cause of the incident is prima facie by the leaking vapor from the Styrene Monomer (SM) storage tank near the GPPS (General Purpose Poly Styrene) factory on Thursday, May 7," the statement said. The unit of South Korean chemical giant LG Chem said it is committed to working closely with the concerned authorities to investigate the cause of the incident, prevent recurrence in future and secure the foundation for care and treatment. "While focusing on stabilizing the ...

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd on Saturday reported a consolidated loss after tax of Rs 161.51 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2020. The company had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 52.35 crore in the same period a year ago, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India said in a regulatory filing. Revenue from operations in the fourth quarter stood at Rs 616.61 crore, as against Rs 634.59 crore in the year-ago period. The company said in the fiscal ended March 2020, it posted a consolidated loss after tax of Rs 134.26 crore. It had posted a consolidated profit after tax of Rs 59.57 crore in 2018-19. Revenue from operations in 2019-20 stood at Rs 2,371.87 crore, as compared to Rs 2,238.99 crore in the previous year.

The upcoming Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project offers huge investment opportunities for investors, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said urging players to invest in proposed townships, smart villages and wayside amenities. The minister also exhorted industry players to look into the possibilities of setting up clusters of leather, plastic, chemical and other products along the greenfield highway that is expected to cut down the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai to just 12 hours. "The new alignment of the highway passes through most backward and tribal areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh...There are no industries there. It is time to decongest already developed areas. It offers industry players huge investment opportunities like setting up leather, plastic, chemical, etc clusters," the road transport and highways minister said. These clusters will help in all-round development of the backward areas of these states, the senior minister said ..

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said he is "totally healthy" and not suffering from any disease. In a statement, Shah said rumours about his health conditions have been spread through social media. "I am totally healthy and I am not suffering from any disease," he said in the statement in Hindi which was posted on his Twitter handle.

The Goa government may allow holding of music classes and reopening of some state-run libraries in a phased manner on the condition of maintaining strict social distancing norms, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gawade said on Saturday. However, resumption of dramas and other entertainment events will be allowed only after monsoon gets over. The state-run Kala Academy will also reopen once rainy season gets over, he told PTI. Goa is classified as a green zone with no coronavirus positive case as of now. Meanwhile, Gawade said the overall budget of the state Art and Culture department is likely to be slashed by almost 30 per cent as part of fiscal measures being adopted for kick-starting the economy, which is affected by the COVID situation. He also said that demand made by various artists seeking monthly renumeration cannot be approved. Some professional artists and theatre personalities had raised a demand for a package with chief minister Pramod Sawant and Gawade, saying

Extending his greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India stands with Russia in the solemn remembrance day. In a tweet, Modi also noted that tens of thousands of Indian soldiers also made the sacrifice in the second World War. "India stands with Russia in solemn remembrance today, on the 75th Anniversary of Victory Day. Tens of thousands of Indian soldiers also made the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War. My warm greetings to President Putin and the Russian people on this occasion," Modi tweeted. In Moscow, Putin marked Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The NCP is likely to field its Maharashtra unit vice president Shashikant Shinde and another leader Amol Mitkari as its candidates for the upcoming state Legislative Council election, party sources said on Saturday. The election for the nine legislative council seats is due on May 21 and the last date for filing of nominations is May 11. The electoral college (for the election) is 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. The sources said that the NCP and ally Shiv Sena, which have 54 and 56 seats respectively, will contest two seats each in the election, where securing 29 votes (of MLAs) can see a candidate sail through. The Congress (44 MLAs) is in a position to bag one seat, but is insisting on consisting one more seat with the help of the NCP and Shiv Sena. "The NCP has finalised the names of former state minister Shinde and Mitkari, who had campaigned hard for the party in the Assembly election held last year," the sources said. They said that Shinde and Mitkari may file ...