A study conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre here has highlighted the high rate of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients and also revealed that the fatality rate in such patients is 7.6 times more than the national average fatality rate for COVID-19. Public health experts postulate that the severity and resulting mortality in cancer patients with COVID-19 is amplified due to their elderly and immunocompromised state which is further worsened by cancer treatment. Our

The Centre on Saturday withdrew three Bills moved by the Labour Ministry in the Lok Sabha and reintroduced them with fresh labour code provisions as part of the labour reforms initiative. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2019; and Code on Social Security, 2019 were withdrawn from the Lower House when it assembled for the day at 3 p.m. Minister of State (independent charge) in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar

In a shocking incident, a 45-year-old woman was gang-raped in Tijara in Alwar district by six persons while she was returning to her village along with her nephew on a bike, police officials said on Saturday. Police has since arrested three persons. Police said that her nephew was also forced to act as if he was participating in the crime on September 14 to ensure that the woman did not lodge a police against the accused. The victim, however, lodged a complaint on September 17 after a video clip

Decommissioned aircraft carrier Viraat on Saturday set sail for the last time, on way to Alang in Gujarat, where it will be broken down and sold as scrap. For Navy veterans who watched the huge vessel being towed by tug boats, there was a lump in the throat as they bade it an emotional farewell from the Gateway of India. Viraat began its final journey from the Naval dockyard where it was berthed after being decommissioned in March 2017. A Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic bac

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday filed a supplementary charge sheet against 15 accused, including alleged middleman Christian Michel and accused-turned-approver Rajiv Saxena, in connection with the alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. The charge sheet filed before Special Judge Arvind Kumar in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court, does not name former Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, according to the sources. On September 11, the probe agency had s

Twelve years have passed since the Batla House encounter in which Special Cell of Delhi Police claimed to have neutralised a key terror module of the Indian Mujahideen responsible for blasts in the national capital and other parts of the country. The Jamia Nagar flat where the terrorist lived wears a haunted look and no one has since occupied the flat, where a few of the IM men were gunned down. Residents of L-18 do not want to speak about that day or that encounter even twelve years after. Nobo

Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested a Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate for paying freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma for the sensitive information passed on to the Chinese intelligence, police said on Saturday. The Chinese intelligence had tasked the journalist to convey sensitive information in lieu of large sums of money routed through shell companies. A number of mobile phones, laptops, and other incriminating and sensitive material has also been seized, said Sajeev Yadav, DCP, Spe

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said the new National Education Policy (NEP) is a milestone in strengthening the future of youngsters and would also pave the way for the country to become 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. On July 29, the Union Cabinet had approved the the NEP 2020 which aims for transformational reforms in schools and higher education systems in the country. It replaced the 34-year-old National Policy on Education. Effective implementation of the NEP 2020 is likely to restore India's

The NIA on Saturday busted an inter-state terror module sponsored by Al Qaeda from Pakistan. There were nine men arrested from West Bengal and Kerala who were planning attacks with IEDS, made from potassium procured from firecrackers. They planned to go to Kashmir for weapons delivery. The National Investigation Agency arrested six of these terrorists from West Bengal's Mushidabad and three from Kerala's Ernakulum district in early morning raids. The nine were planning attacks on several vital i

Three of the nearly 30 coronavirus vaccine candidates in the country are in advanced stages of clinical trials, while four are in pre-clinical development stage, Science and Technology Ministry Harsh Vardhan said on Friday. A high-level expert group is looking into matters related to vaccine distribution and immunisation, he said. Nationally, nearly 30 vaccine candidates are under development, by both industry and academia. These vaccines are in different stages of pre-clinical and clinical deve

The 'Ayodhya ki Ramleela', in which BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan are to participate, will be available virtually in 14 regional languages, including Urdu and Bhojpuri, its organisers said. The play will be staged at Lakshaman Qila on the banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya, a few kilometers from the site where the Ram temple is being constructed. It will be held before a limited audience due to COVID-19 pandemic from October 17 to October 25 but it will be broadcast on cable TV, YouTube and

n two separate incidents in the past 12 hours, a goods train engine hit a boulder and derailed near Jasai on Friday night and an EMU train derailed near Atgaon station on the Kalyan -Kasara section on Saturday morning. In both cases, there were no injuries or casualties. Suburban train derailed near Atgaon Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar confirmed both the incidents to Mid-Day. Oops! This one is quite a dramatic pic of the incident that occurred last night of a goods

Continuing with its massive daily spike, India recorded 93,337 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking its overall tally across the 53-lakh mark, data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed on Saturday. There were 1,247 deaths in a day as 53,08,014 cases were registered with India remaining just behind the US, which it has overtaken in terms of recoveries. Out of the total, 10,13,964 are active, 42,08,431 have been discharged, while 85,619 lost the battle against the viral

Taking on critics, Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said a simple woman finance minister saying Act of God is taken sarcastically while latin word force majeure is well accepted. Speaking in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman -- who is also the country's first woman finance minister -- said her remark is being criticised also because she looks like a neighbourhood aunty and asserted that twisting her comment is irresponsible. On August 27, she said the economy has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is an A

Data on the number of healthcare workers who are infected by the coronavirus infection or have lost their lives during COVID-19 duty is not maintained at the central level by the health ministry, the government told Lok Sabha on Friday. However, details of the number of persons seeking relief under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance Package for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 is maintained at the national level, Minister of State (MoS) for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply.

Even as the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress continued to protest against the Centre's ban on onion exports, the NCP's Women's Wing on Friday sent onions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Women workers from all 36 districts in Maharashtra collected onions and sent them to Modi and Koshyari, said NCP Women's Wing President Rupali Chakankar. Our women collected onions despite financial constraints and sent parcels of 5 kg each to the PM and

Responding to actor Kangana Ranaut 's plea before the Bombay High Court seeking Rs 2 crore as damages for demolition at her bungalow, the Mumbai civic body said on Friday that it was an abuse of the process of law. In an affidavit, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) urged the court to dismiss Ranaut's petition and impose a cost on her for filing such a plea. The writ petition and the reliefs sought for therein constitute an abuse of process. The petition should not be entertained and s

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday morning carried out searches and arrested nine terrorists of the banned terror organisation Al-Qaeda. According to anti-terror probe agency officials, the arrests were made after raids in West Bengal 's Murshidabad and Kerala 's Ernakulam on some intelligence input about the presence of the terrorists there. As per the preliminary investigation, these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were mo

The body of an infant was recovered from the mortuary freezer of Indores largest government-run hospital Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital on Thursday, five days after it was placed there. The hospital staff allegedly forgot that it was inside the freezer, according to a report in NDTV . Sources said that an abandoned baby was admitted to the hospital by an activist in July. On September 11, the infant passed away and the chief medical officer (CMO) was informed. Reportedly, the police were not

India's first Masters in Public Health course with the specialisation in 'Epidemic Management and Surveillance' will start in Maharashtra. Doctors say the two-year course will help understand the prevalence, severity and prevention of any infectious disease. The Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences in Wardha will be the first to start the postgraduate study. Dr Vedprakash Mishra, the national head of the Academic Programme (Indian Programme), UNESCO chair in Bioethics (Haifa), said the stud

The rank and file of Mumbai Congress are eagerly expecting the high command to restructure the metro's organisational unit, that will have to face the civic polls in another 13-14 months in the changed political scenario in the state and the city. The party made several changes to its national set-up after the 'letter storm' rocked it last month. A senior leader from Karnataka, H K Patil, has been made general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra. Patil replaced Mallikarjun Kharge, who held specif

A red-billed tropicbird rescued from Versova couple of days back died on Friday. The rare tropical bird was spotted in Mumbai after almost more than 30 years. A few days ago, NGO RAWW received a distress call from a Versova resident regarding a white seabird being stranded at the beach. Talking to mid-day, President of RAWW, Pawan Sharma said, We found the displaced white seabird severely dehydrated and unable to stand on its own. It was secured safely by the team and hydrated. Upon close inspec

Government school teachers received a rude shock in the form of election duty orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid online classes, this new task has compounded their worries. Not only are teachers afraid they won't be able to focus on classes but also about not being allowed into societies to collect voter information. The teachers' association has approached the state government with their issues. The election duty orders pertain to finishing a brief re-inspection of voters' registration lis

The Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) market at Matunga, popular for South Indian traditional items, has been closed by the BMC after 18 COVID-19 cases were reported at the antigen test camp. The market will be sanitised every day and if all goes well, it may reopen again on Monday. Moreover, the civic body will now make antigen tests mandatory at Gandhi Market in King's Circle. LBS Market near Matunga Central Railway station has around 150 shops. On Friday, there was absolute silence outside the market

Amid the increasing struggle to find ICU and ventilators in Navi Mumbai, the civic body has decided to increase capacity on a war footing. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is set to add 300 ICU beds and 70 ventilators in the next 30 days. The city has been having a tough time treating COVID-19 patients in critical conditions. The addition of new beds is expected to resolve the issue to some extent. On Friday evening, only 13 ICU beds and five ventilator beds were available in the cit

With permission to ferry 100 per cent of the seating capacity of passengers in buses from Friday in place, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said that it was operating around 550 buses in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region from far-off places like Palghar, Raigad and Thane districts. It has also announced special exclusive MSRTC services for women from places like Panvel, Dombivli and Virar from September 21. MSRTC officials said two passengers are being allowed to sit next to

For yet another day, more than 21,000 fresh cases were reported in the state along with more than 400 COVID-19-related deaths on Friday. The final tally of cases now stands at 11.67 lakh. With 52 fatalities, Mumbai's daily count was well above 2,000 cases while the active cases are more than 34,000. State health department officials reported that among the fresh cases, Pune took the lead once again with 3,231 cases followed by Mumbai with 2,283 cases. Other districts with a high daily count incl

The railway police on Friday sealed more than 70 flats allocated to railway staff in Mumbai which had illegal occupants staying in them. They also took action against nine railway staffers who rented out their 1-BHK flats to outsiders for Rs 8,000 per month. In Mumbai, around 4,460 railway quarters have been allocated to staff. Speaking with mid-day, Western Railway (WR), Public Relations Officer Ravindra Bhakar said, During the lockdown, many people started staying in railway colony flats illeg

The Bombay High Court, while hearing the bail plea of three accused in connection with the alleged Bollywood drug cartel case on Friday, said that it will decide whether Section 27A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) of the NDPS Act applies to the case. While the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had asked for one week's time to give a reply to the court, the next hearing has been set for September 29 and all accused will continue to be in judicial custody. The court was hearing t

A woman sustained minor injuries in a chemical blast at Manish Commercial Centre at Worli on Friday. The incident occurred in a lab, Spectrum Laboratories, which conducts COVID-19 tests in the building. A civic official said the blast was minor though the lab was damaged, but the windows of a building opposite it were also blown out. As per the information given by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the liquid nitrogen exploded on the fifth floor of the six-storey commercial building

While the Oxford vaccine trial is yet to take off in the city, work on the BCG vaccine trial, which is being tested as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among senior citizens, has been underway for nearly a month now. Doses have already been administered to 24 participants. A team from KEM hospital is now looking for more candidates. The BCG vaccine gives non-specific immunity from infections and is given to children in India. As part of the ICMR trial in Mumbai, one dose of the vaccine will

Online bullying is making life difficult for both students and teachers. With schools struggling through uncertainty and motoring along via cyber studies, the bullying is compounding a tense situation. A prominent report in this paper detailed how unwanted elements are gaining access to online classes and entering classrooms. They insult teachers who then become totally disconcerted as they are taking a class. Most times, they make inappropriate comments, especially targeting girl students. This

Where's the mask? As cases in the city see a surge, such casual behaviour by these travellers on a bus in Kandivali on the Western Express Highway defies logic. PIC/ Satej Shinde Securing Gautam's legacy It may have been nine years since his passing, but the memory of her brother and noted fashion photography legend, Gautam Rajadhyaksha is clear as the day in the mind of the author, Shobhaa De. Remembering him on his death anniversary, she told this diarist, Gautam and I shared many common inter

Every other week, someone on some social media platform chooses to put up stills from the film Amar Akbar Anthony. It hit screens in 1977, made its makers and stars millionaires, and continued to attract attention for much of the decade that followed. Most of the people putting up these stills weren't born when it aired. I suppose they do it as an act of wonder, to show that this India once existed too, a mythical place where a Hindu filmmaker and a Muslim dialogue writer could create a plot inv

Western Railway on Friday evening announced to increase the number of daily special suburban services from 350 to 500 from Monday, 21st September in order to maintain social distancing and ease overcrowding. These are only for essential workers as approved by the government of Maharashtra. Of the increased services, there will be 30 additional services during morning rush hours & 29 additional services during evening rush hours. The break-up of these services is available of the Western Railway

Today on the occasion of Honorable Prime Minister Shree Narendra Damodar Das Modi's 70th birthday occasion, Anand Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel organised a function where 70 Tricycles were distributed among disabled persons in his Wasad village. This Year Mr. Mitesh Patel has decided to Celebrate Modiji's birthday on the *Antyodaya theme* which is the core motto of the BJP party. MP Mitesh Patel said that while the people of India have given such a huge victory to the BJP in 2019 under the leadershi

Despite the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers agreeing to reduce tensions along the disputed border, both the countries troops are in rifle range at four locations at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh, a senior official in the security establishment said. Worryingly, the eyeball-to-eyeball deployment, at least in one place, is at a place where troops had disengaged previously after military-level talks. And the fresh eyeball-to-eyeball deployment comes at a time when China is yet to indicate the

An internal inquiry ordered by the Army into the encounter killing of three persons in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir in July has held that the concerned security personnel had exceeded their powers under the AFSPA and recommended disciplinary proceedings. Imtiyaz Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad, and Mohammad Ibrar from Rajouri district were killed by security forces during an operation in Amshipora village on July 18, 2020. While the security forces claimed that the three were terrorists from whom fi

Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for a bacterial disease after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant making animal vaccines last year. Health officials in Lanzhou city said 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis, a disease often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can bring about fevers, joint pain and headaches. Another 1,401 people tested as an early positive for the disease, and health authorities said there was no evid

Technology has come to the rescue of the Indian Railways -- operating 310 passenger, Mail and Express trains as of now across the country -- in detecting passengers with coronavirus-like symptoms, as Artificial Intelligence-based surveillance cameras have so far detected 28 passengers with mild fever before they could get on board. Central Railway (CR) has taken several measures to prevent Covid-19 spread. In order to effectively scan the passengers for COVID-like symptoms, CR has set up a body

In a massive security breach, a malware has attacked approximately 100 computers of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the government's nodal agency which is responsible for securing critical cyber-infrastructure in the country and comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Delhi Police's Special Cell begun an investigation into the matter. It has also registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act in this connection. The initial investigation ha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Opposition parties on Friday, saying they are lying to farmers. He also claimed that the NDA Government is doing what hey themselves promised in their manifestos, referring to the Congress. The Prime Minister said the Bills were ecessary to safeguard the farmers from middlemen. He was speaking after inaugurating the Kosi mega bridge. Farmers are now given new independence in agriculture. Now, they will have more options and opportunities to sell their prod

The Opposition and the Treasury benches unanimously supported the salary cut for MPs, even as the opposition MPs demanded restoration of the MPLAD funds. The House extended its proceedings for 17 minutes for passing the Bill on Friday. Intervening in the debate Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, 70 per cent members rely on the salary, but I am happy that members have accepted the salary cut. He, however, demanded that the MPLAD fund should be restored to execute small development projec

Continuing its battle against illegal drugs in Bengaluru, the Central Crime Branch's narcotics wing seized LSD strips and Tetra Hydrocannabinol (THC) coated jelly worth Rs 4 lakhs on Friday. The CCB has arrested two alleged drug peddlers, 21 year old Nicholas, a Kottanuru resident and Irfan, a 29 year old resident of J. P. Nagar 2nd stage, Bengaluru. Mumbai: NCB raids 4 drug peddlers, recovers 1.418 kg narcotics According to the CCB, the duo was allegedly caught red-handed while they were trying

The Trinamool Congress kicked up a row inside the Rajya Sabha on Friday as it mocked cow urine. It found itself in the minority as parties from across the nation vouched for homoeopathy, ayurveda and other alternate sources of medicine. Trinamool lawmaker Shantanu Sen was speaking about the errible condition of homeopathy centres in the upper house. What can be expected from a government that says that drinking cow urine can cure disease or Covid-19 ? They are indirectly promoting private medic

Continuing its operation against the drugs trade in Mumbai, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained four drug peddlers as part of its investigations into the drugs angle in the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, an official said here on Friday. Carrying out raids in Mumbai's Powai and Andheri suburbs, besides Thane, the NCB has recovered a total quantity of 1.418 kg of contrabands like Charas and Ganja. Following a statement by one drug supplier, Ankush Arneja, who was arrested o

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express flights till October 2 for allegedly bringing passengers with COVID-positive certificates twice during the last couple of weeks, senior government officials said on Friday. As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India need to bring original COVID-negative certificate from RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey. A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air I

Six months of living with the coronavirus pandemic has seen the situation steadily deteriorate. And nowhere has its impact been worse than in India. Millions across the nation have been left in dire straits, unable to provide for themselves and their families. Acts of humanity has been of some solace though. And for many, that call has been answered by philanthropist and businessman Mauris Norohna. Mumbai-resident Mauris Noronha, had plans to migrate to the USA. Infact, he had even started the p

Eminent fashion designer Sharbari Dutta died following a stroke at her residence in Kolkata, her family said. She was 63. Dutta, who lived alone, was found dead in the washroom of her home at Broad Street Thursday evening. She was not reachable on phone since morning, the family said. The doctors diagnosed stroke as the reason for her death but sent the body for a post-mortem examination as it was found in the washroom, family sources said. The daughter of Bengali poet Ajit Dutta, she showed her

A fire broke out in an air conditioner duct at old passport office (Manish Commercial Centre) in Worli Annie Besant Road on Friday, which led to a cylinder blast, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Cylinder blast in Worli. Pic/Ashish Raje According to reports, a woman sustained minor injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. A team of fire tenders reached the spot and is assessing the damage as part of the building collapsed due to the blast. Our two fire engines are t