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Bengaluru reported over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day on Saturday. As Karnataka battles a new wave of infections, the city reported 1,186 cases, while the state witnessed 1,798 new Covid-19 cases. Details to follow

Mumbai, Mar 20: Maharashtra on Saturday witnessed an exponential jump in Covid-19 cases with the state reporting over 27,000 cases in a single day. This is the biggest spike Maharashtra has ever reported in 24 hours. On Saturday, Maharashtra recorded 27,126 new cases and 92 deaths taking the progressive total to 24,49,147 and 53,300, respectively. The active cases in the state now stand at 1,91

Kolkata, Mar 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday slammed the BJP, branding it as the "biggest extortionist" in the world, which should never be allowed to rule the state. Banerjee, speaking at an election rally at Haldia in East Midnapore district, also accused the saffron party of orchestrating riots, killing people and torturing Dalit girls. "BJP is the biggest 'tolabaz'

Mangaluru, Mar 20: The Karnataka Tourism Department is working on building aerodromes and heliports to promote seaplane services and heli tourism in the State, Tourism Department Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey said. Addressing a meeting of Deputy Commissioners of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Districts, he said that under Udaan scheme, aerodromes can be set up in waterfront areas to facilitate heli

Tokyo, Mar 20: Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami advisory on Saturday, after a strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeastern coast. The quake hit at 6:09 pm (0909 GMT) in Pacific waters off Miyagi region with a depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles), the JMA said, issuing an advisory for tsunami waves of around one metre.

New Delhi, Mar 20: India and the US focused on expanding their military engagement during a meeting today between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the US Secretary of Defence, General Lloyd Austin, a joint statement said today. The talks included wide-ranging defence cooperation, information-sharing in emerging areas, and mutual logistical support, the statement said. "We focused on expanding

New Delhi, Mar 20: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Saturday saw a change of guard with Dattatreya Hosabale being elected as its ‘Sarkaryavah’. The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha of RSS elected Hosabale as its ‘Sarkaryavah’ or general secretary. Speculation were rife that Bhaiyyaji Joshi may step down as the ‘Sarkaryavaha’ of RSS on the second day of the Sangh’s triennial that began in

Mangaluru, Mar 20: Dr A K Kasim, an NRI general physician and social worker, passed away at his residence in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Makkah following a heart attack in the wee hours of Friday, March 19. He was 51. Hailing from Uppala in Kasaragod, Dr Kasim’s family has settled in Mangaluru. He was heading the health insurance department of Asian Polyclinic in Makkah. According to sources, at

New Delhi, Mar 20: Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin praised India's growing ties with "like-minded partners" as he held talks in New Delhi Saturday that were expected to be dominated by shared alarm about China. India is a vital US partner in the Asia-Pacific region and Austin's two-day trip is New Delhi's first face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden's administration. It follows talks between

Jeddah, Mar 20: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health is working on raising the percentage of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in the cities of Makkah and Madinah to at least 60 percent before Dhul Hijjah 1, 1442H (July 13), Okaz has learned from well-informed sources. In coordination with the National Transformation Program (NTP), the ministry has set out a health plan for Hajj this year. According to the