Ten persons, including a six-year-old girl, died and over 350 others were admitted to various hospitals, when styrene monomer gas leaked from a chemical plant belonging to LG Polymers, located at R.R. Venkatapuram in Visakhapatnam. | Heart-rending scenes at hospitals | Video | No scientific studies report styrene gas causing deaths | What is styrene gas?
“Cities which hold the key to India’s fight against COVID-19: Mumbai accounting for 20%, Delhi-11%, Ahmedabad is around 9%, Pune around 4%, Chennai- 4%, Indore around 3%, Thane also close to 3% & Jaipur around 2.5%. Testing, contact-tracing, & community surveillance critical,” the NITI Aayog CEO said in a tweet.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in the 2.5 lakh strong force stands at 195.
Chief Ministers of Punjab, Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat are worried that economic revival in their States, post lockdown, will be hampered as more and more labour leave their borders. | Back in U.P., migrants stare at an uncertain future
Garments unit’s management denies charges as baseless, cites non-discriminatory hiring policy. | Visakhapatnam gas leak affects movement of at least nine Shramik Special trains
“The increased working hours are applicable only if employees are willing to work. And they must be paid for overtime,” Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, announcing sweeping changes to labour laws. He called the changes pro-worker and investment-friendly. | Karnataka decides to restart trains for migrants after facing flak over cancellation
Police personnel have been deployed to ensure physical distancing guidelines are followed at the liquor shops; women and Opposition parties protested in some parts of the State. | Women tremble as Tasmac outlets reopen in Madurai | On Day 1, chaos prevail at TASMAC shops in Chennai’s neighbouring districts
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the State is on high alert and has geared itself up to receive them. | Mandatory 14 days institutionalised quarantine for those entering Kerala from red zones
Foreign nationals or valid visa holders will be charged the same fare as Indian nationals who want a seat on the inbound repatriation flights. | All visas, OCI cards for foreign nationals outside India remain suspended
So far, more than 70,000 Americans have died in the global pandemic. | WHO warns of new lockdowns if transition not managed carefully
Arvind Mayaram, a former Union Finance Secretary, says the Centre should not issue detailed guidelines for the entire country but allow the State governments to devise and implement economic strategy which reflects the reality in the respective States. | Today’s top business news
What is common for H-1B workers in the U.S., bonded labourers in brick kilns, and migrant workers in Singapore’s multi-storey slums? They share experiences of exploitative, extractive, and inhuman treatment that keeps business models profitable. The pandemic has stripped the moral fig-leaf that tenuously covered this.
These results pushed India, with just one match-point, to the bottom of the six-team table.