Morning Digest: Maharashtra train accident victims were battling hunger, NGT cites obsolete law in Visakhapatnam gas leak case, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

May 09, 2020 07:30 am | Updated 07:30 am IST

Children being treated at King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam on May 7, 2020.

Children being treated at King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam on May 7, 2020.

Migrant workers | Maharashtra train accident victims were battling hunger

Pointing out that poverty and lack of local jobs drove the villagers away to hunt for work, Bhagwati Singh, the sarpanch, said, “They also don’t get much work under MGNREGA here”.

Coronavirus lockdown | With no work or food, workers brave the long march home from Uttar Pradesh

Many of the labourers in group said they had waited for weeks in anticipation that the U.P. government would start plying buses to transport them home, just like it was bringing back its migrants stranded outside.

Coronavirus in Dharavi | When a virus finds space in India’s largest slum

Packed settlements and common toilets make physical distancing an impossibility in Dharavi. Jyoti Shelar and Ajeet Mahale report on the efforts to stop COVID-19 from spreading in a 2.5-sq km area that has recorded more than 800 cases and 25 deaths.

Visakhapatnam gas tragedy | NGT cites obsolete law in gas leak case

The  National Green Tribunal's order  on Friday in the  Visakhapatnam gas tragedy  found LG Polymers  prima facie  liable under the 19th century English law principle of “strict liability”, which was made redundant in India by the Supreme Court in 1986.

Coronavirus | 216 districts record no cases till date; recovery rate hits 29.36%

With a recovery rate now standing at 29.36 %, India on Friday registered 3,390 new  COVID-19  positive cases with 103 deaths taking the total number to 56,342 cases and 1,886 deaths.

Coronavirus | Lockdown chokes Maharashtra’s economic lifeline

The State’s Finance Department announced that  Maharashtra’s financial condition has deteriorated to the extent  that it could not even afford to go ahead with annual transfers of government employees in the ongoing fiscal year.

Coronavirus lockdown | Suspend labour laws for 2-3 years, employers’ associations urge government

The associations made the demand during a meeting with Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Ministry officials as a part of the Ministry’s outreach to stakeholders to discuss the ongoing  coronavirus situation and its impact on workers and industry.

India should talk directly to Taliban, says U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad

India should discuss its concerns on terrorism directly with the Taliban, said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, adding that he had discussed how it could play a “more active role” in the Afghan reconciliation.

U.S. Justice Dept. to drop case against former NSA Flynn

National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty in a case related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections, was awaiting sentencing.

Key Pence aide, married to top Trump adviser, diagnosed with coronavirus

The diagnosis of Katie Miller, who is married to White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller, was revealed by Mr. Trump in a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Friday, a day after news that Mr. Trump's personal valet had tested positive for the virus.

EU agrees first part of coronavirus economic rescue, but job not done yet

Finance ministers of the 19-nation region signed off on the details of cheap, long-term credit lines that will be made available by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to countries that need cash to cover extraordinary health costs caused by the outbreak.

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