A record rise in COVID-19 cases in India for the seventh consecutive day has pushed the tally to over 2.6 lakh on Tuesday, with the daily nationwide spike in coronavirus cases inching close to 10,000. The rise in cases comes at a time when the country has stepped out of a 75-day coronavirus lockdown with malls, religious places and offices opening in several parts of the country under strict conditions.

After nearly three months of lockdown, New York City has entered the first phase of reopening, 100 days since it reported the first COVID-19 case. "This is a powerful day," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday at a press briefing in Brooklyn. "It is the day that we start to liberate ourselves from this disease.

The city that never sleeps had a curfew for much of last week. Famous stores were boarded up after days of unrest. The lights are out on Broadway theaters, and the subway no longer runs overnight. But after three bleak months, New York City will try to turn a page when it begins reopening Monday after getting hit first by the coronavirus, then an outpouring of rage over racism and police brutality.

Seeking to facilitate availability of experimental drugs for severely-ill COVID-19 patients, the Union Health Ministry has issued a draft notification for "compassionate use" of any unapproved drug that is in the phase-III clinical trial globally. The draft New Drugs and Clinical Trials (Amendment) Rules stipulate manufacture and import of unapproved drugs based on a prescription by a hospital or medical institution

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said there was no question of imposing total lockdown again in the state in view of the spike in coronavirus cases.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has gone into self-quarantine and will get himself tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, officials said on Monday. They said the chief minister was feeling unwell since Sunday afternoon.

Justifying the Mumbai Police's order that stipulates criminal action against anyone spreading false and fake information on social media, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court that reasonable restrictions can be imposed to safeguard public order.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced that malls, restaurants and religious places in Delhi would open from Monday after more than two months since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed, but banquets and hotels would remain closed.

Indian and Chinese military commanders agreed to peacefully resolve the current border issue in eastern Ladakh in accordance with bilateral pacts as well as the agreement reached between leadership of the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.

A Russian drive to recruit Syrians to fight in Libya for militia leader Khalifa Haftar accelerated in May when hundreds of mercenaries were signed up, five Syrian opposition sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said. Private military contractor Wagner Group is conducting the hiring with Russian army supervision, according to two senior Syrian opposition sources and the regional source. A former Wagner Group member said it first sent Syrians to Libya in 2019.

US President Donald Trump has said that countries like India and China would have much more coronavirus cases than America, the worst-hit country in the world, if they conduct more tests. Trump, in his remarks at Puritan Medical Products in Maine, said that the US has carried out 20 million tests.

Residents of Mumbai and the adjoining areas woke up to a rainy Saturday as pre-monsoon showers lashed these parts. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Colaba weather station reported 18.6 mm rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, while the Santacruz weather bureau recorded 64.9 mm rainfall during the same period.

OPEC and its allies led by Russia meet on Saturday to approve extending record oil production cuts and to push countries such as Iraq and Nigeria to comply better with existing curbs. The producers known as OPEC+ previously agreed to cut supply by a record 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) during May-June to prop up prices that collapsed due to the coronavirus crisis.

India went past Italy to become the sixth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic with the country registering a record single-day spike of 9,887 cases which pushed the nationwide tally to 2,36,657. India's death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 6,642 with a record increase of 294 deaths in the 24 hours till Saturday 8 AM. India has registered over 9,000 cases for the third day in a row.

Europe gets ready to welcome tourists for summer. Here are the rules to keep in mind. Spain will reopen to international tourism from July 1. Authorities hope to allow holidaymakers from some low-risk countries to visit before that date, after a national state of emergency ends on June 21. International flights to Athens and Thessaloniki airports will resume on June 15. People arriving from locations deemed high-risk, such as the United Kingdom, will be tested for coronavirus. Those testing positive will be quarantined for 14 days. Those testing negative will have to self-isolate for a week.

Maine's Democratic governor is urging President Donald Trump to watch his tone during a visit to the state Friday to showcase a company that makes specialised swabs for coronavirus testing. And the sheriff in the state's most rural county is urging those expected to protest Trump's visit and those who support him to behave themselves as demonstrations continue around the country over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Rainfall activity in central and south India is likely to pick up pace from next week due to a cyclonic circulation which is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal and aid in the progress of the monsoon, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

India saw a record single-day jump of 9,851 coronavirus cases and 273 deaths on Friday, pushing the nationwide infection tally to 2,26,770 and the death toll to 6,348, according to the Union health ministry.

Two more Uttar Pradesh Police personnel deployed in Gautam Buddh Nagar have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Thursday. The two personnel were posted in the control room of the district police and their reports came out on Wednesday, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Ankur Aggarwal, said

Pakistan on Thursday surpassed China, the first epicentre of the coronavirus, after a record 4,688 new cases were registered during the last 24 hours to take the tally to 85,246. China with 84,160 patients has been placed at 18th position, one step lower than Pakistan, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University.