A police case has been registered against Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) last August, for not joining duty as directed by the government amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Two militants and a "hardcore" militant associate were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 775 and the number of cases climbed to 24,506 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In a reprieve to public at large, the government on Friday night allowed opening of neighbourhood and stand alone shops, including those located in residential complexes within municipal areas, but at a 50 per cent strength and after taking necessary precautions.

The United States accounts for more than one fourth of the global COVID-19 deaths and over one-third of the total number of people infected with the deadly virus, latest figures revealed on Friday.

Prominent social activist, speaker Mahendra Kumar passed away due to cardiac arrest at his Bengaluru residence on Saturday early morning. He was 47 years old.

Bengaluru: In furthering relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown norms to revive the state's economy, the Karnataka government on Friday allowed rural industries to start its operations in nine coronavirus free districts.

Bengaluru: KPCC president DK Shivakumar has alleged that 1,879 quintals of rice, which was brought to the state from Haryana to distribute among people, has illegally been stored at a warehouse of a BJP leader in Sarjapur.