A mechanical structure collapsed at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, killing six miners, an official said on Friday. The tragedy occured at the tri-junction of Dienshalalu, Sarkari and Rymbai villages late Thursday, Deputy Commissioner E Kharmalki said.

The Congress party will have an elected president by June 2021, with the party's working committee on Friday approving holding the internal election after the assembly polls.

India's first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19, Covaxin, showed enhanced immune response without any serious side effects in the participants enrolled for the phase 1 trials, according to the results published in The Lancet Infectious Disease journal.

 Farmer unions on Friday told the government they want a complete repeal of three contentious farm laws even as the Centre asked them to reconsider its proposal for putting the Acts on hold for 12-18 months, as the two sides met for their 11th round of talks to resolve the nearly-two-month long deadlock.

The Centre has accorded the top category 'Z+' VIP security cover to former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, official sources said on Friday.

The Centre Friday told the Supreme Court that it was not in favour of granting one extra opportunity to those civil services aspirants who could not appear in their last attempt in the exams conducted by the UPSC last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 In yet another jolt for the TMC dispensation, ahead of the assembly polls, West Bengal forest minister Rajib Banerjee on Friday quit the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.

'Atmanirbhar Bharat' mission has become a part of everyday life of the country and its spirit pervades from the cricket field to COVID-19 management, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.