Deve Gowda makes his grandson JD(S) general secretary

Bengaluru, April 6: The total number of positive cases in Karnataka climbed to 163 after 12 more cases were reported, state government officials said on Monday.

Out of the 12 new cases, three of them have a history of travelling to Delhi.

The tally includes four deaths and 18 people have recovered and discharged.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India crossed the 4,000 mark, mounting to 4,067, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

Thrissur, Mar 7: A local temple in Kerala is at the centre of a social media storm after the picture of a ''Brahmins-only toilet'' outside its main campus went viral on online platforms, prompting the management to remove the signboard.

The picture of three toilets, with signboards showing "Men", "Women" and "Brahmins", at the Kuttumukku Mahadeva Temple in Thrissur, has gone viral with many social media users viewing it as an unethical practise that can portray the progressive state in a bad light.

However, temple officials said the toilets were located outside the main campus and the board was brought to their notice only now.

Kannan, an official of the temple committee, said the board was placed nearly two decades ago and nobody raised any complaint against it so far.

"That particular toilet was being used by priests and other temple employees. We didn't even notice that board... As soon as we came to know about it, we removed it and affixed a staff-only board," he told PTI.

Also a CPI-M functionary and ward councillor, Kannan said the shrine and it's management was against all kinds of unethical customs.

The temple official said they were planning to pursue legal measures against the man who posted the photo of the toilets on social media.

"We suspect that he did it deliberately to create issues during the time of the festival and to tarnish the shrine's reputation. Not only that, the photo he shared was an old one though he claimed that it was taken during the time of the festival, " he said.

Mangaluru, Mar 8: A cruise ship with a Panama flag has been turned back at the New Mangalore Port here following the Centre's advisory in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

The vessel 'MSC Lirica' was sent back on Saturday as the Union Ministry of Shipping had directed all ports not to allow any cruise ship from foreign destinations to call on Indian ports.

No further details about the ship were disclosed.

New Mangaluru Port Trust chairman A V Ramana said the ministry has directed all ports to deny entry to cruise ships till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus scare.

Around 25 vessels were expected to call on the port here during the cruise season.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted an awareness programme on prevention of coronavirus COVID-19 at Mangaluru International Airport.

The stakeholders were sensitised on handling passengers affected with covid-19 and precautions to be taken for dealing with affected passengers.