20 special flights from Saudi to India announced; 3 and a half to Bengaluru; Sorry Mangaluru

Bengaluru, May 18: With the detection of 99 fresh cases of COVID-19, highest single-day spike, including 24 from Bengaluru Urban district, the total number of persons contracted for the disease in the state has surged to 1,246.

Apart from 24 fresh cases in Bengaluru Urban district, Mandya recorded 17 cases followed by Uttara Kannada (09), Raichur (06), Yadagiri (06), Gadaga (05), Kalaburagi (10), Hassan (04), Koppal (03), Vijayapura (05), Mysuru (01), Belagavi (02), Ballari (01), Udupi (01), Kodagu (01) and Koppal (03).

So far 37 persons had succumbed to the virus in the state.

Dubai, Feb 19: A 25-year-old Indian engineer allegedly fell to his death from a residential apartment in Dubai, according to a media report.

Sabeel Rahman, from Kerala who has been living in Dubai since 2018, fell off the building near his work site, The Khaleej Times quoted a social worker as saying.

Naseer Vatanapally, the social worker, is assisting the family to repatriate his mortal remains back home to Thirur in Malappuram district, the report said.

"The case is a bit unusual. We''re not sure why he went to the building near his worksite," said Naseer Vatanapally.

"His family is unaware of any issues he may have faced. He had asked his brother to collect a new mobile phone he had purchased online - which they received. He had no reason to take his life," he added.

Rahman was the youngest of four siblings. The devastated family is awaiting details from the Rashidiya Police Station. "Following legal procedures, we will repatriate his body back home," he said.

Bengaluru, Feb 24: Raising questions about the situation in Kashmir, senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Sidddaramaiah on Monday asked the BJP heading the union government to prove 'normalcy' by hosting US President Donald Trump's event in the valley.

If @BJP4India feels Kashmir has returned to Normalcy, & If @BJP4India feels that there is no govt orchestrated violence. Now is the time to prove the same by hosting @realDonaldTrump's event at Kashmir, Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Amid concerns raised by opposition parties, the government has said efforts have been made to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir which faced months of restrictions after its special status under Article 370 was scrapped in August last year.

Siddaramaiah, who is Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, in another tweet hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the long wall built near the airport in Ahmedabad allegedly to block the view of a slum, ahead of Trump's visit.

It is time for @realDonaldTrump to get inspired from @narendramodi. Inspiration to build decorative walls to hide not so decorative life!! he tweeted. The opposition Congress in Gujarat had accused the BJP- ruled civic body in Ahmedabad of building the 500-meter long wall to block the view of a slum colony. Refuting the allegations, AMC officials had said the construction of the wall, around four feet in height, was approved much before Trump's Gujarat visit was finalised.

Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and a high-level delegation, arrived in Ahmedabad around noon on Monday for a little less than a 36-hour-long trip.