The low-pressure deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, named as Cyclone 'Amphan' has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Sunday.

The weather agency further said that it would further intensify into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed his condolences regarding the extremely tragic deaths of 24 migrants in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Auriya district early this morning. The Prime Minister further said that the government is "promptly involved" in relief work. Several other politicians, too, expressed their grief regarding the unfortunate incident.

The renowned American departmental store-chain, JC Penney, is the latest and largest victim of the economic difficulties arising out of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-necessitated restrictions across the globe and by extension, the US, which is currently the epicenter of coronavirus contamination in the world. The company filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, after having witnessed a decline in business for almost two decades past, with the COVID-19 crisis simply exacerbating its financial strain.

As the COVID-19 tally in India neared the 86,000-mark on Friday, while the death toll topped the 2,700-mark, India finally crossed China in the recorded number of positive cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection. As of 9:15 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in India has reached 85,940, which includes 53,035 active cases; 30,152 cured, discharged or migrated patients, and 2,752 deaths.

As the states in India's eastern coast brace for Cyclone Amphan, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted wind speeds reaching up to 55-65 kmph and gusts of up to 75 kmph on Saturday. The cyclone system is predicted to form by this evening over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

With the cyclonic system evolving from 'Depression' to 'Deep depression' and then into the 'Cyclonic storm' category the wind speeds too will rise to 75-85 kmph gusting at 95 kmph.

At least 24 migrant labourers were killed and several others injured in the wee hours of Saturday after the trailer truck they were travelling home in collided with a DCM van in the Auriya district of Uttar Pradesh, around 200 km from state capital Lucknow.

The road accident occurred at around 3 AM, sources confirmed, making this the latest in a series of unfortunate incidents involving stranded migrant workers meeting their hapless fate after facing scores of difficulties while traversing home to their native states, mostly on foot.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed 29,0000-mark on Friday as the state added as many as 1,576 fresh cases to the tally, data released by the health department said.

As the virus claimed 49 more lives, the death toll rose to 1,068 while the total number of cases reached 29,100.

While the number of cases reported on Friday was less than the Thursday's tally of 1,602, it was still the second-highest single-day for the worst-hit state in the country.

The Allahabad High Court on Friday allowed the Muslim call tor prayer, or 'azaan' by a single individual in Uttar Pradesh mosques without the use of any loudspeaker during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.

While allowing 'azaan' during lockdown, the court said it may be an essential and integral part of Islam but its recitation through loudspeakers or other sound-amplifying devices cannot be said to be an integral part of the religion.

After media reports showed a migrant woman pulling a suitcase with her child sleeping half hung on it as she walked on a highway in Uttar Pradesh's Agra, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) India has taken suo motu cognizance of the matter and issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and the District Magistrate of Agra.

As per reports, the migrant woman was walking all the way from somewhere in Punjab to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh till she caught the attention of the media persons.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked how anyone can stop incidents like Aurangabad when they sleep on railway tracks, referring to the death of 16 migrant workers, who were run over by a goods train in Maharashtra last week while returning home on foot to their home in Madhya Pradesh amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Dismissing a plea filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Shrivastav raising concerns over migrant workers, a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao observed that it was not possible for the court to monitor the situation and that it was up to the state Governments to manage the situation.

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