Contracting for the third straight month, India's exports shrank 36.47% in May to US $19.05 billion, the data released by the government showed on Monday.

A significant decline was witnessed in shipments by key sectors like engineering, petroleum and textiles on weak global demand due to COVID-19. While the exports in dollar terms were $ 19.05 billion, it was Rs 1,44,166.01 crore in rupee terms, registering a negative growth of 31.11%. In comparison, exports in May 2019 was US $29.99 billion or Rs 2,09,280.62 crore.

The onus of building a positive and conducive environment for talks with India lies with the Nepal government, official sources said on Monday as Kathamandu passed a new political map showing Indian territory as its own.

The release of a new political map was part of a myopic agenda to score political gains by the Nepalese government and was an attempt to politicise the boundary issue with India, sources said.

Amid rising coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu, especially in Chennai, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday announced a 12-day maximised restricted lockdown in the capital city and its adjoining areas.

A full lockdown will be implemeneted in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur from June 19-30. The four cities come under the Metropolitan Chennai Police limits.

Drug major Sun Pharma on Monday said it has entered into an exclusive licensing and distribution agreement with Hikma Pharmaceuticals for plaque psoriasis medicine, Ilumya, for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

One of the company's wholly-owned subsidiaries and Hikma Pharmaceuticals have entered into the agreement for Ilumya, Sun Pharma said in a filing to BSE.

Wholesale prices entered a deflationary zone in May, falling 3.2 per cent, as the month saw a decline in demand amid an economic hit in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

While overall wholesale price index (WPI) numbers were not available for April, in May last year the WPI-based inflation rate had stood at 2.79 per cent.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday (June 14) that monsoon has covered a large part of the west and central India but its progress is expected to get slower this week as low pressure weakens.

The IMD said in a statement that the monsoon has advanced into the remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, some parts of northeast Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, remaining parts of Maharashtra (including Mumbai), some parts of Madhya Pradesh, most parts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and some more parts of Bihar.

The coronavirus cases in India continue to spread rapidly as the country has marked significant and consecutive highest jumps in the COVID-19 tally over a major part of the past two weeks. With over 11,000 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count on Sunday crossed the 3.32 lakh-mark, while the death toll has crossed the 9,500-mark as well.

At 9:30 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in the country has reached 3,32,424 cases, which includes 1,53,106 active cases; 1,69,798 cured, discharged, or migrated patients, and 9,520 deaths.

The Western Railway and Central Railway announced on Sunday that some select local trains in Mumbai will resume services for essential staff. These special suburban services will not be for the general public but strictly for essential staff as identified by the government of Maharashtra.

Western Railway will run 73 pairs of suburban services including eight pairs between Virar and Dahanu Road.

The all-party meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah to review the management of COVID-19 situation in Delhi is scheduled to be held at 11 am on Monday.

The meeting, which will be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to be attended by representatives of BJP, AAP, Congress, BSP apart from officials of the Delhi government and the Centre.

The Anand Vihar railway station in East Delhi will stop operation of trains from Monday as COVID-19 isolation coaches will be deployed at it, officials informed.

All trains from Anand Vihar have been moved to Old Delhi Railway Station

The development comes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier on Sunday announced that Centre will provide 500 railway coaches to Delhi in view of the shortage of beds for COVID-19 patients.

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