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Wed, 26 August 2020
Govt recommends Covid tests for all TB patients

Timeline  Refresh

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23:25   Govt recommends Covid tests for all TB patients
Tuberculosis is associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk of a severe COVID-19 disease, the health ministry said on Wednesday, recommending that all newly-diagnosed tuberculosis patients or those currently on treatment should be tested for COVID-19 and vice versa.

The prevalence of tuberculosis among COVID-19 patients has been found to be 0.37 to 4.47 per cent in different studies, the ministry said and highlighted that there has been an overall decline in tuberculosis notification by 26 per cent during January to June, as compared to the previous year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In its 'Guidance note on Bi-directional TB-COVID screening and screening of TB among ILI/SARI cases' issued on Wednesday, the ministry said studies have shown that a history of active as well as latent tuberculosis is an important risk factor for the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

'This not only results in increased susceptibility, but also rapid and severe symptom development and disease progression with poor outcomes. Tuberculosis is associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease,' the document said.

In addition, tuberculosis patients also tend to have comorbidities or living conditions (malnutrition, diabetes, smoking habit, HIV etc.) that increase their vulnerability.

In order to address this dual morbidity of tuberculosis and COVID-19, activities such as Bi-directional TB-COVID screening, TB screening for influenza-like illness (ILI) cases and TB screening for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases should be carried out, the ministry said.

Under Bi-directional TB-COVID screening, COVID screening for all diagnosed TB patients and TB screening for all COVID-positive patients should be conducted.

Tuberculosis and COVID-19 are infectious diseases, which primarily attack the lungs.

They present with similar symptoms of cough, fever and difficulty in breathing, although tuberculosis has a longer incubation period and a slower onset of disease, the document said.  -- PTI
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23:17   'Portal update' sees Mumbai adding record 1,854 COVID-19 cases
Mumbai's COVID-19 tally rose to 1,39,532 with the addition of 1,854 new cases, while the death toll crossed the 7,500-mark on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

With 1,854 new cases, the number could have been the highest-ever in a single-day in Mumbai, but the civic body clarified that the figure was due to Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) portal update following a 'glitch'.

According to the BMC, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the city rose to 1,39,532 with 1,854 new infections, while the death toll increased to 7,502 after 28 more patients succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours.

On Tuesday, due to a glitch in the ICMR website, the civic body had reported 587 cases, the lowest in more than 100 days, and the data was reconciled on Wednesday.

On May 22, Mumbai had recorded 1,751 new cases, the highest single-day count before Wednesday's updated tally.

The civic body said the number of recovered patients in the city increased to 1,12,7403 after 776 more patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours.

According to the BMC, the citys recovery rate of COVID-19 patients stood at 81 per cent. It said the city has 18,977 active COVID-19 cases. -- PTI
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22:49   Congress revokes suspension of Shakeel Ahmed
The Congress on Wednesday revoked the suspension of former Union Minister Shakeel Ahmed.

Ahmed was suspended from the Congress after he contested as an independent candidate against United Progressive Alliance candidate in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections last year.

An experienced leader, Ahmed has held organisational posts in Bihar and at All India Congress Committee. -- ANI
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22:48   ICMR says its Twitter handle 'compromised'
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Wednesday evening that its Twitter account has been 'compromised' and it was taking necessary steps to rectify the issue.

According to sources, it was observed that certain tweets criticising the government were 'liked' from the ICMR's official Twitter handle.

The matter was brought to the notice of ICMR officials by some Twitter users, they said.

'ICMR has observed that the Twitter account of the organisation has been compromised. We are taking necessary steps to rectify the same. We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to this situation,' the apex health research body said in a tweet.

The ICMR has removed its likes on the tweets in question. -- PTI
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21:31   Left parties join Bihar Grand Alliance
Left parties -- Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist -- on  Wednesday announced that they will forge an electoral alliance with the Grand Alliance in Bihar to ensure defeat of ruling National Democratic Alliance in the assembly elections due in October-November.     

The left parties' in-principle decision to contest state assembly elections with the Mahagathbandhan was taken after a delegation comprising leaders of CPI and CPI-M met Bihar Rashrtiya Janata Dal president Jagdanand Singh in Patna.

The two parties were represented by their state secretaries -- Ram Naresh Pandey and Awadhesh Kumar- -- in the meeting.

Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's headed Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) had recently announced that it was leaving the opposition coalition in the state.

The two leaders were not sure about Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist joining the coalition, but said they would certainly like to bring them for a broad and comprehensive alliance.

The CPI-ML has three MLAs in the current assembly, while CPI and CPI-M does not have any representation in the House.

The ruling NDA in the state comprises of the Janata Dal-United, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Lok Janshakti Party.

"A delegation of leaders from CPI and CPI-M met state RJD president Jagdanand Singh at the latter's party office and had a detailed discussion on forging electoral alliance with the Grand Alliance to jointly fight assembly polls for defeating the NDA in the state," CPI's Bihar Secretary Ram Naresh Pandey told PTI.


His CPI-M counterpart Awadhesh Kumar echoed similar views.

"It was decided that all the constituents of Grand Alliance-RJD, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Vikassheel Insaan Party, CPI and CPI-M and other left and democratic parties-- will unitedly fight the 243 assembly seats of the state," Pandey said.

Asked about the number of seats on which both CPI and CPI-M will be willing to contest in alliance, he said that he will soon inform them about it.     

"Whatever be the numbers, but it will be respectable count of seats that the two left parties will be contesting in alliance, Pandey added.   -- PTI
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20:58   Pak army shells forward areas along LoC in Poonch
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire on Wednesday by firing and shelling on forward posts and villages in three sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence spokesperson said.

The Indian Army gave a befitting reply and the cross-border shelling between the two sides was going on when the last reports were received, he added.

The spokesperson said Pakistan initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing from small arms and shelling with mortars in Shahpur, Kirni and Qasba sectors around 6.50 pm.

There was no report of any casualty on the Indian side, he added.   -- PTI
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20:07   Sushant's death: Narcotics Bureau books Rhea
Narcotics Control Bureau registers a case against Rhea Chakraborty and others in Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

More details awaited.  -- ANI
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19:56   Sharjeel Imam sent to 4-day remand in UAPA case
A Delhi court Wednesday sent Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam, arrested under the stringent anti terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, to four days police custody in a case related to communal violence in north east Delhi in February.

Imam, arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police on Tuesday, was produced on Wednesday before the court through video conferencing.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat allowed the custodial interrogation of Imam. Delhi Police had sought his custody for five days.

The PhD student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) Centre for Historical Studies was arrested in the case under the anti-terror law for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in connection to the riots in north east Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in February.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.   -- PTI
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19:10   Narcotics Control Bureau joins Sushant probe
After the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Narcotics Control Bureau will also join the investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The ED wrote to the NCB, asking it to probe if drug was supplied to Rhea Chakraborty and Rajput.

NCB director Rakesh Asthana said, We received a letter from ED on Tuesday evening, stating that during their probe into the financial aspects, they found that drug was supplied to Rhea and Sushant. An NCB team will now conduct an inquiry and people involved will be questioned.

ED sources said that during their questioning of Jaya Saha, Rheas talent manager, they found some conversation between them about some drug. However, none of the three central agencies provided any details into the form of drug or if it was consumed by any of the persons involved in the case. Satish Maneshinde, senior counsel and Rheas lawyer, said, Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life. Shes ready for a blood test any time.

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14. The post-mortem report concluded he died by suicide. The probe was handed over to CBI by the Supreme Court, after it upheld the validity of a first information report lodged by Bihar Police in response to a plaint filed by Rajputs father, KK Singh.
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18:42   Fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccine a big challenge: WHO chief scientist
Distributing COVID-19 vaccine around the world fairly without letting the rich countries corner the limited doses is going to be a big challenge, the
World Health Organisation's Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Wednesday.
 
On vaccine development for the novel coronavirus, she said: "By early 2021, we should have some good news."
 
Then, there is the big challenge of being able to scale, distribute and allocate fairly around the world without letting the rich countries corner the limited doses, Swaminathan said.
 
She said that India is in a good position because many companies are working on vaccine development, either on their own or in collaboration, she said, adding, the country is a manufacturing hub for vaccines.
 
The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities, and it has proved to be a learning opportunity to improve resilience and strengthen public health systems, according to her.

-- PTI
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18:22   Mamata, Amarinder call for moving SC over NEET
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Centre over the Joint Entrance Examination and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, which are scheduled to be held next month, saying it does not care about students.

Gandhi was speaking at a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of seven states to work out a united opposition response amid growing chorus for deferring the entrance exams for engineering and medical courses amid the coronavirus crisis.

The meeting was attended by Maharashtras Uddhav Thackeray, Punjabs Amarinder Singh, Jharkhands Hemant Soren, Chhattisgarhs Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherrys V Narayanasamy.

During the virtual meeting, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee suggested approaching the Supreme Court again for postponing the exams owing to the prevailing Covid-19 situation.

This will be my request to all the state governments, let us do it together, let us go to the Supreme Court and postpone the exam for the time being until and unless the situation allows students to appear for the exams, she said.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh also backed Banerjees call to move the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter.
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18:05   Nitish Katara murder: HC dismisses Vikas Yadav's parole plea
The Delhi high court has dismissed the parole plea of Vikas Yadav, who is serving life term for killing business executive Nitish Katara in 2002, by refusing his submission that he has to attend his ailing mother as there is no one to look after her.
  
The high court said Yadav's mother is not immobile, as was suggested, and there are sufficient number of relatives to look after her.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru also considered that Ajay Katara, a key prosecution witness, and Nilam Katara, mother of the victim, have serious objections to Yadav being released as they fear for their safety.

"This court is not persuaded to accede to the prayers made in the present petition," the judge said and dismissed the plea.

The high court said the Delhi government's June 26 order rejecting Yadav's parole plea cannot be faulted with.

Yadav sought parole on the ground that he has to take care of his mother, who was stated to be suffering from spinal medical condition along with thyroid and inner stress causing her depression.

He also claimed that he was suffering from mental trauma due to incarceration for more than eighteen years and he requires parole to connect with his family members and maintain family and social ties. 
-- PTI
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17:54   West Bengal CM announces dates for full lockdown
Total lockdown dates in West Bengal are September 7, 11 and 12. We will inform the remaining dates later, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 
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17:37   Want to fight or fear Centre, Uddhav asks oppn CMs
Chief Ministers belonging to various opposition parties on Wednesday got together and discussed the issue of GST compensation to states, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying the Centre's refusal to reimburse the states was nothing short of betrayal of the people by the Modi government.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who joined the meeting, said, "We have to decide whether we want to fear or fight the government. The people who elected the BJP at the Centre also elected all of us. But if we do something it is paap (sin) and if they do anything then it is Punya (virtuous)?" 

He pointed out that while his state was gradually emerging from the lockdown, schools remained shut. "Opposition chief ministers should speak louder as Central government is trying to suppress our voice. We should decide whether we have to fight or fear the Central govt," Uddhav said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and V Narayanasamy attended the meeting.

In her introductory remarks, Sonia Gandhi said she agreed with Banerjee and Thackeray that all opposition-ruled states should together fight the Centre for their rights.

"We have to work together and fight together against the Central government," Gandhi said at the meeting while endorsing Banerjee and Thackeray.
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17:26   CBDT issues refunds of over Rs 95,853 crore
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has issued refunds of over Rs 95,853 crore to more than 25.55 lakh taxpayers between April 1 to August 25, 2020, said the Income Tax (I-T) Department in a statement on Wednesday.


The I-T refunds of Rs 29,361 crore were issued in 2,391,517 cases and corporate tax refunds of Rs 66,493 crore have been issued in 163,272 cases, the statement said.

In view of the constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to further ease compliances for taxpayers, CBDT has extended the due date for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from July 31 to September 30, 2020.The Ministry of Finance issued a notification in this regard on July 29. -- ANI
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17:10   Woman (94) recovers from Covid
A 94-year-old woman and her 71-year-old daughter beat the odds and are discharged from hospital after completely recovering from Covid.  So far, the total number of Covid cases in Tamil Nadu is 3,91,303 including 3,32,454 recoveries.
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16:53   Antonio Banderas recovers from coronavirus
Hollywood star Antonio Banderas has revealed that he is "cured" of coronavirus after three weeks of strict self-quarantine measures. The actor, who was tested positive for COVID-19 on his 60th birthday on August 10, took to social media to give a health update to fans and followers. 

"After 21 days of disciplinary confinement I can say now that today I overcame the Covid 19 infection. I am cured," Banderas wrote on Twitter in Spanish. 

"My thoughts go to those who weren't as fortunate as me, and to those who suffered more than I did. I also wish strength to the ones who are in the middle of the fight," he added. When he made his diagnosis public, the "Pain and Glory" star had said he will utilise his time in isolation "to read, write, rest and continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my 60 years, to which I arrive full of enthusiasm".
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16:48   Sushant's cook arrives for CBI probe
Neeraj, who was working as a cook at Sushant Singh Rajput's residence, arrives at DRDO guest house, where CBI team investigating the actor's death case, is staying.
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16:47   Sushant case: Watchman arrives for questioning
The watchman of Sushant Singh Rajput's residence-Mont Blanc Apartment, arrives at the DRDO guest house in Mumbai, where the CBI team investigating the actor's death case is staying.
Sushant Singh Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani
Sushant Singh Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani
16:44   CBI quizzes Sushant's flat-mate for 6th day
The CBI continued to grill Sushant Singh Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani in the actor's death case on the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday, a police official said. Pithani's questioning is going on since the last six hours at the DRDO guest house at Kalina in Santacruz, where the CBI) officials are staying, he said. 

Pithani, cook Neeraj Singh and domestic help Deepesh Sawant were present in Rajput's house at Mont Blanc Apartments in suburban Bandra when the 34-year-old actor was found hanging in his room on June 14. Meanwhile, a team of Bandra Police visited the DRDO guest house and left after an hour, the official said. 

Simultaneously, another team of the central agency visited the state-run Cooper Hospital in the city, where Rajput's autopsy had been performed. CBI sleuths had on Friday recorded the statements of Pithani and Neeraj Singh. -- PTI
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16:34   Special prayers at Mother House on St Teresa's 110th birth anniversary
Special prayers were held at the Mother House in Kolkata, the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, on the 110th birth anniversary of St Teresa of Calcutta but entry of visitors was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tomb of St Teresa is in the Mother House. Nuns of the order congregated at the prayer hall keeping safe distance from each other and lit candles before a large portrait of St Teresa, still fondly called Mother Teresa. They prayed to her for the well being of the people, specially the poor for whom she had devoted her entire life.


Image: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visits the Missionaries of Charity and tweets, "Shortly after my father was killed #MotherTeresa came to see us. I had fever. She sat by my bedside, held my hand and said Come and work with me. I did so for many years, and owe her a great debt of gratitude for the abiding friendship of all the MC sisters who continue to show me the path of selfless service and love."
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16:32   Over 4 lakh admit cards downloaded for NEET within 3 hours
Over four lakh admit cards for medical entrance exam NEET were downloaded within three hours on Wednesday, sources said. The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the admit cards for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) at 12 pm on Wednesday. While the NEET is planned on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. 

 Amid rising clamour for postponement of the crucial exams in view of rising Covid-19 cases, the Ministry of Education (MoE) officials had reiterated on Tuesday that the exams will be conducted as per schedule in September. 

Increasing the number of examination centres, alternate seating plan, fewer candidates per room and staggered entry and exit are among the steps the NTA will take for safely conducting NEET and JEE next month. 

"The number of examination centres have also been increased from 570 to 660 (for JEE Main) and 2,546 to 3,843 (for NEET). While JEE-Mains is a computer-based test, NEET is a pen-paper test," the NTA said in a statement on Tuesday. 


 "Additionally, in case of JEE-Mains, the number of shifts have been increased from the earlier 8 to 12, and the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from earlier 1.32 lakh to 85,000 now," it said. 

"In order to ensure proper social distancing inside the examination halls, the candidates will be seated in alternate seats in case of JEE-Mains. In case of NEET, the number of candidates per room has been reduced from 24 to 12," it added. -- PTI
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16:24   Hospital gets notice for allowing Rhea in morgue
In a fresh turn of developments in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has sent a notice to Cooper Hospital and Mumbai Police for allowing actor Rhea Chakraborty to enter the hospital's mortuary and seek details of the regulation following which she was allowed, said MA Sayeed, MSHRC chief.

Yesterday, Sandip Shridhar, Rajput's CA, arrived at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house in Santacruz for questioning, where the CBI team investigating the actor's death case, is staying.

Meanwhile, Rajput's friend and cook Siddharth Pithani and Neeraj respectively also arrived at the DRDO guest house for further questioning. The two were also called in for questioning on Monday as well.

Also, a team of Mumbai Police had also arrived at the guest house yesterday and left after some time.

A team of Enforcement Directorate on August 3 questioned Shridhar "about the transactions regarding bank accounts of Rajput. The ED has recorded his statement and will question further if required," an official had told ANI.

The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor's death case after a First Information Report was filed by Rajput's father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.

On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actor's death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate. -- PTI
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16:22   Govt must listen to students on NEET-JEE: Rahul
Batting for the students taking the NEET-JEE exams, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the central government to listen to their grievances and find an amicable solution. The students have been demanding postponement of the medical and engineering entrance exams in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. 

Gandhi said the NEET-JEE aspirants are worried about their health and future due to concerns about coronavirus infection and floods in Assam and Bihar. "NEET-JEE aspirants are worried about their health and future. They have genuine concerns of: fear of Covid19 infection, transport and lodging during pandemic and flood-mayhem in Assam and Bihar," he said on Twitter.

"GOI must listen to all stakeholders and find an acceptable solution," he said. The former Congress president also dubbed the Modi government as "anti-students" and used a hashtag in this regard. PTI 
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16:02   UK trials for mother-of-all corona vaccine soon
The University of Cambridge on Wednesday confirmed plans to begin trials of a potential new vaccine not only against COVID-19 but all coronaviruses that may spill over from animals to humans in the future. The new vaccine candidate, DIOS-CoVax2, uses banks of genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses, including those from bats, believed to be the natural hosts of many relatives of human coronaviruses. 

A vaccine that clears all trials can then be delivered pain-free without a needle into the skin through a spring-powered jet injection. 

"Our approach involves 3D computer modelling of the SARS-CoV-2 [Covid-19] virus' structure. It uses information on the virus itself as well as its relatives -- SARS, MERS and other coronaviruses carried by animals that threaten to 'spill-over' to humans again to cause future human epidemics," said Professor Jonathan Heeney, head of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge, and founder of DIOSynVax '" a Cambridge spin-out company. 

"We're looking for chinks in its armour, crucial pieces of the virus that we can use to construct the vaccine to direct the immune response in the right direction. Ultimately we aim to make a vaccine that will not only protect from SARS-CoV-2, but also other related coronaviruses that may spill over from animals to humans,"he said. 

Prof Heeney said his team's strategy involves targeting those domains of the virus' structure that are absolutely critical for docking with a cell, while avoiding the parts that could make things worse. "What we end up with is a mimic, a synthetic part of the virus minus those non-essential elements that could trigger a bad immune response," he added. 
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15:42   Tamannaah Bhatia's parents test positive for Covid
Actor Tamannaah Bhatia on Wednesday said her parents have tested positive for Covid. The "Baahubali" actor shared the news on social media, saying that her father Santosh and mother Rajani were showing "mild COVID-19 symptoms" last week after which everyone at their residence got tested for the virus.

"The results have just come in, and unfortunately my parents have tested positive. The necessary authorities have been updated of their situation and we are complying with the precautionary guidelines.

"The rest of the family members, including myself and the staff have tested negative," Tamannaah said in a statement.  The 30-year-old actor said her parents are currently doing better and thanked fans and well-wishers for their prayers.  "By the Grace of God they are coping well and all your prayers and blessings will put them on the road to recovery," she added.  -- PTI
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15:36   IIT Delhi head warns against delaying JEE, NEET
Any further delay in conducting entrance exams JEE and NEET will have "serious repercussions" on not only the academic calendar but also career of bright students, IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said. Rao's comments come in the wake of growing clamour for postponing the two crucial exams in the wake of rise in COVID-19 cases.

"The consequences of postponing these exams any further can have serious repercussions on IIT academic calendars and for candidates. I fail to see how we can run two batches together. It will become a zero academic year for lakhs of students. Our academic calendars are too packed already and linked to too many other things. The delays can impact the careers of so many bright students. 

"We have already lost six months. If we conduct the exams in September, we can at least start the sessions in Indian Institutes of Technology (could be online) in December. Tinkering with the examination pattern or admission processes in these times will also be detrimental and unfair for everyone," Rao said in a social media post. 

He said coronavirus is not going to go away for at least a year and we cannot be perpetually in lockdown mode, and appealed to the students to "trust the institutions" and take the entrance tests while strictly following the COVID-19 safety guidelines. 

"COVID is not going to go away for another six months to one year. We all need to get used to this new normal. The earlier we realise that, the better it is for all of us. The last postponement of exams definitely helped us prepare well now. 

"I feel sad for those serious students preparing for these examinations. I did receive a large number of emails from them. As if COVID-19 is not enough, this uncertainty about exam dates is further adding to the stress levels of students. Personally, I am for conducting these examinations by taking all precautions and following social distancing norms. Lockdown is not a solution to COVID. Lockdown was needed to prepare ourselves better," he said.

The IIT director also noted that the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) is now conducted multiple times a year.
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15:04   Mamata urges Oppn CMs to move SC on NEET, JEE
The meeting of opposition chief ministers called by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is on. The two leaders have joined forces to discuss a range of issues like the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission into engineering and medical courses to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic, with other CMs.

Mamata Banerjee urges all CMs to move Supreme Court for postponing NEET, JEE exams as students are not prepared. "This will be my request to all state govts, let us do it together, let us go to Supreme Court and postpone the exam for the time being until and unless the situation allows students to sit for exam (JEE/NEET)," the West Bengal CM, said.

Sonia Gandhi said in the meeting of Standing Committee of Finance on 11 August, the Finance Secretary, stated that Centre is not in a position to pay mandatory GST compensation of 14% for the current year. This refusal is nothing short of betrayal on part of Modi government. "Refusal to compensate states on GST is nothing short of betrayal by Modi govt of states, people."

She also said announcements such as those related to the National Education Policy should really worry us as it is actually a setback. Other problems of students & exams are also being dealt with uncaringly.
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14:51   Former IOC Chairman joins Reliance as Group President
Former Indian Oil Corp chairman Sanjiv Singh has joined Reliance Industries Ltd as Group President for billionaire Mukesh Ambani-run firm's oil-to-chemicals business. A communication by RIL Executive Director Hital R Meswani to the company employees said Singh, who superannuated from India's largest oil firm on June 30, will be a member of the oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business leadership team. 

RIL's O2C business consists of the group's twin oil refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat, petrochemical plants, 51 per cent of fuel retail and aviation fuel venture, and bulk wholesale marketing businesses. It does not include the firm's upstream oil and gas exploration assets that include 66.6 per cent interest in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block. 

RIL is in the process of carving out the O2C business into a separate unit, called Reliance O2C Ltd, for a possible sale of a 20 per cent interest to Saudi Aramco for an asking of USD 15 billion. The firm had earlier this year hired former IOC chairman Sarthak Behuria, 68, as a senior advisor to help shape the firm's fuel retail business. -- PTI
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14:46   Want to know if Rhea drugged Sushant: Lawyer
Vikas Singh, lawyer of Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh, on Wednesday said that it is a serious matter if the "drug issue" as reported by some media channels is true, and added that it may widen the scope of investigation in the actor's death case.

"If this drug issue is true as showed by some media channels yesterday then definitely it is a very serious matter. When the family got the FIR registered, there was an impression that Sushant was being over drugged. But then we meant prescription drug which was being administered on the instruction of some psychiatrist," Singh told ANI.

"But if now what is being disclosed is correct. This is actually banned drug and then it will lead to abetment of suicide as well as murder either of the two. The scope of proceedings will also widen. I feel that the matter is getting very serious. Hopefully, some major break will come from CBI," he said.

"The real question is whether she (Rhea Chakraborty) was responsible in administering something to Sushant contrary to his will or without her knowledge," the lawyer said.

On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actor's death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate.

The single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy had observed that the Bihar government was competent to recommend transferring the case to the CBI. It had also asked the Mumbai Police to hand over all the evidence collected so far in the case to the CBI.

The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actor's death after the Centre accepted Bihar government's recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna.The FIR was registered in Patna on a complaint filed by the actor's father KK Singh under several sections including abetment to suicide.Rajput was found dead at his residence on June 14. -- ANI
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14:38   Vedanta moves SC for reopening Thoothukudi Sterlite plant
Mining giant Vedanta Limited on Wednesday filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court order refusing to grant permission for the reopening of Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.

The Madras High Court had, on August 18, refused to allow the reopening of Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi, which has remained closed since April 2018 and disposed of the plea filed by Vedanta challenging the closure of the plant.

The High Court had in January this year reserved its orders on the appeal of Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper challenging the Tamil Nadu government's decision to shut down its copper smelter in Thoothukudi and seeking the reopening of its plant.

In April last year, the Supreme Court had dismissed a petition seeking reopening of the Sterlite copper smelting plant for maintenance, calling it "frivolous", however, had granted the liberty to the group to approach the Madras High Court with its plea for reopening.

The apex court had on February 18 set aside a National Green Tribunal order of December 15, 2018, which had allowed the firm to reopen the plant. It had said the NGT did not have jurisdiction to entertain the appeal against the Tamil Nade government's decision.Thirteen people were killed last year when police opened fire during a protest against environmental pollution allegedly caused by the plant, after which the plant was closed by the state government. -- ANI
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14:22   Day-long Haryana assembly session begins
The monsoon session of the Haryana assembly, which began here on Wednesday, will be of one-day duration, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said.
   
As per the tentative schedule earlier, the session was to last for two days, but it has been cut short now, Hooda told reporters after attending the business advisory committee meeting, which met hours before the start of the session.
 
"There was a consensus among the members that the House should meet for a day. The Assembly will be adjourned sine die after obituary references are moved and important legislative business is conducted," the former chief minister said.
 
The novel coronavirus pandemic had cast its shadow before the session was to begin, with eight legislators of the ruling BJP testing positive for the infection. They include the chief minister, two ministers and the Speaker.
 
Hooda pointed out that the decision to cut short the duration of the session had been taken in the light of these developments.
 
The BAC met under Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa, who will be presiding over the session.
 
Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Home Minister Anil Vij and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kanwar Pal were among those who attended the BAC meeting.
The authorities have put strict protocols in place in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Besides the MLAs and officials requiring a coronavirus negative certificate to gain entry into the Assembly complex, seating arrangement has also been changed to ensure social distancing in the 90-member House. -- PTI 
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14:04   Delhi to double Covid tests as numbers rise
Covid-19 tests in Delhi will be doubled to 40,000 per day within a week as there has been a marginal increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday. Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said that at present, 20,000 tests are being conducted per day in the city. 

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had called a high-level meeting to discuss the rising number of coronavirus cases in Delhi. The chief minister said that the government has issued directions for stringent enforcement of Covid-19 guidelines, adding that everyone should wear face mask and maintain social distancing at public places. He said that after August 17, there has been a marginal increase in Covid-19 cases in the national capital. 

In the last 24 hours, 1,693 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in Delhi, he said, adding that the government has a total of 14,130 Covid beds and of those, 10,448 are vacant. "Only 3,700 Covid beds have so far been occupied by coronavirus patients and of these, 2,900 are occupied by Delhiites and 800 by those from other states," Kejriwal said. He asserted that no death of any Covid-19 patient, who is under home isolation, has been reported in Delhi since July 14. PTI
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13:59   Mehul Choksi moves HC over web series
Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi approaches the Delhi High Court against Netflix's upcoming web series 'Bad Boy Billionaires', through advocate Vijay Aggarwal. Hearing shortly.
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13:45   SC slams Centre on lockdown, loan moratorium
The Supreme Court asked the Centre to file a reply and make its stand clear on giving moratorium on charging interest on loan as well as interest-on-interest during moratorium period declared during coronavirus pandemic.

While hearing a petition seeking a direction for waiver of interest on the loan repayment during the moratorium period, the Apex Court observed that the government is hiding behind the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and why it has still not filed its reply.

"You cannot be interested only in business and not about sufferings of people," said a bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and fixed the matter for further hearing on September 1.

The Apex Court observed that the matter has been hanging for a long time.
"The problem has been created by your (Centre's) lockdown. This is also not the time to consider about the business. The plight of people has to be considered also," the bench said.

A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to all the banks to extend the moratorium period till December 31 to ensure helping the borrowers in deferring their EMI payment on term loans.

In June, the Supreme Court pulled up the Central government and asked it to step up and take a stand over the issue related to charging interest on EMIs during the six month moratorium period granted in view of COVID-19 pandemic. -- ANI
Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Goa CM Pramod Sawant
13:33   Covid +ve AYUSH minister doing better
Update from Goa CM Pramod Sawant: "Union Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik is admitted to Manipal Hospital for last 14 days. Today, his health condition is better. He is doing very well. A team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi visited him again and said he's not required to be shifted to AIIMS, Delhi."
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13:04   Pranab's renal parameters 'deranged', in deep coma
Former President Pranab Mukherjee continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support, according to the Army Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital on Wednesday.

"Pranab Mukherjee is being treated for lung infection. His renal parameters are slightly deranged since yesterday. He continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support," the hospital said in a statement. The former President had tested positive for Covid-19 and undergone surgery for a brain clot at Army Hospital (R&R) on August 10. -- ANI
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12:38   RBI confirmed what I've been warning: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Centre over the Reserve Bank of India's latest warning on economic contraction amid the novel coronavirus pandemic and said that "distractions through media will not help the poor".

"RBI has now confirmed what I have been warning for months," the Wayanad MP tweeted this morning along with a news report.

The Congress leader also provided few suggestions to the government which includes "Government needs to: Spend more, not lend more. Give money to the poor, not tax cuts to industrialists. Restart economy by consumption.""Distractions through media won't help the poor or make the economic disaster disappear," he added.

Declining capacity utilisation, weakening of consumption demand and overhang of stressed balance sheets are restraining new investments, the RBI had said on Tuesday while calling for wide-ranging reforms to regain losses due to Covid-19 crisis and return to the path of sustainable economic growth.

The corporate tax cut of September 2019 has been utilised in debt servicing, a build-up of cash balances and other current assets rather than restarting the capital expenditure cycle, it had said.

"These underlying developments suggest that the appetite for investment is anaemic and in need of more reforms," had said the central bank in its 2019-20 annual report.

The RBI said that COVID-19 crisis can be converted into an opportunity by using an online provision of education and training to implement reforms in the social infrastructure by skill development and reskilling so as to prepare a labour force equipped to keep pace with a big thrust on infrastructure. -- ANI
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12:32   Former Assam CM Covid +ve
Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi tests positive for Covid-19. He asks people, who came in contact with him during the last few days, to immediately get themselves tested for Corona.
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12:23   Scientists evaluate how effective Covid vaccine needs to be to stop pandemic
Using a computer simulation model, scientists in the US have assessed the effectiveness and coverage levels a potential COVID-19 vaccine needs to have in order to completely extinguish the disease spread, an advance that may help shape expectations for policy makers. 

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, evaluated the impact of introducing a vaccine in the US with varying abilities to protect against infection without other measures, such as social distancing, in place. 

According to the scientists, including those from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy in the US, the overall goal of the research was to identify the vaccine efficacy thresholds above which vaccination could prevent a wave of the epidemic, or extinguish an ongoing epidemic. They assumed a range of possible scenarios to carry out the simulation rather than predict exactly what will happen with the current pandemic. 

"The aim was to represent the spectrum of possibilities if social distancing measures were relaxed completely," the researchers wrote in the study. If only 60 percent of the population gets vaccinated, the study noted that the efficacy of the vaccine should be around 80 per cent to prevent an epidemic, and 100 per cent to extinguish an ongoing epidemic. The simulation experiments carried out by the scientists revealed that to prevent an epidemic, the vaccine efficacy has to be at least 60 per cent when the immunisation coverage is 100 per cent. -- PTI
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12:21   10-month-old among among two dead in MP building collapse
A 10-month-old child and a 23-year-old woman were killed in Tuesday's building collapse incident at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Wednesday. Ten persons trapped under the rubble were rescued during the operation, which was called off around 2 am on Wednesday, he said.

"A 30-member National Disaster Response Force team rescued a 16-year-old boy and pulled out the bodies of two victims- a 10-month-old child and a 23-year-old woman," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kiran Sharma said.

A total of 10 people were rescued after this two-storey building, located in Lalgate area of the city, collapsed at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday, he said, adding that the rescue operation continued till 2 am on Wednesday. Those rescued are aged between nine years and 55 years, police said. 

One of the injured was referred to Indore, they said. District collector Chandramauli Shukla had earlier said that till late Tuesday night, nine persons had been rescued from under the debris. The NDRF team had reached Dewas on Tuesday night from Bhopal for the rescue operation, he had said. -- PTI
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12:06   US needs my husband more than ever: Melania Trump
Describing President Donald Trump as someone who is not a traditional politician, First Lady Melania Trump has made a passionate plea to her countrymen to re-elect her husband who will not stop fighting for them as "America is in his heart". 

Melania, 50, in her historic address to the Republican National Convention from the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday said, "I am here because we need my husband to be our President and Commander-in-Chief for four more years. He is what is best for our country." Melania opted Rose Garden as the place of her address to the Republican National Convention as the organisers had to drastically scale down the convention at its original venue of Charlotte in North Carolina due to the raging coronavirus pandemic. This is for the first time in recent memory that a First Lady has addressed the convention from Rose Garden of the White House. 

Calling her husband an "authentic person" in reference to Trump's directness and unfiltered commentary, the First Lady concluded her keynote address by saying: "I believe that we need my husband's leadership now more than ever.
"As you have learned over the past five years, he is not a traditional politician. ..He doesn't just speak words. He demands action and he gets results." 
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11:42   Kejri holds meet to discuss rising Covid numbers
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal holds a meeting with Health Minister Satyendra Jain and other officials over the increase in number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital, at his residence.  The city recorded 1,544 more COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Tuesday. It was the first time in over a month that the number of new infections crossed the 1,500 mark.
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11:37   Is Sushant's death more important than India's crises?
"I cannot remember a time in my life when we had such economic strife, such levels of unemployment, a national epidemic and the enemy inside our house and such little interest in these and a focus on Bollywood and temples and such things," notes Aakar Patel. Read the column on Rediff.com here.
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11:30   Mumbai: Fire reported in Worli high-rise, 10 rescued
A fire broke out in a 15-storey building in Worli area of central Mumbai in the wee hours of Wednesday, officials said. Nobody was injured in the incident and 10 persons trapped inside the building were rescued, they said.

"The fire erupted on the tenth floor of Sterling Seaface Apartment on Dr Annie Besant Road around 12.30 am," a civic official said. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately and the blaze was brought under control after over three hours around 3.44 am, he said. A Fire Brigade official said, "During the fire fighting operation, 10 people trapped inside the building were rescued safely. Nobody was injured in the incident." PTI 
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11:27   TCS shares decline over 1 pc
Shares of Tata Consultancy Services on Wednesday declined over 1 per cent after S&P Global Ratings said the company is likely to face slower growth in revenue and profitability over the next 12-18 months, given subdued global IT spending. 

The stock dipped 1.12 to Rs 2,217.05 on the BSE. On the NSE, it fell 1.16 per cent to Rs 2,216.45. "We are revising our outlook on TCS to stable from positive. At the same time, we affirmed our 'A' long-term issuer credit rating on the company," S&P Global Ratings said in a statement on Tuesday. 

It added that the stable outlook reflects its view that TCS will maintain its good competitive position, robust cash holdings, and strong operating cash flows over the next 12-24 months. The Mumbai-based IT major's robust cash position and prudent financial policies will continue to support its financial position, it said. -- PTI
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11:09   Govt needs to spend more, not lend more: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the government over the state of the economy and said it needs to give money to the poor to restart the economy through consumption. Gandhi said "distractions" through media won't help the poor or make the "economic disaster disappear".

His attack on the government came after the Reserve Bank of India said on Tuesday that demand in the economy will take quite some time to mend and that an assessment of aggregate demand during the year so far suggests that the shock to consumption is severe.

"RBI has now confirmed what I have been warning for months. Govt needs to: spend more, not lend more," Gandhi said. "Give money to the poor, not tax cuts to industrialists. Restart economy by consumption," the former Congress chief tweeted.

In its latest annual report, the RBI said "deep-seats and wide-ranging" reforms are needed to regain losses and return to the path of sustainable economic growth. -- PTI
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10:56   Over 1.16L COVID-19 cases in Thane; death toll reaches 3,348
With the addition of 788 positive cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 1,16,413, an official said on Wednesday. These new cases were reported on Tuesday, the official from the district collectorate said. The fatality count in the district reached 3,348 with the death of 47 patients on Tuesday. Twelve of them were from the rural parts of the district, he said. 

The recovery rate in the district is now 86.65 per cent, while the mortality rate is 2.88 per cent, the official said. In neighbouring Palghar district, the number of positive cases reached 22,745, while the death toll mounted to 456 on Tuesday, another official said. -- PTI
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10:45   Over 3.76 cr samples tested for Covid so far: ICMR
A total of 8,23,992 samples were tested for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the total number of samples tested to 3,76,51,512 so far, informed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday.

In a tweet today, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare  said that testing has worked as an 'effective' tool to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

"India has exponentially scaled its TESTING from one in January to 10 lakhs/day in August 2020," the tweet read."With Positivity Rate progressively falling, testing has worked as an effective tool to limit the spread of #COVID19 infection," the Ministry said in another tweet.

According to a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) shared by the Ministry, the average daily positivity rate in India has fallen from 11 patients per 100 in July to about eight patients in the last week of August.With 67,151 new COVID-19 cases, India surpassed the 32-lakh mark in the last 24 hours, according to the MoHFW. -- ANI
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10:32   Your concerns will be addressed, Sonia tells Azad
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi had a word with party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet on 24th August and assured him that concerns will be addressed. 

Azad, one of the 23 Congress leaders who wrote to party chief seeking an overhaul in the organisation among other things, on Monday said he was ready to step down if it could be proven that he was in any manner helping the Bharatiya Janata Party or working at its behest.

Azads explanation came at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee over the letter written by him and other party leaders calling for sweeping reforms in the organisation.

Before Azad spoke, Rahul Gandhi questioned the timing of the letter written by the partys leaders. The former Congress president said that the letter was sent to the party chief at a time when she had not been keeping well. He also said the letter came at a time when the party is fighting the BJP in Madhya and Rajasthan.

In the letter, former chief ministers, members of the partys highest decision-making body and sitting members of Parliament, had suggested far-reaching changes including dissolution of powers to state units and revamping the highest decision-making body. 
Bajaj Auto was the top gainer in the Sensex pack
Bajaj Auto was the top gainer in the Sensex pack
10:21   Sensex rises over 100 points in early trade
The BSE benchmark Sensex rose over 100 points in early trade on Wednesday led by gains in index-heavyweight banking stocks amid persistent foreign fund inflow. After touching a high of 38,980.60 in opening session, the BSE Sensex was trading 98.93 points or 0.25 per cent higher at 38,942.81; while the NSE Nifty was up 35.40 points or 0.31 per cent at 11,507.65. 

Bajaj Auto was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging around 4 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, M&M, PowerGrid, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and ICICI Bank. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, HCL Tech, HDFC and TCS were among the laggards. In the previous session, the Sensex closed 44.80 points or 0.12 per cent higher at 38,843.88, and Nifty inched up 5.80 points or 0.05 per cent to close at 11,472.25. 

Exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 1,481.20 crore on a net basis on Tuesday. Traders said extended rally in banking stocks lifted benchmark indices in early trade, despite tepid cues from Asian peers. -- PTI
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10:11   India's Covid tally breaches 32-lakh mark
India's Covid case tally crosses the 32-lakh mark with 67,151 fresh cases and 1,059 deaths in the last 24 hours. The Covid-19 case tally in the country rises to 32,34,475 including 7,07,267 active cases, 24,67,759 cured/discharged/migrated & 59,449 deaths: Ministry of Health
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10:09   Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy temple opens to devotees
The Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram opens for devotees from today for the first time, since it was closed in March due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Devotees will be allowed inside the temple from 8 am to 11 am in the morning and from 5 pm till the time of the Deep Aradhana in the evening.
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09:50   Maharashtra building collapse death toll 16
Maharashtra: Death toll rises to 16 (7 males and 9 females) in the building collapse incident in Raigad. Rescue operation is underway.
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09:42   Face coverings mandatory for many secondary schools in England
The UK government has made face coverings compulsory for staff and pupils aged 12 and over in secondary schools of England in areas subject to local lockdowns to control the spread of coronavirus. In a U-turn after mandatory face masks had been ruled out, the Department for Education said that as schools in England prepare to reopen for the new term in the coming weeks, it is updating its advice on face coverings in schools in line with the World Health Organisation guidance on face masks. WHO now advises that "children aged 12 and over should wear a mask under the same conditions as adults, in particular when they cannot guarantee at least a one-metre distance from others and there is widespread transmission in the area.' 

As a result, the British government said on Tuesday that it is revising its guidance on face coverings for staff and children in Year 7 or above in England. The Department for Education said it is in effect keeping its recommendation against using face coverings -- but that schools can make their own decision to ask pupils and staff to wear them.

"Our priority is to get children back to school safely. At each stage we have listened to the latest medical and scientific advice,' said UK education secretary Gavin Williamson.
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09:35   Kejriwal calls urgent meet on Covid situation
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a high-level meeting to discuss the rising number of novel coronavirus cases in Delhi, sources said on Wednesday.
   
Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and senior officials will attend the meeting, which will take place at 11 am, according to sources.
 
The city recorded 1,544 more COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Tuesday. 

It was the first time in over a month that the number of new infections crossed the 1,500 mark.  -- PTI
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09:23   Mamata pays tribute to Mother Teresa on her 110th birth anniversary
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday paid tribute to Mother Teresa on her 110th birth anniversary.

Fondly remembering Mother Teresa "Saint Teresa of Calcutta" on her birth anniversary, the TMC supremo tweeted: "Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

Born in a family of ethnic Albanians in Skopje in 1910, Teresa left her home at the age of 18 and later joined the 'Sisters of Loreto' located in Irelands's Rathfarnham.

Mother Teresa, whose actual name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, moved to India in the late 1920s and taught history and geography for 15 long years at Calcutta's St Mary's High School.

In 1948, Teresa decided to leave the church and adopted a lifestyle in slums to aid the poor and the needy in Kolkata.

In 1950, she laid the foundation stone of the Roman Catholic religious congregation which is now popularly known as the Missionaries of Charity.Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, but she refused to accept it and urged the jury to contribute the prize money of USD 192,000 for helping the poor people of India.

In September 2017, Mother Teresa was declared Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Calcutta by the Vatican Pope for her selfless service towards helping the underprivileged and poor in Kolkata. -- ANI
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09:04   Pro-Biden group apologises for slanderous tweet against Nikki Haley
Indian-American politics during a bitter electoral season took an ugly turn on Tuesday when the South Asians for Biden launched a smear social media campaign against Republican politician Nikki Haley over her remarks a day earlier that the United States is not a racist country.
 
Following backlash from the community members and many others, the South Asians for Biden, which is affiliated to the Biden campaign, apologised and deleted its tweet later in the day.
"Upon further reflection, an earlier tweet drawing attention to the name of Ambassador Nikki Haley has been removed. South Asians for Biden regrets the tone of the message," the group tweeted after deleting its previous tweet.
 
Earlier in the day, the South Asians for Biden challenged Haley over her remarks on the first night of the Republican National Convention that America is not a racist country.
 
"In much of the Democratic Party, it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country," said Haley, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations. 

Her speech, in which she narrated her Indian-American background, has been widely praised.
 
However, the South Asians for Biden in a tweet, which has now been deleted, alleged that Haley had to change her name from Namrata to Nikki mainly because it is the other way round. "If America isn't racist, why did Namarata Haley feel compelled to change her name to 'Nikki'?" it said.
 
"Maybe just the Republican Party is?" the South Asians for Biden said.
 
The tweet attracted criticism from various quarters. 

"The Biden campaign made a racist and false accusation against Nikki Haley, and Journos have chosen to completely ignore it," one of her Twitter followers said.
 
"There is nothing the Democrats hate more than a conservative women of color. Nikki Haley infuriates them because she refuses to toe the radical leftist ideological line... and Democrats can't stand when people of color think for themselves," tweeted author Liz Wheeler.
As many came out in support of the 48-year-old Indian-American politician, the South Asians for Biden was quick to apologise. 

"We will continue to focus on the very real issues facing South Asian voters this election," it said after it expressed its regret and deleted its previous post.
 
The South Asians for Biden also retweeted several tweets that were highly critical of Haley. 

"Nimrata Nikki Haley's invoking her 'brown child in a black and white world' narrative just doesn't sit well when she sat silent while brown children were put in cages," said Kavita Patel in a tweet that was retweeted by the South Asians for Biden.
In her speech on Monday, Haley had said, "I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. They came to America and settled in a small southern town. My father wore a turban. My mother wore a sari. I was a brown girl in a black and white world.
In a tweet in 2018, Haley had explained that Nikki is her name on her birth certificate. 

"Nikki is my name on my birth certificate. I married a Haley. I was born Namrata Nikki Randhawa and married Michael Haley," she said in a tweet on May 20, 2018. At that time she was the US Ambassador to the United Nations.
 
Nikki is a popular name in Punjabi. 

Nikki means "Little One" in Punjabi.
 
Born as Nimrata Randhawa in South Carolina, she is the daughter of Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, who emigrated from Amritsar in Punjab. -- PTI
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08:46   Uttarakhand CM isolates himself, tests COVID negative
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has isolated himself for three days as a precautionary measure despite his novel coronavirus test report coming negative.
   
Sharing this information on the social media on Tuesday, Rawat said he and his family underwent a COVID-19 test along with the staff and the security personnel at the CMO as a precautionary measure.
 
"With the grace of God and your blessings the report is negative. However, as a precaution, I will remain in isolation for the next three days and discharge my duties from my residence telephonically or by using virtual platforms," he tweeted.
 
The chief minister chose to undergo a coronavirus test after an officer on special duty tested positive for the infection recently. -- PTI
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08:40   China sees India as a partner: Chinese envoy
Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong termed the Galwan clash, which claimed lives of 20 Indian soldiers, as 'unfortunate incident' saying it is "brief moment from the perspective of history."

"Not long ago, an unfortunate incident happened in the border areas that neither China nor India would like to see. Now we are working to handle it properly. It is a brief moment from the perspective of history," the Chinese Ambassador said while speaking at China-India youth webinar.

Weidong said since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India 70 years ago, bilateral relations have withstood tests and become more resilient. "It should not be disturbed by one thing at a time. In this new century, bilateral relations should continue to move forward instead of backward," he said.

The ambassador was convinced that China and India, two ancient civilizations, have the wisdom and ability to properly handle bilateral relations.

"China sees India as a partner instead of a rival, and an opportunity instead of a threat. We hope to put the boundary question at an appropriate place in bilateral relations, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and push bilateral relations back on track at an early date," the Ambassador said.

Weidong said India and China "should live in peace and avoid conflicts."

"No country can be isolated from the rest of the world and seek development on its own. We should not only adhere to self-reliance, but also stick to opening up to the outside world in line with the trend of globalization. Only in this way can we achieve better development," he said.

The Chinese Ambassador emphasised that the economic complementarity between China and India is very strong. 

"China has been India's largest trading partner for many years in a row, while India is also China's largest trading partner in South Asia. The Chinese and Indian economies are interwoven and interdependent," he said. 

"I think the two big economies of China and India should attract each other like magnets, rather than forcefully separate them," he added.

The Chinese Ambassador said language learning is indispensable in people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, which "cannot be ignored, let alone be politicised."

India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

The talks between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant general-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.

The Chinese Army has refused to withdraw or disengage completely from the Finger area and seems to be buying time to delay its disengagement from there.

While efforts are underway to resolve the ongoing border dispute, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage equidistantly from the Finger area in Eastern Ladakh. -- ANI
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08:35   Maha building collapse: Death toll rises to 15
The death toll in the building collapse tragedy in Maharashtra's Raigad district rises to 15.

One more persons is still missing, officials said.

The dead include seven men and eight women.

Tareq Garden, the five-storey building, collapsed on Monday evening.

Police on Tuesday registered an offence against five persons, including builder and architect.
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00:22   DMRC gets notice for violating green law
The Delhi forest department has issued notice to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for allegedly violating guidelines that do not permit construction on deemed forest land during the construction of the Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor.

There was no immediate response from the DMRC.

According to the Deputy Conservator of Forests, West Division, the DMRC was ordered to stop work on a 5.34-km stretch of Road Number 26 between Vikas Puri and Peeragarhi Chowk and a 1,300-metre square portion of the Najafgarh drain, which are deemed forest areas.

Multiple notices were issued in February and August, asking the DMRC 'not to carry out any construction work on the portion of Road Number 26 and Najafgarh drain', according to the forest department.

'The DMRC has disobeyed the directions issued and refused to stop work on Road Number 26 and has prima facie violated the Forest Conservation Act, 1980,' it said.

The forest department has filed a violation report with the Union Environment Ministry, alleging severe damage to trees due to the DMRC work at the two locations.

It has also filed complaints at Vikas Puri and Mianwali police stations regarding the matter.  -- PTI

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