LIVE! Apple boss Tim Cook joins the billionaires club

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Tue, 11 August 2020

Apple boss Tim Cook joins the billionaires club

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21:16 Apple boss Tim Cook joins the billionaires club

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has moved into the billionaire club as the tech firm's share price continues to soar.

Apple's market value has been on the rise following strong results and the upbeat outlook for tech giants.

Cook owns 847,969 shares directly and took home more than $125m (96m) last year as part of his pay package.

Last week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg saw his personal wealth hit $100bn (76bn).

Technology companies including Apple, Facebook and Amazon have seen their profits grow during the coronavirus pandemic as more people went online.

Silicon-Valley based Apple is now closing in on the milestone of being the first company to be valued at $2tn. Two years ago it become the first company to be valued at $1tn.

20:45 Nitish condoles death of Rahat Indori

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday paid heartfelt tributes to Rahat Indori, who died at a hospital in Indore.

In his condolence message, the chief minister, whose love for poetry is well known in the political circles, described Indori as a "renowned poet and an excellent human being".

"He ruled the hearts of his fans through his verses. He also penned lyrics for many film songs. His death has caused an irreparable loss to the world of Urdu poetry and literature", Kumar said and prayed for the departed soul and hoped that his bereaved family members would find the strength

required to bear the grief.

The 70-years-old poet, whose love for his home town led him to adopt the pen name "Indori" suffered a cardiac arrest barely a day after testing positive for COVID-19.

He is best remembered for poems like "kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai" which aimed at making a political statement against marginalization of communities.

-- PTI

Two leading pilot unions of Air India on Tuesday said DGCA chief Arun Kumar must be immediately replaced with a suitable candidate with substantial knowledge of the aviation sector and operational experience as his comments on news channels reveal a total lack of technical know-how and an "amateurish view" of the Kozhikode plane crash.

According to the Indian Commercial Pilots' Union and Indian Pilots' Guild, Kumar said during one of the televised interviews that the plane's "landing was not smooth".

On another news channel, Kumar stated that the "two fellows are dead... and the landing it seems was not appropriate", according to a letter jointly written by the two unions to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday.

Pilot-in-command Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe, 58, and co-pilot Captain Akhilesh Kumar, 32, were the ones operating the Air India Express flight with 190 that overshot the runway and crashed at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday night.

Both pilots, along with 16 other people on board, died in the accident.

Air India Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India. The two deceased pilots were not part of either of the two aforementioned unions.

The unions noted, "Whether a landing technique is appropriate or a contributory factor to a mishap can only be ascertained after a thorough, evidence backed investigation and not by speculative, casual remarks."

The above remarks of Kumar on news channels only go to reveal his "total lack of technical knowledge and amateurish view of the unfortunate accident", the letter noted.

-- PTI

19:44 Delhi records only 8 deaths due to COVID-19

The national capital recorded 1,257 fresh coronavirus cases, and eight deaths, the lowest in over two months, in the last 24 hours, authorities said on Tuesday.

This is the first time in over two months that the daily number of deaths has dropped below 10, according to the Delhi government's health bulletin.

On August 5, Delhi recorded 11 COVID-19 deaths, indicating a significant improvement in the situation in the city.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet, "Delhi recorded just 8 deaths on Tuesday. It is after many days that the number has gone below 10. We have taken several steps to reduce the number of fatalities due to the virus. We want no deaths due to it in the future. Every person is important to us."

The city has so far recorded a total of 1,47,391 cases, of which 1,32,384 people have recovered, been discharged or have migrated.

There are 10,868 active cases, of which 5,523 are under home isolation.

The death toll due to the disease is 4,139, according to the latest Delhi health department bulletin.

-- PTI

19:23 US skeptical of Russia's virus vaccine safety

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it's more important to have a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus than to be the first to produce a vaccine.

Azar, on a visit to Taiwan, was asked by ABC on Tuesday what he thought of Russia's announcement that it had become the first country to register a vaccine against the virus.

He says, "The point is not to be first with a vaccine. The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world."

He says it's important to have transparent data on the vaccine to prove its safety and efficacy. He also noted that the US has six vaccines in development under the Operation Warp Speed initiative.

The US has the highest death and case count in the world, with more than 163,000 deaths and over 5 million cases.

Meanwhile, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway expressed skepticism about the testing backing up Russia's claim that it has developed a COVID-19 vaccine.

"The US standards are so much more stringent,"Conway said.

"Our FDA in our country sets the standards and what I understand from the Russia announcement is this is nowhere near where we are."

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said he has not demanded any post from the party and there should not be any vendetta politics as he returned to Jaipur nearly a month after his revolt against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

On Monday, a meeting between Sachin Pilot and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had signalled an "amicable resolution" of nearly a month-long Rajasthan political crisis ahead of the crucial assembly session beginning August 14.

The Congress leader told reporters that he did not make any statement against the party and had gone to discuss issues with the Congress high command in Delhi. I have not demanded any post from the party, he added.

Pilot, however, said he was shocked at statements made against him.

"I am sad, shocked and hurt due to the kind of words used against me," Pilot said.

He said there should not be any space for 'personal ill-feelings' in politics and there should not be any vendetta politics.

A large number of his supporters gathered outside his residence to welcome him as he drove down to Jaipur from New Delhi in his car.

-- PTI

18:34 Covid takes toll on Prez's I-Day celebrations

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted one of the key events of Indias Independence Day celebrations. The need to follow social distancing and no large gathering protocols have forced drastic cuts in the scale of the Presidents 'At Home' reception to mark the Independence Day on August 15 this year.

Sources inside Rashtrapati Bhawan said that in normal times the list of invitees used to be 1,200-1,300 guests. But this time, according to sources, the list is not going to exceed 100 and could well be down to 90 guests only.

The second scale down is the level of interaction at the reception hosted by the President of India. Usually, the President and the Prime Minister would go around greeting guests who would line up after the arrival of the President and the playing of the National Anthem.

This time all the guests will be seated as per the social distancing requirement. This includes the President, Prime Minister and the Vice President. The event would take place inside the Rashtrapati Bhawan Convention Centre or RBCC.

There would be strict entry and exit procedure protocols. Masks and sanitisers would be placed at strategic points for the guests and other staff members.

For the past seven days, India's single-day count of COVID-19 cases has been more than that of the US and Brazil, the two worst-hit nations in terms of infections, according to an analysis of WHO data.

India, the third worst-hit nation in terms of infections, has also accounted for over 23 per cent of the cases and more than 15 per cent of the deaths reported worldwide between August 4-10, the data shows.

India recorded 4,11,379 COVID-19 cases and 6,251 deaths due to the disease in a span of seven days till August 10, while the US which is at the number one spot in terms of both cases and deaths, registered 3,69,575 infections and 7,232 deaths during the same period.

Brazil reported 3,04,535 cases and 6,914 fatalities during this period.

Recording over 60,000 cases daily for four days on the trot, the single day rise in infections dipped to over 52,000, taking India's COVID-19 tally to 22.68 lakh on Tuesday, according to the Union health ministry data updated at 8 am.

It took 110 days for COVID-19 cases in India to reach one lakh and 59 days more to cross the 10-lakh mark. India's COVID-19 cases have jumped from 10 lakh to 22 lakh in 24 days.

However, recoveries have also surged rapidly to over 15.83 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to nearly 70 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has dropped below 2 per cent and was recorded at 1.99 per cent as on date, according to the health ministry data.

As far as testing is concerned, India's tests per million for detection of COVID-19 stands at 18,300 while the US and Brazil is testing at 1,99,803 and 62,200 per million population respectively, according to the Worldometer.

-- PTI

17:44 Famous Urdu poet Rahat Indori passes away

Noted Urdu poet Rahat Indori, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, died due to the viral infection in Madhya Pradeshs Indore on Tuesday.

According to the doctors, he suffered two heart attacks and couldn't be saved.

The 70-year-old, who was quite active on social media, earlier today took to Twitter to announce that he has tested for the virus on Monday.

After showing initial Covid19 symptoms, I was tested for the virus on Monday and I am declared positive for the virus today and have been admitted to Aurobindo hospital, Indori had written on Twitter this afternoon.

The Maharashtra government is striving to see there is no second wave of COVID-19 in the state, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday during a meeting held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Thackeray also said hospitals will be set up in all districts of the state to control the epidemic, according to an official statement.

The chief minister said Maharashtra did not hide a single COVID-19 case and death due to the disease and shared information with transparency.

Modi held a meeting with chief ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing to review measures taken to tackle COVID-19.

The chief minister said it has been observed that after recovering from COVID-19, patients contracted some other diseases, and called for setting up a mechanism to treat such individuals.

He also expressed the need to conduct research into how and why different types of virus originate.

Thackeray also reiterated the demand for not holding the final year examinations for students of non-professional courses to ensure their lives are not risked in view of the current situation.

-- PTI

17:03 MP CM says he tests negative for coronavirus

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he has tested negative for coronavirus infection, six days after being discharged from a private hospital.

Chouhan, 61, had tested positive for coronavirus infection on July 25. He has been in home quarantine since he was discharged on August 5.

"My COVID-19 report has come out negative. On the advice of doctors, I will be in isolation till tomorrow. I sincerely thank doctors, nurses and their entire team. I will be grateful for all your best wishes and prayers for my health," the CM tweeted.

Chouhan had again tested positive for the infection on August 3.

However, the Chirayu Hospital where he was admitted had said that the CM was being discharged as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

"They (doctors) advised discharge as per the ICMR policy dated May 8, wherein patients can be discharged after 10 days of symptoms onset and no fever for three days. There will be no need for testing prior to discharge," a bulletin issued by the hospital had stated.

-- PTI

Actor Sooraj Pancholi has submitted a complaint to Mumbai Police over him being linked to the case of death of fellow actor Sushant Singh Rajput, an official said on Tuesday.

In his complaint submitted at Versova police station on Monday night, Pancholi said he is being defamed on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, by being linked to Rajputs death, he said.

"We have received an application from Sooraj Pancholi and an enquiry is on," Versova police station's senior inspector Raghvendra Thakur said.

So far, no offence has been registered (in connection with Pancholi's complaint), the official said.

There were recently some social media messages, screenshots and derogatory content allegedly linking Pancholi to the death of Rajput and the latter's former manager Disha Salian.

Pancholi's mother Zarina Wahad earlier denied rumours linking her son with Rajput's death.

-- PTI

16:18 COVID-19 fatality rate falls below 2%: Govt

Successful implementation of containment strategy, aggressive testing coupled with standardized clinical management of critical patients have resulted in the rise of COVID-19 recovery rate to nearly 70 per cent while the case fatality rate has fallen below 2 per cent, the Union Health ministry said on Tuesday.

With more patients recuperating and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), the total recoveries have jumped to 15,83,489 with 47,746 patients getting discharged in a span of 24 hours, it said.

The national recovery rate has risen to 69.80 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministy.

The actual case load of the country is the active cases (6,39,929) which is only 28.21 per cent of the total positive cases and they all are under active medical supervision, the ministry said.

"With a consistent and sustained increase in recoveries, the gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases has reached nearly 9.5 lakh. India's test, track and treat strategy is showing the desired result - the gap between percentage of recoveries and percentage of active cases of COVID-19 is growing every day," the ministry said.

Focus on improved and effective clinical treatment in hospitals, use of non-invasive, improved and coordinated services of the ambulances for ferrying patients for prompt and timely treatment have resulted in seamless efficient patient management of COVID-19 patients, it said.

"As a result, the case fatality rate has been low when compared to the global average. It has fallen below 2 per cent on Tuesday and currently stands at 1.99 per cent," the ministry said.

-- PTI

16:18 COVID-19 fatality rate falls below 2%: Govt

The national recovery rate has risen to 69.80 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministy.

The actual case load of the country is the active cases (6,39,929) which is only 28.21 per cent of the total positive cases and they all are under active medical supervision, the ministry said.

"With a consistent and sustained increase in recoveries, the gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases has reached nearly 9.5 lakh. India's test, track and treat strategy is showing the desired result - the gap between percentage of recoveries and percentage�of active cases of COVID-19 is growing every day," the ministry said.

"As a result, the case fatality rate (CFR) has been low when compared to the global average. It has fallen below 2 per cent on Tuesday and currently stands at 1.99 per cent," the ministry said.

-- PTI

15:47 3 bodies found; Toll in Idukki landslide at 52

The toll in the landslip in Pettimudi in the high range Idukki district rose to 52 with three more bodies being recovered from the debris as rescue

operations continued on Tuesday to trace those missing.

The bodies of two men and a woman were recovered, officials said.

Personnel of NDRF, Fire, Forest and police departments have expanded their search operations to the downstream of a river in their efforts to trace 19 more people who were still missing in the August 7 tragedy near Rajamala, they said.

Search is also being carried out at the site of the disaster to trace those feared trapped in the debris, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the water level at Mullaperiyar reservoir in Idukki district reached 136.85 feet on Tuesday.

-- PTI

15:22 COVID breaks out in New Zealand after 102 days

New Zealand announced its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections in 102 days on Tuesday, prompting the countrys prime minister to issue a stay-at-home lockdown order for the countrys largest city.

Jacinda Ardern said four cases had been detected in a single family in Auckland from an unknown source.

After 102 days, we have our first cases of Covid-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine facilities... While we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, we have also planned and prepared for it, she said.

Wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja entered into an argument with a police constable in Gujarat's Rajkot after the latter asked her the reason for not

wearing a mask, police said on Tuesday.

The cricketer was driving the car at the time of the incident on Monday night. While he was wearing a mask, his wife Rivaba wasn't, a senior officer said.

The cricketer's wife had a heated argument with head constable Sonal Gosai when the latter stopped her car at Kisanpara Chowk after noticing that she was not wearing a mask, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja.

"Our primary investigation has revealed that Rivaba Jadeja was not wearing a mask. While it is a matter of investigation why the issue escalated, we have learnt that both the parties entered into a verbal spat," the DCP said.

Following the argument, Gosai complained of uneasiness and was taken to a nearby hospital, he said.

She was discharged after half an hour and is fine now, the officer said, adding that no FIR has been lodged as yet.

-- PTI

14:47 Pranab Mukherjee remains critical: Hospital

Former President Pranab Mukherjee continues to remain critical and is on ventilator support, the Army's Research and Referral Hospital said on Tuesday, a day after he underwent a brain surgery.

The 84-year-old was admitted to the military hospital around noon on Monday, and had also tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the surgery.

"Former President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee was admitted to R&Rin Delhi Cantonment at 1207 hours on August 10, 2020 in a critical condition.

"Workup at the hospital revealed a large brain clot for which he underwent emergency life saving surgery. Post surgery he continues to remain critical on ventilatory support," a medical bulletin issued by the Hospital said.

A multidisciplinary team of doctors is constantly monitoring the health of the former president.

-- PTI

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has given a written complaint to the police claiming that he has received calls from a Pakistani number threatening to kill him in a bomb blast.

In the complaint to inspector in-charge of Sadar Kotwali, Dinesh Chandra Mishra, the MP from Unnao said that he got two phone calls from some terrorist organisation of Pakistan threatening to blow him up along with his residence.

According to the letter, the caller claimed that Kashmir would soon become a part of Pakistan and he also used foul language for the Ram Temple groundbreaking ceremony at Ayodhya.

The caller said that he and his mujahideens were keeping an eye on him round the clock, the MP said in the letter, adding that he also abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The MP has demanded that imemdiate steps be taken to save his life and property.

Acting on the complaint, Superintendent of Police Rohan P Kanay directed circle officer Yadvendra Yadav and Kotwali in-charge to probe the matter and take help of surveillance teams. The SP said that a report has been registered.

The MP has Y category security and police is also deployed at his residence but the security would be reviewed in the light of of the threat call, the SP added.

-- PTI

14:17 Russia has first approved Covid vaccine: Putin

Russia has approved the worlds first vaccine for Covid-19, President Vladimir Putin said.

The vaccine was developed Moscows Gamaleya Institute in Moscow and on Tuesday received approval from the countrys health ministry.

14:06 SC backs daughter's right to property

A woman can claim equal share in family property as a daughter, the Supreme Court reiterated today as it stressed that the Hindu Succession Act - that was amended in 2005 to give women equal inheritance rights - can have a retrospective effect.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Kumar Mishra, today said, "Once a daughter, always a daughter... a son is a son till he is married. The daughter shall remain a coparcener (one who shares equally with others in inheritance of an undivided joint family property) throughout life, irrespective of whether her father is alive or not."

The question that urged the top court to make the remarks today was: "Does the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, which gave equal right to daughters in ancestral property, has a retrospective effect ?"

The top court was hearing a batch of appeals that raised the issue.

The question arose out of the top court's contradicting rulings in 2016 and 2018 with regards to interpretation of Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, which was later amended in 2005.

A high-rate of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases is a "good thing" for the society and could play a role in the ending of the pandemic, according to a researcher.

In the last seven months, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected over 20 million people globally while it has claimed more than 700,000 lives, as per the Johns Hopkins University.

The research by Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco, is based on asymptomatic cases, which form a large part of the infection history, according to The Washington Post.

"A high rate of asymptomatic infection is a good thing. It is a good thing for the individual and a good thing for society," Gandhi was quoted as saying.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up several clues -- the uneven transmission in various parts of the world and mostly mild impact on children. According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention last month, 40 per cent of people infected with the virus are asymptomatic.

These developments have allowed scientists to look into the role of the receptor cells, which the virus uses to infiltrate the body and to get a better understanding of the role that age and genetics might play. Others are researching about face masks and whether they may filter out enough virus so that those wearing them had mild cases or no symptoms.

When coronavirus first surfaced in December last year, health authorities labelled it a "novel" virus as it was the first time it was seen in humans who presumably had no immunity from the infection. However, this early and tentative evidence suggests that the assumption might have been incorrect.

One interesting hypothesis states that a part of the world's population may have partial protection due to "memory" T cells, a part of our immune system trained to recognise specific invaders. This may arise from cross-protection derived from standard childhood vaccinations, as per The Washington Post.

"This might potentially explain why some people seem to fend off the virus and may be less susceptible to becoming severely ill," National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins was quoted as saying.

This could be far-reaching if such findings are validated on a population level.

-- ANI

13:28 Pilot Deepak Sathe cremated with state honours

Wing Commander Deepak Sathe (retd), pilot-in-command of the Air India Express plane that crashed in Kerala last week, was cremated in Mumbai with state honours.

Hundreds of mourners lined up the road as the funeral procession started from his residence in Chandivli and concluded at Vikhroli's Tagore nagar crematorium, where the last rites were performed.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Government decided to accord a state funeral to the pilot, and said his life shall inspire young pilots.

The flight from Dubai with 190 people, including a six-member crew, overshot the tabletop runway during landing at the Kozhikode airport in heavy rain on Friday, killing 18 people, including both the pilots.

Sathe's body was flown here on Sunday and was kept at the Air India facility near Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport for some time before being taken to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra.

On Tuesday morning, the body was brought from the hospital to the family home in Chandivli. Residents in the housing complex paid tributes to the pilot. Some of them were seen saluting him from their balconies.

The pilot's father, Colonel Vasant Sathe (retd), 87 and mother Neela, 83, were present at the Chandivli residence. They reside in Nagpur and reached Mumbai on Monday.

The pilot's US-based elder son Shantanu also reached Mumbai on Monday for the last rites. He, along with his mother Sushma and younger brother Dhananjay, were in tears as the last rites were performed at the crematorium shortly afternoon.

A wreath was placed on behalf of the Indian Air Force, where Sathe was a test pilot before joining Air India.

Pilots from different airlines, cabin crew and others in the aviation sector participated in the final journey.

-- PTI

Shruti Modi, the former business manager of Sushant Singh Rajput, on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai for questioning in connection with a case related to the death of the actor.

Rajput's friend Siddharth Pithani also appeared before the ED for questioning.

Yesterday, a team of ED had questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and her father Indrajit Chakraborty in connection with the case related to Rajput's death. Shruti Modi was also quizzed by the agency on Monday.

The economic offences watchdog had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the case after and FIR was filed by KK Singh, the late actor's father, against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has also registered a case against Rhea Chakraborty, Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty, Samuel Miranda, Shruti Modi, and others in connection with the actor's death.

Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is slated to hear today a petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty seeking directions to transfer the investigation into the case registered against her in the matter from Patna to Mumbai.

-- ANI

12:22 "Never Used Abusive Language": Sachin

Sachin Pilot, who ended his month-long revolt after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday, today said he bore no ill-will against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who had called him "nikamma" and accused him of conspiring with the BJP to pull down his government.

"I have imbibed certain values from my family. No matter how much I oppose anyone, I've never used such language," Sachin Pilot said, when asked about the "nikamma" comment.

"Ashok Gehlot ji is elder to me and I respect him personally but I have the right to raise work-related concerns," the sacked deputy chief minister said.

12:01 PM Modi holds COVID-19 review meeting with CMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a video conference meeting with chief ministers of various states to discuss the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Tamil Nadu CM EK Palaniswami, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar are present in the meeting.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the meeting.

Prime Minister Modi has held several meetings with CMs over the COVID-19 situation after the announcement of the first lockdown in March this year.

As many as 53,601 new coronavirus cases and 871 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours.

-- ANI

11:43 Gehlot says will listen to Sachin Pilot

Former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion against the Congress party plunged the Ashok Gehlot government in a month-long crisis, has returned to the party fold.

After meeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and on being assured by the party that the issues raised by him and his camp of MLAs will be resolved, Sachin Pilot returned to Congress and said he had never hankered for any post and was only raising ideological issues.

CM Ashok Gehlot reacting to Sachin Pilot's truce with the Congress said that it is his duty as the chief minister to address the grievances of his MLAs and party members and will listen to the problems raised by those who are miffed with him.

11:14 4G on trial in 2 J-K districts after August 15

The Central government has told the Supreme Court that a special committee looking into the issue of internet restoration in Jammu and Kashmir is considering allowing 4G internet access on a trial basis in the Union Territory.

Centre said that 4G access may be given in one district of Jammu region and one in Kashmir.

The easing may come into effect after August 15.

The Supreme Court had on Friday asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to explore the possibility of restoring 4G services in certain areas.

The apex court was hearing a plea of the NGO seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of J-K for their alleged "wilful disobedience" in complying with the court's May 11 order.

High speed Internet service in J&K has been suspended since August last year when the Centre had announced revocation of its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had sought time to take instructions on the restoration of high-speed internet services, saying a new Lt Governor has been appointed in the Union Territory.

Manoj Sinha was appointed the new LG of Jammu and Kashmir after G C Murmu resigned from the post last week.

However, the top court told the administration that with the change of LG, nothing changes as the special committee is there to look into the issue.

11:11 Expert panel on Covid vaccine to meet tomorrow

An expert committee under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul will meet on Wednesday to consider the logistics and ethical aspects of procuring and administering the COVID-19 vaccine, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The committee on vaccine administration will engage with all the stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers, the ministry said in a tweet.

The committee would chalk out strategies on the aspects of prioritisation of the vaccine administration once it is developed, rollout and cold chain logistics and training of the people who would be administering it.

'The Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration under the chairmanship of Dr V K Paul, NITI Aayog will meet on 12th August to consider logistics & ethical aspects of procurement & administration of COVID-19 vaccine,' the ministry tweeted.

The phase-1 human clinical trials of the two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and Zydus Cadila Ltd, have been completed and the trials have moved to phase 2, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said last Tuesday.

The Serum Institute of India, Pune has also been permitted for conducting Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country.

India's COVID-19 caseload has climbed to 22,68,675 while the death-toll mounted to 45,257, according to the Health ministry data updated at 8 am on Tuesday. -- PTI

11:11 Expert panel on Covid vaccine to meet tomorrow

The committee on vaccine administration will engage with all the stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers, the ministry said in a tweet.

The Serum Institute of India, Pune has also been permitted for conducting Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country.

India's COVID-19 caseload has climbed to 22,68,675 while the death-toll mounted to 45,257, according to the Health ministry data updated at 8 am on Tuesday. -- PTI

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended two senior executives of AirAsia India for a period of three months over 'safety violations', said a senior official on Tuesday.

The suspension was carried out a week ago, the official said. In June this year, one of the AirAsia India's former pilots -- who runs a YouTube channel called Flying Beast -- alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airline.

'We had issued a show cause notice to two AirAsia India executives -- Head of Operations Manish Uppal and Head of Flight Safety Mukesh Nema -- in June only. It has been decided now to suspend them for a period of three months,' the DGCA official said.

AirAsia India did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter. Captain Gaurav Taneja, a popular Youtuber, tweeted on June 14 that he has been suspended by AirAsia India 'for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers'.

On June 15, he posted a detailed video on YouTube titled 'Reasons behind suspension from my pilot job'.

Taneja alleged in the video that the airline has asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in 'Flap 3' mode, which allows it to save fuel.

He said if a pilot does not do 98 per cent of landings in 'Flap 3' mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP).

Flaps are part of wings of an aircraft and they are engaged to create a drag during a landing or a take-off.

Taneja gave the example of the Imphal airport, where the plane descends more steeply as compared to other airports when approaching for landing.

He said when an aircraft is coming down steeply, it needs to have a drag so that it remains slow, and in these circumstances a pilot has to do a 'Flap full' landing.

'In order to achieve targets, what would people do? They will do Flap 3 landings without giving consideration whether it is safe or unsafe.

'This directly impacts the passenger safety,' he had claimed in his YouTube video.

'If something happens during a Flap 3 landing, then the question would be asked to the pilot if he or she cares more about saving fuel or 180 passengers' lives, Taneja had said.

On June 15, the DGCA said on Twitter that it had taken note of the concerns raised by some stakeholders 'against a particular airline and its approach to safety'.

'(The) DGCA has already started an investigation into the issues flagged and shall take appropriate action based on the outcome of the said investigation,' it added.

Senior DGCA officials had confirmed on June 15 itself that AirAsia India was under investigation after Taneja's allegations. -- PTI

JUST IN: Single-day spike of 53,601 cases and 871 deaths reported in India, in the last 24 hours. says the ministry of health and family welfare.

With this, India's COVID-19 tally rises to 22,68,676 including 6,39,929 active cases, 15,83,490 cured/discharged/migrated and 45,257 deaths, the ministry said.

Now, India has 28.21 per cent active cases, 69.80 per cent cured/discharged/migrated and 1.99 per cent deaths, the government said. -- ANI

In a bid to contain the novel coronavirus in Kolkata, the West Bengal government has extended the suspension of flights from six major cities-- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad till August 31.

'Kindly refer to my earlier letter no. 371/HS/PA/20 dated 3-07-20 under reference to Chief Secretary's letter No 282-CS/2020 dated 17-7-20 regarding the suspension of flights to Kolkata from High COVID prevalence cities (vis, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad).

'I am further directed to inform you that the suspension of flights from the aforesaid cities to Kolkata will continue till 31st August 2020,' the letter from Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay reads.

According to the Union Health Ministry, West Bengal has so far recorded 26,375 number of COVID-19 cases.

Out of the total, 15,35,743 have been migrated and 2,059 have died after contracting the virus. -- ANI

According to the Union Health Ministry, West Bengal has so far recorded 26,375 number of COVID-19 cases.

Out of the total, 15,35,743 have been migrated and 2,059 have died after contracting the virus. -- ANI

The Army has apprehended three suspected terrorists during a search operation in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.

A joint search operation was launched by the security forces on the inputs of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Lalpora area of Kupwara on Monday, an army official said.

He said three suspects were apprehended and some arms and ammunition recovered during the operation.

"One AK assault rifle, two pistols and some ammunition were recovered," the official said, adding the operation is in progress. -- PTI

Former Rajasthan Deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday thanked Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi for noting and addressing his and 'the aggrieved' MLAs grievances, stating that he will continue working for a better India to deliver on promises made to the people of Rajasthan.

'I thank Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and INC India leaders for noting and addressing our grievances. I stand firm in my belief and will continue working for a better India, to deliver on promises made to the people of Rajasthan and protect democratic values we cherish,' Pilot tweeted.

This comes after Pilot along with his supporting MLAs attended a meeting with a three-member committee led by Congress General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal and senior party leader Ahmed Patel to address the issues raised by Pilot and the rebel legislators.

The meeting took place here in the national capital and all the leaders were seen maintaining social distancing and wearing face masks as a precautionary measure in view of COVID-19.

The crisis faced by the Congress government in Rajasthan appears to have ended with the party, stating on Monday that Pilot had 'committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan' and 'a three-member committee' has been formed to address the issues raised by Pilot and 'the aggrieved' MLAs.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi welcomed 'back' party leader Sachin Pilot as he lauded the 'teamwork under Rahul Gandhi' over the resolution of the political crisis faced by party government in Rajasthan.

He also lauded Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that his political instincts rarely fail him.

'Welcome back Sachin. A constructive and enjoyable phase of Rajasthan building awaits. Congrats for teamwork under Rahul Gandhi, his tireless team, incl Venugopal, Surjewala Maken who became residents of my home state. Not to forget pol instincts of Gehlot which rarely fail him,' Singhvi said.

00:10 Coronavirus: Masks made mandatory in Paris

Wearing a face mask will be compulsory in busy parts of Paris from Monday amid a rise in coronavirus infections in and around the French capital.

Police said the order would apply to people aged 11 and over in "certain very crowded zones".

The virus had been circulating more widely in the region since mid-July, they said. Face masks are already compulsory in enclosed public spaces.

Experts have warned that France could lose control of Covid-19 "at any time".

Several cities, such as Nice and Lille, have introduced their own additional orders making mask-wearing mandatory in certain outdoor areas.

The zones where masks are mandatory will be evaluated on a regular basis, they said.

In a statement on Saturday, authorities said the rate of positive coronavirus tests was 2.4 per cent in the greater Paris area, compared to the national average of 1.6 per cent.

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