LIVE! Bar Association of India backs Prashant Bhushan

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Tue, 18 August 2020

Bar Association of India backs Prashant Bhushan

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23:20 Bar Association of India backs Prashant Bhushan

The Bar Association of India on Tuesday came out in support of activist-lawyer Prasant Bhushan, convicted for contempt of court, saying that at a time the citizenry is facing huge challenges, the stature of the Supreme Court would stand enhanced by allowing criticism rather than taking umbrage at his remarks.

The Executive Committee of the BAI said it was "deeply dismayed and concerned by the manner of exercise of suo motu contempt jurisdiction by the Supreme Court of India against a member of the legal profession in the case relating to Bhushan."

A three judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, on August 14, had held Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for his two derogatory tweets against the judiciary saying they cannot be said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the judiciary made in the public interest.

Bhushan faces six months simple imprisonment or fine upto Rs 2,000 or both as the maximum punishment for the contempt.

The top court would hear on August 20, the arguments on the quantum of sentence.

The BAI, in a statement said, it was of the view that the exercise of contempt jurisdiction by the court in this manner has potential for more self-harm than the avowed purpose of safeguarding the prestige of the institution."

"Trenchant criticism, commentary, satire and humour help build institutions in a free society. Judgments that curb the exercise of freedom of speech and expression by a member of the Bar by resort to suo motu powers is conspicuously old fashioned.

"The reputation of the Supreme Court of India cannot be dislodged by a couple of 'tweets'. At a time that the citizenry is facing huge challenges, the stature of the Supreme Court would stand enhanced by allowing criticism rather than taking umbrage at such remarks," it said.

Besides BAI, several eminent lawyers have also come out in support of Bhushan saying that the verdict against the activist-lawyer "must not be given effect to" until a larger bench reviews the standard of criminal contempt in an open court hearing post pandemic.

Former judges, activists and lawyers have been issuing statements in support of Bhushan. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and its people on the eve of the country's independence day and said India supports its pursuit for a just society free from the menace of terrorism.

"Independence Day greetings to President @ashrafghani and the Afghan people! India supports Afghanistan's aspiration to shape its own destiny for a better future, and its pursuit for a just society free from the menace of terrorism," Modi tweeted.

Afghanistan celebrates its independence day on August 19. -- PTI

The health ministry on Tuesday said the positivity rate of COVID-19 has come down from 10.03 per cent to 7.72 per cent despite sustained level of testing.

Addressing a press briefing, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan gave five major highlights of the past week.

"An important part is recovered patients are nearly 20 lakh which is 2.93 times of active cases," Bhushan said.

The total number of active cases is 6,73,166, while the total number of recovered cases is 19,77,779, he said.

"In the first week of April, the recovery rate was around 7.35 per cent and presently it has increased to 73.18 per cent," he said.

The average daily recovered cases are now more than 55,000 and active cases are just 25 per cent of the total COVID cases which means just 25 per cent of the cases are either in hospital or home isolation, he said.

"Another important point to note here is that in spite of a sustained level of 7 lakh to 8 lakh tests a day, the positivity figure has come down from 10.03 per cent to 7.72 per cent," he said.

The graph presented by him showed that the positivity rate was 10.03 per cent between July 8 and 14 and it has come down to 7.72 per cent between August 12 and 18.

Bhushan said more than 3 crore tests have been conducted and for the first time, 8,99,864 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours which is a new peak.

On case fatality rate, Bhushan said it has come below 2 per cent now.

"The case fatality rate (as per weekly average) in July first week was 2.89 per cent. Now it (weekly average) has come down to 1.94 per cent and daily case fatality rate is 1.92 per cent. Our target is to bring it down to 1 per cent or lesser," Bhushan said. -- PTI

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will pardon Susan B Anthony, an American social reformer who was arrested in 1872 for illegally voting, as at that time only men were allowed to vote.

Susan Anthony, who died in 1906, played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

"As we fight to deliver a better future for all women and for all Americans, we remember the wonderful victory one century ago. While I am president, America will always honour its heroes and we will always celebrate the patriots who secured women's right to vote so," Trump said in his remarks at signing of a proclamation on the 100th anniversary of the women securing the right to vote in the United States.

"This is an incredible document that I am signing and I wanted to just add something because this was brought up a week ago and I was so surprised that it was never done before because later today I will be assigning a full and complete pardon for Susan B. Anthony. She was never pardoned," Trump said.

Trump's pardon comes 100 years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which ensured women the right to vote.

"You know that she got a pardon for a lot of other women and she didn't put her name on the list so she was never pardoned and for voting that's right. That's right. She was guilty for voting, and we are going to be signing a full and complete pardon and I think that's really fantastic. She deserves it," said the President during the commemoration event.

"On this day in 1920 the United States ratified the 19th Amendment. It was a monumental victory for each quality for justice and a monumental victory for America," he said.

As a result, today a record-breaking 131 women are serving in Congress, nearly 70 million women vote in elections, 56 per cent of nation's college students are women, more than 11 million women own successful businesses, he said.

"In other words, women dominate the United States," he added. -- PTI

China's ruling Communist Party has expelled a staunch critic of President Xi Jinping who has accused him among others of "provoking" conflict with other countries, including with India, to divert the attention of the Chinese public from domestic economic and social tensions.

The Communist Party of China expelled Cai Xia, a former professor at the Central Party School, as punishment for speeches "that damaged the reputation of the country", Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

Cai, 68, was punished because she had made speeches with "serious political problems", the report said quoting a notice on the school's website.

Her speeches were of "extraordinarily execrable nature", and seriously violated the political discipline of the party, the notice said.

Cai told the Post that she was safe and well in the United States but declined to elaborate.

In an interview to the UK's Guardian newspaper in June, Cai said Xi was provoking conflict between China and India besides encouraging anti-American sentiment to consolidate his own position and authority.

Asked what benefit is there to making China an enemy of the world and why Xi would provoke conflicts, Cai said, "there are several factors. Among them is that he wants to consolidate his own position and authority".

"Considering domestic economic and social tensions, as well as those in the party of the last few years, he will think of ways to divert the attention of the Chinese public, provoking conflict with other countries, for example encouraging anti-American sentiment and the recent clash between China and India", she said, apparently referring to the clash in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

She also criticised Xi on multiple issues including the constitutional amendment removing the two-term limit for the President paving the way for lifelong tenure, secrecy related to coronavirus casualties and not acting to curb the virus when he came to know of it on January 7 this year.

She said Xi forced through the amendment of China's Constitution to abolish term limits for the President in 2018, giving him the ability to stay in power indefinitely. -- PTI

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains are threatening the three-tier border fencing along the Indo-Pak International Border and have caused minor damage to a section of the fencing in Jammu frontier belt, officials said.

Heavy rains have caused flash floods in various rivers along the border, threatening the border fencing in Samba-Kathua-Jammu belt, they said.

A senior BSF officer told PTI that parts of the fence in Basantar river area are likely to get washed away. "It is 150 to 200 metres of patch. There was partial damage to it. If there is more flooding, it will cause complete

damage to the fence and to the adjoining village in Ramgarh."

"Efforts are being made to repair the damage," he said.

He said no post has suffered damage and jawans were keeping vigil along the border.

He said some troops are stationed across the river. "They are self-contained. They have everything with them. They do not cross over to this side. It is dangerous to bring them on this side. The regular movements are going

on," he added.

In 2012, the BSF had repaired and reconstructed over 700-800 metres of fencing, along the border in Samba district, which were damaged by torrential rains and floods.

Parts of the three-tier border fencing along IB were washed away in Nursery-Bandstop forward belt of Ramgarh sub-sector of Samba district due to flash floods in Basantar river.

Nearly 190 km of the border along the IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts is fenced to stop cross-border infiltration and smuggling of narcotics and weapons from Pakistan. -- PTI

21:47 SP Balasubrahmanyam still on ventilator: Son

Popular playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, battling COVID-19 continues to beon ventilator, his son, S P Charan said on Tuesday.

In a video message, Charan, who is also a filmmaker said,"the status is the same as it was yesterday. A rumour is going around that dad is off ventilator which is not true."

He said his father continued to be on ventilator support and was being monitored by a team of doctors at MGM Healthcareand he is being taken care of really well.

On Monday, MGM Healthcare, where the 74-year old has been undergoing treatment since August 5, said: "Thiru S B Balasubrahmanyam who had been admitted at MGM Healthcare due to COVID-19 continuesto be on life support in the Intensive Care Unit."

"His condition remains to be critical. The expert medical team treating him is closely monitoring his vital parameters," a bulletin issued by Hospital Assistant Director (Medical Services) Dr Anuradha Baskaran said.

Celebrities including yesteryear actor Sivakumar, and veteran film director Barathiraja wished the star singer a speedy recovery. -- PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party engineered the northeast Delhi riots by instigating Hindus and provoking Muslims at the Shaheen Bagh protest, drawing a sharp rebuttal from the saffron party.

The Delhi BJP said the AAP is on the "backfoot" and is trying to change the narrative by alleging that the BJP instigated Hindus. But the actual story is something else, the party said.

Addressing a press conference, AAP spokesperson and MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that the BJP leaders provoked people of both the communities which led to the communal violence in northeast Delhi on February 24, leaving 53 people dead.

"Two days back when the key functionaries of the Shaheen Bagh protest joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, it exposed the fact that on one side, the leaders of the saffron party were spreading hatred among the Hindus and on the other, their other leaders were spreading hatred among the Muslim protesters of Shaheen Bagh. This way a script was prepared and the riots took place in Delhi," Bharadwaj claimed.

Communal violence had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

Several members of the minority Muslim community from Shaheen Bagh area, which was the centre of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in New Delhi, joined the BJP on Sunday.

Bhardwaj demanded a thorough probe against the Muslim community from Shaheen Bagh area who joined the BJP.

"The Aam Aadmi Party demands that a thorough probe should take place against the 50 people who have joined the BJP and were also the organisers of Shaheen Bagh protest.

"Police should check the records of these people, find out with which BJP leaders they were in touch with, what kind of instructions the BJP leaders have given them and other issues. The police should also probe the role of these people in organising and continuing the Shaheen Bagh protest," he said.

Bhardwaj further alleged that the Delhi police under the BJP was silent when clashes erupted between anti-CAA and pro-CAA protesters which led to the riots.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said AAP is on back foot so now they are trying to change the narrative by alleging that the BJP instigated Hindus. However, the actual story is something else, he said.

"I think Saurabh Bharadwaj is confused, yesterday he himself admitted that anti-India slogan was chanted at Shaheen Bagh. Then when the BJP revealed Manish Sisodia's (Delhi Deputy Chief Minister) video supporting Shaheen Bagh, now they are on back foot. So now they are changing the angle that BJP instigated Hindus, but the actual story is something else," Khurana claimed.

He further claimed that AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan provoked Muslims.

"On one hand, the Delhi police has already given a clean chit to BJP leaders Pravesh Verma and Kapil Mishra over so called Hindu instigation. So my suggestion to Saurabh is to get his facts cleared first," Khurana said. -- PTI

Actor Akshay Kumar donated Rs 1 crore for flood relief in Assam, said an official statement on Tuesday.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal acknowledged the generosity of the actor and thanked him, it stated.

"The actor has always been a friend of the people of Assam and his help would go a long way in easing the ordeal of the people facing the flood," the chief minister said.

The Bollywood superstar had last year donated Rs 2 crore towards flood relief, the statement said.

Assam faced a devastating flood this year.

Total 138 people lost their lives, while several lakh people were affected across 28 districts. -- PTI

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Wednesday its verdict on a plea filed by actress Rhea Chakraborty who has sought transfer of an FIR, lodged against her at Patna for allegedly abetting the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, to Mumbai.

As per the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, a bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy would deliver the judgement.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then Mumbai Police has been probing the case keeping in mind various angles.

The top court, which had reserved its judgement on the plea on August 11, was told by the Bihar government that "political clout" has not allowed Mumbai Police to even register an FIR in Rajput's case.

The Maharashtra government had argued that Bihar completely lacks jurisdiction in the matter.

Chakraborty's counsel had told the bench that probe by the Mumbai Police has "proceeded quite substantially" as it has recorded statements of 56 persons in the case.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing Rajput's father, Krishna Kishore Singh, had countered submissions advanced by Chakraborty's counsel and said that they have "no faith" in Maharashtra Police.

Chakraborty's lawyer had argued that FIR lodged by Rajput's father has "absolutely no connection with any offence in Patna" and there was considerable delay of around 38 days in its lodging.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had said that only FIR lodged in the case was in Bihar and the Enforcement Directorate has also started its separate probe in the matter.

The FIR in Patna was registered by Singh against Chakraborty and others for alleged offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 306 (abetment of suicide), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).

The Centre had earlier informed the top court that it has accepted the recommendation of Bihar government for CBI probe into the FIR lodged at Patna by Rajput's father who has accused Chakraborty and six others of various offences including abetment of suicide. -- PTI

Opposing the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal project, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned that "Punjab will burn" if the state is forced to share water with Haryana.

At a meeting with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Punjab CM called SYL an emotive issue which could disturb national security.

The meeting was convened on the directions of the Supreme Court, which asked the Centre on July 28 to mediate between the two states on the long-pending SYL issue.

Punjab is reluctant to share water with Haryana and Rajasthan, saying it has nothing to spare.

"You have to look at the issue from the national security perspective," he told Shekhawat through video conference, according to a Punjab government statement.

"If you decide to go ahead with SYL, Punjab will burn and it will become a national problem, with Haryana and Rajasthan also suffering the impact," he added.

Shekhawat and Khattar joined the meeting from Delhi.

The Haryana CM told reporters later that the two chief ministers will meet again on the issue.

Linking the SYL issue national security, Singh said Punjab remained at risk from all quarters.

He said Pakistan was continuing with attempts to foment trouble and was trying to revive the separatist movement through the banned Sikhs for Justice organisation.

The water issue could further destabilise the state, he warned, according to the statement.

Singh described the meeting as "amicable and cordial".

Khattar hoped for an amicable solution to the decades-old issue.

"We maintained our stand that the SYL should be constructed. The Supreme Court too has said that," he said after the meeting.

It was decided that the two chief ministers will now meet in Chandigarh, on a date to be fixed later. -- PTI

A third terrorist was killed on Tuesday in the operation by security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir which began after the ultras shot dead two CRPF jawans and a policeman on Monday, officials said.

Two army jawans, who were injured on Monday in the encounter at Kreeri area of the north Kashmir district, have also succumbed to injuries, they said.

Security forces had chased the ultras after the attack and killed two of them including Sajad Haider -- a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit in north Kashmir.

Another terrorist was killed on the second day of the operation, the officials said.

Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter, they said.

The operation began immediately after the LeT militants carried out the attack on a naka party of the forces which left two CRPF jawans and a Special Police Officer of Jammu and Kashmir policeman dead.

The officials said the search operation is going on. -- PTI

The raging COVID-19 pandemic played a role in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to retire from international, said India's limited over spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who feels the former skipper would have played the T20 World Cup if it wasn't for the dreaded disease.

Dhoni, the only captain to have won all the ICC trophies, retired from international cricket on Saturday, more than a year after he last played for India -- the lost World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.

There were speculations regarding his participation in this year's T20 World Cup in Australia, which was postponed to 2022 due to the global health crisis.

"Dhoni's retirement was very shocking news. I think Corona also played a role in this decision, otherwise Dhoni would have played T20 World Cup," Chahal said in News18 India's special program Chaupal.

Chahal also said that Dhoni still has it in him to carry on playing international cricket.

"I still want him to play," said the 30-year-old from Haryana, who has represented India in 52 Tests and 42 ODIs.

"Because of him Kuldeep Yadav and I succeeded. We used to get a lot of help from him from behind the wicket. If Dhoni was there, 50 per cent of my work was already done."

Chahal said Dhoni's presence made it easier for them to decipher the pitch.

"Dhoni knew how the pitch was behaving. Before the first ball, we knew what the pitch was like because of him. Otherwise, when Dhoni was not there, we would take two overs to understand the pitch," he said.

"In the match, since Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) were on the boundary, then Dhoni was the nearest senior, he would help us always. Dhoni also helped Kuldeep and I a lot during the tour of South Africa."

Asked if Dhoni should get a farewell match, Chahal said: "This decision will be taken by the BCCI. Also, what Dhoni wants needs to be considered." -- PTI

The government has allowed foreign journalists with valid visas to come to India along with family members.

A home ministry notification said the decision has been taken after considering the need for further relaxation of visa and travel restrictions for more categories of foreign nationals who want to travel to India.

Accordingly, in addition to the categories of foreign nationals who were already permitted to enter India, it has been decided to permit foreign nationals holding Journalist (J-1) visas and their dependents holding J-1X visas to enter India, the notification said.

If they have J-1 or J-1X visas, which have been suspended, such visas shall stand restored with immediate effect to facilitate their entry into India.

However, the home ministry said if the validity of such visas has expired, they may obtain fresh J-1 or J-1X visas, as the case may be, from the Indian missions or posts concerned.

It has also been decided that the existing restrictions on incoming passenger traffic into India through the immigration check posts will not apply in respect of these categories of foreign nationals, the notification said.

However, in respect of quarantine and all other health and COVID-19 related matters, guidelines of the Ministry of Health shall be adhered to.

The government has already allowed Overseas Citizen of India card holders from the United States, the United Kingdom, German and France, with whom India has signed 'air bubble' arrangements, to visit India.

Other foreigners from these countries have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical and employment purposes.

The government has restricted travel of foreigners to India since March 25 when the coronavirus induced country-wide lockdown came into effect. -- PTI

19:37 BJP faction trying to topple BSY govt: Cong

Leader of the opposition in Karnataka assembly, Siddaramaiah on Tuesday alleged that a faction of the state Bharatiya Janata Party closer to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was trying to take advantage of last week's violence Bengaluru to topple Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

Raising questions about the intelligence, the former chief minister also alleged that the ruling party leaders were using SDPI as a pawn for political reasons to divide Muslim votes.

Accusing the state government and its ministers of trying to mislead the people over the violence, he said that the saffron party leaders, instead of identifying the actual culprits, were more interested in targeting the Congress.

"@BJP4Karnataka is clearly divided into 2 factions. One that is closer to RSS is trying to take the advantage of Kaval Byrasandra incident to topple @BSYBJP's position," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

"The investigation should start from the failure of intelligence dept. If this incident, according to @BJP4Karnataka , is pre-planned, then why did this not come to the notice of intelligence dept? What was the reason for the delay in filing case against Naveen? (sic)" he asked.

The violence in DJ Halli and adjoining areas on August 11 night was unleashed by hundreds of people over an inflammatory social media post allegedly put out by P Naveen, a relative of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.

His residence and a police station at D J Halli were torched by rioters, who also set many police and private vehicles ablaze and looted the belongings of the MLA and his sister.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had recently said that local level "political differences", especially within the Congress, and SDPI's larger conspiracy to disturb law and order were among the reasons behind the violence.

Asking BJP to punish SDPI if it is involved, Siddaramaiah alleged that BJP leaders are using SDPI as pawns for political reasons and to divide Muslim votes.

Charging the government with trying to mislead the investigation, he said, "BJP ministers and MLAs are giving conflicting opinions.

They initially blamed SDPI, then INC and now claims it to be an act by terrorists. -- PTI

18:53 Avoid crowding during Ganeshotsav: Maha CM

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday appealed people to avoid crowding during the Ganesh festival and follow guidelines about the height of idols and their immersion.

The festival, which in normal times brings lakhs of people on roads in a city like Mumbai, will begin on August 22 under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thackeray was speaking at a review meeting with top officials through video conference where deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, home minister Anil Deshmukh and public health minister Rajesh Tope were also present.

"The forthcoming Ganeshotsav which comes against the backdrop of COVID-19 crisis should be celebrated peacefully, keeping social responsibility in mind," Thackeray was quoted as saying in an official statement.

"Care should be taken to avoid crowding and it should be ensured that the disease does not spread," he said.

So far, people from all religions have cooperated with the government during festivals during lockdown, the chief minister noted.

"Guidelines (issued by the state home department) say that the height of idols installed by sarvajanik Ganesh mandals (groups which celebrate the festival in public) should be (maximum of) four feet and that of idols installed at home be two feet.

"While following this guideline, no processions should be taken out before installing and immersing idols to avoid crowding," he said.

Ganesh mandals should facilitate online 'darshan' of idols, Thackeray said.

He also instructed the authorities to increase COVID-19 testing, control test charges and ensure that test reports are made available at the earliest.

As vaccine is not available yet, wearing masks, cleaning hands and observing discipline is the only solution for now, the chief minister said.

Home minister Deshmukh asked the police to keep an eye on mischievous videos on social media.

He also asked local government bodies to create a maximum number of artificial ponds to avoid crowding during immersion of idols.

Divisional commissioners, district collectors, chief executive officers of zilla parishads, municipal commissioners and district police superintendents attended the meeting. -- PTI

The Delhi high court on Tuesday sought Air India's reply on a plea by several pilots challenging the national carrier's decision to terminate their services with effect from August 13.

Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to Air India and sought its stand on the fresh batch of petitions by four pilots who have challenged the airline's August 13 order terminating their services.

Air India had earlier terminated services of more than 40 other pilots.

The court also orally asked the national carrier to stay its hands, with regard to seeking surrender of the identity cards and other documents of the four pilots, till Wednesday when an earlier batch of similar pleas by other Air India pilots would be heard.

The earlier batch of pleas have been moved by the pilots who had resigned from the carrier, but had later withdrawn the same before the six month notice period got over.

They have sought directions to Air India not to accept their resignations. -- PTI

18:24 Only 4 new coronavirus cases found in Dharavi

The coronavirus case tally in the slum-dominated Dharavi area of Mumbai rose to 2,676 on Tuesday with four new patients coming to light, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official.

The area, considered to be Asia's largest slum, recorded a single-digit rise on the 15th day in a row. It had registered a spike of only four cases on Monday too.

On August 3, Dharavi recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases but thereafter the daily rise was in single digit.

On August 5, only one new case was found, while nine cases were found on both August 10 and 12.

Spread over 2.5 square kilometers, the area has a population over 6.5 lakh.

Of 2,676 COVID-19 patients, 2,333 have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, the BMC official said, adding that there are only 84 active cases at present.

The civic body has stopped sharing the death toll from the area since June.

Overall, the G-north ward which covers Dharavi, Dadar and Mahim has recorded 6,951 coronavirus cases. -- PTI

17:59 Trump 'wrong' president for US: Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama has ripped through Donald Trump at the opening of the Democratic National Convention, saying he is the "wrong president for our country" and urged Americans to vote for his challenger Joe Biden "like our lives depend on it."

In an emotional recorded message to the convention, the former US first lady said last four years had been difficult to explain to America's children.

"They see our leaders labelling fellow citizens enemies of the state, while emboldening torch-bearing white supremacists," she said.

The four-day Democratic National Convention was initially scheduled to be held in Wisconsin but it began virtually on Monday amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Former vice president Biden, 77, is challenging 74-year-old Trump, a Republican in the November 3 presidential election.

Senator Kamala Harris, 55, is all set to be formally nominated by the DNC as the first-ever Black as well as the first-ever American of Indian and African descent as a vice presidential candidate by a major political party.

Launching a blistering attack on Trump, Obama said children are torn from their families and thrown into cages and pepper spray and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protests for a photo op.

"Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head.

"He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is," 56-year-old Obama said in a poignant political speech.

Taking a swipe at Trump's presidency, she urged those who did not come out to vote in 2016 to make their vote count this time.

Obama said the country has been "living with the consequences" since the 2016 election results.

She said her message is likely to be unheard by some people as "we live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a Black woman speaking at the Democratic convention".

Obama cautioned that if Americans think things cannot possibly get worse, "trust me, they can; and they will if we don't make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it".

Obama said the job of the president is hard and it "requires clear-headed judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotion to facts and history, a moral compass, and an ability to listenand an abiding belief that each of the 330,000,000 lives in this country has meaning and worth".

"A president's words have the power to move markets. They can start wars or broker peace. They can summon our better angels or awaken our worst instincts. You simply cannot fake your way through this job," the former first lady said. -- PTI

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government if it has a regulatory mechanism in place to ensure that private hospitals and nursing homes in the state don't overcharge for PPE kits and other ancillary items during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere observed while the state government has issued guidelines putting a cap on charges that hospitals can levy on patients, there is no mechanism in place to ensure that hospitals follow them. "We think the state government has not paid attention to the aspect of having a mechanism in place to keep a check on hospitals overcharging. How does the State propose to regulate? With no mechanism in place, the government is giving these hospitals unbridled power to fix prices," Chief Justice Datta said.

The court directed the state government to file an affidavit stating if there is any mechanism in place to ensure that private hospitals and nursing homes follow the state government's guidelines. "How do you (the government) deal with violators? How do you ensure that the guidelines are followed by all hospitals?" Chief Justice Datta asked. Assistant government pleader Nisha Mehra told the court that as per a resolution issued on August 7, flying squads have been set up to carry out surprise checks on hospitals. The court directed Mehra to also state in the affidavit how many such checks have been conducted from the time these squads were set up till September 21, when the matter will be heard next. --PTI

Construction and farm sectors accounted for most job losses

17:15 Covid impact: 41L youth lost jobs in India

As many as 41 lakh youth in the country lost jobs due to the Covid pandemic while construction and farm sector workers account for the majority of job losses, according to a joints report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

"For India, the report estimates job loss for 4.1 million youth. Construction and agriculture have witnessed the major job losses among seven key sectors," said the ILO-ADB report, titled 'Tackling the COVID-19 youth employment crisis in Asia and the Pacific', released on Tuesday. The young people's employment prospects in Asia and the Pacific are severely challenged due to the pandemic, it added.

Youth (15-24 years) will be hit harder than adults (25 and older) in the immediate crisis and risk bearing higher longer-term economic and social costs, said the report. The report is based on regional assessment of the 'Global Survey on Youth and COVID-19' and arrived at estimates based on available unemployment data in different countries. It said that in India, two-thirds of firm-level apprenticeships and three quarters of internships were completely interrupted during the pandemic.

The report calls on governments in the region to adopt urgent, large-scale and targeted measures to generate jobs for the youth, keep education and training on track, and to minimise future scarring of more than 660 million young people in the region. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, youth in Asia and the Pacific faced challenges in the labour market, resulting in high unemployment rates and large shares of youth excluded from both school and work. -- ANI

State-run UCO Bank has secured approvals from its board of directors and shareholders to raise Rs 3,000 crore capital this fiscal as the lender requires resources to achieve growth and provision for non- performing assets, an official said on Tuesday. The capital will be raised at an appropriate time either through public offer or Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) or preferential issue, UCO Bank MD and CEO A K Goel said. -- PTI

16:58 AI flights to and from Hong Kong banned

Air India's Vande Bharat Mission flights to and from Hong Kong have been banned by Hong Kong authorities due to COVID-19 related issues.

A bipartisan resolution was introduced in US Senate Thursday that seeks to condemn Chinas use of military aggression to change the Line of Actual Control with India and calls for a diplomatic solution.

"Today US Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner, ranking member of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced a resolution to condemn Chinas use of military aggression to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control between India and China. This follows instances of Chinese military forces harassing Indian patrols as well as increased troop deployments and infrastructure construction in contested areas."

Without specifically mentioning the Indian ban on Chinese apps, the resolution seeks to commend India for taking steps to secure its telecommunications infrastructure from Chinese security threats and seeks a commitment to to deepening defense, intelligence and economic ties between the United States and India and supports bilateral and multilateral partnerships such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

16:30 PM CARES Fund transparent: BJP targets Cong

After the Supreme Court rejected a plea seeking transfer of all contributions made to the PM Cares Fund to the National Disaster Response Fund, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday that transparency is writ large on the PM Cares Fund.

Prasad told reporters, "Transparency is writ large on the PM Cares Fund both in terms of legal requirement and transparent management of funds, which were received on a voluntary basis. Our govt has not faced even a single accusation of corruption."

"It is not like the family-run Rajiv Gandhi Foundation which received money from China and also Prime Minister's National Relief Fund," he added.

"Rs 3,100 crore has been given from PM Cares Fund to fight corona till now. As many as 50,000 ventilators have been provided for Covid patients through the PM Cares Fund. Rs 2,000 crore has been given for ventilators. Rs 100 crore has been given for vaccine research and Rs 1,000 crore to help migrant workers," the Union minister said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking transfer of money collected under the PM Cares Fund for the COVID-19 pandemic to the National Disaster Response Fund. -- ANI

IPS officer Rakesh Asthana on Tuesday took charge as the new Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force that guards India's fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

A 1984-batch Indian Police Service officer of Gujarat cadre, Asthana (59) was handed over the baton of the about 2.65 lakh personnel-strong force by ITBP DG S S Deswal in the morning at the BSF headquarters at Lodhi Road, a force spokesperson said. Deswal, his batchmate from the Haryana cadre, has been heading the BSF in an additional capacity since March 11 after the then DG Vivek Johri was transferred to head the Madhya Pradesh Police.

The new DG was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by a column of troops before he took charge, the spokesperson said. Asthana is the 27th chief of the force and is expected to hold office till July next year, his scheduled date for retirement from service.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday issued orders for the appointment of Asthana, who has been serving as the DG of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) till now apart from heading the Narcotics Control Bureau in an additional capacity. As per the ACC order, Asthana will continue to hold the NCB charge.

The police officer has served in various capacities in Gujarat Police apart from serving in various ranks of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Asthana, while serving as the special director of the CBI in 2018, had a bitter feud with his senior and CBI Director Alok Verma as they both levelled allegations of corruption against each other. Both the officers were later removed from the central probe agency by the Union government and Asthana was subsequently cleared of the charges.

The new DG, officials said, met senior officers and was briefed about the operational situation at the two borders soon after he took charge. The BSF is primarily tasked with guarding Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country. PTI

15:59 Chinese bank invests Rs 15 cr in ICICI Bank

The People's Bank of China has picked up 0.006 per cent stake in ICICI Bank by investing Rs 15 crore in the private sector lender's Rs 15,000 crore qualified institutional placement exercise which concluded last week.

Investment banking sources said the Chinese bank was among 357 institutional investors -- including domestic mutual funds, insurance companies and global institutions -- that subscribed to the issue. The prominent investors were Government of Singapore, Morgan Investment and Societe Generale, according to regulatory filings.

In March, the Chinese bank increased its stake in home loan lender HDFC Ltd to over 1 per cent, creating a flutter in the Indian market.The move prompted the government to tightened foreign portfolio investment rules, especially on investments coming from neighbouring countries with a Chinese connection, citing 'opportunistic takeovers'.

Relations between India and China have worsened since the Galwan valley border clash. India has already banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and WeChat. Besides, the government is monitoring Chinese investment inflow closely. -- ANI

A union cabinet meeting in March: Distancing but no masks

15:41 Cabinet meeting tomorrow

Union Cabinet Meeting and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs meeting will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, 19th August at Prime Minister's residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.

India has set another record of conducting nearly nine lakh COVID-19 tests in a single day, which is the highest so far.8,99,864 tests have been conducted in a single day. With this, the cumulative tests have reached 3,09,41,264, read an official statement.

Even with such a high level of testing, the positivity has remained low, i.e. 8.81 per cent compared to the weekly national average, i.e. 8.84 per cent.

India has also recorded the highest single-day recoveries of 57,584 in the last 24 hours. This is higher than the confirmed cases added during the same period (55,079).

"With more patients recovering and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), the total recoveries have crossed the 19 lakh mark (19,77,779). With this the gap between the recovered patients and the active cases has crossed 13 lakh today (13,04,613)," the statement said.

Continuous increase in average daily recoveries has led to India's recovery rate touching 73.18 per cent and a low Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 1.92 per cent. -- ANI

The Congress on Tuesday said the Supreme Court's judgement on the PM CARES Fund is a "body blow to transparency and accountability" of the government to the people. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Apex Court let go an opportunity to bring in transparency in the fund which has "its own opaque and murky rules" and, thereby, deviated from the belief that "sunlight is the best disinfectant".

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to direct the Centre to transfer the contributions made to the PM CARES Fund for battling the Covid pandemic to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that voluntary contribution can always be made to the NDRF as there is no statutory bar under the Disaster Management Act.

Reacting to the verdict, Surjewala said, "The SC judgment is a body blow to transparency & accountability of Govt to people. It marks a sad letter day for responsibility & answerability of rulers to the electorate and remind them that they are not 'Monarchs' but 'servants of the people'." "SC scrupulously believed that 'sunlight is the best disinfectant'. Today, the Court, in a departure from that tradition, passed up an opportunity to demand answers on the #PMCaresFund that seeks public money but plays by its own opaque & murky rules," he said in another tweet.

15:22 Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa resigns

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, next in the line to head the Commission, has resigned. Ashok Lavasa's resignation from the post of the Election Commissioner came on Tuesday, days after he was named as the new vice-president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is likely to join the ADB in September.

Lavasa resigned as he could have taken the position at ADB only after resigning from his position in the Election Commission. Lavasa was next in the line to head the Election Commission and become India's Chief Election Commissioner after retirement of the current CEC Sunil Arora in April 2021.

15:17 Dream11 wins IPL title sponsorship rights

Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 on Tuesday won the IPL title sponsorship rights with a bid of Rs 222 crore, replacing Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for a four and a half month deal. Dream11 has been one of the IPL sponsors for a couple of years now. "Dream11 has won the rights with a bid of Rs 222 crore," Patel told PTI. It was learnt that Tata group didn't place a final bid while two education technology companies -- BYJUs (201 crore) and Unacademy (170 crore) -- came second and third respectively. Vivo and the BCCI suspended a Rs 440 crore per year deal for this season owing to the border stand-off between India and China. PTI

Freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia

15:12 Journalist arrested over social media post

Freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia arrested by Uttar Pradesh police from his Delhi residence over a social media post about Ayodhya's Ram Temple.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have always enjoyed an incomparable level of understanding and friendship based on common religious, cultural and social values.Their unique relations are rooted in the mutual love of the people and, hence, have historically been immune from any changes in government or leadership in the two great nations. Read the column here

"Can climate action really be implemented in Mumbai? If climate change feels all too real in Mumbai and many other cities of the developing world, on another level it is also unreal '" that is, perceived as unimportant and trivial in relation to the issues of livelihood, housing and health that suck up the energies of their denizens and limit their temporal horizons to the next day, week or year. "

Read the report here

In a significant achievement for the indigenous fighter aircraft programme, the Indian Air Force deployed the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on the western front along the Pakistan border in view of the tensions with China on the Ladakh front.

"The LCA Tejas was deployed by the Indian Air Force on the western front close to the Pakistan border to take care of any possible action by the adversary there," government sources told ANI.

The first LCA Tejas squadron, 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) based out of Sulur under the Southern Air Command, was deployed in an operational role there, the sources said.

The indigenous Tejas aircraft had been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech where he had stated that the deal to buy the LCA Mark1A version was expected to be completed soon.

14:11 Parl Panel to meet on Covid situation tomorrow

The Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs will meet on August 19 to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country. All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Director, Randeep Guleria will also be present in the meeting along with the Union Health Ministry officials. With a spike of 55,079 cases and 876 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count reached 27,02,743 on Tuesday, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The country's COVID-19 count includes 6,73,166 active cases, 19,77,780 discharged/migrated patients. With 876 deaths, the toll due to the disease has risen to 51,797.The death toll had breached the 50-thousand mark on Monday, according to the Ministry. -- ANI

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant emergency parole to Delhi University's former professor G N Saibaba to attend his late mother's post-funeral rituals. A division bench of Justices Z A Haq and A G Gharote, however, directed the Nagpur jail authorities to make necessary arrangements for Saibaba to talk to his family via video conferencing on one day. Saibaba, who is serving life sentence in the Nagpur Central Prison of Maharashtra for links with Maoists, had sought parole to go to Hyderabad to attend the post-funeral rituals of his 74-year-old mother who died on August 1.

The court, while rejecting the plea for emergency parole, noted that it would be difficult to arrange for security personnel to escort Saibaba from Nagpur to Hyderabad amid the COVID-19 pandemic. -- PTI

Pakistani Rangers opened fire on border out posts (BoPs) along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, sources said on Tuesday. BSF troops guarding the border retaliated, resulting in exchanges, the sources said. They said Pakistani Rangers fired from machine guns at forward BoPs of Chandwa and Karol Matraya in Hiranagar sector on Monday night. There were no casualties in the firing. PTI

A case has been filed against Facebook executive Ankhi Das on the basis of a complaint of a journalist she accused of threatening her. Das, who is Facebook India's public policy director filed a complaint with the Delhi Police Cyber Crime Department .

In her complaint, Das has submitted screenshots and names of those who have threatened her.

DCP of South Delhi said that an investigation is being done in this case. However, the DCP said that no FIR has been registered in this case yet. In the complaint, Ankhi Das has said that her life is at risk as she has received many hateful threats online.

Read: Facebook executive alleges threat to life amid row over report

13:21 Maharashtra police reports 112 new Covid cases

Maharashtra Police in the last 24 hours reported 112 new COVID-19 cases taking the total coronavirus cases in the police department to 12,495.As per the update provided by the Maharashtra Police, there are 10,111 recovered police personnel and 2,256 active cases.

The police further informed that two more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the police department in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 128.

As many as 8,493 new COVID-19 cases and 228 deaths were reported in Maharashtra on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 6,04,358 in the state.According to the health department, a total of 11,391 patients were discharged today.

The total positive cases include 4,28,514 recovered patients and 20,265 deaths while the active cases stand at 1,55,268. -- ANI

BJP President J P Nadda on Tuesday described the Supreme Court decision on the PM CARES Fund as a "resounding blow to the nefarious designs" of Rahul Gandhi and his "band of rent a cause" activists. The apex court has refused to direct the Centre to transfer the contributions made to the PM CARES Fund for battling the Covid pandemic to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

"The verdict by the Supreme Court on PM CARES is a resounding blow to the nefarious designs of Rahul Gandhi & his band of rent a cause' activists. It shows that the truth shines despite the ill intent and malicious efforts of the Congress party and its associates," Nadda tweeted.

Hitting out at Gandhi, Nadda said his "rants" have been repeatedly dismissed by the common man who has "overwhelmingly" contributed to the PM CARES fund. With the highest court also pronouncing its verdict, will Rahul and his 'rent a cause activist army" mend their ways or embarrass themselves further, he asked. The BJP president alleged that the Gandhi family treated PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) as its "personal fiefdom for decades brazenly transferred citizens' hard-earned money from PMNRF to its family trusts".

"The country very well know that the orchestrated smear campaign against PM CARES is an attempt by the Congress to wash its sins," he said. Gandhi had earlier tweeted "PM CARES for Right To Improbity" while tagging a news report that alleged the Prime Minister's Office had denied an RTI application seeking information on the fund. The SC judgement came on a PIL, filed by NGO 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation, seeking a direction that all the money collected under the PM CARES Fund for the COVID-19 pandemic should be transferred to the NDRF. PTI

12:45 ED records Sushant's father's statement

Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded the statement of KK Singh, father of Sushant Singh Rajput, yesterday in Delhi. He was asked about the missing funds from Sushant's bank accounts. ED asked him how he got to know that Rs 15 crores were siphoned off from Sushant's account: Sources

12:45 Act against those spreading hatred on FB: Sena

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday sought action "irrespective of party affiliations" against those who spread hatred and talk of disintegrating the country on social media platforms like Facebook. Companies like Facebook can't ignore someone spreading hatred because the persons belongs to the ruling party, the Sena said and asked the social media platform to observe rules and ethics of business.

The party's comments come a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of spreading fake news using Facebook and WhatsApp to influence the electorate. Gandhi's claim followed a Wall Street Journal report that said Facebook ignored applying its hate speech rules to politicians of the ruling party in India.

"There is no objection to debates on a medium like Facebook. But action should be taken irrespective of party affiliation if hatred is spread and language of disintegrating the country and communities is used," the Sena said in an editorial of its mouthpiece Saamana.

"Companies like Facebook cannot ignore the person spreading hatred just because he/she belongs to the ruling party, it said. The Sena said Indias population forms a big market for Facebook. Politics is being played the most on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, it said.

The world has come closer, but these platforms have also caused a divide between communities, the party said. The Sena said it has now become a "paid profession" to defame others on social media and nobody has been spared. "You (Facebook) have come to our country to do business and will have to observe minimum ethics-rules of business," it said. -- PTI

12:41 Parl committee to meet on Covid tomorrow

Parliamentary Committee for Home to meet tomorrow to discuss the Covid-9 situation in the country. AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria will also be present in the meeting along with Health Ministry officials.

12:41 Parl committee to meet on Covid tomorrow

The Delhi airport is likely to have a COVID-19 testing facility for international passengers who if tested negative will get exemption from the seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine, said senior government officials on Tuesday.

As per the Union health ministry, passengers arriving from abroad have to undergo seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine.

"The government is considering establishing a COVID-19 testing facility at the Delhi airport. It takes around eight hours to get the results, which means the international passenger will have to remain at the airport premises for that duration," said a government official.

If the test result is negative, the passenger will not be required to undergo institutional quarantine, the official added. Post August 8, if an international passenger has a COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey, he or she can avoid the seven-day institutional quarantine in India.

"The testing facility at the Delhi airport would be for those international passengers who do not have such a COVID-negative certificate and still want to avoid institutional quarantine," said another government official. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut reacts to a statement by the Indian Medical Association against his remarks to a TV channel. "I have not insulted doctors. The way they are serving is commendable. My remark was in reference to WHO, wherein I meant that the Covid-19 pandemic would not have taken place if WHO had worked efficiently."

The Maharashtra chapter of the Indian Medical Association has taken a strong objection to the remarks made by MP Sanjay Raut in a TV interview against doctors.

IMA (Maharashtra) in a statement said that in an interview aired on a Marathi news channel, Raut passed comments such as, Doctors do not know anything. Compounders are better, I always take medicine from a compounder, never from a Doctor. WHO is a useless organisation.

Raut is chief strategist of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray and senior Shiv Sena leader.

At a state executive body meeting of the IMA(Maharashtra) held on Sunday, a resolution condemning these comments was passed unanimously. They have demanded that Raut should take back his words and tender an apology to the doctor community. All the three lakh doctors in the state, are working incessantly in the pandemic. As a duty towards humanity, doctors are working day and night, to save the lives of the citizens, the statement added.

Such disparaging, disrespectful and dishonouring comments by a respectable leader and Rajya Sabha MP have hurt the feelings of the doctors in the State. These slighting and uncomplimentary remarks have damaged the morale of the doctors who are fighting with the Covid for over four months. Without reasonable grounds, many ministers, political leaders, social workers are abusing the doctors, the statement added.

If President Donald Trump is re-elected in the upcoming presidential elections in November then democracy would be in doubt, US Senator Bernie Sanders said on Monday during the Democratic National Convention 2020. According to CNN, Sanders -- who was also a Democratic nominee for the presidential elections -- urged his supporters to back nominee Joe Biden "Our campaign ended several months ago, but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day. Many of the ideas we fought for that just a few years ago were considered radical are now mainstream. But let us be clear. If Donald Trump is re-elected, all the progress we have made will be in jeopardy," CNN quoted Sanders at the convention. -- ANI

The Madras High Court on Tuesday refused to allow the reopening of Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi, which has remained closed since April 2018.A division bench of Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan, while refusing to allow the reopening of the plant, disposed of the plea filed by Vedanta challenging the closure of Sterlite Copper 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. -- ANI

There is no change in the condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee who continues to be on ventilator support, the Army's Research and Referral hospital said on Tuesday. Doctors attending on him said his vital parameters are stable. The 84-year-old former president was admitted to the hospital in Delhi Cantonment on August 10. He was operated for removal of a clot in the brain and has been in a coma ever since. He also tested positive for Covid-19.

"There is no change in the medical condition of Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He continues to be on ventilator support and his vital parameters are stable," a statement from the hospital said. Mukherjee was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017. -- PTI

Nepal has been relying on the Indian market for life-saving Remdesivir drug, which is being used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients across the world.

Though the drug is not seen as a cure to the virus, it has played an important role in bringing patients out from a critical medical stage. Sapana's (name changed) father is admitted to a private hospital in Kathmandu and undergoing treatment at intensive care unit (ICU), as he was confirmed to have contracted the virus. She asked her chemist, who had contacts in India, to order Remdesivir as it was not available in Nepal.

"As my chemist had contacts in India, he was able to bring it to Nepal. Now, my father is doing well and is out of danger. If the medicine was not available in India, his condition would have become worrisome," Sapana said.

According to Sapana, the drug costs up to Rs 7,000 in India and around 20,000 Nepali rupees in the Himalayan nation, including freight charges. The Nepal government has given permission to three companies for procurement of the drug from foreign countries including India and the US.

The collegium is headed by CJI SA Bobde

11:41 SC collegium approves elevation of 6 advocates as judges of Delhi HC

The Supreme Court collegium has approved a proposal for elevation of six advocates as judges of the Delhi High Court. The apex court collegium, in its meeting held on August 17, recommended advocates Jasmeet Singh, Amit Bansal, Tara Vitasta Ganju, Anish Dayal, Amit Sharma and Mini Pushkarna, as judges of the high court. The collegium headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde also approved the proposal for elevation of advocate Rajesh Kumar Bhardwaj as Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The decision was uploaded on the website of the apex court. Apart from CJI Bobde, justices N V Ramana, Arun Mishra, R F Nariman and U U Lalit are part of the five-judge collegium. -- PTI

Niraj Singh Babloo, BJP MLA and a relative of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, on Tuesday claimed that witnesses in Sushant's death case are being threatened and might be killed. He further claimed that the Mumbai police is not providing protection to them.

"Witnesses are being threatened, and Mumbai Police is not even providing protection to them. The way things are unfolding, the witnesses might get killed. We demand that witnesses should be given police protection," he said while speaking to ANI.

Notably, the CBI has registered an FIR against actor Rhea 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.

An FIR was registered in Patna on a complaint filed by KK Singh, Rajput's father, under sections related to abettment to suicide. The actor was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14.

The Supreme Court says, in its order on the utilisation of PM Cares Fund for national disaster management, that the Fund money "cannot be directed to be deposited or transferred to the National Disaster Relief Fund". While disposing off the petition, the Court said, there was no need for fresh national disaster relief plan.

Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was set up by the centre on March 28 to deal with any kind of emergency situation like the one currently posed by the pandemic and provide relief to those affected. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of the fund and the defence, home and finance ministers are ex-officio trustees.

Pune's first sero survey has found that 51.5 per cent of the 1644 respondents from five highly- affected wards in the city have sero prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19 infection. A serological survey is done to detect the presence of specific antibodies, and is used to assess the prevalence of a disease in the population. Data from the Pune sero survey was released on Monday.

The survey had 1,664 respondents (all above 18 years) from the city's five wards whose population is 3.66 lakh. The survey was conducted by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in collaboration with Pune Municipal Corporation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute at Faridabad, and Christian Medical College, Vellore. Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao said the survey was not comprehensive and two more sero surveys will be conducted with a larger sample size.

Dr Aurnab Ghose, associate professor, IISER, said 52.8 per cent men and 50.1 per cent women were found to have seroprevalence of antibodies. The survey found that people living in huts and tenements had higher sero-positivity than those residing in apartments and bungalows, he said.

He said blood samples were collected from 1,664 people who were either asymptomatic or symptomatic but undetected (not tested) from areas like Yerwada, Kasba Peth, Rasta Peth, Lohiya Nagar (Kasewadi) and Navipeth (Parvati) which are high-incidence wards of the Pune Municipal Corporation. Blood samples were collected between July 20 and August 5.

The survey also indicated a higher prevalence of sero-positivity in users of shared toilets (62.3 per cent) compared to users of independent toilets (45.3 per cent).

"We found the presence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This indicates past infection but does not necessarily suggest immunity from subsequent infection," he said. Pune district reported 1,829 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the tally to 1,27,026. The death toll reached 3,104 with the death of 82 more patients. -- PTI

Just in: Governor of Goa, Satya Pal Malik, has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Meghalaya. Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, will discharge the functions of the Governor of Goa in addition to his own duties.

Home Minister Amit Shah has been admitted to AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) for post Covid care. "He is comfortable and is continuing his work from hospital," AIIMS, Delhi said in a press release. He was discharged from Medanta Hospital,Gurugram on 14 August, after testing negative for Covid.

The rupee surged 11 paise to 74.77 against the US dollar in opening trade on Tuesday tracking positive domestic equities and weak American currency. At the interbank forex market, the domestic unit opened at 74.78 against the US dollar, gained further ground and touched 74.77 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 11 paise over its previous close. It had settled at 74.88 against the US dollar on Monday. Forex traders said positive trend in the equity markets, weak American currency and sustained foreign fund inflows supported the rupee, while concerns over rising COVID-19 cases weighed on investor sentiment. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.23 per cent to 92.63. -- PTI

10:15 Sensex rises over 200 points in early trade

Domestic equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points in early trade on Tuesday tracking gains in index-heavyweights Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and Infosys amid sustained foreign fund inflow. The BSE Sensex was trading 210.93 points or 0.55 per cent higher at 38,261.71; while NSE Nifty was up 65.30 points or 0.58 per cent at 11,312.40. ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, M&M, Infosys, Titan, Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv. On the other hand, Tata Steel, PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank and SBI were among the laggards. -- PTI

10:07 Amid LAC row, Navy top brass to meet on Wed

Top commanders of the Indian Navy will hold a three-day conclave beginning Wednesday to review the country's maritime security scenario including deployment of a significant number of naval assets in the Indian Ocean region in view of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh, official sources said.

The Indian Navy has already deployed a range of its frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region to send a clear message to China, following escalation of the border dispute with the neighbouring country in the wake of the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat are expected to address the inaugural day of the conclave, the sources said.

All possible security challenges that the country may face including from China and Pakistan in the Indian Ocean Region will be deliberated upon at length at the conclave, they added.

The Indian Ocean, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy, is critical to India's strategic interests. Over the years, the region has witnessed increasing Chinese presence.

China increased its presence in the Indian Ocean Region by constructing the deep-sea Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan and a naval base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

In the last few weeks, the navy has significantly expanded its deployment in the Indian Ocean Region, positioning a plethora of warships and submarines following the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.

According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

Over the years, the Indian Navy's focus has been on enhancing combat efficiency and improving operational readiness and these issues will be discussed in detail, the sources said.

Measures to ensure safety, continued training, and checks and balances on crew proficiency aboard the front-line warships will also be reviewed, they said. -- PTI

A spike of 55,079 COVID-19 cases and 876 deaths reported in India, in the last 24 hours.

The COVID-19 tally in the country rises to 27,02,743 including 6,73,166 active cases, 19,77,780 discharged/migrated and 51,797 deaths, says the ministry of health and family welfare. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked people to share their inputs and ideas for the 68th edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat'.

The programme which is held on the last Sunday of every month will take place on August 30 this month.

The prime minister asked people to share their inputs by writing on the NaMo or MyGov App or by recording their messages by calling 1800-11-7800.

The phone lines for receiving inputs have been open from August 10.

'What do you think should be discussed during this month's #MannKiBaat, which will take place on the 30th? Record your message by dialling 1800-11-7800. You can also write on the NaMo App or MyGov. Looking forward to your ideas and inputs,' the PM tweeted.

Speaking at the 67th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat', which coincided with the 21st anniversary of 'Kargil Vijay Diwas', Prime Minister Modi had criticised Pakistan and said it undertook the misadventure with sinister plans to capture India's land and to divert its ongoing internal conflicts.

He also said that Pakistan tried to backstab in response to India's friendly endeavours.

The prime minister had also urged the youth to share stories of valour of soldiers during the Kargil war.

He also asked people to visit the website - www.gallantryawards.gov.in -- saying they will get to know a lot about the braves and their valour.

"When you share these with friends, they will also get inspired," he had said. -- ANI

09:04 Record 8.97 lakh tested for Covid in 24 hrs

The Union Ministry of Health on Tuesday said that as many as 8.97 lakh COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours across the country.

'A new peak of 8.97 lakh COVID-19 tests were done in the last 24 hours. Even with such a high level of testing, the positivity has remained low i.e. 8.81 per cent compared to the weekly national average i.e. 8.84 per cent,' it tweeted.

'Aggressive TESTING leads to early identification and isolation of COVID-19 positive cases. This coupled with efficient clinical treatment brings the Fatality Rate down,' the ministry said in another tweet.

The ministry also tweeted that 'focused implementation of Centre-led strategies has ensured prompt identification, timely isolation and effective clinical treatment, leading to reduced Case Fatality Rate and added', that 30 States/UTs performed better than the national average'. -- ANI

Patients, including those who are COVID-19 positive and on oxygen support at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, were shifted to various hospitals in Bengaluru on Monday night as the medical facility was short of oxygen supply, official sources said.

Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar tweeted that as soon as he came to know about the shortage of oxygen at the KIMS, a private hospital, directions were issued to shift patients by ambulance to Victoria, Bowring and Rajiv Gandhi hospitals in the city.

For the treatment of critical patients, 20 huge oxygen cylinders have been sent to the KIMS, Sudhakar said.

According to official sources, nearly 50 patients, including those coronavirus positive, have been shifted.

The KIMS said in a statement that due to shortage of liquid oxygen from the manufacturing company, authorities were informed about the situation and requested for arrangements of liquid oxygen from other suppliers.

"We have anticipated that low oxygen volume hypoxic crisis may occur for oxygen dependent patients," it said. "For damage control and on precautionary measures, we plan to shift all oxygen-dependent patients to various government and private hospitals. "During this crisis, all government officials and authorities immediately responded to our call and supported us by joining hands with the management for saving the lives of the patients. We are indebted for their kind co-operation," it added. PTI

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