Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Friday that Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik returned from the "door of death" after he contracted the coronavirus infection.

Naik, currently admitted to a private hospital, has been doing well after he was administered plasma therapy, Rane informed.

 

The state health minister dismissed criticism -- against the backdrop of Naik catching the viral infection --  about the efficacy of immunity boosters recommended by the the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.

 

"When AYUSH ministry has recommended immunity boosters, they must have done it after proper research and using their wisdom. It is not fair to pass comments on it," Rane told reporters.

To a question, he said, "Naik virtually went to the door of death and came back....It was bad luck that he got infected. He moves around among people. We should be praying for his fast recovery."

Rane also informed that the state government will be re-organising COVID-19 treatment facilities from Monday.

All critically ill coronavirus patients would be treated at the Goa Medical College and Hospital near Panaji, he said.

The minister also appealed people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma. -- PTI   

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said that cooperation is being given to the Central Bureau of Investigation team, which has arrived in Mumbai to investigate the Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

He was talking to reporters in Pune.

"I think nobody is creating any hurdle into this issue (investigation). The case was with the Maharashtra police, who are well-known for their functioning. They were carrying out their probe. Now the court has given the order (to transfer the case to the CBI)," Tope said.

He added that since the matter is sub-judice, no politician or anybody else will interferes into it.

"It is our tradition to respect the law," he said.

"Cooperation is being given to the CBI and proper investigation will happen," the minister said.

When asked about Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's grandnephew Parth Pawar, who had tweeted "Satyamev Jayate" after the Supreme Court upheld the transfer of Patna police's FIR in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case to the CBI, Tope said Parth was his friend and he was also associated with the party.

Parth, who was publicly censured by the NCP patriarch recently for seeking a CBI probe into the case of Rajput's death, had tweeted the remark without making any reference to the case.

"Pawar Family is an ideal family in the state as well as in the country. So there is no problem (within the family). Even if there is any temporary issue, it will be resolved within the family," Tope said.

Talking about Parth's tweet, Tope said there was no need to draw any inference out of it.

The minister said that the state is moving towards further unlocking process and more relaxations will be introduced in a phased manner.

"But people should take utmost precautions and all the social distancing norms will have to be followed," he said.

Tope appealed to the people to celebrate the 10-day Ganesh festival, which starts on Saturday, in a simple manner and avoid crowding in view of the pandemic. -- PTI

The Delhi Police has arrested two men, including a chartered accountant, for allegedly donating Rs 2 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party through shell companies, officials said on Friday. 

 

The accused have been identified as Mukesh Kumar (53), a resident of Ganga Vihar, and Sudhanshu Bansal (43), a resident of Laxmi Nagar, they said. 

The Delhi Police received a complaint from the Registrar of Companies where it was mentioned that the four companies, allegedly on April 5, 2014, donated Rs 50 lakh each to the AAP, a senior police officer said. 

In its complaint, the RoC alleged that the four companies -- Goldmine Buildcon Pvt Ltd, Skyline Metal and Alloys Pvt Ltd, Sun Vision Agencies Pvt Ltd and Infolance Software Solutions Ltd -- were bogus and not located at the addresses which were in its record, police said.

There was a huge infusion of money in these companies by way of share premium amount, but the sources from where the money had come were not disclosed, police said. 

The RoC issued notices to all the directors of the companies, but none of them, except one Deepak Aggarwal, one of the directors in Skyline Metal and Alloys Pvt Ltd, appeared before the agency. 

 

He revealed that the signatures and photograph, on the basis of which the DIN number was issued in his name, do not belong to him, the officer said. 

On the basis of the complaint, a case under relevant sections was registered on November 21, 2015. 

During investigation, police found that the four companies did not exist at the address available with the RoC record. 

"FSL report confirmed that the various documents relating to Deepak Aggarwal submitted to Ministry of Corporate Affairs for issuing DIN were bearing his forged signatures. Photograph on the DIN form does not belong to him, Joint Commissioner of Police (EOW) O P Mishra said. 

It was also found that the forged documents for procuring DIN in the name of Aggarwal were submitted under the Digital Signature Certificate of Chartered Accountant Sudhanshu Bansal, he said. 

Investigation also revealed that all the directors of the four companies Yogesh Kumar, Mohit Kumar, Dharmender and others are employees of accused Mukesh Kumar, the officer said. 

The trail of the money indicated that the fund for donation to Aam Aadmi Party was generated from the account of Antara Purukul Senior Living Ltd, a subsidiary company of Max Group, Mishra said. 

The two accused people fraudulently procured DIN on the basis of fabricated documents and morphed photographs. 

 

Thereafter, the DIN was used for incorporating shell companies. These shell companies were used for money laundering, entry operation and other illegal activities, police added. -- PTI 

The Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) will be conducted in September as scheduled, officials in the Ministry of Education said on Friday.

   

In a statement, the ministry's National Testing Agency, which conducts these exams, said over 6.4 lakh candidates have downloaded their admit cards for the engineering entrance exam, JEE-Main.

It said 6,49,223 candidates have downloaded their admit cards, so far, against a total of 8,58,273.

 

"The NTA is happy to share with the JEE (Main) 2020 candidates that it has been able to offer the first choice of preference of centre cities to 99.07 per cent of the candidates," it said.

 

The statement said that "142 candidates have, subsequently requested for a change in their allotted centre city due to various reasons, and the NTA is considering these requests positively.

 

It said as far as, NEET (UG)-2020 is concerned, again for the first time, candidates of this examination were given opportunity five times to change their choice of centre city.

 

A total of 95,000 candidates availed the same and they have been accommodated against their revised choices, the NTA said in the statement.

 

Ministry officials asserted that the JEE (Main) and the NEET exams will be conducted in September as scheduled.

 

There have been demands from several students and parents to further postpone the entrance exams in view of increasing coronavirus cases.

 

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations, which are scheduled to be conducted in September, amid spurt in number of COVID-19 cases, saying precious year of students "cannot be wasted" and life has to go on. -- PTI

The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan held their 2nd annual strategic dialogue on Friday during which they discussed ways to enhance their all-weather bilateral ties, the Kashmir issue, progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Afghan peace process. 

Billed as "highly relevant" and "very important" by both the countries ahead of the meeting held in the southern Chinese island resort of Hainan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed a host of bilateral, regional and international issues.

A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said that "both sides underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous South Asia was in common interest of all parties. Parties need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect".

"The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including its concerns, position and current urgent issues", it said.

"The Chinese side reiterated that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan, which is an objective fact, and that the dispute should be resolved peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation," the joint press release said.

 

India has been maintaining that China has no locus standi in commenting on Jammu and Kashmir.

 

New Delhi has previously told Beijing that the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir "has been, is and shall continue to be an integral part of India." 

 

Earlier this month, the ministry of external affairs said that the issues pertaining to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir were solely an internal matter of India.

 

"As on such previous occasions, this attempt too met with little support from the international community. We firmly reject China's interference in our internal affairs and urge it to draw proper conclusions from such infructuous attempts," the MEA said in a statement in New Delhi after China initiated a discussion in the UN Security Council on Jammu and Kashmir. -- PTI

Haryana minister Anil Vij on Friday said all offices and shops, except those dealing with essential services, will remain closed on weekends in the wake of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.

        

"All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to #COVID-19," Vij said in a tweet.

        

The home and health minister later told PTI that the decision was taken due to a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the state during the past few days.

        

"We have taken this decision as there has been a sudden increase in cases, Vij said.

        

Later in the evening, an official statement said that the "state government has decided to close all public and private offices except those dealing with essential services and all shopping malls and shops in the market area, except those dealing with essential goods and services on Saturday and Sunday throughout the territory of Haryana."

The step was taken to contain the spread of coronavirus infection in the state, it said.

All other national directives and SOPs issued by the National Disaster Management Authority for COVID-19 management that are currently in force should be followed strictly, it said.  

This order will not affect public and private transport and exams conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission, the statement clarified.

 

As of Friday evening, the state's infection tally was 52,129 with 585 fatalities.

        

The state on Friday registered its highest single-day spike of 1,203 cases, just a day after it recorded 996 coronavirus cases. -- PTI 

Traders body, Confederation of All India Traders, on Friday alleged that Indian Premier League, organized by BCCI, is a "body blow" to 'Vocal for Local' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' campaign, citing Chinese investments in the cash-rich cricket league.

   

Dream11, which has investment from Chinese company Tencent Global, is the title sponsor of the IPL and associate sponsor for five teams, the CAIT said in a statement.

"BYJU'S having investment of Tencent Global is team sponsor for Indian Cricket, Paytm having Chinese company Alibaba is title sponsor for Indian Cricket and associate sponsor for Delhi Capitals, Zomato having investment of Chinese company Alibaba is associate sponsor for Royal Challengers and food delivery partner for other IPL teams...," it said.

 

Besides, Swiggy which also has investment from Tencent Global is associate sponsor for IPL, it added.

 

CAIT, which has 40,000 trade associations and 7 crore traders across India affiliated to it, appealed the government to "evaluate" the situation.

 

"In the current scenario...the entire nation is gripped with strong sentiments of resentment against China and to promote the prime minister's vision for 'Vocal for Local' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," it said.

 

While the government is taking steps to restrict participation of Chinese companies in infrastructure projects, banning Chinese apps, controlling Chinese investments, BCCI is "completely disregarding" the broad policy of the government and is desperate to hold an event which is like a showpiece of Chinese financial power, it said.

 

CAIT's NCR unit convenor Sushil Kumar Jain said it is a matter of great concern that BCCI is not doing enough to reach out to Indian companies funded by Indians, and not giving preference to them over companies having Chinese investments. -- PTI 

With the COVID-19 pandemic casting a shadow, Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said  the famous Dasara celebrations in the palace city of Mysuru will be a low-key affair this year.

 

"I'm discussing regarding Mysuru Dasara, we will see how it can be celebrated in a simple way and do it," Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru in response to a question.

  

The chief minister's statement has come amid reports that 'jamboo savari' (procession of caparisoned elephants) and cultural carnival associated with the Mysuru Dasara that attracts large crowd, is likely to be dropped this year, in view of the COVID situation.

  

Celebrated as "Naada Habba" (state festival), the ten-day event every year showcases Karnataka's cultural heritage resplendent with folk art forms.

  

This year Dasara festivities are likely between October 17-26, the last day being Vijayadashami.

  

Yediyurappa today visited KRS dam in Mandya district which is full to the brim and offered pooja to river Cauvery.

 

He later visited Kabini dam in Mysuru and offered prayers there too. -- PTI 

Facebook on Friday said it is a non-partisan platform and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India that are in violation of its standards, amid allegations that the social media giant did not apply hate speech rules for posts by certain ruling party politicians.

 

Recently, a Wall Street Journal report alleged that Facebook's content policies favoured the ruling party in India. Since then, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress have been trading barbs over social media giant's alleged bias.

"Facebook is and always has been an open, transparent and non-partisan platform where people can express themselves freely. Over the last few days, we have been accused of bias in the way we enforce our policies. We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form," Facebook India Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan said in a blog post.

He also said that Facebook has an impartial approach to dealing with content and is strongly governed by its Community Standards.

"We enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position, party affiliation or religious and cultural belief. We have removed and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards," he said. -- PTI

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday described the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a "landmark project" under the Belt and Road Initiative and said it is of great importance to promoting in-depth development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Xi, also General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China, made the remarks in a verbal message to Pakistani President Arif Alvi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.         

Replying to a congratulatory letter sent by the Pakistani president to the opening of the Second Conference of the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism, Xi said that it fully demonstrated that Alvi attaches great importance to and supports the China-Pakistan relationship and construction of the CPEC.

The USD 60 billion CPEC connecting China's resource-rich Xinjiang province with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port in Balochistan is regarded as the flagship project of the multi-billion BRI, the pet scheme of President Xi aimed at furthering China's influence globally with Chinese funded infrastructure projects.      

India has objected to the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Xi's message to Alvi comes on the day Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi concluded their two-day 2nd strategic dialogue at China's island resort of Hainan on Friday.  

In his message to Alvi, Xi said China and Pakistan are good brothers and partners who share special friendship.

The political parties from both sides often carry out friendly consultations and constantly build political consensus, which is conducive to steadily advancing the construction of the CPEC as well as high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, he said. -- PTI

Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday said imported toys will be allowed to enter India only after complying with the mandatory quality norms from September 1 onwards.

 

The government is in the process of making quality standards mandatory for 371 tariff lines ranging from steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to furniture to check shipments of sub-standard and non-essential goods, including from China.

Bureau of Indian Standards is the government's nodal agency that frames quality standards in coordination with the concerned ministries.

"The mandatory quality control standard for toys will be implemented from September 1 onwards. BIS staff will be deployed at major ports to take the sample and test the product for quality," Paswan told reporters.

Besides toys, the QCS for steel, chemicals, electronic goods and heavy machinery as well as for food items like packaged water and milk products are in the process, he said.

According to BIS Director General Pramod Kumar Tiwari, the implementation of the QCS for each product is being decided by the concerned ministry. For instance, the mandatory gold standard will come into force from June 2021.

So far, 268 standards have been mandatory in the country and many are in the pipeline, he added.

Tiwari said that BIS staff will be posted at major ports to take the sample and test the product at the port itself. The shipments will not be stopped.

He said quality check is done at two levels. One is at the source itself, wherein BIS officials go for physical inspection of a factory location from where the imported product is sourced abroad. The second level of quality check is done after the shipment lands here. -- PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over by the loss of lives in the tragic fire accident at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant in Telangana. 

Nine people have died in the fire mishap at the plant.

"Pained by the loss of lives in the tragic fire accident at Srisailam hydroelectric plant in Telangana. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery for the injured," Kovind tweeted.

"Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a tweet. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday submitted its written arguments in connection with the Babri mosque demolition case in a special court in Lucknow.

   

After taking it on record and supplying its copies to the counsel for the accused, special CBI judge S K Yadav asked the defense counsels to submit their written arguments in response to CBI's arguments by August 24.  

 

The special CBI court will pronounce its judgment after submission of written arguments by defense counsels.  

 

There are a total of 32 accused in the case including former deputy prime minister L K Advani, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, BJP leaders M M Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiar and Sadhvi Ritambhara.  

 

The special CBI court is trying its best to meet the August 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court to conclude the trial of the case.  

 

The Babri mosque was demolished in December 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that it was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple in Ayodhya. -- PTI  

Veteran playback singer SP  Balasubrahmanyam, battling COVID-19 and on ventilator and ECMO support, was 'stable', the hospital treating him said on Friday.

     

The 74 year-old actor-singer "continues to be on ventilator and ECMO support in the Intensive Care Unit," Dr Anuradha Baskaran, Assistant Director-Medical Services, MGM Healthcare said in a bulletin.

     

"His condition currently is stable.Our multi-disciplinary team of medical experts is keeping a very close watch on the vital parameters and has been constantly updating Thiru SP Balasubrahmanyam's family regarding his clinical status and progress," Baskaran said.

      

His son SP Charan thanked all for the prayers and pointed out his father was 'stable' today though he was 'critical' on Thursday.

     

"But that doesn't mean he has completely recovered. What it means is there are no complications, all his vitals are working just fine and we have complete faith in the medical team and all the prayers that are coming our way. Glad he is being listed as stable," Charan said in a video message.

     

SPB, as the popular singer is known, was admitted to the hospital on August 5 after testing positive for coronavirus.

     

He was put on the ECMO support, a heart-lung assistance machine, on Wednesday, nearly a week after he suffered a setback in his health.

     

On Thursday, celebrities, as well as the general public across Tamil Nadu came together and prayed for his recovery.

     

Meanwhile, special prayers were held on Friday at the famous Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala for the well-being of the musician.

     

Special usha pooja was held at the temple on behalf of Balasubrahmanyam, the Travancore Devaswom Board said.

     

"A musical offering was held at the temple using nadaswaram (wind instrument), thakil (percussion instrument) and Idaykka (a drum) played by TDB employees Ganesh Thiruvarppu, Sugunan and Yadukrishnan respectively.

     

The musicians played Shankara nada sareera , a hit song sung by Balasubrahmanyam," TDB said. -- PTI 

People should not ignore social distancing norms while shopping for the Ganesh festival, an umbrella body of Ganesh mandals in Mumbai said on Friday.

Videos on social media showed thousands of people thronging the vegetable and flower market in Dadar area a day ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti chief Naresh Dahibawkar said people should have faith in the Lord, but also take preventive measures to keep coronavirus at bay.

The Samiti represents mandals or groups which celebrate the festival in public pandals.

 

"It was expected that people would take precautions with regard to social distancing ahead of the festival. But this doesn't seem to be happening," he said.

"In the last four-five days, a section of people seems to have forgotten social distancing norms at vegetable markets or flower markets in the city," Dahibawkar noted.

"Government's norms must be followed completely and people should cooperate," he said.

Ganesh mandals in the city have decided to take steps to ensure social distancing during the festival, he said.

The 11-day festival begins on Saturday. The Maharashtra government has imposed certain restrictions on the celebration this year, which include capping of the height of idols and ban on processions.

As of Thursday, Mumbai had reported 1,32,817 coronavirus cases and 7,311 deaths. -- PTI  

In addition to Nadda, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, general secretary Bhupender Yadav, former Maharashtra chief minister and the party's Bihar election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis besides Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi will participate in the state executive committee meeting, he said.     

Giving details, Jaiswal said, the meet will start with the address of Fadnavis while it will conclude on Sunday with the valedictory speech of Nadda.

Political resolutions will be placed before the participants for approval on the first day of the meet, Jaiswal accompanied by partys state unit general secretary Devesh Kumar, spokesman Rajiv Ranjan and media in-charge Rakesh Kumar Singh, said during media interaction in Patna.

The presence of Fadnavis will be keenly watched in view of recent tug of war between his home state Maharashtra and Bihar over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, the Patna-born Bollywood actor.       

Assembly elections are due in the state in October-November and the Election Commission has indicated it would go ahead with the electoral exercise notwithstanding concerns expressed by opposition parties and also by NDA partner LJP that it could lead to further spread of coronavirus.

The research, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, noted a roughly 36 per cent decrease in hospital-related mortality among the ICU patients who received tocilizumab, as compared with patients in the ICU who didn't receive it. 

In the study, the scientists including those from John Theurer Cancer Center in the US, assessed data on 630 patients who were admitted to the ICUs of 13 Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals from March 1 to April 22. 

Among other treatments, they said tocilizumab was considered for off-label usage for the patients whose respiratory symptoms were declining -- many of whom were requiring mechanical ventilator support. In the observational study, the researchers noted that 210 patients received tocilizumab, and the other 420 did not. -- PTI

The government has also issued guidelines regarding Ganeshotsav celebrations, saying that processions should not be taken out before installing and immersing idols. It said the heights of Lord Ganesh idols installed by sarvajanik (community) mandals and at household-level should be limited to 4 feet and 2 feet, respectively, this year.

The statement said all mandals (associations) need to set up mandaps (decorated temporary covered structures) in line with the policies formulated by municipal corporations or the local administration.

The city reported nine deaths. People are no longer required to wear masks outdoors, but they still need to wear masks when in close contact with others, a new guideline issued by the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. -- PTI

A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as "containment zone", the Election Commission said. The commission has recommended mandatory sanitisation of polling stations, preferably a day before the polls. Thermal scanners would be placed at the entry point of every polling station. Polling or paramedical staff will conduct thermal screening of voters at the entry point of a polling station, it said.

"There shall be maximum 1,000 electors instead of 1,500 electors in a polling station," the guidelines said. A group of five people, including candidates but excluding security personnel, is allowed to take part in door-to-door campaigning. For roadshows, the commission said, convoys of vehicles should be broken after every five vehicles instead of 10 (excluding security vehicles).

Public gatherings and rallies can be held subject to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. The district election officer should identify in advance dedicated grounds for public gatherings with clearly marked entry and exit points. -- PTI

According to sources close to Sriramulu, Honnuramma tested positive for coronavirus a week ago and was admitted to the Government Bowring Hospital. On Friday, she was discharged from the hospital after she had recovered from the coronavirus, but hours later she died, they said. 

While many other ministers and officials, who tested positive for coronavirus preferred undergoing treatment in the super specialty ultra-luxury hospitals, Sriramulu and his mother had set an example by getting admitted in the government hospital and recovered. PTI

"Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Rtn likely to recv hvy to vry hvy RF in nxt 24 hrs, gusty winds. Ghat areas of M Mah similar pattern with possibilities of isol extremely hvy RF towards Northside.  Similar trend tomorrow too. Vidarbha:Orange Warnings for 48 hrs," KS Hosalikar, Deputy Director General IMD (Mumbai), tweeted. Earlier, Mumbai and Thane received widespread moderate to heavy rainfall over the 24-hour period ended at 8:30 am on Friday.

Two of the bodies recovered were identified as assistant engineers at the plant. Nagarkurnool District Collector L Sharman said the body of Assistant Engineer Sunder Nayak, hailing from Suryapet, has been recovered and been sent for post-mortem. Police identified the other body as that of assistant engineer Mohan Kumar.

Referring to a letter dated April 9 about the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package - Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting Covid-19, she said the provisions of the same be followed for private doctors as well. -- PTI

Mukherjee was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for COVID-19. Thereafter, he developed a lung infection and is being treated for the same. His health parameters are being closely monitored by a team of specialists at the hospital.

It is understood that the ED wants to obtain information related to Rajput's finances, personal and professional deals that Priyanka Singh was privy to, in order to take its investigation forward into the allegations of money laundering and alleged financial irregularities perpetrated on the actor. 

The 34-year-old actor had starred in many hit Hindi movies including the biopic of former Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni. 

The ED had earlier recorded the statements of Rajput's father K K Singh and another sister Meetu Singh. The actor, found hanging at his sea-facing flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14, has four sisters. On Thursday, the agency had also recorded the statement of film maker Rumi Jaffery in Mumbai. The director, according to sources, was questioned with regard to his reported plans of directing a movie with the late actor and the finances involved in this upcoming project.

A passenger from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if he or she has a Covid-19 negative certificate from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, according to the rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July.

In a statement to PTI on Friday, a spokesperson of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong government said, "A flight operated by Air India (AI314) arriving Hong Kong from India on August 14 had 11 passengers confirmed to have infected with COVID-19." 

As a result, the department invoked the "Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) on August 17 to prohibit landing of passenger flights operated by Air India for two weeks from August 18 to 31 in Hong Kong", the spokesperson noted. 

"As of August 20, a total of 14 passengers on that flight were confirmed to have infected with COVID-19," he added. The statement did not elaborate if these 14 passengers had COVID-negative certificates with them from the tests done 72 hours prior to their journey, as required by the aforementioned rules. -- PTI

Ordering the officials to extend all possible help to Telangana counterparts for the rescue operations, the CM cancelled his visit to Srisailam which was scheduled for today in the wake of the accident, according to the Chief Minister's Office's (CMO) tweets. 

"CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed shock over the accident that took place in Srisailam Power Generation Plant at Nagarkurnool and has directed officials to provide all help needed. In this context, his scheduled visit to Srisailam has been canceled," the tweet read.

According to a CMO release, the CM was scheduled to visit Srisailam to assess the flood situation, review the shifting of floodwater to various other projects, and to perform prayers to the river.

However, he has decided that holding review meetings and conducting prayers won't be appropriate at this time, the release stated.

Earlier on Thursday night, a massive fire broke out inside the powerhouse of the Srisailam Left Bank Hydra Electric Project at around 10:30 pm. At present, nine are feared to be trapped inside the plant, and rescue operations are underway.

Srisailam power plant fire: Body of Assistant Engineer recovered, says Nagarkurnool Collector.

Inquiry Officer in the case, Balkar Singh, said on Friday that no suicide note was recovered from the room of the deceased. Further investigations were under progress, he said. PTI

Nine security personnel deployed for RJD leader and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasads security at a Ranchi hospital have tested positive for Covid-19. 

Lalus treating physician said concerned authorities have been requested to deploy nine new personnel on duty. 

The RJD leader has been behind bars since December 2017 in cases related to the fodder scam, and is undergoing treatment for multiple ailments.

India's COVID-19 tally zoomed past 29 lakh, a day after it crossed 28 lakh, with a single-day spike of 68,898 infections, while the recoveries have increased to 21,58,946 on Friday taking the recovery rate to over 74 per cent, according to the Union health mainistry data.

"We direct the petitioners shall follow the SOP," the bench said, while permitting devotees to visit Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur. The bench was hearing an appeal against the Bombay High Court order which had said that it did not wish to interfere with the state's decision of not to permit Jain temples in Mumbai to open for devotees to mark the eight-day Paryushan festival from August 15 to 23 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. -- PTI

On the final day of the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, Biden, 77, officially accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. 

"In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!" Trump tweeted his first reaction to Biden's acceptance speech on Thursday. This was in sharp contrast to a barrage of all-caps tweets the president fired as former president Barack Obama and Indian-origin Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke on Wednesday. 

"HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!" Trump said in an all-cap tweet about Obama. Trump continued with his tweets as Harris delivered her acceptance speech. "BUT DIDN'T SHE CALL HIM A RACIST??? DIDN'T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT??? the president said, referring to the criticism by Harris of Biden during the primaries. -- PTI

His term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh was till July, 2022. The notification for the bypoll will be issued on August 25 and the election would be held on September 11, an EC statement said. As per the established practice, the counting of votes will be held on September 11 evening after the conclusion of voting. PTI 

"No home isolation should be allowed," reads the modified guidelines of the BMC. According to the civic body, the decision has been taken to curb the high morality rate among COVID-19 patients in the city. An analysis of data shows that mortality rate in patients in the 50 to 60 age group is very high.

The BMC guidelines further stated that home isolation should be allowed only to those patients, who are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, aged below 50 and are without any co-morbidity. 

As per the earlier guidelines in Mumbai, home isolation was recommended for patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, are below 60, do not have any co-morbidity and have separate toilet facility. 

The guidelines also directed the SWM (solid waste management) department of the civic body to carry out sanitisation of premises and home at least once when a coronavirus case is detected in a housing society. "The home of the patient and common areas of (the housing society) should be sanitised," said the BMC norms. -- PTI

Akshay Kumar will be featuring in a highly anticipated episode of wildlife adventure show 'Into The Wild with Bear Grylls.'

"You thinking I mad... but mad only going into the wild," wrote the actor as he shared an intriguing glimpse of the show. 

The video first shows a crocodile, the host of the show - 46-year-old Grylls, and Akshay Kumar in a river. The clip, which has thrilling background music, also shows Grylls and Akshay Kumar swinging on ropes over a river with crocodiles snapping beneath them. It concludes with dates of the special episode.

The special show will premiere on September 11 on Discovery Plus App and September 14 on Discovery Channel.

Grylls also posted a motion poster of the upcoming special on Instagram and noted, "Life is an adventure that is best lived boldly, and there are few better (madder ) adventure buddies than the legendary @akshaykumar #KhiladiOnDiscovery #IntoTheWildwithBearGrylls @discoveryplusindia @discoverychannelin."

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar becomes the third Indian personality to feature on Grylls' survival show. 

While Arthur Road Jail and Sangli Prison have recorded 182 and 145 cases respectively, he added. With regard to the viral spread among prison staff, Nagpur has reported 62 cases, while Mumbai, Thane, Aurangabad, Kalyan and Yerawada prisons have 46, 35, 34, 31 and 26 cases respectively, the official said.

"Of the 1,166 infected inmates, 848 have recovered, while of the 312 jail personnel, 272 have recovered so far," he added. At least 10,536 prisoners have been released from various jails in the state to contain the spread of coronavirus, the official said. The current population of all the prisons in the state is 26,408, he added. PTI

Getting down to business, CBI officials on Friday morning brought Rajputs cook for enquiry at DRDO and IAF guest house in suburban Santa Cruz, where the visiting probe team members are staying. A vehicle, in which the cook was seen sitting next to a CBI official, was spotted entering the guest house complex.

The probe team will record statements of people connected with the case, sources said. It will also scan financial transactions of the 34- year-old actor, who was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, they said.

Another team of the CBI, led by a superintendent-rank officer, reached the Bandra Police Station, where an ADR (accidental death report) was registered after the alleged suicide by the actor, an official said. The team collected case diary of the ADR and other important documents related to the investigation of the case, which included autopsy and forensic reports, he said. 

The CBI team also met DCP Abhishek Trimukhe, who was heading the Mumbai police probe team, the official said. The CBI squad will also visit Rajputs flat in 'Mont Blanc' building where he was found hanging, he said. The team will recreate the crime scene at the spot during the investigation, the sources said. PTI

The 'Biden from Mumbai', then known as Bombay, had congratulated Biden on his election as the senator from Delaware and told him that they were related to each other. Biden, then 29, wanted to follow up on the letter and get in touch with the 'Biden from Mumbai'. 

However, his family and active life in politics meant that this wish remained a wish, something he still wants to fulfil nearly five decades later. The wish may have remained unfulfilled, but the 77-year-old Biden never misses a chance to narrate the 'Biden from Mumbai' story when he meets Indian-Americans and the Indian leaders. 

In his address to the Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai, on July 24, 2013, during his maiden visit to India as the Vice President of the US, he went off-script to narrate his story of the 'Biden from Mumbai'. 

"It's an honour to be back in India and to be here in Mumbai. Off script for a second here, I was reminded - I was elected to the United States Senate when I was a 29-year-old kid back in 1972, and one of the first letters I received and I regret I never followed up on it. Maybe, some genealogist in audience can follow up for me, but I received a letter from a gentleman named Biden - Biden, my name - from Mumbai, asserting that we were related," Biden had told the audience amidst peals of laughter. 

"Seriously. Suggesting that our mutual, great, great, great, something or other worked for the East India Trading Company back in the 1700s and came to Mumbai," Biden said. 

A few years later at another speech in Washington DC, Biden said that their forefathers were same, who worked for the East India Company and visited India then. 

"He (Biden from Mumbai) went back to our mutual great, great, great grandfather, 1848, who was a British captain in the East India Tea Company. And he married I believe an Indian woman. And he settled in India," Biden said in his address to the US India Business Council on September 21, 2015. 

"And so I was thinking about it, if that's true, I might run here in India for office. I might be qualified (to run for elected office in India). But I've never followed up on it (the letter from Biden from Mumbai)," Biden told the Mumbai audience in 2013, who could not stop laughing at it. 

"But now that I'm back for the multiple times, I'm going to follow up to find out whether there is a Biden and whether we're related. I hope he's in good standing if we are," he said, evoking bouts of laughter from the audience.

In the Washington DC event hosted by US Indian Business Council, Biden said that a day after his Mumbai speech, a journalist gave him a list of five Bidens living in Mumbai. "The next day the press, I guess trying to prove that I was probably making this up - because I never followed up. It was right after I got elected, and then some things happened in my family, and I never followed up. One reporter stood up and gave me the names of five Bidens in Mumbai," he said. "So, show me more respect," Biden has told the Washington DC audience while asserting his Indian connection "You know what I mean? I didn't realise I had so many... And I haven't actually followed up and embarrassed the Bidens in Mumbai. But the point is, it makes it even clearer what a small, small world this is and how this global economy is suited for, quite frankly, the two largest democracies in the world," Biden said in 2015. PTI

Nagarkurnool district Collector L Sharman said three fire engines were engaged in extinguishing the huge smoke emanating from the plant's premises. 

While Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was monitoring the rescue work through his cabinet colleague, Union Minister of State for Home, Kishan Reddy, said he has asked NDRF to join the rescue efforts.

"There is huge smoke and because of it we are not able to enter into the plant premises. By 11 am we expect to enter the plant," Sharman told PTI, adding, nine persons including seven staff members are stuck. Those stuck include a Deputy Engineer and an Assistant Engineer. 

"Our main target is to rescue them...we are not able to contact them because they are not carrying mobile phones and there is no mobile network," he said. Quoting preliminary information, he said a short- circuit is suspected to have caused the fire.

"A meeting of CBI officers, who arrived from Delhi yesterday, is underway at airforce transit facility in Santacruz, Mumbai", sources said.

On August 19, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna over the death of Bollywood actor was legitimate, the Supreme Court directed the CBI to investigate the case.

The single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy also said the Bihar Government was competent to recommend transferring the case to the CBI.

The apex court also asked the Mumbai Police to hand over all the evidence collected so far in the case to the CBI. The State of Maharashtra refused the option to challenge the order, Justice Roy said.

The CBI has registered an FIR against 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 abetment to suicide. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. -- PTI

India reported a spike of 68,898 coronavirus infections on Friday, data from the health ministry showed. 

Deaths rose by 983 to a total of 54,849 in India. The total coronavirus case tally in India now stands at 29,05,823. As per the data, 21,58,947 people have been cured/discharged. 

Meanwhile, global coronavirus cases now stand at 22,256,220 confirmed cases, including 782,456 deaths, reported to WHO.

Ace India cricketer Suresh Raina announced his retirement on August 15, along with MS Dhoni, bringing end to a golden era. Wishes poured in from around the world, after two highly successful careers culminated after serving the nation for so long.

Prime minister Narendra Modi wrote a special letter for Dhoni and he did the same for Raina as well. A paragraph from the letter read, "Generations will remember you not only as a fine batsman but also as a very useful bowler who the captain could turn to when the situation demanded. Your fielding was exemplary and inspiring. Some of the best catches in recent international cricket have your distinctive imprint. It would take days to count just the number of runs you have saved with your alertness on field."

Raina then took to Twitter to thank him for his wishes. He tweeted, "When we play, we give our blood & sweat for the nation. No better appreciation than being loved by the people of this country and even more by the countrys PM. Thank you @narendramodi ji for your words of appreciation & best wishes. I accept them with gratitude. Jai Hind!"

Aslam Khan, the younger brother of veteran actor Dilip Kumar passed away early morning today. 

The 88-year-old had been rushed to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on late Saturday night after testing positive for coronavirus. 

He had diabetes, hypertension and ischaemic heart disease. 

Earlier this year, Dilip Kumar shared an update on his health and revealed that he was under self-imposed quarantine as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus pandemic. The 97-year-old actor tweeted in March: "I am under complete isolation and quarantine due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Saira (his wife and actress Saira Banu) has left nothing to chance, ensuring I do not catch any infection."

Nine people are trapped inside a hydroelectric plant in Telangana after a fire broke out at one of the power houses inside the plant late last night.

Ten people have been rescued from the Srisailam hydroelectric plant, which is near Telangana's border with Andhra Pradesh. The fire reportedly started at 10:30 pm.

According to initial reports, a short circuit at the underground hydroelectric power station situated at Srisailam's dam left bank reportedly led to the fire. 

A team of disaster response force, NDRF, is currently trying to evacuate those trapped inside. They are being assisted by firemen from Atmakur Fire Station from Kurnool district.

Joe Biden has officially accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, urging the American voters to come together to  overcome a "season of darkness" that has cloaked the US for "much too long".

 

Biden, 77, was introduced by a video that went through the former vice president's life, and career, and highlighted his role as a father, husband and political leader.

Biden's children, Ashley Biden and Hunter Biden, spoke before their father accepted the nomination.

"We want to tell you what kind of president our dad will be. He will be tough. And honest. Caring and principled. He'll listen, he'll be there when you need him. He'll tell you the truth even when you don't want to hear it. He'll never let you down," they said together.

"He's been a great father, and we think he will be a great president," they said.

While accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden said in Delaware that "united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America."

"The current president's cloaked American darkness for much too long," Biden said in an opening that targeted President US Donald Trump.

"Too much anger, too much fear, too much division. Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I'll be an ally of the light, not the darkness. It's time for us -- for we the people -- to come together," he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation's Special Investigation Team reached Mumbai on Thursday and initiated the probe into the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The CBI has formed an SIT to investigate the late actor's death and the team will begin probe from Rajput's Bandra residence where he was found dead on June 14. "Officers from the special investigation team and a forensic expert will visit the crime scene which is Sushant's residence in Mumbai where he was found dead. The SIT will recapture the crime scene," CBI sources said.

CBI officials will examine the Mumbai police officers, who had visited crime spot first.

"Officers of Mumbai Police, other members, and friends of the late actor are to be examined and those suspected persons which Mumbai Police had already questioned," the sources added.

Meanwhile, the CBI officials have clarified that they will not be "arresting any suspect in the death case until any concrete and solid evidence is found against them". 

The number of COVID-19 cases globally has grown by more than 263,000 in the past 24 hours, while over 6,500 patients have died in the same period of time, the World Health Organisation's data revealed.

The WHO said that the total number of new cases in the world amounted to 263,601, while the increment in fatalities to 6,554. 

Overall, the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide stands at 22,256,220, while the global death toll at 782,456.

WHO declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic on March 11.

Pakistan on Thursday denied reports of a rift with Saudi Arabia and said the two countries enjoy strong ties, amid reports of strain in their relations over Riyadh's reluctance to toe Islamabad's line on the Kashmir issue.

Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have strong economic, political, security and military cooperation at all levels.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's recent visit to Saudi Arabia attest to the unchanged fraternal relations and close contact between the two countries, Chaudhri said during his weekly press briefing.

"Pakistan remains firmly committed to the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia," he added.

He said that Pakistan appreciates the Kingdom's role in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan has been pushing the 57-member organisation, which is the second largest intergovernmental body after the UN, for the foreign ministers' meeting since India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.

 

However, there has not been any positive response from Jeddah-based OIC, the biggest bloc of Islamic countries in the world, to Pakistan's request so far.

 

A major reason behind the OIC's inaction has been Saudi Arabia's reluctance to accept Pakistan's request for holding a meeting specifically on Kashmir. Riyadh's support is crucial for any move at the OIC, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

 

Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to drum up international support against India for withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

 

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

 

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, for the first time, criticised the Saudi government in a recent TV interview and threatened to call an OIC meeting by sidestepping the Gulf country.

 

Saudis avoided directly responding to Qureshi's remarks, but reportedly stopped renewing a USD 3.2 billion oil credit facility to Pakistan despite requests from Islamabad. Pakistan has also paid back USD 1 billion loan to Riyadh which, according to some reports, the Saudis had demanded.

 

In 2018, Saudi Arabia granted Pakistan a USD 3 billion loan and USD 3.2 billion oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis after Prime Minister Khan visited the country to seek financial support. -- PTI