Indian embassy officials here have said the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chief ministers on June 18 as well as the comments by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been deleted from two Chinese social media accounts, including Weibo.

The move comes in the backdrop of the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday in which 20 Indian military personnel were killed, significantly escalating the already volatile situation in the region.

Indian Embassy officials said the transcript of the remarks of the MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava were found to have been removed from the Embassy's account of Sina Weibo on June 18.

After that the Indian officials re-published the screen shots of Srivastava's comments on June 19.

Sina Weibo which is similar to Twitter in China has millions of users and all embassies in Beijing besides several world leaders including Prime Minister Modi have opened their accounts to interact with the Chinese people.

The MEA spokesperson's remarks have also been removed from the official WeChat account.

A note on WeChat says, unable to view this content because it violates regulations.

In his comments, Srivastava had asked China to confine its activities to its side of the Line of Actual Control and that it must not take any unilateral action to alter it.

Prime Minister Modi's remarks of June 18 about the Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash has also become inaccessible on WeChat.

The page says that the content has been deleted by the author, whereas the Embassy officials said they have not removed it.

Emphasising that the sacrifice of Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh will not go in vain, Modi said that India wants peace but is capable of giving a befitting reply, if instigated.

Both the Weibo pages of the Indian embassy and its WeChat group have thousands of followers.

While the Weibo page was opened earlier, the WeChat group started in January this year.

Modi opened an account in Weibo during his visit here in 2015 and continued to make use of it to interact with the Chinese people. No posts related to the recent military confrontation were posted on his page.    -- PTI

The government has warned against a large-scale cyber attack against individuals and businesses, where attackers may use COVID-19 as a bait to steal personal and financial information.

India's cybersecurity nodal agency, CERT-In has issued an advisory warning that the potential phishing attacks could impersonate government agencies, departments and trade bodies that have been tasked to oversee disbursement of government fiscal aid.

The phishing campaign is expected to start on June 21, 2020 with cyber attackers using email IDs such as 'ncov2019@gov.in', it added.

The attackers are expected to send malicious emails under the pretext of local authorities that are in charge of dispensing government-funded COVID-19 support initiatives.

'Such emails are designed to drive recipients towards fake websites where they are deceived into downloading malicious files or entering personal and financial information,' Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said in its latest advisory dated June 19.

The advisory noted that the 'malicious actors' are claiming to have 2 million individual/citizen email IDs and are planning to send email with the subject line: free COVID-19 testing for all residents of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad in a bid to coax users to disclose personal information.

'It has been reported that these malicious actors are planning to spoof or create fake email IDs impersonating various authorities,' it cautioned.

CERT-In, in its advisory, outlined a list of steps for users to protect themselves, including not opening attachments in unsolicited emails even if it comes from people in the contact list.

It has asked users to encrypt and protect their sensitive document to avoid potential leakage.

It also urged people to use anti-virus tools, firewalls and filtering services and asked them to report any unusual activity or attack immediately to CERT-In. -- PTI

The government has warned against a large-scale cyber attack against individuals and businesses, where attackers may use COVID-19 as a bait to steal personal and financial information.

India's cybersecurity nodal agency, CERT-In has issued an advisory warning that the potential phishing attacks could impersonate government agencies, departments and trade bodies that have been tasked to oversee disbursement of government fiscal aid.

The phishing campaign is expected to start on June 21, 2020 with cyber attackers using email IDs such as 'ncov2019@gov.in', it added.

The attackers are expected to send malicious emails under the pretext of local authorities that are in charge of dispensing government-funded COVID-19 support initiatives.

'Such emails are designed to drive recipients towards fake websites where they are deceived into downloading malicious files or entering personal and financial information,' Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said in its latest advisory dated June 19.

The advisory noted that the 'malicious actors' are claiming to have 2 million individual/citizen email IDs and are planning to send email with the subject line: free COVID-19 testing for all residents of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad in a bid to coax users to disclose personal information.

'It has been reported that these malicious actors are planning to spoof or create fake email IDs impersonating various authorities,' it cautioned.

CERT-In, in its advisory, outlined a list of steps for users to protect themselves, including not opening attachments in unsolicited emails even if it comes from people in the contact list.

It has asked users to encrypt and protect their sensitive document to avoid potential leakage.

It also urged people to use anti-virus tools, firewalls and filtering services and asked them to report any unusual activity or attack immediately to CERT-In. -- PTI

His statement came following  protests by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government against his order mandating five-day quarantine for all COVID-19 patients.

The order had been opposed by the chief minister  and his deputy Manish Sisodia at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Saturday.

'Regarding institutional isolation, only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment  & do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation,' the LG said on Twitter after the meeting.

In another tweet, he said the DDMA approved recommendations of high level expert committee for fixing subsidised rates for COVID-19 treatment in Delhi's private hospitals.   -- PTI

The Delhi high court on Saturday allowed public viewing of hearings conducted through video conferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A circular issued by high court Registrar Manoj Jain said links will be offered for public viewing so long as the stability of the system is not disturbed, that is, consistent with the available bandwidth.

"Therefore, all those who are interested in obtaining links for viewing court hearings can contact the concerned court master/court official on their mobile phone numbers published in the cause list...," the circular said.

Those who are given a link for viewing the court proceedings will ensure that their mic is kept on mute and the video on switch-off mode, it said.

The high court has restricted physical court functioning since March 25 and has been conducting proceedings through video conferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high court of Delhi Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts 2020 permit public viewing of court proceedings.

"In order to observe the requirement of an open court proceeding, members of the public will be allowed to view court hearings conducted through video conferencing, except proceedings ordered for reasons recorded in writing to be conducted in-camera.

"The court shall endeavour to make available sufficient links (consistent with available bandwidth) for accessing the proceedings," the rules said.   -- PTI

Yash Raj Films (YRF) on Saturday submitted copies of the contract signed by late actor Sushant Singh Rajput for their upcoming projects to the Mumbai Police.

Rajput, 34, known for films like Kai Po Che!, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Chhichhore, was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

No suicide not was found at the spot, police had said.

The Bandra Police had sent a letter to Yash Raj Films seeking details of the contract on June 18, a police official said.

"Accordingly, the Investigation Officer (IO) has received a contract copy from the YRF which was signed by Sushant Singh Rajput," said Abhishek Trimukhe, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-IX.

So far police have recorded statements of 15 persons, including family members of the actor, his staff, his close friend actor Rhea Chakraborty and of casting director Mukesh Chhabra, he said.

"Based on the information given by them, the police are verifying the facts," the DCP said.

Chakraborty had told the investigators that the actor had ended his contract with Yash Raj Films and also asked her to stop working with the banner, police had said.

Rajput had worked in two Yash Raj Films movies -- Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) directed by Maneesh Sharma and in director Dibakar Banerjee directed Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015).

His third film with the banner was supposed to be Paani, directed by Shekhar Kapur.

However, YRF had reportedly backed out of the project.   -- PTI

Union minister for culture and tourism Prahlad Patel on Saturday said he hopes that 10 million people will join him in performing Surya Namaskar on this year's International Day of Yoga on Sunday.

With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message would be the highlight of the occasion.

Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year.

This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family' and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

I will perform Surya Namaskar at Purana Qila and I urge everybody to join me in performing Surya Namaskar from their homes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the gift of Yoga Day to the world and we should practice Yoga in our daily life, he said in a statement issued by the ministry of culture.

The minister also posted a video message on social media and urged all to share their Surya Namaskar videos with #10MillionSuryaNamaskar & #NamasteYoga hashtags on social media platforms so that it can become a public movement and creates health awareness among fellow citizens.

I hope that around 10 million people will join him in performing Surya Namaskar on International Yoga Day 2020, he said.

Meanwhile, culture ministry sources said BJP MP Tejaswi Surya too will perform Yoga in Bengaluru to support the ministry and he will be joined by fitness expert Sapna Vyas.   -- PTI

Four civilians were on Saturday injured when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rampur sector of Jammu and Kashmir, according to an Army spokesperson.

"On 20 June 2020, in the morning hours, Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Rampur sector by firing mortars and other weapons," the spokesman said.

He said four civilians were injured in the Pakistani firing.

The Army has given a befitting response to the Pakistani aggression, he said.  -- PTI

The government-imposed upper and lower limits on airfares may be extended beyond August 24 depending upon how the situation turns out, Aviation Secretary P S Kharola said on Saturday.

The government resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus outbreak, but placed lower and upper limits on airfares depending upon the flight duration.

It had said on May 21 that these limits would be in place for a period of three months.

"Depending on how the situation turns out, the fare band may have to adjusted beyond that (August 24) also. But right now, it is only for three months," Kharola said at a press conference in New Delhi.

International passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country. However, the government started Vande Bharat Mission on May 6 to help stranded people reach their destinations through special flights.

Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said at the conference that during phase 3 and phase 4 of the mission, private domestic airlines have been approved to operate 750 international flights to repatriate people stranded amid the coronavirus pandemic.   -- PTI

A government school in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district will be named after Sepoy Ankush Thakur who laid down his life in a face-off with China in Ladakh's Galwan valley, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Saturday.      

The chief minister made the announcement after visiting the soldier's home in Karohta village. He also said that a financial help of Rs 20 lakh will be provided to the family of the sepoy.

The chief minister said the country is proud of its army and brave jawans that are manning its borders.

He was accompanied by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virendra Kanwar.

Local MLAs also announced to install the jawan's statue in his village.

Thakur said adequate funds will be provided for repairing the path leading to the village crematorium, which is in a bad condition, and assured people of upgrading health care centres in the area with modern facilities.

The chief minister came to RCH Bhota complex here in a chopper from Shimla and then took a car to Karohta village.

It was his first visit to the district since the coronavirus outbreak in March. The chief minister and others accompanying him wore face masks.  -- PTI

Shooting down the Pakistani hexacopter (drone), which was carrying weapons, by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Kathua district is a major achievement as they would have likely been used to carry out a major terrorist attack, according to Inspector General (IG) BSF, N S Jamwal on Saturday.

The BSF official said that an M4 (US-made) carbine machine gun, ammunition and seven grenades have been recovered from the hexacopter.

"The patrolling party of BSF from BoP in Pansar saw a hexacopter coming into Indian territory from Pakistan side.

"After it entered 200-250 metres into our territory our party fired on it and brought it down. After being brought down an M4 US-made weapon semi-automatic carbine, 60 rounds of ammunition, two magazines and seven grenades were recovered from it," Jamwal said at a press conference.

"The hexacopter itself weighs close to 18 kilograms and it was carrying a payload of 5-6 kg. The majority of the hexacopter parts are Chinese made," he added.

Further investigation of this incident is being carried out by Jammu and Kashmir police, according to the official.

"If you look at the weapon and grenades it feels that some terrorist or OGW was sitting inside one and a half kilometer area (on the Indian side) to receive the consignment with the purpose of carrying out a major attack. It is similar to the modus operandi used to smuggle weapons from Punjab side of the border, however, it is the first time that a drone has been shot down," the official said.  -- ANI

A lawyer appeared in a virtual hearing in the Supreme Court while lying on bed and donning a T-shirt, drawing displeasure of the judge who observed that 'minimum court etiquette' should be followed given the public nature of hearings.

The apex court observed that lawyers appearing in matters via video- conferencing should be 'presentable' and avoid showing images which are not appropriate.

Justice S Ravindra Bhat accepted the apology tendered by the advocate, who said it was 'inappropriate on his part to make a court appearance, whilst lying on bed dressed in a T-shirt'.

'This court is of the view that when counsel appear in court video hearings, they should be presentable and avoid showing images, which are not appropriate and can only be tolerable in the privacy of their homes,' the court noted in its June 15 order.

"We are all passing through trying times and hearings by virtual courts has become an order of the day. Yet minimum court etiquette in terms of what can be considered decent dress, background, etc should be followed, given the public nature of the hearings," the apex court said.

The incident had happened when the top court was hearing a petition seeking transfer of a case pending in a family court in Haryana's Rewari to a competent court in Bihar's Jehanabad.

The apex court, which has restricted its functioning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is presently hearing matters through video-conferencing.

In April this year, a similar incident had come to light when a lawyer had appeared in a bail hearing conducted through video-conferencing in vest, drawing the ire of the Rajasthan high court.

The high court had criticised the advocate for not appearing in proper uniform during the hearing.  -- PTI

The government has issued clarification on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that no one entered Indian territory and no Indian posts were taken over.

'Attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to remarks by the prime minister at the all-party meeting yesterday,' a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said.

'PM Modi's comment that there was no Chinese presence on Indian side of LAC pertained to situation following bravery of armed forces,' the Prime Minister's Office said.

'Sacrifices of soldiers foiled attempt of Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared attempted transgression in Galwan on June 15,' the PMO said.

'Words of the PM that those who tried to transgress were taught befitting lesson by our brave sons succinctly summed up ethos of armed forces,' the statement said.

'It is unfortunate that unnecessary controversy over PM's remarks being created at a time when brave soldiers are defending our borders,' it said.

'Focus of PM's remarks at all-party meeting was events of June 15 at Galwan that led to loss of lives of 20 soldiers,' the PMO said.   -- PTI

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday opposed Lt Governor Anil Baijal's order for a five-day institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients, saying why separate rule was employed in case of Delhi, sources said.

At a DDMA meeting, Kejriwal said the Indian Council of Medical Research has permitted home isolation for asymptomatic and mild symptom COVID-19 patients in the whole country, then why a separate rule was employed in case of Delhi, according to the sources.

"Most corona patients are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, how will arrangements be made for them. The coaches provided by the Railways for isolation are hot inside where patients can not stay," Kejriwal was quoted as saying at the meeting.

In a series of tweets, his deputy Manish Sisodia said no consensus could be reached in the meeting over the LG order and the rate of private hospital beds.

The meeting will again take place at 5 pm, he said.

'Delhi government opposed LG's order on scrapping home isolation and no decision was taken on it. The matter will be discussed again in the evening,' Sisodia tweeted in Hindi.

He also said the Centre has recommended for reducing the rate of 25 per cent private hospital beds while the Delhi government is adamant on reducing rates of 60 per cent beds.

Minutes before the meeting was to begin, Sisodia had said the Delhi government will oppose the LG order on home isolation.

He said the order is against the guidelines of ICMR and will create 'chaos' in Delhi.

'Today Delhi State Disaster Management Authority meeting is at 12 noon. We will oppose LG's order to scrap home isolation, and demand changing it. This order to terminate home isolation is against ICMR guidelines and it will create chaos in Delhi,' Sisodia said in a tweet.

The L-G is the chairman of the DDMA. On Friday, he ordered a five-day institutional quarantine for all asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or those with mild symptoms in place of home isolation. He also ordered that after the five-day institutional quarantine asymptomatic patients will be sent for home isolation.   -- PTI

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who is admitted to intensive care unit of a private hospital, was on Saturday administered plasma therapy and his condition is now stable, sources said.

The condition of the 55-year-old minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, they said.

Jain was shifted to the ICU of Max hospital here from a Delhi government facility after his condition had deteriorated.

"Delhi minister Satyendar Jain has been administered plasma therapy. His condition is now stable," a source said. Doctors at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), where he was earlier admitted, on Thursday said he had been diagnosed with pneumonia and his oxygen saturation level had also dipped, prompting hospital authorities to shift him to an intensive care unit.

He had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to RGSSH after running high-grade fever and suffering sudden drop in oxygen levels.    -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan through video conferencing to generate employment for migrants who returned home during coronavirus lockdown.

"I pay homage to soldiers who sacrificed their lives for country," said the PM on Ladakh stand-off while launching the rural works scheme.

"The country is proud of the sacrifice made by our braves in Ladakh. Today, when I am speaking to people of Bihar, I will say the valour was of Bihar Regiment, every Bihari is proud of it," Modi said.

He said COVID-19 is a huge menace and the whole world has been shaken by it.

"But you stood tall. The way India's villages have fought corona, it has taught a lesson even to the cities," Modi said.  -- PTI/ANI

Shiv Sena deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday said the Centre must respond to China's claim that the sovereignty over the Galwan Valley area in Ladakh belonged to it.

20 Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in the clashes with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night.

It was the biggest military confrontation between India and China in over five decades.

After India trashed the Chinese Army's claim of sovereignty over the Galwan Valley and asked Beijing to confine its activities to its side of the LAC, China's foreign ministry on Friday claimed that the Galwan Valley was on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday asserted that neither is anyone inside India's territory nor has any of its posts been captured.

Taking to Twitter, Chaturvedi said, 'Yesterday PM Modi assured the nation that no posts/territory have been ceded to China, but here China claims Galwan Valley as theirs.'

'This is unacceptable and the government needs to clarify or respond to this. Havewe ceded our Galwan valley or ousted the PLA from there? Nation wants to know,' the recently elected Rajya Sabha member said in the tweet.  -- PTI

A Chinese university has threatened to take action against an Indian student for allegedly posting offensive comments against the Chinese people on social media, the official media in Beijing reported on Saturday.

The Indian national surnamed Kadukkasseri is a student at the Jiangsu University in east China's Jiangsu Province. His offensive posts have gone viral on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, the Global Times reported.

      

"The university will punish Kadukkasseri for his wrongdoing according to its regulations on overseas students after further investigation," the report quoted an official from the JSU surnamed Wu as saying.

      

The Indian student has since apologised, the report said. -- PTI 

Pakistan-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana has been rearrested in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed, according to the US prosecutors.

 

Rana, 59, was recently released from jail on compassionate ground after he told a US court that he has tested positive for the COVID-19.

 

He was rearrested following an extradition request by India, where he is a declared fugitive, they said.

Rana made an initial court appearance on June 11. On Friday, US District Judge Jacqueline Chooljian in the US District Court Central District of California scheduled his bond hearing for June 30. 

His attorney has been asked to submit his plea by June 22 and the federal government's response is due by June 26. -- PTI

Diesel price on Saturday hit a record high after rates were hiked by 61 paise per litre while petrol price was up 51 paise, taking the cumulative increase in rates in two weeks to Rs 8.28 and Rs 7.62 respectively. 

   

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 78.88 per litre from Rs 78.37, while diesel rates were increased to Rs 77.67 a litre from Rs 77.06, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies. 

 

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT. 

 

The 14th daily increase in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision, has taken diesel prices to new high. Petrol price too is at a two-year high. 

 

Prior to the current rally, diesel rate had touched a peak of Rs 75.69 per litre in Delhi on October 16, 2018. 

 

The highest-ever petrol price was on October 4, 2018, when rates soared to Rs 84 a litre in Delhi. 

 

When rates had peaked in October 2018, the government had cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre each. State-owned oil companies were asked to absorb another Re 1 a litre to help cut retail rates by Rs 2.50 a litre. 

 

Oil companies had quickly recouped the Re 1 and the government in July 2019 raised excise duty by Rs 2 a litre. 

 

The 82-day freeze in rates this year was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances. 

 

The government on March 14 hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each and then again on May 5 by a record Rs 10 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 13 on diesel. The two hikes gave the government Rs 2 lakh crore in additional tax revenues. 

 

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers, adjusted them against the fall in retail rates that was warranted because of a decline in international oil prices to two-decade lows.

 

International oil prices have since rebounded and oil firms are now adjusting retail rates in line with them. 

 

In 14 hikes, petrol price has gone up by Rs 7.62 per litre and diesel by Rs 8.28 a litre. -- PTI

A Pakistani drone was shot down by the Border Security Force along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.

 

The drone was spotted hovering in the skies by a BSF party on patrol duty in the vicinity of Border Out Post Pansar around 5.10 am, the officials said.

They said the BSF personnel fired about nine rounds and shot down the flying object 250 metres inside Indian territory.

Senior BSF and police officers have rushed to the spot and further investigation is on.

Meanwhile, the officials said Pakistani rangers fired a few rounds on Babiya post in Hiranagar sector around 8.50 am. There was no retaliation by the BSF guarding the IB, they said, adding the situation is being monitored closely. -- PTI 

India on Saturday saw another record spike of 14,516 new COVID-19 cases in a single-day, pushing the tally to 3,95,048, while the death toll rose to 12,948 with 375 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

 

 The number of recoveries continued to surge with 2,13,830 patients cured so far, while there are 1,68,269 active cases, according to the updated official figures at 8 am. 

 

One patient has migrated.

 

"Thus, around 54.12 per cent of the patients have recovered so far," an official said. The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners.

 

India registered over 10,000 cases for the ninth day in a row. 

 

The country has witnessed a surge of over two lakh infections from June 1 till 20 with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh among the top five states that have seen a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. -- PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that neither is anyone inside India's territory nor has any of its posts been captured, alleging that the PM has surrendered" Indian territory to Chinese aggression.

 

In a statement on the all-party meeting called by Modi on Friday to discuss the situation at the India-China border, the government said, "At the outset, prime minister clarified that neither is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured."

Tagging PM's remarks with his tweet, Gandhi said, "PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression." 

"If the land was Chinese: 1. Why were our soldiers killed? 2. Where were they killed?" Gandhi said.

The categorical statement by the prime minister came in the wake of reports that Chinese military has transgressed into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border, in several areas of eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley.

The prime minister's assertion came even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi, at the all-party meet, questioned the government's handling of the situation, asking if there was any intelligence failure, and seeking assurance that China will "revert" to its original position.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused senior ministers in the government of "lying" to protect the prime minister and that the Centre was "fast asleep" while martyred jawans paid the price in Ladakh.

The former Congress chief also tagged a one-minute video of a jawan's father saying the Indian soldiers were unarmed when they were attacked by Chinese troops.

He has been questioning the government on the LAC standoff and asking how the Chinese occupied Indian territory and why Indian soldiers were sent "unarmed to martyrdom" in Ladakh. 

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region. -- PTI 

The Centre has asked states to ensure implementation of its guidelines on home isolation at the field level "in letter and spirit" to effectively contain the spread of the coronavirus, after taking note of instances of laxity.

The ministry of health and family welfare issued revised guidelines for home isolation on May 10 which continue to be effective as on date, an official statement said Friday.

According to the guidelines, very mild and pre-symptomatic COVID-19 patients can opt for home isolation, provided the patient has a room for himself/herself with toilet facility and has an adult attendant or caregiver.

Also, the patient should agree to monitor his/her health and regularly inform the status to the district surveillance officer for follow-up by surveillance teams.

An important clause in the revised guidelines is that the treating doctor should be satisfied about the patient opting for home isolation based on medical assessment and assessment of his/her residential accommodation, the government said.

In addition, the patient should fill in an undertaking on self-isolation and should follow home quarantine guidelines, it said.

"In this regard, some instances have been noticed wherein home isolation is allowed in a routine manner in certain states, and clauses of the revised guidelines are not followed in letter and spirit," it said.

This may lead to spread of the disease within the family members and neighbours, more so in urban settings such as dense urban agglomerations, the Centre said, adding the Health Ministry has requested states to ensure strict implementation of the guidelines at the field level to effectively curb spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have collectively been following the policy of test, trace, track and isolate and the same may not be feasible if the guidelines issued are not implemented in letter and spirit," Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal in his letter to states said.

"It is again reiterated that the urban congested settlements exercising the option of the home isolation may result in patient spreading the infection to family members and in the neighbourhood. In this context, it is requested to ensure strict implementation of the guidelines on home isolation at the field level," he said. -- PTI 

Air Chief Marshall RKS Bhadauria today said that the air force is well prepared to respond to any contingency and the sacrifice of the braves of Galwan Valley will not go in vain.

"It should be very clear that we are well prepared and suitably deployed to respond to any contingency. I assure the nation that we are determined to deliver and will never let the sacrifice of the braves of Galwan go in vain," Bhadauria said at the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy near Hyderabad. 

He said, "Security scenario in our region mandates that our Armed Forces remain prepared and vigilant at all times. The development at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh is a small snapshot of what we are required to handle at short notice."

The IAF chief said that in spite of "unacceptable Chinese action" in Galwan Valley, "efforts are underway to ensure that the current situation at LAC is resolved peacefully".

Bhadauria also pay respect to Colonel Santosh Babu and his men who made the sacrifice while defending the LAC in Galwan valley.

"Please join me in paying tribute to Colonel Santosh Babu and his brave men who made the sacrifice while defending the LAC in Galwan valley. The gallant actions in a highly-challenging situation have demonstrated our resolve to protect India's sovereignty at any cost," he said.

The Shiv Sena has not changed its ideology, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday as he addressed party leaders and office-bearers on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of its formation. 

The Sena last year severed ties with erstwhile ally Bharatiya Janata Party after the two parties fell out over sharing of the chief ministerial post for two-and-half years on a rotational basis.  

The Thackeray-led party then joined forces with the ideologically different Nationalist Congress Party and Congress in a post-poll arrangement and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

Thackeray was sworn-in as chief minister in November last year.

"The Shiv Sena has not changed its ideology," Thackeray told Shiv Sena leaders via an online platform, according to a statement shared by the party after the meeting.

 

The Sena was born to fight injustice, he said.

The Shiv Sena chief added he would take forward the legacy of his late father and party founder Bal Thackeray.

"This is not a helpless Shiv Sena and your Shiv Sena chief too will not be helpless," Thackeray said.

He informed that the number of COVID-19 testing laboratories in the state has now increased to 100 from two initially, and more labs will be set up.

The chief minister said the Shiv Sena shakhas (branches) in the city will be turned into temporary clinics to treat patients.

Doctors were being provided all the required equipment like masks, PPE kits and hand gloves as they combat the disease, he said.

Thackeray praised the party workers, saying they are never afraid of any crisis and work for people by putting everything else aside.

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray also spoke on the occasion and pitched for expanding the party's base in each of the country's states. -- PTI  

The coronavirus was present in two large Italian cities in December, more than two months before the first case was detected, a national health institute study of waste water has found.

That suggests the virus appeared in Italy around the same time it was first reported in China.

Researchers discovered genetic traces of Sars-CoV-2 -- as the virus is officially known -- in samples of waste water collected in Milan and Turin at the end of last year, and Bologna in January, the ISS institute said in a statement.

Italys first known native case was discovered mid-February.

The results help to understand the start of the circulation of the virus in Italy, the ISS said.

They also confirm the by-now consolidated international evidence as to the strategic function of sewer samples as an early detection tool, it added.

The results feed into an effort by scientists around the world to trace the viruss family tree.