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Tue, 20 July 2021
Macron among potential Pegasus spyware target
Timeline Refresh
23:33 Macron among potential Pegasus spyware target
Phone numbers used by French President Emmanuel Macron and top members of his government are among the potential targets for the Pegasus spyware supplied to several governments worldwide, the NGO that leaked the list of numbers said Tuesday.
"We found these numbers but we obviously couldn't do a technical analysis of Emmanuel Macron's phone" to determine if it had been infected with the malware, the head of Forbidden Stories, Laurent Richard, told LCI television.
"But it shows in any case there was an interest in doing it," he said.
"If this fact is established, it's obviously very serious," a spokesman for Macron's office said.
Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based media nonprofit, and Amnesty International initially had access to the leaked numbers, which they then shared with media organisations including The Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde.
Macron's phone number was among some 50,000 believed to have been identified as people of interest since 2016 by clients of the Israeli firm NSO, developer of the Pegasus cyber-surveillance technology, the reports said.
23:12 Amarinder's team says he won't meet Sidhu
Newly appointed Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu has not sought time to meet Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, an advisor of the CM said Tuesday, rejecting reports suggesting the former cricketer had sought an appointment.
There is no change in the stance that Singh will not meet Sidhu till he publicly apologises for his "derogatory" tweets against him, chief minister's media advisor Raveen Thukral said, indicating the simmering tension between the two leaders is far from over.
"Reports of @sherryontop (Sidhu) seeking time to meet @capt_amarinder are totally false. No time has been sought whatsoever. No change in stance... CM won't meet #NavjotSinghSidhu till he publicly apologises for his personally derogatory social media attacks against him," Thukral tweeted.
Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with the CM over various issues, was appointed the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief despite strong opposition from the CM.
22:25 Mandaviya's speech on COVID insightful: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's speech in Parliament Tuesday on the COVID-19 issue and urged everyone to hear it.
Mandaviya put up a staunch defence of the Modi government's handling of the pandemic, and said vaccine production in the country is increasing and the effort is to inoculate all adults at the earliest.
In a tweet Modi said, "This extensive speech by Shri @mansukhmandviya covers several aspects relating to COVID-19 in an insightful and sensitive manner. I would request you all to hear his remarks."
Replying to a short duration discussion in Rajya Sabha on the health crisis and the vaccination policy, the minister said a package of over Rs 23,000 crore has been approved for strengthening the health infrastructure, including setting up 2.4 lakh medical beds and 20,000 ICU beds, with a special focus on paediatric care to handle any possible third wave of the pandemic.
-- PTI
21:52 Red Fort to be shut for public from July 21 to Independence Day
The Red Fort will be shut for the public from July 21 to August 15 till the Independence Day celebrations are over, according to an order from the Archaeological Survey of India.
Usually, the fort stays shut for the public for a week before Independence Day, officials said.
"In exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 6 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959, the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India hereby direct that there shall be no entry inside the Red Fort from the morning of 21st July, 2021 to 15th August, 2021 till the Independence Day Celebration is over," the ASI order stated.
The Delhi Police in a letter on July 12 had suggested that the fort be shut from July 15 in view of the Covid pandemic and security reasons.
-- PTI
21:26 Govt, states should work to combat Covid: PM
With some opposition parties including the Congress skipping an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 management, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for the Centre and states to work together as a team and rise above politics to combat the pandemic.
Speaking at the meeting called by the central government, Modi said India is in a better position than many other countries in terms of the ratio of the population hit by the disease but underlined the need to remain vigilant as he cited the resurgence of the infection in some countries like the UK, sources said.
He said vaccines from more companies are likely to be available in some time and spoke about the push being given by the government to vaccination.
A presentation on COVID-19 management was given by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan at the meeting, which lasted for nearly three hours.
It was followed by queries and suggestions from leaders of various parties.
Shiv Sena and TMC demanded more vaccines for Maharashtra and West Bengal, respectively.
-- PTI
21:05 Pegasus row: Himanta demands ban on Amnesty in India
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday demanded a ban on human rights organisation Amnesty Internationals activities in India for
its role in the Pegasus snooping controversy.
The BJP leader also claimed that the entire controversy was an "international conspiracy by the Left-wing organisations, including Amnesty International," to defame the Narendra Modi-led Central government.
Controversy has erupted in the wake of an international media consortium reporting on Sunday that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including those of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware.
These numbers were from a list of more than 50,000 cellphone numbers obtained by the Paris-based journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories and the human rights group Amnesty International.
With the Opposition latching up the issue to attack Modi government, several BJP leaders on Tuesday rushed to defend the Centre and launch a counter-attack on the rival Congress and others.
"Various Left-wing organisations throughout the world, including Amnesty International, are part of the conspiracy theory", Sarma said while addressing a press conference.
"It is clear that they want to defame Indias democracy. I demand that activities of Amnesty International be immediately banned within India", he said.
-- PTI
20:53 Cong flays govt over 'O2 shortage' remark
Following the Central government's claim that no deaths were "reported" due to oxygen shortage in the country, Congress on Tuesday slammed the govt saying everybody "knows" the reality and accused the junior health minister of "misleading" the House.
Congress also confirmed that it will move a Privilege Motion against the Minister of State for Health for providing "misleading" information in the House.
During a press conference, Congress leader KC Venugopal said, "Govt has given a reply today that nobody in the country died due to a shortage of oxygen. In every state we saw how many patients died due to lack of oxygen. We know."
"The Minister misled the House. We will move a Privilege Motion against that Minister," he added.
Taking a swipe at the Modi government, the Congress leader said, "This is the way in which the Govt of India is doing COVID control. This is a clear answer because the PM is giving a presentation today, I don't know if these types of answers will be given in that presentation."
"This is totally condemnable," he said.
20:53 BJP's Kushboo says her Twitter account has been hacked
Actor and BJP leader Kushboo Sundar on Tuesday said her Twitter account has been hacked. Any activity or tweet from the account in the last few days was not done by her, she said in a statement.
"I would like to let you know that my Twitter account, @khushsundar, was hacked three days ago. We have been trying to follow up with the Twitter administration office regarding this matter," she said.
"Any activity or tweet done from this account in the last few days was not by me," she added.
20:26 Delhi on alert over possible drone attack ahead of I-Day
Security officials have been put on high alert over a possibility of drone attack in New Delhi ahead of the Independence Day celebration on August 15.
According to the inputs gathered by intelligence agencies, the Pakistan-based terror outfits have hatched a conspiracy to rattle the national capital and are planning to carry out a terror attack using drones.
The security agencies have warned the police that the terror groups can carry out the attacks in the national capital on August 5- the day the government scrapped special status granted to the state of Jammu and Kashmir by modifying Article 370 of the Constitution.
The Delhi Police have stepped up preparations to deal with the recent drone threat and have created a special control room. The Delhi Police along with other security agencies are also being given special training to tackle this menace of drone threat.
Additionally, four anti-drone systems are being installed at the Red Fort this year, as compared to the two anti-drone systems that were set up last year.
20:02 74% of inputs for Mann ki Baat comes from youth
Over 74 per cent of the inputs received for Mann ki Baat, the monthly radio broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have come from those in 18 to 34 years age group, with health, education and agriculture sectors drawing most suggestions from people. MyGov CEO and senior IAS officer Abhishek Singh said the data came to fore during an analysis, an exercise done at regular intervals, of the number, nature and the region of the origin of the inputs. -- PTI
19:50 When it rains it pours in Patiala
Severe waterlogging in several parts of Patiala due to heavy rainfall. That's an image from Chandni Chowk in Patiala.
19:27 Adani Group stocks tumble
Shares of Adani Group firms on Tuesday tumbled up to 5 per cent after the government told Lok Sabha that markets regulator Sebi and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) are probing some of the Group companies for alleged non-compliance with rules.
Adani Transmission dipped 5 per cent, Adani Total Gas went lower by 5 per cent, Adani Power dived 4.99 per cent, Adani Green Energy 3.90 per cent, Adani Enterprises 1.05 per cent and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone 0.16 per cent on the BSE. During the day, Adani Transmission, Adani Total Gas, Adani Power, and Adani Green Energy touched their respective lower circuit limits.
Sebi and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are probing some Adani Group companies for alleged non-compliance with rules, the government told Lok Sabha on Monday.
19:20 Border situation with Mizoram fragile: Assam CM
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the situation along the interstate border with Mizoram is currently "fragile" and it will take some time to resolve the disputes with the neighbouring state. The chief minister, however, expressed optimism that some progress will be made in resolving boundary disputes with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh when he meets his counterparts from these states of the North-eastern region on July 23 in Shillong. -- PTI
19:15 Did Danish Siddiqui need to die?
Does Reuters want to cover news at 'all costs' -- even at the cost of human lives? asks Sudhir Bisht. Read the column here.
19:12 BJP workers, their security guards held for faking militant attack in J-K
Two BJP workers and their two personal security guards have been arrested for allegedly faking a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district last week, officials said on Tuesday.
BJP workers Ishfaq Mir and Basharat Ahmad, and the guards were arrested on Monday, they said. The BJP workers, in connivance with the guards, faked the attack on Friday night at Gulgam in Kupwara to get enhanced security, the officials said.
Mir, son of BJP district president Mohammad Shafi Mir, sustained injuries to the arm. After a preliminary investigation, police had said that Mir was injured in accidental firing by a security guard. However, after sustained questioning, the accused confessed that they had faked the attack to get more security, the officials said.
All of them were presented before a local court on Kupwara on Monday which remanded them to seven days' police custody.
18:44 Sensex extends losses for third day
Equity indices wilted under selling pressure for the third session on the trot on Tuesday as the global market sell-off deepened on renewed concerns over the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Banking and finance stocks were the biggest drags on the benchmarks, while a rebounding rupee and robust buying in select consumption counters capped the losses to some extent.
The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 354.89 points or 0.68 per cent to close at 52,198.51. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slumped 120.30 points or 0.76 per cent to 15,632.10. IndusInd Bank was the biggest laggard among the Sensex components, shedding 3.32 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, M&M and HDFC Bank.
On the other hand, Asian Paints topped the gainers' list with a jump of 6.04 per cent after the company reported an over two-fold increase in consolidated Q1 profit at Rs 574.30 crore.
18:24 No role of Shilpa Shetty in porn racket: Mum police
Update by the Mumbai police on the arrest of Raj Kundra, actress Shilpa Shetty's husband.
Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner of Police, Mumbai says, "We have not been able to any find any active role (of Shilpa Shetty) yet. We are investigating. We'll appeal to the victims to come forward and contact the Crime Branch Mumbai. We'll take appropriate action.
"We have arrested producers like Umesh Kamat, who's looking after India operations of Raj Kundra. Content creation and operations of 'Hotshots' app was carried out through the Viaan company.
"During the raid, we found evidence on the basis of which we arrested Kundra."
Raj Kundra was arrested by the Crime Branch in a case relating to creation of pornographic films and publishing them through apps. "He appears to be the key conspirator. We have sufficient evidence regarding this," the Mumbai police commissioner had said earlier.
17:56 India will get 12 cr Covishield vaccines per month
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the vaccine status in India in the Rajya Sabha today.
-- India will be getting 11-12 crore doses of Serum Institute's Covishield vaccine per month.
-- Bharat Biotech will supply 3.5 crore doses of its Covid vaccine in August.
-- Zydus Cadila has applied for emergency use authorisation for its DNA-based vaccine against coronavirus.
-- Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech are conducting trials of Covid vaccines on children.
No beds, no oxygen was the state of being in Delhi during the 2nd wave
17:41 No deaths due to lack of O2 in 2nd wave: Govt
The Central government on Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that no deaths due to lack of oxygen has been specifically reported by states/Union territories during the second wave of COVID-19.
Responding to a question by Congress MP KC Venugopal on whether a large number of COVID-19 patients died on roads and hospitals due to acute shortage of oxygen in the second wave, Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar pointed out that health is a state subject and accordingly all states/UTs report cases and deaths to the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis.
In a written reply, she stated that the Government of India has supported the States and undertook a series of actions including provisioning medical oxygen.
"However, no deaths due to lack of oxygen has been specifically reported by states/UTs. However, Government of India has supported the States and undertook a series of actions including provisioning medical oxygen, and other consumables to ensure clinical care of COVID-19 patients in view of steep rise of COVID-19 trajectory in the country during April- May 2021," read the reply.
Dr Pawar highlighted that the medical oxygen demand in the country during the second wave peaked to nearly 9000 Metric Tonnes (MT) as compared to 3095 MT during the first wave.
"The supply of medical oxygen to hospitals is determined by contractual arrangements between the concerned hospital and the medical oxygen supplier. However, due to unprecedented surge in demand of medical oxygen during the second wave - the demand in the country peaked to nearly 9000 MT as compared to 3095 MT during the first wave - the Central Government had to step in to facilitate equitable distribution to the States.
A dynamic and transparent framework for allocation of medical oxygen in consultation with States/UTs and all the stakeholders such as relevant Ministries, manufacturers/suppliers of liquid oxygen etc. was prepared," she stated. -- ANI
17:35 Employees working 11 hrs/week for free in India: Report
The amount of unpaid overtime that workers around the world are doing has soared in the past year and in India, employees are giving away more than 11 hours per week for free on average to their employers, according to a report.
According to a new study by the ADP Research Institute titled 'People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View', the average amount of "free time" worked has increased by almost two hours per person per week since COVID-19 hit. The "free time" worked can range from working over breaks and starting early or staying late, to regularly putting in extra work for no additional pay.
Globally, the average amount of free overtime being worked each week is now 9.2 hours per person up from 7.3 hours pre-pandemic, according to the findings of the survey of more than 32,000 workers in 17 countries. In India, workers believe that they work an extra 11.1 hours per week for free. More than 82 per cent of the respondents surveyed in India believe they have been underpaid at some point in time. Additionally, about 40 per cent of the respondents are working longer hours during normal working weeks, and almost 39 per cent are increasing efforts to network and develop contacts within the organisation. -- PTI
File pic
17:08 Oscar Fernandes suffers head injury while doing yoga
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes MP has been admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru after he suffered a fall while doing yoga, family sources said. While practising Yoga on Sunday morning, Fernandes lost his balance and fell down. He did not take it seriously then as it was a minor fall, they said.
However, when he visited the hospital for a routine check-up the same evening, doctors found that he had an internal head injury. Noticing the fluctuation in his health condition, he was immediately hospitalised, they said. Doctors at the hospital said Fernandes requires an immediate surgery.
16:54 4th serosurvey: 40 cr Indians vulnerable to Covid
The 4th round of national serosurvey was conducted in 70 districts in June-July and included children of 6-17 years of age, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava said.
--There was no difference in seroprevalence in male and female and rural and urban areas. In unvaccinated, the seroprevalence was 62.3% and with one dose of vaccine, it was 81%. In those who receive both doses, it was 89.8%.
-- Overall seroprevalence is 67.6% in the entire population. In people of 6-9 years age group, it was 57.2%; in 10-17 years, it was 61.6%; in 18-44 years, it was 66.7%; in 45-60 years, it was 77.6%.
-- Implications of 4th serosurvey clearly show that there is a ray of hope but there is no room for complacency. We must maintain COVID appropriate behaviour & community engagement. National level serosurvey is not a substitute of state/district level serosurvey.
-- More importantly, a third of the population did not have antibodies i.e 40 crore of the population of the country is still vulnerable:
-- We studied 7252 healthcare workers & 10% had not taken the vaccine, the overall seroprevalence in them was 85.2%. In conclusion, 2/3rd of general population i.e above the age of 6 yrs had SARS-CoV-2 infection.
People queue up to get vaccinated
16:17 Cong, SAD to skip today's govt meeting on Covid
The main opposition Congress said it wouldn't attend the government's meeting with floor leaders of all parties on COVID-19 later on Tuesday. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Congress is not boycotting the meeting, but it will not attend as it wants the government to present the facts on the floor of both houses of Parliament
The ruling BJP's erstwhile ally SAD will also not attend the meeting, its president Sukhbir Singh Badal said. The government has called the meeting of floor leaders of all parties on the COVID-19 management.
The Health Secretary is expected to make a presentation in the meeting, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well. PTI
The Karnataka CM with the seers
16:02 If Yeddyurappa goes, BJP in K'taka will be destroyed: Seers
In Karnataka, more than 30 seers of different mutts met CM BS Yediyurappa and extended their support to him.
Amid heightened buzz within a section of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party that the exit of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was on the cards, community factor seems to have come to the fore, with prominent Veerashaiva-Lingayat political leaders across party lines and seers throwing their weight behind him.
A seer, Dingaleshwar Swami said, "The CM said that he isn't in a position to say much but will bow his head to whatever decision the High Command takes. But the concern of mutt heads is that in this state if BJP is in power, it is because of the efforts of BS Yediyurappa and his close subordinates.
"Earlier too, they did not let him complete his term. Even now this pain is felt by one and all. If BS Yediyurappa is changed, then the BJP will be destroyed in the state. This is not being said only by us but it's the voice of the people as well."
15:49 WhatsApp hacking: How the targets found out
Several said they're convinced government is involved. Read the report here.
15:46 Govt defending Pegasus, not probing it: Gogoi
Attacking the Centre over the Pegasus spyware issue, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday alleged that the government is defending the Israeli firm NSO Group instead of probing it.
Speaking to ANI, Gogoi said, "Government's response has been disappointing. Instead of ordering a probe under judicial oversight, the Government of India is defending NSO Group. Former IT Minister had said in Parliament that an enquiry has been done into NSO by CERT-In. What happened to that probe?"
"The same government which ordered a probe into NSO Group is now defending it. Former IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wanted a probe, the current IT Minister is defending it. This shows two opposite stands of the Centre," added the Congress MP.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gogoi moved a motion of adjournment of the business of the House to discuss over Pegasus issue.This comes after The Wire reported that phone numbers of Indian Journalists appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware.The spyware 'Pegasus' is developed by Israel-based NSO Group. The company specialises in hacking devices and caters to various governments of the world for spying purposes.
Forensic tests have also confirmed that the phones of some of these journalists were successfully infected with the Pegasus malware, the report said.
According to the report, the journalists who were targeted work for some news organisations in the country including Hindustan Times, The Hindu, India Today, Indian Express and Network18. Many of them cover matters related to Defence, Home Ministry, Election Commission and Kashmir among others.
15:03 No caste census other than SCs, STs: Govt
The government has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said that according to the provisions of the Constitution, the seats are reserved for SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and in the assemblies in proportion, as nearly as may be, to their population.
Rai said in census, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 (as amended from time to time) are enumerated.
"The state governments of Maharashtra and Odisha have requested to collect caste details in the forthcoming census. The government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census," he said replying to a written question. -- PTI
14:59 BMC Commissioner gets Mumbai Ratna Award for 'Mumbai's Covid model'
BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal received the 'Mumbai Ratna Award' at the hands of Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for being an architect to the internationally acclaimed Mumbai Covid fight model. The commissioner dedicated the award to BMC.
On May 5, during the peak of the 2nd Covid wave, Supreme Court Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah observed: "The BMC is doing some great work...[Other civic authorities] can learn from them. One mark of success is that against Mumbais daily oxygen need of 230 metric tons (MT), the BMC can supply up to 275 MT per day. Effective oxygen management is one of 25 initiatives the civic body has implemented to beef up the citys medical infrastructure and systems. Together, these protocols make up the 'Mumbai Covid Model'.
14:38 Shilpa Shetty's husband sent to police custody
Actress Shilpa Shetty's husband and businessman Raj Kundra and one Ryan Tharp sent to police custody till 23rd July. They were brought to Mumbai's Esplanade Court this morning. Kundra was arrested yesterday while Tharp was arrested today in connection with a case relating to the production of pornographic films.
Read the backgrounder here.
14:33 Rajya Sabha witnesses repeated adjournments
Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Tuesday adjourned for the third time amid uproar by YSR Congress members demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.
When the Upper House reconvened at 1 pm after two adjournments, YSR Congress members led by V Vijaysai Reddy trooped in the well shouting slogans, "We want justice. We want special status to Andhra Pradesh." Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked protesting members several times to go back to their seats and allow the debate on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal appealed to the protesting members to allow discussion on the important issue that has affected the entire humanity.
"I would like to appeal to allow the House to discuss this very important subject that is affecting the whole world today. Entire country is watching us, watching this debate on Covid. Request you to discuss this important matter," he said. Goyal also asked YSR Congress members to share their experience in tackling the pandemic and "give us guidance so that others can also benefit from your experience."
However, the protesting members did not yield to the Deputy Chairman's request to keep the House in order and continued shouting standing in the Well. Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman asked Leader of Opposition Party Mallikarjun Kharge to initiate the debate. Amid the commotion, Kharge said, "House is not in order. How can I speak?"
Later, the Deputy Chair called other members. Since Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe was not there, Swapan Dasgupta (nominated) spoke amid the commotion. As slogan shouting continued, the chair adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Earlier, the House proceedings were adjourned twice over various issues including the Pegasus snooping row. -- PTI
Vaccinations are only being given at hospitals or dedicated centres
14:28 Home vax for bed-ridden in Mumbai from August 1
The Maharashtra government and the Mumbai civic body told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that they would start door-to-door vaccination against COVID-19 for bed-ridden and immobile people in the city as a pilot project from August 1.
The court expressed its satisfaction and said, The Union government did not rise to the occasion. However, the state government has risen to the occasion and today there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, appearing for the state government, told a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni that initially the plan was to start the home vaccination drive in Pune, but it has been changed to Mumbai considering the response received from such people.
Kumbhakoni told the court that the government has received 3,505 responses in Mumbai from people who are bed-ridden or immobile and hence, unable to travel to the vaccination centres. He said a policy to this effect would be issued by the government and the home vaccination drive would begin from August 1 in Mumbai. As per the policy, people who are completely bed-ridden, immobile or suffering from some terminal illness shall be eligible for home vaccination.
The court said the government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) can begin the home vaccination drive for bed-ridden and immobile people from August 1, and a status report shall be filed by August 6 on its progress.
"We hope and trust that the state government and the BMC shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that the eligible bed-ridden and immobile individuals will also have the benefit of COVID-19 vaccine, the court said. -- PTI
14:26 MHA discusses Lakshwadeep problems in LS
The Centre on Tuesday said the identification of the problems faced by the people of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep is a continuous process and it takes appropriate action to resolve them from time to time.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said this in the Lok Sabha in response to a question on whether the central government has any plan to send a delegation to identify the difficulties being faced by the people of Lakshadweep.
"The government keeps the welfare of the people at the centre of all its activities. The identification of problems faced by the people is a continuous process and the government takes appropriate action to resolve them from time to time," he said replying a written question.
Lakshadweep has recently seen protests by the locals after the UT administration mooted a number of proposals that include plans to develop the island as a major tourist destination, enactment of the Goonda Act and the plan to restrict the slaughtering of cattle. People also protested over the removal of non-vegetarian items from the menu of midday meals for schoolchildren and closure of dairy farms. However, operation of these two orders were stayed by the Kerala High Court, which has jurisdiction over the archipelago. PTI
14:23 'UK PM was reluctant to tighten restrictions as dying over 80+'
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's former top aide Dominic Cummings, who had an unceremonious exit from Downing Street last year, has claimed that his ex-boss was reluctant to tighten restrictions as COVID-19 cases rose last September because he thought people dying were "essentially all over 80".
Cummings, who has made a series of attacks on the Prime Minister over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the country, launched a fresh set of allegations in an interview to the BBC. He said that Johnson had messaged him to say: "I no longer buy all this NHS (National Health Service) overwhelmed stuff."
Cummings said that Johnson was reluctant to tighten COVID-19 restrictions as cases rose last September because he thought people dying from it were "essentially all over 80".
In response, Downing Street said the Prime Minister had taken the "necessary action to protect lives and livelihoods, guided by the best scientific advice" throughout the pandemic. Cummings told the BBC that he, UK Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty had pushed for tougher restrictions from mid-September, but Johnson had said: "No, no, no, no, no, I'm not doing it." In a wide-ranging television interview, Cummings said near the start of the pandemic last year, Johnson had wanted to keep his weekly face-to-face meetings with the Queen going but that he had to warn his boss that she might die if she caught coronavirus.
"There's people in this office who are isolating. You might have coronavirus. I might have coronavirus. You can't go and see the Queen. What if you go and see her and give the Queen coronavirus? You obviously can't go," he claims to have said. He continued: "I just said, 'If you give her coronavirus and she dies, what are you going to (do)? You can't do that. You can't risk that. That's completely insane.' And (the PM) said - he basically just hadn't thought it through - 'Yeah...I can't go'." Downing Street denied that this incident took place and Buckingham Palace declined to comment. -- PTI
14:15 SC seeks state govt reply on compensation to Manipur activist
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Manipur government to file its response on granting compensation to political activist Leichombam Erendro, who was released last evening from detention after being booked under the National Security Act for having criticised BJP leaders on use of cow dung and urine as cures for COVID-19.
A bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that it was a serious issue as someone lost his liberty since May and the petitioners have prayed for grant of compensation to Erendro for detention.
The bench said it was issuing notice to the state government and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. During the hearing, Mehta said that this case was brought to light three months ago and as soon as the state government had noticed the fact, the charges were revoked.
He said the state government has not defended the plea for release of the activist and therefore the matter should be allowed to rest here. -- PTI
14:13 Cong, Lingayat leaders warn of backlash if Yeddy is replaced
Amid heightened buzz within a section of the ruling BJP that the exit of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was on the cards, community factor seems to have come to the fore, with prominent Veerashaiva-Lingayat political leaders across party lines and seers throwing their weight behind him.
Several seers and leaders of the dominant community, which is estimated to form about 16 per cent of the states population, have cautioned the BJP against any move to dislodge the 78-year-old Lingayat strongman from the Chief Minister's post.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community is considered to be the BJP's core support base. With a new round of speculation on whether replacement of Yediyurappa is round the corner, senior Congress leader and the head of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, said the community is behind the Chief Minister.
"They (BJP leadership) should remember history-- S Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil, J H Patel and S R Bommai (all former Chief Minisyers). They will destroy themselves if they attempt such a thing," Shivashankarappa said in response to a question on reports that BJP is mulling replacing Yediyurappa.
Stating that the community wants him to continue as the Chief Minister, he said, "Yediyurappa has built the party from scratch. "Veerashaiva Mahasabha is behind him...as long as Yediyurappa is there, they (BJP) will be there. If Yediyurappa is disturbed, things will end there," he said. Another prominent Congress leader from the Lingayat community and former Minister M B Patil has warned that the BJP may face the wrath of Lingayats, if they "ill treat" a tall leader like Yediyurappa.
"BJP should value the contribution of Yediyurappa and treat him with dignity. This is my personal opinion, understanding that the proposed changes may be internal matters of the BJP," he said.
14:04 Govt to reply to RS debate on Covid at 5 pm
The Rajya Sabha will discuss issues related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, said Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh.
All the leaders met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday demanding a discussion on COVID-19.
Following this, Naidu gave his consent to discuss the matter.
"All leaders met with the chairman as they wanted to have a discussion on COVID. Rajya Sabha Chairman has given his consent. It will be discussed at 1 pm," Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh said.
It was agreed in the meeting that COVID aspects will be discussed for four hours from 1 pm on Tuesday while the Minister of Health and Family Welfare to reply on the matter at 5 pm, said sources.
Following morning disruptions in the Rajya Sabha, the House is likely to resume normal functioning after 1 pm on Tuesday.
According to sources, this was facilitated in a meeting between Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Opposition leaders Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh, Derek O'Brien and Tiruchi Siva.
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh and Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs Muraleedharan were also present in the meeting.
In the meeting, Naidu stressed on normalcy in the House so that important issues can be discussed orderly.
Sources revealed that Piyush Goyal had earlier held an informal discussion with Opposition leaders seeking their cooperation for the resumption of functioning of the House.
Goyal then met Naidu along with leaders of the Opposition soon after the first adjournment of the House till 12 noon.
Rajya Sabha adjourned for the second time on Tuesday after the Opposition created a ruckus over farmers issues, fuel price hikes and COVID mismanagement. -- ANI
13:33 Swiggy raises Rs 9,345 cr from SoftBank, Prosus
Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy on Tuesday announced the closure of USD 1.25 billion (approximately Rs 9,345 crore) funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Prosus.
As per sources, the closure of this round pegs the valuation of the company at USD 5.5 billion (around Rs 41,125 crore).
This comes on the heels of the closure of competitor Zomato's mega initial public offering (IPO) which gives Zomato a valuation of Rs 64,365 crore.
The funding marks the first investment in the Indian food delivery category by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from the company's long-term investor, Prosus, and other existing investors Accel Partners and Wellington Management, Swiggy said in a statement.
This latest fundraising was heavily oversubscribed following strong interest from investors, and comes on the back of Swiggy's rapid recovery from the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent growth in 2020-21, it added.
12:43 Opposition meet decides to corner govt over Pegasus
Opposition parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam held a meeting at Parliament House on Tuesday morning and decided to continue to raise the issue of Pegasus spyware in both the Houses and corner the government.
The Opposition parties are likely to meet again at 2 pm to take a final decision over attending the briefing by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Covid-19 later today.
Reacting on the Pegasus issue, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "Have you ever heard of the usage of the intelligence system (Pegasus) by Congress and spying of this kind? This is the strategy of making new India."
The Congress party on Monday had demanded an independent probe into the alleged illegal surveillance of journalists using Pegasus spyware and sought the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue.
12:24 RS to discuss Covid-19 at 1 pm
The Rajya Sabha will discuss the Covid-19 pandemic at 1 pm today, when the House will reconvene after an adjournment.
A decision to this effect was taken after leaders met the RS chairman with the request.
11:59 Former UP CM Kalyan Singh's condition is unstable: Hospital
The health condition of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh is not stable, the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow said on Tuesday.
"Kalyan Singh ji's health status is unstable. His clinical parameters are being closely monitored by expert consultants. He has been put on non-invasive ventilation due to respiratory worsening," the hospital said in a statement.
SGPGIMS Director R K Dhiman is closely monitoring his treatment on a daily basis, it said
"The senior faculty of critical care medicine (CCM), cardiology, nephrology, neurology and endocrinology are keeping a close watch on all the aspects related to his (Singh's) health," the hospital said.
Singh, 89, who is also a former governor of Rajasthan, was admitted to the ICU of the hospital on the evening of July 4 due to an infection and reduced consciousness level. Earlier, he was undergoing treatment at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.
11:39 Kerala easing curbs for Bakri Id uncalled for: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "wholly uncalled for" the relaxations granted by the Kerala government for the Bakri Id in areas having the highest Covid-19 positivity rate and warned that it will take action if the easing of curbs leads to further spread of the virus.
The apex court pulled up the state government for giving in to traders' pressure by granting relaxations ahead of Bakri Id and said it disclosed a "sorry state of affairs".
A bench of justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai said that the citizenry of India has been laid bare to the nationwide pandemic by the grant of such relaxations by the Kerala government.
"We direct the Kerala government to give heed to the Right to Life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution," the bench said.
The bench was hearing an application which raised the issue of relaxations granted by the Kerala government in view of Bakri Id. It was filed in a matter in which the apex court had last week taken suo motu cognisance of earlier media reports on the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to allow Kanwar Yatra amid the pandemic.
11:16 Parliament adjourned as Oppn keeps up protests
While the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till noon.
Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned soon after they convened on Day 2 of the monsoon session on Tuesday following the Opposition's protests over the Pegasus spying issue.
11:04 BJP holds parliamentary party meet ahead of Day 2 proceedings
The parliamentary party meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party was held on Tuesday before the commencement of proceedings on the second day of the monsoon session.
The meeting was attended by all MPs of the party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The meeting was held adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
Rajya Sabha witnessed three adjournments, on the first day of the monsoon session on Monday before it was adjourned for the day.
Lok Sabha also saw two adjournments on Monday before it adjourned for the day. -- ANI
10:42 Bad news from BSE, Sensex slips over 300 points
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled over 300 points in early trade on Tuesday, tracking losses in HDFC twins, ICICI Bank and HCL Tech amid intense selloff in global markets.
The 30-share BSE index was trading 334.19 points lower at 52,219.29 in initial deals at press time, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 113.75 points to 15,638.65.
HCL Tech was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, M&M, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.
On the other hand, UltraTech Cement, Asian Paints, PowerGrid and Nestle India were among the gainers.
In the previous session, Sensex tumbled 586.66 points or 1.10 per cent to close at 52,553.40, and Nifty slumped 171 points or 1.07 per cent to 15,752.40.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 2,198.71 crore on Monday, as per provisional exchange data.
10:36 Uddhav offers Ashadhi Ekadashi prayers at Pandharpur
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with his wife Rashmi performed the 'maha puja' at the Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Pandharpur on Tuesday morning on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi.
Ashadhi Ekadashi is dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu across many states in the country.
10:30 WHO assessing Covaxin data for emergency nod
The World Health Organisation, which is currently reviewing Bharat Biotech's application for an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, has said it is assessing the data of the jab.
In an update on its website, the WHO, which began rolling data on July 6, said the date for a decision on the jab is yet 'to be confirmed'.
Rolling data allows the WHO to start its review right away, as information continues to come in, to accelerate the overall review process.
Suchitra Ella, joint managing director of Bharat Biotech, had recently said the EUL process is a step closer to the final decision on Covaxin's 'global acceptance' as the rolling data was slated to begin in July.
She also, in a tweet, said the company was working closely with the WHO for inclusion of Covaxin in its EUL and approval is not expected to be a long drawn process as cell line and majority of Bharat Biotech's facilities have already been audited and approved by the global health watchdog for BBIL's other vaccines in the past.
The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker recently said it concluded the final analysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3 trials.
The jab demonstrated 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 and 65.2 per cent protection against the B.1.617.2 Delta variant, it said. -- PTI
09:49 India logs 30,093 Covid cases in 24 hrs; 374 die
India reports 30,093 new COVID-19 cases, 45,254 recoveries, and 374 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union health ministry.
Total cases: 3,11,74,322
Active cases: 4,06,130
Total recoveries: 3,03,53,710
Death toll: 4,14,482
Total vaccination: 41,18,46,401
IMAGE: A student undergoes thermal screening as a precaution against COVID-19, before appearing for SSLC examination at a school during Covid-induced lockdown in Bengaluru, on Monday. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo
09:43 Farmer union accuses Delhi police of spreading misinformation
Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday accused Delhi Police of spreading misinformation by describing their protest outside Parliament as Sansad gherao.
However, there was no reaction from police regarding the allegation.
SKM has already informed that there are no plans of laying siege to the Parliament, and the protests will be peaceful and disciplined, the umbrella body of farmer unions said in a statement.
Delhi Police is choosing to indulge in deliberate misinformation and SKM asks Delhi Police to desist from the same, it said.
It condemned social media posters doing rounds, asking for a siege of the Parliament.
All such calls, genuine or fake, are anti-farmer, and against the interest of the ongoing farmers' movement.
SKM strongly condemns it, the statement said. SKM and the protesting farmers have nothing to do with such calls or any such organisation.
SKM calls upon those generating posters and calls for action, to desist from deviating and diverting in any way, the just cause of farmers and their peaceful protests, it added. -- PTI
08:47 Pak has made progress on FATF action plan: US
Pakistan has made significant progress on its first action plan of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) by largely addressing 26 of the 27 action items, the United States has said.
It has also urged Pakistan to swiftly complete the remaining action item by demonstrating that terrorism financing, investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of United Nations-designated terror groups.
At its virtual plenary meeting last month, the FATF had retained Pakistan on its 'grey list' for failing to check money laundering, leading to terror financing.
It had also asked Pakistan to investigate and prosecute UN-designated terrorists based in the country like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.
The global body against money laundering and terror financing had also asked Pakistan to work to address its strategically important deficiencies.
At his daily news conference on Monday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "We do recognise and we support Pakistan's continued efforts to satisfy those (first action plan) obligations. Pakistan has made significant progress on its first action plan with 26 of 27 action items largely addressed."
"We encourage Pakistan to continue working with the FATF and the international community to swiftly complete the remaining action item by demonstrating that terrorism financing, investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated groups," he said.
In response to a question, Price said the US encourages Pakistan to expeditiously work on its new second action plan.
Pakistan was placed on the 'grey list' by the FATF in June 2018 and was given a plan of action to complete by October 2019.
Since then the country continues to be on this list due to its failure to comply with the FATF mandates.
With Pakistan's continuation on the 'grey list', it is increasingly becoming difficult for the country to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the European Union at a time when it faces a precarious financial situation.
Islamabad has managed to avoid the 'black list', for which it needs the support of three countries.
China, Turkey and Malaysia have been its consistent supporters. -- PTI
08:13 India offered 7.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine
India has been offered 7.5 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX global vaccine sharing programme, but it is not clear when the jabs will arrive in the country as a consensus on the indemnity clause is yet to be reached, sources said.
The government last week said that it is working actively with vaccine manufacturer Moderna to see how its vaccine can be made available in the country. Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorisation by India's drug regulator last month.
"India has been offered 7.5 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX global vaccine sharing programme," a source said.
However, there is no clarity so far when the shots would be available in India as 'the talks are still on and a consensus on the indemnity issue is yet to be reached', a source said.
On the availability of Moderna vaccine in the country, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul had recently said the government is working actively with Moderna to see how its vaccine can be imported and made available in the country.
"...to and fro (talks) are going on over the contractual specifics. Discussions have not yet concluded. We are making efforts as to it happens at the earliest. We are now expecting to hear from them anytime. Currently, they have to respond to some of the points we have made and we will take it forward," he said on Friday.
According to sources, the Indian government has put forth certain conditions for finalising the indemnity clause contract and has sent it to the US drug manufacturer for their perusal. -- PTI
00:09 China accused of cyber-attack on Microsoft
The UK, US and EU have accused China of carrying out a major cyber-attack earlier this year.
The attack targeted Microsoft Exchange servers, affecting at least 30,000 organisations globally.
Western security services believe it signals a shift from a targeted espionage campaign to a smash-and-grab raid, leading to concerns Chinese cyber-behaviour is escalating.
The Chinese ministry of state security has also been accused of wider espionage activity and a broader pattern of "reckless" behaviour.
China has previously denied allegations of hacking and says it opposes all forms of cyber-crime.
The unified call-out of Beijing shows the gravity with which this case has been taken. Western intelligence officials say aspects are markedly more serious than anything they have seen before.
It began in January when hackers from a Chinese-linked group known as Hafnium began exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange. They used the vulnerability to insert backdoors into systems which they could return to later.
The UK said the attack was likely to enable large-scale espionage, including the acquisition of personal information and intellectual property.
It was mainly carried out against specific systems which aligned with Hafnium's previous targets, such as defence contractors, think tanks and universities.
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