LIVE: BSP issues whip to 6 Rajasthan MLAs to vote against Congress

Stay tuned with Business Standard for all latest news live updates

2:54 AM

Lessons learnt: Delhi, Mumbai show the way on how to tame the Covid curve

With Covid-19 cases rising steadily in India, Delhi and Mumbai, which have turned a corner in fight against coronavirus, could show the way forward in tackling the pandemic.

 

While daily Covid cases have dropped significantly in Delhi — from over 3,000 in June to around 1,000 during the last week, the daily growth rate of cases has come down to 1 per cent for both cities.

 

The drop in the curve, experts say, is partially because of the pandemic playing itself out, and partially because of the two cities finally getting their act together by ramping up the testing capacity and implementing stricter quarantine norms. Read more

2:53 AM

Covid-19 crisis: Sikkim government extends lockdown till August 1

The Sikkim government has extended the statewide lockdown till August 1 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a notification.

.

A complete, six-day lockdown, imposed by the hilly state, was scheduled to end on Sunday. “After careful consideration of the situation, it has been decided to extend the period of lockdown in the entire state of Sikkim till 6 am of August 1, 2020,” a notification issued by Chief Secretary S C Gupta said.

 

The state reported its first Covid-19 death on Sunday after a 74-year-old man succumbed to the disease at a state-run hospital here, the official said.

2:52 AM

Record 36,145 Covid-19 patients recover in a single-day, says govt

As many as 36,145 patients have recuperated from Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours, the highest recorded in a day, pushing the recovery rate to 63.92 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

 

The Covid-19 case fatality rate has further dropped to 2.31 per cent, the ministry said. The total recoveries has surged to 885,576 so far, as India’s Covid-19 tally climbed to 1,385,522 on Sunday.

1:11 AM

Witness: Driver gunned down armed protester in Texas capital

A protester who was apparently armed with a rifle at a demonstration against police violence in the Texas capital was shot and killed after a witness says he approached a vehicle that had driven through the crowd and the driver opened fire.

 

The shooting happened just before 10 pm Saturday as demonstrators were marching through the downtown Austin, police spokesperson Katrina Ratliff told reporters early Sunday.

 

The man who was shot was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 

The vehicle honked, turned onto a street and sped through the protesters before he apparently hit an orange barrier and stopped, witness Michael Capochiano, who took part in the demonstration, told the Austin American-Statesman.

1:11 AM

BCCI sends acceptance letter to Emirates Cricket Board to host IPL

12:52 AM

Blistering Broad puts England on course for series win

Two blistering spells from Stuart Broad left England in a commanding position to seal a series- clinching victory over the West Indies in the deciding third Test.

 

The Windies closed day three on 10-2 and still 389 runs from its unlikely victory target after wickets in successive overs by a rampant Broad in the final half hour at Old Trafford.

 

Rewind to before lunch and it was the paceman who took all four remaining wickets of West Indies' first innings in 22 balls to skittle the tourists for 197.

12:10 AM

Entire country worried by way elected govts being toppled: Gehlot

Taking part in the Congress' online campaign to "expose" the "BJP's designs to violate" constitutional and democratic norms, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that "democracy is in danger" and the entire country is "worried by the way elected governments are being toppled".

 

The party on Sunday carried out the "SpeakUpForDemocracy" online campaign to back Gehlot amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, and plans for nationwide protests to ramp up the pressure.

 

"Today, the entire country is worried because democracy is in danger. The 'SpeakUpForDemocracy' programme has its own message. Common people will have to understand and those in the government also will have to understand... the atmosphere in the country is worrisome," Gehlot said in a statement.

12:09 AM

Liverpool signs off Premier League-winning season in style

Liverpool crowned its Premier League-winning season with a 3-1 victory at Newcastle to equal Manchester City's record for wins and set a club record for points on Sunday.

 

Goals from Virgil van Dijk, Divock Origi and Sadio Man gave the champions their 32nd win from 38 games matching Man City's record while 99 points over the season is the second highest-ever total, one point less than City's in 2017-18.

 

Liverpool finished 18 points ahead of second-place City, one point short of City's record margin from 2017-18.

11:50 PM

Chelsea into Champions League with 2-0 win over Wolves

Mason Mount sent Chelsea into next season's Champions League with a sumptuous free kick and an assist for Olivier Giroud in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton on the final day of the Premier League on Sunday.

 

Mount's curling strike from just outside the area put Chelsea ahead in first-half stoppage time at Stamford Bridge, before the 21-year-old England international teed up Giroud for a fine finish less than three minutes later.

 

Chelsea sealed a fourth-place finish in Frank Lampard's first season in charge, and joined champion Liverpool, second-place Manchester City and third-place Manchester United in the Champions League.

10:53 PM

BSP issues whip to its 6 MLAs in any trust vote

10:52 PM

36 Rafale fighters, 28 Apache and 15 Chinook helicopters inducted since PM Modi came to power: JP Nadda

10:51 PM

Police, protesters clash as US cities endure violent weekend

Protests took a violent turn in several US cities overnight, with demonstrators squaring off against agents outside a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles during unrest in California and Virginia.

 

A protester in Austin, Texas, who was apparently armed with a rifle was shot and killed after witnesses say he approached a car that had driven through a march against police violence.

 

And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said.

 

The unrest Saturday and early Sunday stemmed from the weeks of protests over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of color that flared up after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black and handcuffed, died after a white police officer used his knee to pin down Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes while Floyd begged for air.

10:49 PM

Olivia de Havilland, Oscar-winning actress, dies at 104

Olivia de Havilland, the doe-eyed actress beloved to millions as the sainted Melanie Wilkes of Gone With the Wind, but also a two-time Oscar winner and an off-screen fighter who challenged and unchained Hollywood's contract system, died Sunday at her home in Paris. She was 104.

 

Havilland, the sister of fellow Oscar winner Joan Fontaine, died peacefully of natural causes, said New York-based publicist Lisa Goldberg De Havilland was among the last of the top screen performers from the studio era, and the last surviving lead from Gone With the Wind, an irony, she once noted, since the fragile, self-sacrificing Wilkes was the only major character to die in the film.

 

The 1939 epic, based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling Civil War novel and winner of 10 Academy Awards, is often ranked as Hollywood's box office champion (adjusting for inflation), although it is now widely condemned for its glorified portrait of slavery and antebellum life.

10:45 PM

Congress launches digital campaign

India's democracy will function according to Constitution and echo the voice of the people, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday while participating in his party's online campaign to "expose" the "BJP's designs to violate" constitutional and democratic norms.

 

He also said that people will reject the saffron party's "conspiracy of deceit and deception".

 

The party on Sunday carried out the "SpeakUpForDemocracy" online campaign that seeks to "expose" what it called the saffron party's "designs" to topple the Ashok Gehlot dispensation in Rajasthan and other state governments run by non-BJP parties.

 

A large number of Congress leaders participated in the digital campaign.

10:44 PM

New head of 2022 Commonwealth Games after diversity concerns

Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin has resigned from leading the organizing committee for the 2022 event in the central English city of Birmingham following concerns about the lack of diversity on the board.

 

The Scot will be replaced by Sandra Osborne, a lawyer who is president of the Barbados Olympic Committee.

 

The resignation followed "discussions over recent months" and Osborne brings "a wealth of skills, experience and new perspectives to this important role," the CGF said.

10:23 PM

Atrocities against Dalits on the rise in Telangana: Congress

Congress on Sunday alleged that atrocities against Dalits was on the rise in Telangana and accused Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of pursuing 'anti- Dalit' policies in the state.

 

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Uttam Kumar Reddy flayed police for detaining him, party MLAs and workers while they tried to march to Mallaram village in Jayashankar Bnupalpally district to meet the family of a Dalit youth who, he alleged, was killed on July 6.

10:18 PM

Digvijaya Singh urges Rajasthan governor to call special session

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday urged Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra to accept the state cabinet's "constitutional" demand for convening a special session of the Legislative Assembly.

 

Releasing a video as part of the "Speak up for Democracy" campaign of the Congress, Singh said, "I request the governor to accept the constitutional demand of the state government (in Rajasthan) to call the session. The governor has also taken the oath in the name of constitution".

10:14 PM

If enemy attacks us, we will give befitting response as shown in Kargil: Rajnath Singh

10:13 PM

I am with BJP, reports of my differences with leadership 'malicious and misleading': Mukul Roy

10:11 PM

AAP slams SDMC over proposal to hike four taxes

The AAP on Sunday slammed the BJP-ruled SDMC for bringing a proposal to hike four taxes, saying the party will stage a protest if the proposal is not rolled back.

 

According to media reports, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has proposed to hike four taxes owing to financial crunch. The taxes include professional tax, tax on unauthorised colonies, property transfer tax and electricity tax.

 

AAP Delhi convenor and cabinet minister Gopal Rai said the move exposes the anti-people mindset of the BJP. He said the BJP should immediately release a white paper on the money spent by the municipal corporations.

 

There was no immediate reaction from the SDMC or BJP on the issue.

9:34 PM

Flood situation worsens in Assam, Bihar; rain lashes Delhi

The flood situation worsened in Assam and Bihar on Sunday with five more deaths and nearly 40 lakh people affected in the two states, as another spell of monsoon rain lashed Delhi but a sultry weather prevailed in Punjab and Haryana.

 

The five fresh deaths raised the flood-related toll in Assam to 102. Another 26 people have died in landslides triggered by rainfall, the state disaster management authority said.

 

Over 2.4 million people are hit due to floods in 23 districts of Assam.

 

Goalpara is the worst-hit with over 470,000 people affected.

9:27 PM

Fans in English sporting event for 1st time since March

Spectators were allowed into a sporting event in England for the first time since March when coronavirus prevention measures were tested at a cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex at The Oval ahead of a planned wider reopening of stadiums in October.

 

Alternate rows were used across two stands and advisory signs were on show for the friendly match being watched by 1,000 people, with a two-seat gap between family groups of a maximum of six.

 

A limited number of members were in assigned seats in the stadium in south London.

 

Surrey chief executive Richard Gould said the club received 10,000 calls for the available places within an hour of the tickets being made available to members.

9:16 PM

In fresh proposal, Rajasthan govt requests Governor to call Assembly session to discuss Covid-19 situation

9:09 PM

Bhopal gas tragedy:Organisations seek MP govt help for victims

Organisations working for the cause of survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy on Sunday demanded urgent help for the victims, especially widows, from the Madhya Pradesh government in view of the Covid-19 crisis.

 

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, these organisations claimed the condition of about 5,000 widowed victims has become pathetic, as they have been deprived of the monthly pension (of Rs 1,000) since December 2019.

 

The letter has been written jointly by Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan (BGPMUS) convener Hamida Bi and ND Jayaprakash, co-convener of the Bhopal Gas Peedith Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti (BGPSSS).

 

Jayaprakash said BGPSSS was an umbrella body of 30 NGOs working for the gas victims.

9:05 PM

India celebrates 21st anniversary of Kargil War victory; PM Modi says world has seen the nation's strength

9:04 PM

Centre working on draft legislation on logistics: Official

The Centre is preparing a draft legislation on logistics with a view to promoting the growth of the sector and replace the existing multimodal transportation of goods law, an official said.

 

The efficiency in logistics comes from end-to-end services, and hence the document will not just focus on multi-modal transport, Department of Commerce Special Secretary (Logistics) Pawan Kumar Agarwal said, while speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

 

"The government in the process of drafting the National Logistics Efficiency Advancement Predictability and Safety (NLEAPS) Act," a statement quoted him as saying.

8:50 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Nearly 1.5 million affected in 11 flood-hit districts of Bihar

Nearly 1.5 million people have been affected by floods in 11 districts of Bihar, and at least 10 have lost their lives in the deluge, the disaster management department said on Sunday. According to the department, Darbhanga is the worst-affected district, as 5.36 lakh people there have either been displaced or are trapped inside their homes.

 

Floodwaters have entered homes in Bishunpur village of Darbhanga district, forcing people to wade through waist-deep water, even as they try and salvage their valuables.

 

"We witness flood every year, but this year all records have been broken," a resident of the village said.

 

Similarly, many people in Mabbi village of the district and some from the adjoining areas have come out to live on the streets, as portions of their houses have been washed away in the deluge.

8:27 PM

Actor Sonu Sood provides tractor to girls seen in a viral video ploughing a farm in Chittoor

8:22 PM

Assam flood toll rises to 102 with 5 more deaths, 25 lakh people affected

The flood situation in Assam remained critical with five more persons losing their lives, while nearly 25 lakh people have been affected by the deluge in 23 districts, an official bulletin said on Sunday.

 

Barpeta and Kokrajhar districts reported two deaths each and one death was reported from Morigaon district, according to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

 

With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslide has gone up to 128 across the state. Of them, 102 were killed in flood- related incidents and 26 in landslides.

7:44 PM

Ram temple 'bhoomi pujan': Advani, Bhagwat invited; DD to telecast live

Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are among those being invited to the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 which will be shown live by Doordarshan, trustees of the temple said on Sunday.

 

Besides them, there is also a plan to invite spiritual leaders from all faiths, Anil Mishra, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, told PTI. He said that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions of social distancing, there will be a limited gathering of up to 200 people at the event.

 

The list is yet to be finalised, he said. Invitations are being extended to several people who have been part of this temple movement including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, Mishra said. READ MORE...