Explore Business Standard
Explore Business Standard
Live news updates:The findings may quash the theory that the virus leaked from the lab at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology
 "LIVE news updates: Covid virus jumped to humans at Wuhan mkt, find studies")
2 min read Last Updated : Jul 27 2022 | 3:00 PM IST
3:00 PM
2:58 PM
With assembly polls in Karnataka only months away, and amid the pressure to deliver and bring BJP back to power in the state, it has literally been a race against time for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who completes one year in office on Thursday.
As he looks to lead the party in the assembly polls, due before May next year, and break decades old jinx of no party in government retaining power in the state (since 1985), Bommai now has merely eight to nine months left to repackage and sell his administration's development narrative to voters.
To highlight his government's achievements and to bring back its development agenda to fore, the ruling BJP is organising a mega rally at Doddaballapura, some 40 km from here, on July 28, the date one which exactly one year ago Bommai took over the mantle of power from the BJP's seasoned oarsman and his "political mentor" B S Yediyurappa.
The mega event named Janotsava' (festival of people) which will see mobilisation of lakhs of beneficiaries of state government's schemes, is likely to be attended by BJP national President J P Nadda, and it is aimed to send out a message of development, as the party has set a target of winning 150 seats in the polls next year.
2:47 PM
2:47 PM
2:47 PM
2:45 PM
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the "exorbitant" price of the subsidised cylinder under the 'Ujjwala Yojana' is a "spoiler" and asserted that a good scheme of subsidised cooking gas started by the UPA has practically perished due to the "callous attitude" of the present government.
The measure of success of the Ujjwala scheme can be gauged only by the number of refills ordered by the beneficiary, Chidambaram said.
He said data shows that nearly 25 per cent of beneficiaries order only one or two or three refills per year and in the remaining months they do not use LPG cylinders but use non-clean fuel.
2:36 PM
Odisha recorded 1,174 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while there was another fatality, the health department said.
There are 7,011 active COVID-19 cases, of which 1,642 are in Khurda district and 1,290 in Sundargarh, according to a bulletin.
The test positivity rate was 5.46 per cent as the cases were detected out of 21,488 samples tested. As many as 155 children were among the new patients.
2:16 PM
2:11 PM
Twenty opposition MPs, who were suspended from the Rajya Sabha for disrupting proceedings, on Wednesday started a 50-hour-long protest inside the Parliament complex.
The MPs are holding the relay protest near the Gandhi Statue and will stay at the site through the night, said TMC MP Dola Sen said, who is one of the suspended parliamentarians.
The 20 MPs, suspended over the last two days, include seven from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), six from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one each from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
2:10 PM
Responding to the Congress allegation of the Enforcement Directorate harassing party president Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed Chief Ministers of Congress for protesting in the national capital and looking after the issues of their own States.
"Chori bhi aur seenajori bhi, ye Congress se sikha jaye, bhrashtachar bhi aur bawal bhi," said Thakur.
The Union Minister further said, "If they haven't done any corruption, then why fear? Chief Ministers of Congress have no work in their states. Incidents of rape, and murder are being reported from Congress-ruled states, but their CMs are camping in Delhi instead of maintaining law and order in their respective states."
2:10 PM
Sri Lanka's newly-appointed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Wednesday said the government is ready to listen to the demands of democratic public protesters, but denounced acts of terrorism, calling it the greatest threat to democracy.
Gunawardena, 73, an ally of the Rajapaksas and a school friend of the newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was sworn in as the Sri Lankan Prime Minister last week amid an unprecedented economic and political crisis.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Gunawardena said the Sri Lankan government is ready to listen to the democratic public protests, but they could not accept acts of terrorism.
1:56 PM
12:36 PM
The origin of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 was at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, and resulted from multiple spillover events of the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumping from live animal hosts to humans working or shopping there, according to a pair of related studies.
The findings, by a team of international researchers led by the team at University of California San Diego, may quash the theory that the virus leaked from the lab at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology causing the pandemic that has so far claimed at least 6.4 million lives.
Instead, the studies, published online via First Release in the journal Science, showed that a pathogen successfully jumped from a non-human animal host to human, in what is known as a zoonotic event.
It posits that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from animals to humans at least twice and perhaps as many as two dozen times.
12:17 PM
12:16 PM
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday recorded her statement for the third time before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
She reached the federal agency's office in central Delhi at 11 am accompanied by her children Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi.
The session began around 11:15 am by a team of investigators that includes the main probe officer and a person who takes down statements dictated by Gandhi on a computer.
12:08 PM
11:47 AM
11:37 AM
11:37 AM
11:30 AM
The Singapore government has issued a new visa to ex-Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, extending his stay in the country by another 14 days till August 11, a media report said on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore on a private visit from the Maldives after fleeing his country.
Rajapaksa has been issued a new visa, extending his stay here till August 11. His visit pass has been extended by 14 days, The Straits Times reported.
11:15 AM
Shiv Sena president and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance experiment led by him was not wrong and people had welcomed it.
In the second part of his interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said he wants not just local body polls due in Maharashtra, but also the Assembly elections and claimed the Sena will have its own CM once again for which he will tour the state to rejuvenate the party cadre.
The BJP is giving everything to those who have come from other parties - from the post of chief minister (Sena rebel Eknath Shinde) to leader of opposition (which is currently held by NCP's Ajit PAwar), said Thackeray, who turned 62 on Wednesday.
11:09 AM
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third round of questioning in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
She reached the federal agency's office in central Delhi at 11 am accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The 75-year old Gandhi has been questioned for over eight hours till now where she has faced close to 65-70 questions.
The questioning is expected to end Wednesday with the agency putting across a set of another 30-40 questions to Gandhi.
10:58 AM
10:58 AM
With reports emerging that Australian batting stalwart David Warner could ditch the domestic Big Bash League (BBL) this season and head to more lucrative tournaments like the United Arab Emirates T20 league, legendary cricketer Adam Gilchrist has warned Cricket Australia (CA) to take cognizance of it before more players decide to follow suit.
A report in The Australian has suggested Warner, 35, wants to skip Big Bash League this season and has sought permission to play in the inaugural season of the UAE T20 League, whose dates are likely to clash with the BBL early next year.
Three IPL franchises -- Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals -- have made huge investments in the UAE T20 league and Warner's reported decision "is a blow to Cricket Australia's plans to have its Test stars available for BBL-12", said sen.com.au on Wednesday.
10:52 AM
Chess Olympiad fever peaks here with Indian teams appearing primed for glory in the 44th edition of the prestigious event that starts from Thursday.
With powerhouses Russia and China missing, India will be fielding three teams each in the Open and women's sections respectively.
Though the five-time world champion and legendary Viswanathan Anand has chosen not to play and donned the mentor's hat this time, the Indian teams, nonetheless, wear a formidable look.
The Indian 'A' team, seeded second behind the star-studded USA is likely to be among the main challengers for the top prize along with Norway led by Carlsen and Azerbaijan.
The youthful India 'B' squad coached by R B Ramesh, is seeded 11th and can be counted among the dark horses.
10:48 AM
Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will extend his stay in Singapore, as his short-term visit pass has been extended by another 14 days, local media reported.
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday at a press conference in Colombo that Rajapaksa is expected to return to the country from Singapore, the Straits Times reported on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore from the Maldives on July 14, and he was issued a 14-day visit pass when he arrived at the Changi Airport. He initially stayed at a hotel in the city centre but is believed to have moved to a private residence, Xinhua news agency reported quoting The Straits Times.
10:47 AM
After being ruled out of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra expressed disappointment about not being able to represent the country at the prestigious event at Birmingham.
Neeraj Chopra sustained a groin injury in the finals of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon on Sunday, where he clinched the silver medal, to end India's 19-year-long wait for a medal at the world championships.
"I'm extremely disappointed to inform you all that I will not be able to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. I had been feeling uncomfortable after the pull I felt in my groin during my fourth throw at the World Championships. On having it investigated medically yesterday by a group of doctors here in the US, a minor strain was discovered and I have been advised to undergo rehabilitation and give it rest for the next few weeks," Neeraj said in a tweet.
10:39 AM
The Delhi High Court is scheduled to pronounce on Wednesday its verdict on a plea seeking suspension of arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain from the cabinet.
Jain has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.
The high court is also likely to give its judgement on an appeal challenging a single judge's order dismissing the plea seeking the agenda of the Supreme Court collegium's meeting on December 12, 2018, when certain decisions were purportedly taken on elevation of judges to the apex court, under the RTI.
10:39 AM
Two bridges across Musi river in Hyderabad were closed for traffic on Wednesday as flood water was overflowing them.
With the Musi in spate due to heavy inflows from upstream and discharge of flood water from twin reservoirs on the outskirts, traffic police closed Moosarambagh causeway and Chaderghat old bridge.
Traffic police erected barricades on both sides of the bridges, leading to huge traffic jam in Chaderghat, Malakpet, Moosarambagh and adjoining areas.
9:57 AM
Topics :CoronavirusNarendra ModiRanil Wickramasinghesri lankaSonia GandhiIndian National CongressEnforcement DirectorateNational Herald
First Published: Jul 27 2022 | 7:25 AM IST
