Live news updates: India reports 9,520 new coronavirus cases, 41 fatalities

Live news updates: The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,27,597

11:21 PM

Conspiracy was hatched to destabilise Jharkhand govt: Minister

A conspiracy was hatched to destabilize our state govt. Across country, elected govts are being destabilised. Now, it has become a norm. Congress is firmly standing against it & there's no crisis in govt, said Jharkhand min Banna Gupta after Congress Legislative Party meeting, ANI reported.

11:03 PM

Delhi's education system 'hollow', says Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has termed Delhi government's education system hollow and a gimmick.

Attacking the AAP dispensation over the excise policy, Pradhan said his friends Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia are trying to cover up their theft by highlighting the the New York Times story on Delhi's education system.

Delhi's education system is khokhla (hollow) and a nautanki (gimmick). According to the National Achievement Survey, the performance of class 10 and 12 students of Delhi government schools has been constantly declining, Pradhan said in his address at Business Today's India@100 conclave on Friday.

9:43 PM

Adityanath inspects under-construction projects in Ghaziabad

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday inspected four under-construction projects here, officials said.

Adityanath inspected the 720 EWS housing units being made under the Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana (urban), a bridge over Hindon river, a waste disposal plant, and barracks of 41st battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary.

9:31 PM

Congress calls on meeting of AICC to discuss Bharat Jodo Yatra

Congress party has called meeting of AICC General Secretaries, PCC presidents and state coordinators of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on August 29 at AICC headquarters to discuss the preparation of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

9:20 PM

LG office returns 47 files signed by CMO staff instead of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor's (LG) office has returned 47 files signed by the CMO staff instead of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a move that is likely to intensify the tussle between the two constitutional authorities in the capital, sources said on Saturday.

No official response was available from the Delhi government in the matter.

7:45 PM

Ahead of CWC meet, Cong leaders reject Azad's criticism of Rahul; BJP says he has asked valid questions

With Ghulam Nabi Azad's exit casting a shadow on the meeting of the Congress' apex decision-making body, party leaders on Saturday slammed him for "targeted personal vilification" of Rahul Gandhi while the BJP said the veteran leader has raised valid questions.

Azad, who ended his five-decade association with the grand old party on Friday, had accused Rahul Gandhi of demolishing its entire consultative mechanism and also pinned the blame on him for the 2014 electoral debacle.

6:53 PM

7,500 women created history by spinning yarn on Charkha today: PM Modi

On the occasion of 75 years of independence, 7,500 sisters and daughters created history by spinning yarn on Charkha. Spinning Charkha took me back to my childhood days, said PM Narendra Modi, during Khadi Utsav in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

6:51 PM

Khadi can become an inspiration to make India self-reliant: PM Modi

We've seen that Khadi became the force of the freedom movement and broke the chains of slavery. The same Khadi can become an inspiration to make India developed & self-reliant, said PM Narendra Modi, during Khadi Utsav in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

6:25 PM

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad

5:38 PM

Housing.com to invest Rs 40 crore on TV, digital advertising campaign

Realty portal Housing.com will invest Rs 40 crore in one year on a TV and digital advertising campaign, as it seeks to increase user base at its platform and simplify buy-sale and renting journey of consumers.

"We have launched our new ad campaign that captures the ethos on which Housing.com has been built -- to facilitate the search and discovery for everyone till they find their perfect home," said Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com, PropTiger.com and Makaan.com.

4:46 PM

Conversion of knowledge into innovation is country's wealth: Gadkari at AIILSG Convocation

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari attended the convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG) and hailed the government's initiative in this direction as progressive and far-sighted.

"I have met actor Amitabh Bachchan, even he said that his house gets flooded during monsoon. It means that in municipal corporations quality of work is lacking so we need to use the best new technology and project management to deliver the best quality work," Gadkari said.

4:13 PM

BJP should investigate why so many govt schools in their rule have shut: Sisodia

They raided CMs office, then mine four years back. They registered cases against 40 MLAs, didn't find anything. Then sent CBI to my house in fake excise policy case, realized they will not find anything. So they've started something new now, on schools made, said deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Saturday

 

Delhi govt schools are beyond several private schools. This (BJP) is a party of illiterates & wants to keep country illiterate. In their own states, they've shut down several govt schools. They should investigate why so many govt schools in their rule have shut, he added.

3:59 PM

Nagaland IT Department wins Technology Sabha award on 'enterprise applications'

Nagaland government's Information Technology Department has received the prestigious excellence award in the category of Enterprise Applications' from Indian Express Group and Express Computers.

The award was received by Principal Secretary for IT, Power and Chief Minister Office, Nagaland, K D Vizo after giving a presentation on the e-Governance initiatives of the state as key speaker on the invitation of the Indian Express Group, the organizers of the Technology Sabha 2022 under the theme Taking the next digital leap by raising the bar for e-Governance.

 

3:34 PM

Amit Shah reviews BJP's preparations for Jammu-Kashmir poll

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a party meeting on Friday reviewed preparations for forthcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir and asked party leaders to be prepared for it.

Shah headed a meeting with leaders of the core group of Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday at his residence in Delhi which lasted for three hours.

3:21 PM

BJP MLAs hold mock Assembly session, slam AAP govt over liquor "scam"

A day after being marshalled out from the special session of the Delhi Assembly, BJP MLAs held a mock house sitting on Sunday and slammed the AAP government over the alleged liquor "scam".

The mock assembly session was held at the Ambedkar International Centre during which BJP members wore masks to impersonate Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia and other ruling party MLAs.

2:52 PM

Lifetime domestic help, chauffeur for CJIs, SC judges after retirement

A chief justice of India will now get a domestic help, a chauffeur and a secretarial assistant for lifetime from the day he or she demits office, according to the latest post-retirement benefits notified by the government.

In a fresh notification issued on Friday, the Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry said the Supreme Court Judges Rules have been amended again to extend more post-retirement facilities to retired CJIs and judges of the top court. The rules were earlier amended on August 23.

The benefits of the amended rules will be extended to all living former CJIs and retired Supreme Court judges.

2:43 PM

WBSSC scam: Arrested middleman Prasanna Roy identified as Partha Chatterjee's relative

Prasanna Roy, the middleman arrested by the CBI in connection to the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities scam, has been identified as a close relation of former Minister Partha Chatterjee.

CBI sources said that by relation, Roy is the husband of a niece of Chatterjee, who is currently under judicial custody in the same matter.

It is learnt that Roy was the owner of a car rental service entity at Kolkata's Salt Lake area.

2:23 PM

Eyeing dominant position in SUV segment, Tata Motors plans to keep driving in new models, trims

Tata Motors plans to bring in new products, expand existing model lineups as it aims to retain dominant position in the SUV segment amid increasing competition from competing brands, according to a senior company official.

The auto major, which currently sells models like Punch, Nexon, Harrier and Safari, also plans to bring in additional trims and variants with feature enhancements in order to cater to the evolving customer requirements.

"We plan to further expand the SUV space by adding new nameplates/variants at regular intervals and expanding our consumer base. We plan on retaining the leading SUV brand position in India," Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Vice President (Sales, Marketing and Customer Care) Rajan Amba told PTI in an interaction.

2:22 PM

Manish Sisodia should resign, otherwise he should be removed: Cong on excise policy probe

The Congress on Saturday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party over the alleged excise policy "scam" and demanded that either Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia should resign or he should be removed.

Congress general secretary Ajay Maken also alleged that Kejriwal was not removing Sisodia as the strings of the matter were attached to him.

Maken challenged Kejriwal to a debate on the excise policy issue.

2:15 PM

Searing inflation in the UK driving the Pound to near a 37-year low

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come out with flying colours in curbing hinterland terror, with only seven such extremist attacks notched in the past over eight years of the NDA rule, a RTI reply has revealed here.

Besides, there has been minimal loss of lives, 11 civilians and 11 security personnel killed, and injuries sustained by 52 civilians and 44 by security forces, from 2014-till date.

These and other significant revelations came in a RTI reply by the Union Home Ministry to Pune-based activist Prafful Sarda.

1:59 PM

Asia Cup: India's old guard ready with new approach against 'unfamiliar' foes Pakistan

A captain with a new batting philosophy and a master batter standing at the crossroads, trying to reinvent himself, will aim to create a new narrative when India get ready to settle scores with Pakistan in the marquee Asia Cup match here on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the two pillars of India's white-ball team for the past decade but having received a rude jolt at this very venue 10 months back during the T20 World Cup, the duo exactly know where they stand and what they need to do to turn the tables.

While Rohit will be eagar to test his ultra aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Kohli it will be the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.

1:55 PM

BJP has spent Rs 6,300 crore in toppling govts of other parties, claims Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday claimed that the Centre did not have to impose GST on food items if the BJP had not spent a whopping Rs 6,300 crore on toppling governments of other parties in the country.

Kejriwal's remarks come a day after his called the BJP a "serial killer of state governments".

During his address in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP is using money collected through GST and hike in petrol and diesel prices to "poach" the MLAs.

1:53 PM

I was faking intensity, says "mentally down" Kohli having not touched bat for month

The prolonged lean patch did take a toll on Virat Kohli's "mental health" as the former India captain admitted to not having touched the bat during the month-long break prior to Asia Cup.

Kohli has been out without an international hundred for nearly three years but his poor run of form did affect him as he revealed that at times he was "faking intensity" in trying to show that he is an epitome of mental strength.

"I am not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down," the former India skipper told "Star Sports" in an episode of "Virat: Heart to Heart".

Following the tour, Kohli took a break, skipping two white-ball series in the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

"For the first time in 10 years, I didn't touch my bat for a month. I came to realisation that I was trying to fake my intensity a bit recently," Kohli said.

1:39 PM

Ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine critical to addressing food crisis, high energy prices: US

US Deputy Secretary of Treasury Wally Adeyemo discussed with Indian policymakers ways to jointly deal with global challenges like food insecurity and high energy prices, asserting that ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine was critical to address these issues.

Adeyemo held meetings on Friday with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Principal Secretary to the prime minister PK Mishra, Finance Secretary Ajay Seth, Foreign Secretary Vijay Kwatra and Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain.

The US official's visit to India from August 24 to 26 came amid rising disquiet among Western powers over New Deli's increasing procurement of crude oil from Russia.

1:16 PM

M&M's SsangYong's rehabilitation plan gets court approval

A Seoul court has approved SsangYong Motor's rehabilitation plan with 'overwhelming' support from creditors and other related parties, paving the way for the carmaker to get its business back on track.

In 2011, Mahindra acquired a 70 per cent stake in SsangYong for 523 billion won and now holds a 74.65 per cent stake in the carmaker.

The approval, which came one month after SsangYong submitted its restructuring plan to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, effectively green lights a local consortium's bid to buy the debt-laden carmaker.

1:03 PM

NATO head warns about Russian, Chinese interest in Arctic

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday warned about Russia's military buildup in the Arctic and China's increasing interest in that part of the world.

During a visit to Canada's north, Stoltenberg said the shortest path to North America for Russian missiles and bombers is over the North Pole.

He said Russia has set up a new Arctic Command and has opened hundreds of new and former Soviet-era Arctic military sites, including airfields and deep-water ports.

12:45 PM

Noida demolition: Final check-ups on, just towers and exploder need to be connected

The final check-up of explosives and related arrangements for demolition of Supertech's illegal twin towers in Noida were underway on Saturday, project officials said here.

All work related to placement of explosives and connecting them is already complete. The only element remaining was interconnecting the twin towers and placing a 100-metre-long cable from the structures to the exploder, from where the button would be pressed on Sunday, they said.

Over 3,700 kg explosives will be used to raze down the nearly 100-metre-tall structures taller than Delhi's iconic Qutub Minar in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within the Emerald Court society premises in violation of norms.

Around 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village societies have to vacate their premises by 7 am on Sunday while also removing nearly 3,000 vehicles and taking away 150-200 pets, including cats and dogs, with them for the day.

12:42 PM

It's time to change system: Bhutia welcoming FIFA decision to lift ban on AIFF

"It's time to change the system," said Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia on Saturday after world football governing body FIFA lifted the ban imposed on the AIFF.

The lifting of the ban on All India Football Federation (AIFF) late on Friday after the Supreme Court terminated the mandate of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has cleared the decks for India to host the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup in October.

"It's a wonderful news. I welcome the decision of the FIFA to lift the suspension on AIFF. It's a win for Indian football, nothing else," Bhutia told PTI.

12:28 PM

Pakistan to launch UN 'Flash Appeal' as floods rage across the country

Pakistan is set to launch the UN 'Flash Appeal' for flood victims in Geneva and Islamabad on August 30 as unprecedented rains have caused devastating floods across the country.

This comes as the Shehbaz Sharif government on Thursday officially declared a "national emergency" after rains and flood-related incidents killed over 900 and left at least 30 million without shelter.

"It is a moment of great challenge and adversity for Pakistan, as unprecedented rains and floods have caused massive devastation in various parts of the country, especially in Sindh and Balochistan," the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said on Friday as he confirmed that the UN was going to launch an international appeal for aid to help people affected by flooding.

12:27 PM

Germany to distribute 19,500 more monkeypox vax doses

The German government is distributing 19,500 more monkeypox vaccine doses across the country next week, the Health Ministry said, as demand continues to outstrip supply in hotspots.

Some 40,000 doses were shipped to Germany's states in June and another 5,300 in July, dpa news agency reported on Saturday.

The federal government has signed contracts for a total of 240,000 doses.