LIVE news: BBIL expects regulator's nod for intranasal Covid vax in Aug

Live news updates: The firm completed clinical trials of the nasal vaccine with about 4,000 volunteers

Live news updates: A 35-year-old Nigerian man, living in Delhi and having no recent history of foreign travel, has tested positive for monkeypox, taking the total number of infected people in the country to six, official sources said on Monday. He is the second person in Delhi to test positive for the infection. He has no recent history of foreign or local travel, sources told PTI.

The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, President Joe Biden said on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there could be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed, noting that Russia Federation consistently followed the letter and spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The head of state sent a greeting to the participants and guests of the NPT conference.

3:00 PM

Cipla appoints Oyo's Vaidya as independent director

Drug major Cipla has appointed Mandar Purushottam Vaidya as an independent director for a period of five years, till July 28, 2027.

On the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee and subject to the approval of the shareholders at the ensuing annual general meeting, the company's board has appointed Vaidya, the Mumbai-based company said in a regulatory filing.

In August 2019, Vaidya had joined OYO, a global travel-tech company as CEO - SE Asia & Middle East.

2:58 PM

Delhi's first monkeypox patient discharged from hospital: Officials

Delhi's first monkeypox patient has been discharged from the LNJP Hospital, senior officials said on Tuesday.

 

The 34-year-old man, a resident of west Delhi, had tested positive last month.

 

Fourteen of his contacts, including the doctor who first treated him, were quarantined but none of them developed symptoms, officials said.

 

The man was discharged on Monday night, they said.

2:57 PM

Zawahiri killing: Al-Qaeda-Taliban nexus against Indian interests, say officials

The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri is likely to deal a blow to al-Qaeda supporters and affiliates in India, officials said on Tuesday but expressed concerns over the Taliban sheltering him in Kabul saying such facilities may also be extended to terror outfits mainly targeting India.

Zawahari, who took over as the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden's death in 2011, has been killed in a "precision strike" carried out by the CIA at a safe house in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan's capital Kabul.

The killing of Zawahiri is likely to affect the morale of Qaeda supporters and cadres in India. Recently, they were conducting waves of propaganda campaigns and trying to rebuild the al-Qaeda organisational machinery in India, officials privy to the developments told PTI.

2:50 PM

SP Group sells entire stake in Jammu highway project to NIIF

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group on Tuesday announced the divestment of its entire shareholding in SP Jammu Udhampur Highway Ltd to the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) for an undisclosed amount.

The group in a statement said SP Jammu Udhampur is the developer for the Jammu-Udhampur highway project under a concession from the National Highways Authority of India on a build-operate-transfer (annuity) basis.

According to the statement, the 64.5-km long 4-lane Jammu Udhampur Highway is of strategic national interest in India and enhances connectivity to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

2:47 PM

Opposition not targeted like this even during Emergency: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the arrest of Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate, saying such targeting of the Opposition did not happen even during the Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

 

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena said democracy and a country perish if the Opposition is not treated with respect.

 

Raut was arrested by the ED on Sunday night in connection with a money laundering case emerging from a chawl redevelopment scheme in Mumbai. He was remanded in ED custody till August 4.

 

2:40 PM

India, Maldives ink six pacts to broad-base ties

India and Maldives on Tuesday inked six agreements to expand cooperation in several key areas with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that New Delhi has been and will continue to be the "first responder" to any need or crisis facing the island nation.

 

After wide-ranging talks with visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Modi announced a Line of Credit of USD 100 million (one million = 10 lakh)for the neighbouring country for the completion of development projects in a time-bound manner.

 

"We also reviewed projects for the construction of 4000 social housing units in Greater Male today. I am happy to announce that we will additionally provide financial support for 2,000 social housing units," he said in his media statement.

2:34 PM

J&K's historic Mughal Road blocked due to landslide

Vehicular traffic on the historic Mughal Road in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir was suspended on Tuesday after it was hit by a massive landslide, officials said.

The road, which connects Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu region with south Kashmir's Shopian, is an alternative road to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The Mughal Road was blocked due to landslide triggered by heavy rains in Poshana area, thereby bringing the traffic to halt, they said.

2:32 PM

Notices issued to three Chinese mobile companies for tax evasion: Sitharaman

The government is looking into cases of alleged tax evasion by three mobile companies of China and notices have been given to them, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the minister said the three companies are Oppo, Vivo India and Xiaomi.

The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has issued a notice to mobile company Oppo for total customs duty of Rs 4,389 crore and these are on the grounds of mis-declaration of certain goods leading to a short payment in customs duty, she said, adding, "duty evasion we think is about Rs 2,981 crore".

"Undervaluation of imported goods for the purpose of payment of customs duty, that we think is an evasion of Rs 1,408 crore," she said.

2:31 PM

Condemn this vendetta politics: Cong on ED raids on National Herald assets in Delhi

The Congress on Tuesday condemned as "vendetta politics" the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on a dozen locations, including the head office of the party-owned National Herald newspaper, and said the action was part of the continued attack on the country's principal opposition party.

 

Officials said the searches are being carried out under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to "gather additional evidence with regard to the trail of funds".

 

"The raids on Herald House, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg are a part of the continued attack against India's principal opposition -- Indian National Congress," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

2:22 PM

Country battling 'epidemic of unemployment' but govt polishing image of 'arrogant king': Rahul

The country is battling an "epidemic of unemployment" with crores of families left with no means of a stable income but the government is spending billions just to polish the image of an "arrogant king", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post in Hindi a day after the debate on price rise in the Lok Sabha,

Gandhi said the Congress had tried to get the government to answer the questions of the people during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. However, everyone saw how Opposition MPs were suspended, arrested for protests and the House adjourned.

"Yesterday when the discussion did take place, the government clearly said that 'there is no problem like 'mehngai' (inflation)!

2:02 PM

India, Maldives ink six pacts to broad-base ties

India and Maldives on Tuesday inked six agreements to expand cooperation in several key areas with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that New Delhi has been and will continue to be the "first responder" to any need or crisis facing the island nation.

 

After wide-ranging talks with visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Modi announced a Line of Credit of USD 100 million (one million = 10 lakh)for the neighbouring country for the completion of development projects in a time-bound manner.

 

"We also reviewed projects for the construction of 4000 social housing units in Greater Male today. I am happy to announce that we will additionally provide financial support for 2,000 social housing units," he said in his media statement.

2:00 PM

World one miscalculation away from 'nuclear annihilation,' warns UN chief

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm over the war in Ukraine, nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, and other tensions, warning that humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.

The warning came Monday as a pandemic-delayed conference opened to review the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which is aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually achieving a nuclear-free world.

The threat of nuclear catastrophe was also raised by the United States, Japan, Germany, the U.N. nuclear chief and many other opening speakers.

1:51 PM

Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan's party received prohibited funding from 34 foreign nationals: Election Commission

Pakistan's electoral watchdog on Tuesday issued a show cause notice to ousted prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party for receiving prohibited funding from 34 foreign nationals.

A three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), comprising Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi announced the unanimous verdict.

1:32 PM

SC seeks response of Centre, CVC on pleas challenging extension of tenure of ED head

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response of the Centre and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on a batch of petitions challenging the extension of tenure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) director and the amended law allowing such extensions up to five years.

 

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Krishna Murari issued notices to the respondents based on as many as eight petitions, including the ones filed by Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Jaya Thakur and TMC leader Saket Gokhale.

 

1:25 PM

Over 500 pilgrims leave from Jammu for Amarnath cave shrine

A batch of 570 pilgrims on Tuesday left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here to pay obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The 43-day Yatra began on June 30 from the twin routes -- the traditional 48-km from Nunwan in Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.

The 33rd batch of pilgrims left in a convoy of 21 vehicles amid heavy security of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.