Latest LIVE news: Maharashtra reports 788 new Covid cases in a day

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India logged 5,357 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases rose to 32,814, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, a nationwide mock drill to take stock of hospital preparedness will be held on April 10 and 11 in which both public and private facilities are expected to participate. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit AIIMS, Jhajjar on April 10 to oversee the mock drill, officials said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the BJP Central Election Committee met today to finalise the party's candidates for the Karnataka assembly polls scheduled for May 10.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and other members of the CEC were joined by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, as they deliberated on the names of probable candidates.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) and released a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.

Israel carried out artillery strikes in southern Syria, in response to six rockets that were launched from its Islamic neighbour, The Times of Israel reported

Indian Army troops on Sunday engaged a group of terrorists in a gunfight after they made an attempt to sneak into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.

9:58 PM

Delhi adds 699 Covid cases, positivity rate 21.15%

Delhi on Sunday logged 699 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 21.15 per cent, according to data shared by the city government's health department. Four people suffering from COVID-19 died in the city. However, the health bulletin stated that COVID-19 was the primary cause of death in just one case.

With the fresh cases, Delhi's COVID-19 tally has risen to 20,14,637. The death toll stands at 26,540, the bulletin stated. Delhi saw 535 COVID-19 cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05 per cent.

9:04 PM

Himachal reports four Covid-19 deaths, active cases rise to 1,764

Himachal Pradesh on Sunday recorded four Covid-related deaths, taking its total toll to 4,204, Health department officials said.

The state also reported 138 fresh COVID-19 cases. Its active caseload currently stands at 1,764, they said.

On Sunday, three people succumbed to the virus in Shimla while one death was reported from Sirmaur district, the officials said.

The deceased were all males in the 50-81 age group, they added.

8:48 PM

165 new Covid cases, one more death in Rajasthan

Rajasthan recorded 165 new Covid cases and one more death due to the disease on Sunday, officials said.

One person succumbed to the disease in Dausa, taking the death toll to 9,667 in the state, according to bulletin by the health department.

There are 651 active cases in the state and nine people have recovered from the infection, it added.

8:20 PM

Adani Power begins electricity supply from Godda plant to Bangladesh

Adani Power on Sunday said that it has begun supplying electricity from its plant in Godda in Jharkhand to Bangladesh.

Adani Power Ltd (APL), a part of the diversified Adani Group, has commissioned the first 800 MW ultra-super-critical thermal power generation unit at Godda in Jharkhand. The plant has started with supplying 748 MW of power to Bangladesh, a company statement said.

The electricity supplied from Godda will significantly improve the situation in the neighbouring country as it will replace expensive power generated from liquid fuel, bringing down the average cost of power purchased, it stated.

7:32 PM

PM Modi visits Delhi's Sacred Heart Cathedral Church on Easter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church here on Sunday on the occasion of Easter.

An official video showed the prime minister being welcomed at the church and him greeting priests and worshippers on the holy day.

Modi later joined them as they offered prayers. He also planted a tree on the premises.

7:26 PM

Orleans Masters 2023: Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat clinches first-ever BWF Super 300 title

Orleans Masters 2023: Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat clinches first-ever BWF Super 300 title 

7:25 PM

Ukraine brings back 31 children from Russia amid war

The head of a Ukrainian rescue organisation said on Saturday that the organisation has brought back 31 children from Russia, where they had been taken during the war.

Mykola Kuleba said at a news conference in Kyiv that the children were expected to arrive in the capital later in the day. Kuleba is the executive director of the Save Ukraine organisation and is the presidential commissioner for children's rights.

Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court increased pressure on Russia when it issued arrest warrants on March 17 for President Vladimir Putin and Russian children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.

7:18 PM

J&K infiltration bid foiled, one killed, two arrested

Alert army troops foiled an infiltration bid on the line of control (LoC) in J&K's Poonch district on early Sunday, killing one intruder and apprehending two others, defence officials said.

"On April 8, at approximately 10.15 p.m., own alert troops deployed on the LoC in the Poonch Sector observed a suspicious movement of a group (three individuals) close to the LoC.

"At around midnight the group, crossed the LoC and started infiltrating on to own side, Defence Ministry spokesman, Lt Colonel Devender Anand said.

6:40 PM

BJP CEC meets to finalise Karnataka poll candidates

The BJP Central Election Committee met here on Sunday to finalise the party's candidates for the Karnataka assembly polls scheduled for May 10.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and other members of the CEC were joined by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, as they deliberated on the names of probable candidates.

Senior party leaders have been holding talks for a couple of days to winnow down the list of probables before the CEC takes a final call.

6:11 PM

Maharashtra reports 788 new Covid cases in a day

The single-day count of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra went up by 246 in the last 24 hours to reach 788 on Sunday with one fatality, as per state health department data. The new additions raised the cumulative tally of the cases in the state to 81,49,929 and the death toll to 1,48,459.

Maharashtra reported 926 COVID-19 cases and three fatalities on Friday and 542 on Saturday.

Mumbai city recorded 211 fresh cases on Sunday, making it the sixth consecutive day that the city saw 200 plus infections. The sole fatality due to COVID-19-related complications was reported from Ratnagiri district under the Kolhapur circle, a health department official said.

6:02 PM

Nationwide drill in hospitals on Apr 10, 11 to check Covid preparedness, Mandaviya to visit AIIMS Jhajjar

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, a nationwide mock drill to take stock of hospital preparedness will be held on April 10 and 11 in which both public and private facilities are expected to participate.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit AIIMS, Jhajjar on April 10 to oversee the mock drill, officials said on Sunday.

In a review meeting held on April 7, Mandaviya had urged state health ministers to visit hospitals and oversee the mock drills.

He had also advised them to review the preparedness with district administrations and health officials on April 8 and 9.

 

5:58 PM

Goyal to hold series to meetings with leaders, top CEOs of Italy, France next week to boost trade ties

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will hold a series of meetings with leaders and top CEOs of France and Italy next week during his three-day visit to these two countries to further boost trade and investment ties.

The minister will be on an official visit to France (Paris) and Italy (Rome) on April 11-13. He will be accompanied by a delegation of top Indian CEOs.

In France, Goyal along with Olivier Becht, Minister delegate of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Government of France, will co-chair the India-France Business Summit on April 11, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

5:36 PM

Maharashtra reports 788 new Covid cases in a day

5:33 PM

Another 5.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Nicobar Island

A second earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Ritcher scale occurred at a depth of 10 km, Nicobar Island on Sunday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The earthquake occurred at around 4:01 pm.

"Earthquake of Magnitude:5.3, Occurred on 09-04-2023, 16:01:21 IST, Lat: 9.01 & Long: 94.03, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Nicobar Islands, for more information Download the BhooKamp App," tweeted NCS.

4:48 PM

Godhra train burning case: SC to hear pleas of Gujarat govt, convicts on Monday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday bail pleas of several convicts serving life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train burning case.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala is scheduled to hear along with the bail applications a batch of pleas of the convicts challenging their convictions.

On March 24, the top court had said it will dispose of the bail applications of the convicts on the next date of hearing of the matter.