News updates: In race for monkeypox vaccines, experts see repeat of Covid

Live news updates: Critics fear a repeat of the catastrophic inequity problems seen during the coronavirus pandemic

9:11 AM

Uddhav Thackeray's nephew meets Eknath Shinde, extends support

In a major jolt to Uddhav Thackeray, his nephew and grandson of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Nihar Thackeray on Friday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai and extended his support to the new government.

 

Nihar is an advocate in the city and his father Bindumadhav Thackeray died in an accident in 1996.

 

"Nihar Thackeray, grandson of venerable Hindu heart emperor Balasaheb Thackeray and son of Bindumadhav Thackeray today announced his support to the coalition government. On this occasion, he was warmly welcomed and wished for his future social and political career," Eknath Shinde tweeted on Friday.

 

The meeting comes at a time when the two factions of the same party (Shiv Sena) are locking horns in the ECI to retain the bow and arrow symbol with their respective factions. Both the groups are also in a fight to claim the legacy of Bal Thackeray.

9:01 AM

CWG Day 2: India eyes gold in weightlifting, athletics, gymnastics

After a thunderous Day 1 of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Team India looks to retain momentum on the second day with all eyes on Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, the Tokyo Olympic silver-medallist and 2018 CWG gold medallist on Saturday.

 

Badminton and Table Tennis teams looking to make a progress into the knockouts and the women's hockey team will enter their second group-stage tie.

9:01 AM

'Even though I am at centre of the controversy, BJP is attacking Sonia Gandhi': Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

In the wake of the ongoing row over the "Rashtrapatni" remarks, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he had demanded a chance to respond to the complaints filed against him in Parliament.

"Yesterday I was not given a chance to respond to the complaints filed against me, in the parliament. I have demanded a chance to respond in the parliament, today," said Chowdhury while speaking to ANI on Friday.

Chowdhury further added that even though he is the centre of the controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party is attacking Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi.

"The way Sonia Gandhi was targeted in the parliament yesterday.. the government must issue an apology. I am at the centre of this controversy. But the BJP is attacking Sonia Gandhi," said Chowdhury.

8:44 AM

My ultimate goal is Paris Olympics: Sindhu

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu hopes the Commonwealth Games will serve as a perfect launchpad for her quest to regain the world championship crown next month.

Sindhu, who won a silver and a bronze in the last two editions, is chasing an elusive gold medal at the ongoing Games and thereafter her immediate target will be the Tokyo World Championships from August 22-28.

"The ultimate goal is the Paris Olympics in 2024. But the focus right now is winning a CWG medal and then the World Championships," Sindhu told PTI during an interaction here.

8:33 AM

Brazil confirms 1st monkeypox-related death

Brazil has confirmed the country's first monkeypox-related death, according to the Health Ministry.

The case was reported on Friday in Belo Horizonte, capital of the southeast Minas Gerais state, and the victim was a 41-year-old man, who was undergoing treatment for other serious clinical conditions, including cancer, and whose health deteriorated after getting infected, the Ministry said on Friday.

The man, whose name was not released, was admitted to a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, where he suffered septic shock aggravated by monkeypox, Xinhua news agency reported.

8:19 AM

Delhi Health Minister masterminded the entire operations: ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly enough evidence to prove that Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and his family were allegedly involved in money laundering as they acquired assets disproportionate to his known source of income to the tune of Rs 1,62,50,294.

"This case is a classic case of money laundering involving meticulous planning and execution at all three stages of placement, layering and integration of the proceeds of crime generated by Jain and his aides. He acquired cash from unfair means by commission while holding office as a Cabinet Minister in Delhi," the ED said.

"Subsequently the said cash amount were transferred through chartered accountant by hawala operators to Kolkata to entry operators for layering of the cash transactions. Thereafter the entry operators knowingly and intentionally layered the cash in different shell companies' bank accounts and finally transferred the said amounts to companies owned by the Delhi Health Minister," the central agency added.

8:14 AM

Partha Chatterjee embarrassed, dishonoured TMC, says Saugata Roy

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy on Friday said that sacked leader and former minister Partha Chatterjee "embarrassed and dishonoured" the party following his arrest in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam.

"I don't know if Partha is a victim of some conspiracy. He (sacked WB Minister Partha Chatterjee) has embarrassed us and dishonoured our party. We want a complete probe with an appropriate punishment for him and his associates... we took action against him, dropped his ministerial posts and took all party posts," Roy told ANI.

Notably, the TMC distanced itself from Partha after cash amounting to Rs 21 crore was recovered from the residence of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee.

The TMC MP said that the party had no idea that such a thing was taking place.

8:13 AM

Not the job of army chief to deal with economic matters: Imran Khan

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday said that Pakistan is getting weaker after the country's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa sought help from the US to secure an early loan dispersal from the International Monetary Fund.

PTI chief said that it was not the job of the army chief to deal with economic matters, Geo TV reported.

"If the news of Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa contacting the United States officials for early dispersal of loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was true, it means we [Pakistan] are getting weaker," he added.

He also questioned whether the US will demand anything in return if it decides to help Pakistan.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia on Friday, Bajwa has urged the United States to help Islamabad secure an early dispersal of loan from the IMF.

8:12 AM

Death toll from flash floods in Iran reaches 53

At least 53 people have been killed in recent flash floods in different Iranian provinces, a senior Iranian rescue and relief official said.

Mehdi Vallipour, Head of the Relief and Rescue Organisation of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Friday that 16 people were still missing.

Vallipour noted that 3,000 people have so far been provided with emergency accommodation and another 1,300 were transferred to safe places, Xinhua news agency reported.

8:12 AM

PM Modi to address inaugural session of first All India District Legal Services Authorities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he will be addressing the inaugural session of the first All India District Legal Services Authorities meeting at 10 a.m.

The Prime Minister and DLSAs will deliberate on different aspects relating to the judiciary and ensuring justice for all, he added.

"At 10 AM, will be addressing the inaugural session of the first All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet being held in Delhi. This forum brings together all DLSAs to deliberate on different aspects relating to the judiciary and ensuring justice for all," the PM tweeted.

8:08 AM

PM Modi to lay foundation of Rs 5k-crore NTPC green energy projects today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday dedicate and also lay the foundation stone of various green energy projects of National Thermal Power Corporation Limited worth over Rs 5,200 crore, and launch power sector's revamped distribution sector scheme as well as the national solar rooftop portal.

 

He will participate in the grand finale marking the culmination of 'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya -- Power @2047' at 12:30 PM via video conferencing, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said.

 

'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya -- Power @2047' is taking place from July 25 to 30 as part of ongoing 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. Organised across the country, it showcases the transformation in the power sector achieved in the last eight years.

 

During the programme, the prime minister will launch the revamped distribution sector scheme. He will also dedicate and lay the foundation stone of various green energy projects of NTPC, according to the statement.

8:04 AM

44th Chess Olympiad: All six Indian teams off to winning start as hosts dominate on Day 1

Six Indian teams, including three in the women's section, kickstarted their campaigns on a brilliant note by registering comfortable victories on the opening day of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai on Friday.

 

The Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the opening day of the historic event by making the first move on Vidit Gujrathi's board. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, All India Chess Federation President Sanjay Kapoor and Olympiad Director Bharat Singh Chauhan were also present on the occasion.

 

The 16-year-old Raunak Sadhwani began the campaign for India B with a solid start in the Open section by registering a stunning win against Abdulrahman M. Later, Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, B Adhiban also won comfortably as India B beat the United Arab Emirates by 4-0.

8:03 AM

World Bank has no new financing plans for crisis-hit Sri Lanka: Report

The World Bank does not plan to offer new financing to Sri Lanka, which is battling its worst economic crisis in decades, until the Indian Ocean nation has an adequate macroeconomic policy framework in place, the lender said.

 

In a statement, the World Bank said Sri Lanka needed to adopt structural reforms that focus on economic stabilisation and tackle the root causes of its crisis, which has starved it of foreign exchange and led to shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s headline inflation surged to a record in July as food and fuel remained scarce amid depleted foreign exchange reserves.

 

 

8:03 AM

Monkeypox strain in India different from Europe, says ICMR-NIV study

A team of Indian scientists have found that the monkeypox virus strain circulating in the country is different from the strain that caused 'superspreader events' in Europe, leading to a global outbreak of the disease.

 

The team from Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Pune, conducted genetic sequencing of two monkeypox cases from Kerala.

 

The data showed that the virus strain present in the country is A.2, that was recently imported to India from the Middle East. It was earlier present in Thailand and the US during the 2021 outbreak. However, the strain that caused superspreader events in Europe, was due to B.1.

 

8:03 AM

Nearly 40 Ukraine prisoners killed in blast, say Russian officials

Russia and Ukraine accused each other Friday of shelling a prison in a separatist region of eastern Ukraine, an attack that reportedly killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were captured after the fall of a key southern city in May. Both sides said the assault was premeditated with the aim of covering up atrocities.

 

Russia claimed that Ukraine's military used US-supplied multiple rocket launchers to strike the prison in Olenivka, a settlement controlled by the Moscow-backed Donetsk People's Republic.

 

Separatist authorities and Russian officials said the attack killed 53 Ukrainian POWs and wounded another 75.

 

Moscow opened a probe into the attack, sending a team to the site from Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country's main criminal investigation agency.