Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted that 10 states account for 80 per cent of active COVID-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.

At a video conference with chief ministers and representatives of these 10 states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, Modi said the recovery rate has gone up which, he added, meant that government efforts have proved to be effective.

The Centre and states have been able to work as a team in the fight against COVID-19, he said.

"Our experience so far is that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons against the pandemic, with experts of the view that if cases are identified within 72 hours of onset, then infection slows down to great extent," the prime minister said.

He emphasised on the need to trace and test all those who come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This should be followed like a "mantra", with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing masks, he said according to an official statement.

The prime minister pointed out that the number of active cases in the country stands at over six lakh, and most of them have been reported from the 10 states.

Today, 80 per cent active cases are in these ten states. Hence the role of all these states is very big in the fight against coronavirus, he said.

He told the participants that such meetings and discussions are necessary as new situations are emerging amid the pandemic.

"Pressure on hospitals, pressure on our health workers, lack of continuity in everyday work. They bring a new challenge every day" Modi elaborated.

He said there was a need for the ten states to sit together, review and discuss. "... From this discussion, we also leant a lot from each other's experiences, best practices" he said.

Modi said it was a matter of satisfaction that the average fatality rate in India has been going down and noted that it has been very low compared to the world average.

He noted that the number of daily tests has reached almost 7 lakh and is increasing continuously, which has helped in early identification and containment. The average fatality rate in the country is amongst the lowest and is continuously going down.

The percentage of active cases is reducing, while the recovery rate is increasing, he said. He noted that these steps have boosted the confidence of people, and said that the target of bringing down the fatality rate below one per cent can be achieved soon.

States where testing rate is low and where the positivity rate is high, the need to increase testing has come to the fore. Especially in states like Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal and Telangana, he said.

Modi noted that people have become aware and are ably assisting these efforts, as a result of which the country has been successful in using home quarantine so effectively, the statement said.

He said at one point of time, cases in certain districts of UP and Haryana, and Delhi became a matter of concern.

He also referred to statement of the Delhi government about COVID-19 cases and recounted the experience of Home Minister Amit Shah in preparing a roadmap for tackling the pandemic together with Delhi and nearby states.

According the statement, he said the main pillars of this strategy were segregation of containment zones and focus on screening, especially of those in high risk category.

The results of these steps are there for all to see, he said, adding that steps like better management in hospitals and increasing ICU beds also proved very helpful.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted that 10 states account for 80 per cent of active COVID-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted that 10 states account for 80 per cent of active COVID-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic. At a video conference with chief ministers and representatives of these 10 states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, Modi said the recovery rate has gone up which, he added, meant that government efforts have proved to be effective. The Centre and states have been able to work as a team in the fight against COVID-19, he said. "Our experience so far is that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons against the pandemic, with experts of the view that if cases are identified within 72 hours of onset, then infection slows down to great extent," the prime minister said. He emphasised on the need to trace and test all those who come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This should be followed like a "mantra", with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing masks, he said according to an official statement. The prime minister pointed out that the number of active cases in the country stands at over six lakh, and most of them have been reported from the 10 states. Today, 80 per cent active cases are in these ten states. Hence the role of all these states is very big in the fight against coronavirus, he said. He told the participants that such meetings and discussions are necessary as new situations are emerging amid the pandemic. "Pressure on hospitals, pressure on our health workers, lack of continuity in everyday work. They bring a new challenge every day" Modi elaborated. He said there was a need for the ten states to sit together, review and discuss. "... From this discussion, we also leant a lot from each other's experiences, best practices" he said. Modi said it was a matter of satisfaction that the average fatality rate in India has been going down and noted that it has been very low compared to the world average. He noted that the number of daily tests has reached almost 7 lakh and is increasing continuously, which has helped in early identification and containment. The average fatality rate in the country is amongst the lowest and is continuously going down. The percentage of active cases is reducing, while the recovery rate is increasing, he said. He noted that these steps have boosted the confidence of people, and said that the target of bringing down the fatality rate below one per cent can be achieved soon. States where testing rate is low and where the positivity rate is high, the need to increase testing has come to the fore. Especially in states like Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal and Telangana, he said. Modi noted that people have become aware and are ably assisting these efforts, as a result of which the country has been successful in using home quarantine so effectively, the statement said. He said at one point of time, cases in certain districts of UP and Haryana, and Delhi became a matter of concern. He also referred to statement of the Delhi government about COVID-19 cases and recounted the experience of Home Minister Amit Shah in preparing a roadmap for tackling the pandemic together with Delhi and nearby states. According the statement, he said the main pillars of this strategy were segregation of containment zones and focus on screening, especially of those in high risk category. The results of these steps are there for all to see, he said, adding that steps like better management in hospitals and increasing ICU beds also proved very helpful.

All those who came in contact with infected person should be traced and tested within 72 hours: PM Modi

Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that daugthers&nbsp;will have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005.

A three-judge bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S Nazeer and M R Shah said the provisions contained in substituted Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 confer the status of coparcener on the daughter born before or after amendment in the same manner as a son with the same rights and liabilities.

Coparcener is a term used for a person who assumes a legal right in parental property by birth only.

The bench said, "the rights can be claimed by the daughter born earlier with effect from September 9, 2005 with savings as provided in Section 6(1) as to the disposition or alienation, partition or testamentary disposition which had taken place before December 20, 2004.

Since the right in coparcenary is by birth, it is not necessary that father coparcener should be living as on September 9, 2005."

The verdict makes it clear the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 granting equal rights to daughters to inherit ancestral property would have retrospective effect.

The top&nbsp;court said the appeals on the issue were pending before different High Courts and subordinate courts and the matters have already been delayed due to legal imbroglio caused by conflicting decisions.

"The daughters cannot be deprived of their right of equality conferred upon them by Section 6. Hence, we request that the pending matters be decided, as far as possible, within six months," the bench said.

The apex court's verdict came on the issue whether the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 granting equal rights to daughters to inherit ancestral property would have retrospective effect.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that daugthers will have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005.

Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that daugthers will have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005. A three-judge bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S Nazeer and M R Shah said the provisions contained in substituted Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 confer the status of coparcener on the daughter born before or after amendment in the same manner as a son with the same rights and liabilities. Coparcener is a term used for a person who assumes a legal right in parental property by birth only. The bench said, "the rights can be claimed by the daughter born earlier with effect from September 9, 2005 with savings as provided in Section 6(1) as to the disposition or alienation, partition or testamentary disposition which had taken place before December 20, 2004. Since the right in coparcenary is by birth, it is not necessary that father coparcener should be living as on September 9, 2005." The verdict makes it clear the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 granting equal rights to daughters to inherit ancestral property would have retrospective effect. The top court said the appeals on the issue were pending before different High Courts and subordinate courts and the matters have already been delayed due to legal imbroglio caused by conflicting decisions. "The daughters cannot be deprived of their right of equality conferred upon them by Section 6. Hence, we request that the pending matters be decided, as far as possible, within six months," the bench said. The apex court's verdict came on the issue whether the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 granting equal rights to daughters to inherit ancestral property would have retrospective effect. (With inputs from PTI)

Daughters have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property: Supreme Court

Flagging fears that the country's GDP growth may even touch its lowest since independence in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy on Tuesday said the economy should be brought back on track and people should be prepared to live with the pathogen.

He also pitched for developing a new system that should allow every player in every sector of the country's economy to operate at full steam with suitable precautions.

"India's GDP is expected to shrink by at least five per cent. There is a fear that we may even reach the lowest GDP (growth) since independence, since 1947," Murthy said.

The software icon was participating in a discussion on 'Leading India's Digital Revolution' during the 16th edition of Institute of Engineering and Technology's India Digital Conversations held virtually.

"The global GDP has gone down. Global trade has shrunk, global travel has almost disappeared. The global GDP is likely to shrink between 5 per cent and 10 per cent," he said.

Murthy said that right from the first day of the national lockdown on March 24 his view had been that people have to be prepared to live with the virus for three reasons -- there is no vaccine, no cure for coronavirus and the economy cannot be brought to a halt.

The earliest possible vaccine was from Oxford University, which may be available in the country anywhere from six to nine months, he said.

"But even if we are able to vaccinate 10 million people a day, it is going to take 140 days to vaccinate all the Indians. That is a long period to prevent the spread of the disease," Murthy said.

"...We cannot make the economy come to a halt. Over all, 140 million workers have been affected by this virus. So the smartness is in defining a new normal. This normal should allow our economy to grow while moving on the earth and fighting the virus," the tech leader said.

Stressing on developing a new system to deal with the current situation, he also laid emphasis on creating a health infrastructure for vaccinating everybody once a vaccine was available and working towards a cure for the new virus.

"India has traditionally not invested sufficiently in public health. We have severe shortage both in talent and in material for a robust public health system. The state of our Institute of Public Health is a good data point," said Murthy.

In the given system, Murthy said, social distancing, and use of masks were the best way to combat the virus.

He, however, lauded the country for having done a decent job under the present circumstances.

To bring the economy back on track, the Infosys founder suggested getting back the 140 million migrant workers who have gone back to their villages to their workplaces, mostly in urban India.

His second advice was increasing the number of hospital beds and adding equipment for testing and taking care of the projected number of COVID-19 patients for three months and six months from now.

"Even today there is a severe shortage of COVID-19 care facilities in second tier and third tier towns," said Murthy lamenting the demise of one of his relatives due to coronavirus in Hubballi, a north Karnataka tier-2 city and district headquarters.

The 74-year-old tech leader also favoured amending laws and providing infrastructural facilities for companies which cannot use the work-from-home paradigm and increasing the public transport and public safety facilities for businesses and the public to operate 24 hours.

Flagging fears that the country's GDP growth may even touch its lowest since independence in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy on Tuesday said the economy should be brought back on track and people should be prepared to live with the pathogen.

Flagging fears that the country's GDP growth may even touch its lowest since independence in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy on Tuesday said the economy should be brought back on track and people should be prepared to live with the pathogen. He also pitched for developing a new system that should allow every player in every sector of the country's economy to operate at full steam with suitable precautions. "India's GDP is expected to shrink by at least five per cent. There is a fear that we may even reach the lowest GDP (growth) since independence, since 1947," Murthy said. The software icon was participating in a discussion on 'Leading India's Digital Revolution' during the 16th edition of Institute of Engineering and Technology's India Digital Conversations held virtually. "The global GDP has gone down. Global trade has shrunk, global travel has almost disappeared. The global GDP is likely to shrink between 5 per cent and 10 per cent," he said. Murthy said that right from the first day of the national lockdown on March 24 his view had been that people have to be prepared to live with the virus for three reasons -- there is no vaccine, no cure for coronavirus and the economy cannot be brought to a halt. The earliest possible vaccine was from Oxford University, which may be available in the country anywhere from six to nine months, he said. "But even if we are able to vaccinate 10 million people a day, it is going to take 140 days to vaccinate all the Indians. That is a long period to prevent the spread of the disease," Murthy said. "...We cannot make the economy come to a halt. Over all, 140 million workers have been affected by this virus. So the smartness is in defining a new normal. This normal should allow our economy to grow while moving on the earth and fighting the virus," the tech leader said. Stressing on developing a new system to deal with the current situation, he also laid emphasis on creating a health infrastructure for vaccinating everybody once a vaccine was available and working towards a cure for the new virus. "India has traditionally not invested sufficiently in public health. We have severe shortage both in talent and in material for a robust public health system. The state of our Institute of Public Health is a good data point," said Murthy. In the given system, Murthy said, social distancing, and use of masks were the best way to combat the virus. He, however, lauded the country for having done a decent job under the present circumstances. To bring the economy back on track, the Infosys founder suggested getting back the 140 million migrant workers who have gone back to their villages to their workplaces, mostly in urban India. His second advice was increasing the number of hospital beds and adding equipment for testing and taking care of the projected number of COVID-19 patients for three months and six months from now. "Even today there is a severe shortage of COVID-19 care facilities in second tier and third tier towns," said Murthy lamenting the demise of one of his relatives due to coronavirus in Hubballi, a north Karnataka tier-2 city and district headquarters. The 74-year-old tech leader also favoured amending laws and providing infrastructural facilities for companies which cannot use the work-from-home paradigm and increasing the public transport and public safety facilities for businesses and the public to operate 24 hours.

Narayana Murthy flags fears of GDP growth hitting lowest since 1947, pitches for operating economy at full steam

Novel coronavirus was found in the packaging of imported frozen seafood that arrived from the port city of Dalian, China, a Reuters report said quoting a local government on Tuesday.

Novel coronavirus was found in the packaging of imported frozen seafood that arrived from the port city of Dalian, China, a Reuters report said quoting a local government on Tuesday. Dalian recently battled a surge of coronavirus cases. The virus was found on the outer packaging of frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, the report added. The Yantai city government said in a statement the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian but did not say where it originated. Also read: China stands accused of manufacturing the COVID-19 virus In July, customs officers in Dalian, a major port in the northeastern province of Liaoning, found the coronavirus in the packaging of frozen shrimps imported from Ecuador, following wich China suspended imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers. The novel coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a market that sold seafood and wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has since spread around the world, causing thousand of fatalities and a major economic contraction. Some of the seafood that the three Yantai companies bought had been processed for export, while the rest had been kept in cold storage and has not entered the market, the Yantai government said. Also read: China's war on Wuhan virus has a new foe: Second wave of COVID-19 When asked if any of the processed seafood had been exported, a member of staff at a coronavirus outbreak response unit in Yantai declined to elaborate, referring Reuters to the Yantai city government statement. Authorities had sealed off the goods, the city government said. Everyone who handled the goods was under quarantine and have tested negative for the coronavirus, it said. The latest outbreak of coronavirus in Dalian city started in late July, with the first case working at a seafood processing company. By Aug. 9, Dalian has reported a total of 92 cases. (With inputs from Reuters)

Novel coronavirus found on frozen seafood in China

A major explosion ripped through a Baltimore neighborhood in US on Monday, leveling several houses, trapping at least five people and critically injuring three, Reuters report said quoting the firefighters.

A major explosion ripped through a Baltimore neighborhood in US on Monday, leveling several houses, trapping at least five people and critically injuring three, Reuters report said quoting the firefighters. Images on WBFF television showed a section of row houses leveled with rubble strewn around, the report added. Three patients, all in critical condition, were rescued by firefighters, the Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 posted on Twitter. "Several houses exploded. At least 5 people trapped, some children. A Collapse Response and Second Alarm has been called," the union said on Twitter. The union tweeted photos of rescue workers climbing over a pile of debris. (With inputs from Reuters)

Major explosion rips through Baltimore neighbourhood: Report

Afghan&nbsp;President&nbsp;Ashraf&nbsp;Ghani&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;signed&nbsp;a&nbsp;decree&nbsp;to&nbsp;release&nbsp;a final batch of "hardcore"&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;prisoners&nbsp;demanded by the militants, sources told Reuters, paving the way for long-awaited peace talks to begin in Qatar.

"It is&nbsp;signed," a&nbsp;presidential palace source said.

Afghanistan's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, on Sunday approved the&nbsp;release, under election-year pressure from U.S.&nbsp;President&nbsp;Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops.

The war has ground on since U.S.-backed Afghan forces ousted the Islamist&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;government in late 2001.

"We are ready to sit for talks within a week from when we see our&nbsp;prisoners&nbsp;released. We are ready,”&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear when the&nbsp;release&nbsp;would happen.

"The original plan is to travel to Doha on Wednesday and the talks will begin on Sunday," a government source told Reuters before the&nbsp;decree&nbsp;was&nbsp;signed.

U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who reached an agreement with the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;in February for the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, welcomed the development, having spent months trying to bring the militant movement to the negotiating table with the government.

"In the next few days, we expect the completion of prisoner&nbsp;releases, then travel of the Islamic Republic team to Doha, &amp; from there the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations," he said on Twitter.

The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;had demanded the&nbsp;release&nbsp;of the last&nbsp;400&nbsp;of 5,000 in total as a condition for joining the peace talks.

But the government had been hesitant as these&nbsp;prisoners&nbsp;were involved in some of the worst violence, including a 2017 truck bombing near the German embassy in Kabul that killed more than 150 people - the deadliest attack in the 19-year insurgency.

The&nbsp;Taliban, in power from 1996-2001, previously refused to talk to the Afghan government, dismissing it as a puppet of the United States.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday signed a decree to release a final batch of "hardcore" Taliban prisoners demanded by the militants, sources told Reuters, paving the way for long-awaited peace talks to begin in Qatar.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday signed a decree to release a final batch of "hardcore" Taliban prisoners demanded by the militants, sources told Reuters, paving the way for long-awaited peace talks to begin in Qatar. "It is signed," a presidential palace source said. Afghanistan's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, on Sunday approved the release, under election-year pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops. The war has ground on since U.S.-backed Afghan forces ousted the Islamist Taliban government in late 2001. "We are ready to sit for talks within a week from when we see our prisoners released. We are ready,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Reuters. It was not immediately clear when the release would happen. "The original plan is to travel to Doha on Wednesday and the talks will begin on Sunday," a government source told Reuters before the decree was signed. U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who reached an agreement with the Taliban in February for the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, welcomed the development, having spent months trying to bring the militant movement to the negotiating table with the government. "In the next few days, we expect the completion of prisoner releases, then travel of the Islamic Republic team to Doha, & from there the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations," he said on Twitter. The Taliban had demanded the release of the last 400 of 5,000 in total as a condition for joining the peace talks. But the government had been hesitant as these prisoners were involved in some of the worst violence, including a 2017 truck bombing near the German embassy in Kabul that killed more than 150 people - the deadliest attack in the 19-year insurgency. The Taliban, in power from 1996-2001, previously refused to talk to the Afghan government, dismissing it as a puppet of the United States.

Afghan president signs off on Taliban prisoner release, peace talks expected in days

The world's richest man Jeff Bezos is being compared to the ruler of an autocracy. The ones making this accusation are his employees at Amazon. Reducing employee benefits while getting rich during the pandemic.

The world's richest man Jeff Bezos is being compared to the ruler of an autocracy. The ones making this accusation are his employees at Amazon. Reducing employee benefits while getting rich during the pandemic. How is that fair? They ask. Moreover, Amazon is fiercely cracking down on workers who ask such questions. To make Bezos listen to the demands, protesters are banging on his door in New York where Bezos lives occasionally. This is not an isolated incident. Since the Wuhan virus outbreak, Amazon workers have been protesting across the world. They say the e-commerce giant has done little to keep its employees safe. Lack of personal protective equipment, negligent safety guidelines, callous and unrealistic performance standards and most demoralising of all -- inadequate compensation. In June, Amazon ended wage increases and double overtime pay. For warehouse workers, the harazd pay of two dollars per hour has been discontinued. Health benefits have also been cut. There is no dearth of money, e-commerce is one of the few businesses that are flourishing during the pandemic. Amazon has posted its biggest profit since its founding nearly 26-years ago helping Bezos retain the world's richest tag. So, protesters have made an additional demand this time. Not to Bezos, but to legislators. Tax the rich. It's being called the "Tax Bezos" movement. "Today, we want to have our demands heard. We want a wealth tax on all billionaires, from 1 to 3%, all the billionaires of the country. But, here, in Manhattan, Bezos property, 80 million dollars property, we were advocating in front of this property today to have the Amazon workers demands be heard." "They are taxing me on unemployment, they are taxing me at every corner I get but you have a man that is a billionaire, all of them billionaires, and they are not paying taxes. What part of the game is that? Tell me, where the right and wrong is in that?" Amazon has not taken these protests lightly. At the Staten island warehouse, employees walked out over safety concerns. Chris Smalls who led the protest was fired. Amazon said Smalls was fired for not maintaining the social distancing norms. Protesters say that is not the reason. Amazon is retaliating against vocal employees to stop them from forming unions. In its defence, the company says it acquired 100 million facemasks for its workers in the last quarter. Created jobs by hiring 175,000 people since the virus outbreak and spent nearly 700 million dollars on employee benefits. But clearly, Amazon has failed to deliver the goods to its employees.

How Amazon failed to deliver goods to its own employees

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has recovered 'completely' from COVID-19 and was on Monday discharged from a private hospital here, the state government said.

The 77-year old leader was admitted to the Manipal Hospital on August 2 after he tested positive for coronavirus.

"After recovering from COVID-19 completely, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has been discharged from the Manipal Hospital," an official statement said here.

"Thank you everyone for your wishes and prayers. I have been discharged from the hospital and will be in self- quarantine. Deeply grateful for your affection and support. I look forward to getting back to the routine very soon," he said.

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Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was today discharged from Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru after he recovered from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a>: Karnataka Chief Minister's Office (CMO) 
 
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Pictures released by the Information Department showed a team of doctors giving a bouquet and along with paramedics greeting the chief minister.

Yediyurappa, in his trademark all-white attire and wearing a face mask, was seen in another picture walking out of the hospital, acknowledging the staff's wishes with folded hands.

On August 2, Yediyurappa had tweeted that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was being hospitalised as a precaution on the recommendation of doctors though he was fine.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has recovered 'completely' from COVID-19 and was on Monday discharged from a private hospital here, the state government said.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has recovered 'completely' from COVID-19 and was on Monday discharged from a private hospital here, the state government said. The 77-year old leader was admitted to the Manipal Hospital on August 2 after he tested positive for coronavirus. "After recovering from COVID-19 completely, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has been discharged from the Manipal Hospital," an official statement said here. "Thank you everyone for your wishes and prayers. I have been discharged from the hospital and will be in self- quarantine. Deeply grateful for your affection and support. I look forward to getting back to the routine very soon," he said. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was today discharged from Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru after he recovered from #COVID19: Karnataka Chief Minister's Office (CMO) The CM had tested positive for the disease on August 2. pic.twitter.com/j9XIanY7FH — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2020 × Pictures released by the Information Department showed a team of doctors giving a bouquet and along with paramedics greeting the chief minister. Yediyurappa, in his trademark all-white attire and wearing a face mask, was seen in another picture walking out of the hospital, acknowledging the staff's wishes with folded hands. On August 2, Yediyurappa had tweeted that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was being hospitalised as a precaution on the recommendation of doctors though he was fine.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa recovers from COVID-19, discharged from hospital

India is considering investing Rs 10,000 crore for building a transhipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal to provide shippers with an alternative to similar ports in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The 2,312-kilometre-long submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, laid at a cost of Rs 1,224 crore, will provide "better and cheaper connectivity", Modi&nbsp;said.

"There is a proposal to build a transhipment port at Great Nicobar at an estimated expenditure of about Rs 10,000 crore. Large ships can dock once this port is ready," he said at the inauguration ceremony held through video link.

The dedicated container transshipment terminal at the strategic port locale in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands along the Bay of Bengal coastline offers two geographical advantages -- proximity to the busy east-west international shipping route that can facilitate shorter transits and greater economies of scale, and deep natural water depths that can accommodate the latest generation of mega-ships.

The transshipment port would enable big ships to anchor and raise India's share in maritime trade as well as create new job opportunities, he said.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration had last year floated an expression of interest for the container transshipment terminal with the Free Trade Warehousing Zone in South Bay, Great Nicobar Island to provide Indian shippers an alternative to Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang (Malaysia) transshipment ports.

The Prime Minister said Andaman &amp; Nicobar will be developed as a hub of port-led development as it is at a competitive distance from many ports of the world.

As India looks to establish itself as an important player in global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen the network of waterways and ports, he said adding legal bottlenecks in the development of port infrastructure are also being removed continuously.

The government's focus, he said, is also on promoting ease of business and simplifying maritime logistics.

He referred to in-principal approval being given for building a deep draft greenfield seaport on the west coast and work starting on a deep draft inner harbour on the east coast.

While blue economy like fisheries, aquaculture, and seaweed farming will accelerate the development of Andaman and Nicobar, the government is making efforts to have more facilities at the Islands.

The undersea cable will help boost tourism as it will provide better mobile and internet connectivity on the Islands, he said.

"From Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, this service has started in large part of Andaman Nicobar from today," Modi said adding it will boost 4G mobile services and digital services like tele-education, telehealth, e-governance services and tourism on the Islands.

Besides Port Blair, it will connect other islands namely Swaraj Dweep (Havlock), Long Island, Rangat, Little Andaman, Kamorta, Car Nicobar, and Greater Nicobar.

According to official data, an internet speed of 400 gigabytes (Gb) per second will be provided at Port Blair and for other islands, it will be 200 Gb per second.

Undersea cable linking the Andaman and Nocobar Islands with Chennai was laid before time despite the difficult situation, Modi said.

The work of laying undersea cable has been executed by BSNL in a record time of less than 24 months.

Besides mobile and internet connectivity, physical connectivity through road, air, and water is also being strengthened, he said referring to two big bridges and widening of National Highway No.4 being undertaken to improve road connectivity between North and Middle Andaman.

He said the Port Blair Airport is being enhanced to handle a capacity of 1,200 passengers. Along with this, the airports are ready for operations in Diglipur, Car Nicobar, and Campbell-Bay.

Seaplane services will start once water aerodrome infrastructure including passenger terminal and floating jetty is ready at Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, and Long Island, he said adding four ships being built at Kochi Shipyard shall be delivered soon to improve the water connectivity between the islands and the mainland.

The Prime Minister said that when India is moving forward with the resolve of self-sufficiency and is establishing itself as an important player in the global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen our network of waterways and our ports.

India is considering investing Rs 10,000 crore for building a transhipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal to provide shippers with an alternative to similar ports in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India is considering investing Rs 10,000 crore for building a transhipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal to provide shippers with an alternative to similar ports in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The 2,312-kilometre-long submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, laid at a cost of Rs 1,224 crore, will provide "better and cheaper connectivity", Modi said. "There is a proposal to build a transhipment port at Great Nicobar at an estimated expenditure of about Rs 10,000 crore. Large ships can dock once this port is ready," he said at the inauguration ceremony held through video link. The dedicated container transshipment terminal at the strategic port locale in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands along the Bay of Bengal coastline offers two geographical advantages -- proximity to the busy east-west international shipping route that can facilitate shorter transits and greater economies of scale, and deep natural water depths that can accommodate the latest generation of mega-ships. The transshipment port would enable big ships to anchor and raise India's share in maritime trade as well as create new job opportunities, he said. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration had last year floated an expression of interest for the container transshipment terminal with the Free Trade Warehousing Zone in South Bay, Great Nicobar Island to provide Indian shippers an alternative to Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang (Malaysia) transshipment ports. The Prime Minister said Andaman & Nicobar will be developed as a hub of port-led development as it is at a competitive distance from many ports of the world. As India looks to establish itself as an important player in global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen the network of waterways and ports, he said adding legal bottlenecks in the development of port infrastructure are also being removed continuously. The government's focus, he said, is also on promoting ease of business and simplifying maritime logistics. He referred to in-principal approval being given for building a deep draft greenfield seaport on the west coast and work starting on a deep draft inner harbour on the east coast. While blue economy like fisheries, aquaculture, and seaweed farming will accelerate the development of Andaman and Nicobar, the government is making efforts to have more facilities at the Islands. The undersea cable will help boost tourism as it will provide better mobile and internet connectivity on the Islands, he said. "From Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, this service has started in large part of Andaman Nicobar from today," Modi said adding it will boost 4G mobile services and digital services like tele-education, telehealth, e-governance services and tourism on the Islands. Besides Port Blair, it will connect other islands namely Swaraj Dweep (Havlock), Long Island, Rangat, Little Andaman, Kamorta, Car Nicobar, and Greater Nicobar. According to official data, an internet speed of 400 gigabytes (Gb) per second will be provided at Port Blair and for other islands, it will be 200 Gb per second. Undersea cable linking the Andaman and Nocobar Islands with Chennai was laid before time despite the difficult situation, Modi said. The work of laying undersea cable has been executed by BSNL in a record time of less than 24 months. Besides mobile and internet connectivity, physical connectivity through road, air, and water is also being strengthened, he said referring to two big bridges and widening of National Highway No.4 being undertaken to improve road connectivity between North and Middle Andaman. He said the Port Blair Airport is being enhanced to handle a capacity of 1,200 passengers. Along with this, the airports are ready for operations in Diglipur, Car Nicobar, and Campbell-Bay. Seaplane services will start once water aerodrome infrastructure including passenger terminal and floating jetty is ready at Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, and Long Island, he said adding four ships being built at Kochi Shipyard shall be delivered soon to improve the water connectivity between the islands and the mainland. The Prime Minister said that when India is moving forward with the resolve of self-sufficiency and is establishing itself as an important player in the global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen our network of waterways and our ports.

India plans Rs 10,000 crore transhipment port at Great Nicobar Island: PM Modi

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched &nbsp;'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Saptah' at South Block on Monday.

If India becomes capable of manufacturing things in India, we will be able to save a large section of the capital of the country. With the help of that capital, around 7000 MSMEs, associated with Defence Industry, can be encouraged, he said speaking at the launch.

On August 9, Singh had announced that the Defence Ministry will introduce import embargo on 101 items beyond given timeline to boost indigenisation of defence production while stating it as a big step towards `Atmanirbhar Bharat` (self-reliance) in defence.

In a series of tweets, the Minister had said that the Defence Ministry has also bifurcated the capital procurement budget for 2020-21 between domestic and foreign capital procurement routes.&nbsp;

A separate budget head has been created with an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year, he had said.

"The Ministry of Defence is now ready for a big push to #AtmanirbharBharat initiative. MoD will introduce import embargo on 101 items beyond given timeline to boost indigenisation of defence production," Singh had tweeted.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a clarion call for a self-reliant India based on the five pillars, i.e., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography and Demand and announced a special economic package for Self-Reliant India named `Atmanirbhar Bharat`," he had said in another tweet.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Saptah' at South Block on Monday. If India becomes capable of manufacturing things in India, we will be able to save a large section of the capital of the country.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Saptah' at South Block on Monday. If India becomes capable of manufacturing things in India, we will be able to save a large section of the capital of the country. With the help of that capital, around 7000 MSMEs, associated with Defence Industry, can be encouraged, he said speaking at the launch. On August 9, Singh had announced that the Defence Ministry will introduce import embargo on 101 items beyond given timeline to boost indigenisation of defence production while stating it as a big step towards `Atmanirbhar Bharat` (self-reliance) in defence. In a series of tweets, the Minister had said that the Defence Ministry has also bifurcated the capital procurement budget for 2020-21 between domestic and foreign capital procurement routes. A separate budget head has been created with an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year, he had said. "The Ministry of Defence is now ready for a big push to #AtmanirbharBharat initiative. MoD will introduce import embargo on 101 items beyond given timeline to boost indigenisation of defence production," Singh had tweeted. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a clarion call for a self-reliant India based on the five pillars, i.e., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography and Demand and announced a special economic package for Self-Reliant India named `Atmanirbhar Bharat`," he had said in another tweet.

Rajnath Singh launches  'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Saptah' in Delhi

US tech giant Apple has reportedly imported clothes -- uniform for staff in stores -- from a company facing US sanctions over forced labour in China’s western Xinjiang region, The Guardian report said quoting shipping records.

US tech giant Apple has reportedly imported clothes -- uniform for staff in stores -- from a company facing US sanctions over forced labour in China’s western Xinjiang region, The Guardian report said quoting shipping records. According to the report, an Apple spokesman said that the company is not sourcing cotton from Xinjiang, but declined to comment on whether they had done so in the past. The US government in July imposed sanctions on Changji Esquel Textile, a unit of the Hong Kong garment group Esquel, along with 10 other Chinese companies for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang region, including forced labour. Also read: As Apple eyes shift to India from China, smartphone manufacturing to get major boost The sanctions bar the companies from buying US technology and other goods. However, Esquel has denied allegations. “We absolutely have not, do not, and will never use forced labour anywhere in our company,” it said in a statement. According to the report, a month before the sanctions were announced, Esquel had sent a shipment of women’s cotton and elastane knit shirts to “Apple Retail stores” in California, the database run by the global shipping information provider Panjiva showed. Those records were identified by the Tech Transparency Project. Also read: Apple removes thousands of game apps from China store: Research firm Esquel supplies many major US clothing companies including Patagonia, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger. But Apple’s relationship with the firm has not received much public scrutiny, even though it stretches back years.

Apple imported clothes from Chinese company facing US forced labour sanctions: Report

Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting US election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said on Sunday.

Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting US election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said on Sunday. O'Brien's comments appeared to go beyond a statement released on Friday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence which said China "has been expanding its influence efforts," and that Russia was already trying to undercut Democratic candidate Joe Biden. But did not specifically accuse Beijing of hacking attempts against US election-related systems. "They'd like to see the President lose," O'Brien said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "China - like Russia, like Iran - they've engaged in cyberattacks and phishing and that sort of thing with respect to our election infrastructure, with respect to websites and that sort of thing." China has consistently denied US government claims that it hacks US companies, politicians or government agencies. "The US presidential election is an internal affair, we have no interest in interfering in it," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in April. O'Brien indicating a more active level of alleged Chinese interference, said the United States had seen hackers try to infiltrate websites belonging to Secretary of State offices around the country, which are responsible for administering elections at the local level, and collecting data on Americans. "It is a real concern and it's not just Russia," he said. "There will be severe consequences for any country that attempts to interfere in our free and fair elections."

China targeting US election infrastructure with cyberattacks, says Trump's aide

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