Israeli-American rabbi ridicules Hindu beliefs over cow worship, faces backlash | Video

US midterms 2026: Michigan Democrats thought they had made peace. Then Haley Stevens renewed clash with Abdul El-Sayed

All votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud emerges as biggest party with 27 seats; majority eludes both blocs

Turkish ambassador Ali Murat Ersoy says India and Turkey ‘cannot remain strangers’

India's Bihar museum among top 10 in the world, beats Paris's Louvre

IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer breaks record for most T20I runs by an Indian captain in a year

Rubio warns of 'moment of choosing' at G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting as Russian FM Lavrov's presence forces cancellation of 'family photo'

Why is US Army preparing for mass battlefield burials amid Iran tensions?

Trump says US 'looking at' possible North Korean role in $6.3 billion Binance crypto heist

Rakul Preet Singh on playing Surpanakha in Ramayana: 'She is a character with a significant place'

Prediction markets are betting big on the US midterms. But can they get it right?

ISRO's GSLV-F18 launch success revives NAVIC, but there's a catch...

Police called after 3-year-old scores 10 goals in 12 minutes at Florida youth soccer game

Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau takes shelter alongside Kyiv residents amid air raid threat

'Make s**t houses great again': Norway hits back at Trump's insult with genius level toilet humour

Did rebels shoot down helicopter carrying Lt Gen Sanjay Mitra's family in Uttarakhand? Indian Army fact-check reveals...

Women hold just 17.4% of Trump's cabinet-level posts, down from 52% under Biden: Report

Ilhan Omar's alleged brother and ex-husband calls himself a 'gay man' in academic paper - 'extremely feminine Somali guy'

Arijit Singh and Karan Aujla to perform at ‘HOME’ in Goa: Read details here

US midterms: Early voting crosses record 47.9 million, Democrats lead Republicans

Federal judge blocks Trump administration's election pressure tactics in sweeping emergency order

Physicist predicted Friday the 13th 'doomsday' in 1960. It is 13 days away

WPL 2027 auction: Top 5 most expensive signings

'Was that on air?': Israeli actress Chelli Goldenberg says she's 'no longer proud to be Israeli', realises interview is live | Watch video

BJP to stage protest over anti-Sikh riots on November 1, same day as INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ rally

Did Donald Trump and Javier Milei help Flavio Bolsonaro escape Brazil? Senator's secret flight to Florida sparks political controversy

Poland in political turmoil as Karol Nawrocki returns mid-flight amid Constitutional Court 'coup d'etat' claims. What's happening?

Doomsday warning? Why governments are warning people to stockpile emergency supplies for 72 hours

Putin's war warning shakes Europe: NATO builds war bunkers, Britain stockpiles food | Gravitas

Alaska Senate midterms election: Federal officials expand investigation into alleged Democratic 'spoiler' candidate scheme

'Shut up, shut up. Dope. Shut up. Loser': Trump lashes out while getting heckled again | WATCH

Why have Trump and JD Vance cancelled weekend appearances ahead of US midterms?

Cleaning chemical mistaken for sugar: Customers suffer chemical burns after drinking margaritas at US Chili’s outlet

India and China's core commanders met at Chushul in eastern Ladakh on Tuesday for&nbsp;the fourth round of talks amid disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control(LAC).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinas-aggressive-actions-against-india-give-insight-into-how-cpc-thinking-theses-days-us-nsa-313381">Also Read:&nbsp;China's aggressive actions against India give insight into how CPC thinking theses days, says US NSA</a>

The meeting between the sides lasted reportedly for 15 hours. The meeting began at 11 am on Tuesday and lasted till 2am on Wednesday. The talks were held to discuss the second phase of disengagement.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-new-book-has-laid-bare-chinas-espionage-through-honey-traps-313324/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

India and Chinese troops had last week decided to disengage along the LAC after the clash at Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers had died in action, although the PLA had suffered casualties as well but China's foreign ministry has refused to divulge the casualty figures even though the state-run Global Times had said there were casualties on the Chinese side as well.

Amid the disengagement talks, the Indian government announced today that Defence minister Rajnath Singh will visit Ladakh and Jammu &amp; Kashmir on July 17-18. India's defence minister will be accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh led India's side during the talks on Tuesday with Major General Liu Lin leading the Chinese side. India and China had taken part in two rounds of talks after the Galwan clash on June 22 and June 30 amid tensions at the border. On June 6, commanders from both sides had met amid reports of China amassing troops at the border.

After talks under the &nbsp;Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination(WMCC) on border affairs, the Chinese side had said that both sides will continue to maintain dialogue.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has now pulled back completely from Gogra and Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh. The Indian and Chinese troops had also pulled back from Patrolling Point(PP) 17 which is the Hot Springs area with complete disengagement at P-14, PP-15 and PP-17.

India and China's core commanders met at Chushul in eastern Ladakh on Tuesday for the fourth round of talks amid disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control(LAC).

India and China's core commanders met at Chushul in eastern Ladakh on Tuesday for the fourth round of talks amid disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control(LAC). Also Read: China's aggressive actions against India give insight into how CPC thinking theses days, says US NSA The meeting between the sides lasted reportedly for 15 hours. The meeting began at 11 am on Tuesday and lasted till 2am on Wednesday. The talks were held to discuss the second phase of disengagement. Watch: India and Chinese troops had last week decided to disengage along the LAC after the clash at Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers had died in action, although the PLA had suffered casualties as well but China's foreign ministry has refused to divulge the casualty figures even though the state-run Global Times had said there were casualties on the Chinese side as well. Amid the disengagement talks, the Indian government announced today that Defence minister Rajnath Singh will visit Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir on July 17-18. India's defence minister will be accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh led India's side during the talks on Tuesday with Major General Liu Lin leading the Chinese side. India and China had taken part in two rounds of talks after the Galwan clash on June 22 and June 30 amid tensions at the border. On June 6, commanders from both sides had met amid reports of China amassing troops at the border. After talks under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination(WMCC) on border affairs, the Chinese side had said that both sides will continue to maintain dialogue. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has now pulled back completely from Gogra and Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh. The Indian and Chinese troops had also pulled back from Patrolling Point(PP) 17 which is the Hot Springs area with complete disengagement at P-14, PP-15 and PP-17.

India, China core commanders meet for 15 hours to discuss second phase of disengagement along LAC

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson says, China is committed to peace and tranquility at LAC. India and China held fourth round of talk yesterday. Today Ministry Spokesperson says, Hope India can work with China

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson says, Hope India can work with China

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday thanked the opposition parties for their support in Delhi`s fight against COVID-19. 
 
"If the Delhi Government had decided to battle COVID-19 alone, we would have failed. That is why we went to everyone including Central government, NGOs and religious organisations," Kejriwal said while speaking to reporters here. 
 
"In this fight against COVID-19, we even asked for support from other parties as well. I thank all parties including BJP and Congress as well for their support," he added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-zydus-begins-human-trials-for-potential-covid-19-vaccine-313409" hreflang="en">India's Zydus begins human trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine</a> 
 
"When things were going in the wrong direction and people were pinpointing the shortcomings, we were not disheartened and we looked to improve the mistakes. We made note of every mistake," he said. 
 
Further speaking on the `Delhi model` of dealing with the pandemic, he said that the core of this model was to collectively bring people together."Being collective is the main principle of this model.&nbsp;The second most important thing was home isolation where we made the experience comfortable," he said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-cases-in-india-rise-to-93-lakh-death-toll-at-24309-313399" hreflang="en">Covid-19 cases in India rise to 9.3 lakh, death toll at 24,309</a> 
 
"When we needed to boost our testing capacity, we asked for the Centre`s help and they helped us. Antigen testing first began in Delhi and the Centre provided us with the antigen testing kits and 20,000 tests were done on a daily basis," he added. 
 
As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi has a total of 1,15,346 COVID-19 cases, of which there are 18,664 active cases while 93,236 patients have been cured or discharged and 3,446 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday thanked the opposition parties for their support in Delhi`s fight against COVID-19. "If the Delhi Government had decided to battle COVID-19 alone, we would have failed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday thanked the opposition parties for their support in Delhi`s fight against COVID-19. "If the Delhi Government had decided to battle COVID-19 alone, we would have failed. That is why we went to everyone including Central government, NGOs and religious organisations," Kejriwal said while speaking to reporters here. "In this fight against COVID-19, we even asked for support from other parties as well. I thank all parties including BJP and Congress as well for their support," he added. Also read: India's Zydus begins human trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine "When things were going in the wrong direction and people were pinpointing the shortcomings, we were not disheartened and we looked to improve the mistakes. We made note of every mistake," he said. Further speaking on the `Delhi model` of dealing with the pandemic, he said that the core of this model was to collectively bring people together."Being collective is the main principle of this model. The second most important thing was home isolation where we made the experience comfortable," he said. Also read: Covid-19 cases in India rise to 9.3 lakh, death toll at 24,309 "When we needed to boost our testing capacity, we asked for the Centre`s help and they helped us. Antigen testing first began in Delhi and the Centre provided us with the antigen testing kits and 20,000 tests were done on a daily basis," he added. As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi has a total of 1,15,346 COVID-19 cases, of which there are 18,664 active cases while 93,236 patients have been cured or discharged and 3,446 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal thanks opposition for support during COVID-19 fight

Sanction has been accorded to a trial by the Indian Council of Medical Research's Tuberculosis institute here to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly in the fight against COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday. 
 
Chief Minister K Palaniswami, in an order, has given the State's approval after ICMR sought Tamil Nadu government's permission to study the efficacy of the Bacillus Calmette- Gurin (BCG) vaccine in senior citizens at its National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) at Chetpet here,Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-zydus-begins-human-trials-for-potential-covid-19-vaccine-313409" hreflang="en">India's Zydus begins human trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine</a> 
 
"The ICMR's tuberculosis institute is set to begin the trial very soon," he said in a statement. 
 
He hoped that vaccinating the elderly with the time tested BCG would help reduce the intensity of COVID-19, admissions at hospitals and mortality rates.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-cases-in-india-rise-to-93-lakh-death-toll-at-24309-313399" hreflang="en">Covid-19 cases in India rise to 9.3 lakh, death toll at 24,309</a> 
 
Describing the state's approval by Palaniswami for a trial here as among measures to protect people's welfare during the ongoing fight against COVID-19, Vijayabaskar said anti-viral measures will further be stepped up. 
 
The NIRT under the ICMR is an internationally recognised institution for TB research.

Sanction has been accorded to a trial by the Indian Council of Medical Research's Tuberculosis institute here to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly in the fight against COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday.

Sanction has been accorded to a trial by the Indian Council of Medical Research's Tuberculosis institute here to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly in the fight against COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday. Chief Minister K Palaniswami, in an order, has given the State's approval after ICMR sought Tamil Nadu government's permission to study the efficacy of the Bacillus Calmette- Gurin (BCG) vaccine in senior citizens at its National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) at Chetpet here,Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said. Also read: India's Zydus begins human trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine "The ICMR's tuberculosis institute is set to begin the trial very soon," he said in a statement. He hoped that vaccinating the elderly with the time tested BCG would help reduce the intensity of COVID-19, admissions at hospitals and mortality rates. Also read: Covid-19 cases in India rise to 9.3 lakh, death toll at 24,309 Describing the state's approval by Palaniswami for a trial here as among measures to protect people's welfare during the ongoing fight against COVID-19, Vijayabaskar said anti-viral measures will further be stepped up. The NIRT under the ICMR is an internationally recognised institution for TB research.

Tamil Nadu govt gives consent to BCG trial at ICMR's Chennai institute

The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to entertain a plea challenging legal provisions which provide 100 per cent reservation to domicile of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in public employment.

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and S Ravindra Bhat asked Ladakh-based lawyer Najum Ul Huda to move the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with his plea.

The plea had sought "quashing of sections 3A, 5A, 6, 7 and 8 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act as violative of Articles 14, 16, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India as these sections direct 100 per cent reservation to the domicile of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir in public employment."

The plea, filed through lawyer Nishant Khatri, said that since the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, the UT is equally subject to all laws and the Supreme Court judgments which are applicable to the rest of the country.

"Therefore, if any reservation has to be granted in the UT on the basis of residence, the same may be done only in consonance with Article 16(3) of the Constitution," the plea said.

It said that section 5A of the law which says that the only domicile of the state shall be eligible for appointment to any post was violative of Article 16 (3) of the Constitution which guarantees equal opportunity in employment.

The plea further said that the reservations contemplated in Article 16 should not exceed 50 per cent.

In March, the government issued the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020 which notified changes in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act.

Section 5A of the Act stated that Level 4 posts will be reserved for domiciles.

In August last year, parliament abolished Article 370, which had provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and then divided the state into two UTs which were Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to entertain a plea challenging legal provisions which provide 100 per cent reservation to domicile of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in public employment.

The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to entertain a plea challenging legal provisions which provide 100 per cent reservation to domicile of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in public employment. A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and S Ravindra Bhat asked Ladakh-based lawyer Najum Ul Huda to move the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with his plea. The plea had sought "quashing of sections 3A, 5A, 6, 7 and 8 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act as violative of Articles 14, 16, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India as these sections direct 100 per cent reservation to the domicile of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir in public employment." The plea, filed through lawyer Nishant Khatri, said that since the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, the UT is equally subject to all laws and the Supreme Court judgments which are applicable to the rest of the country. "Therefore, if any reservation has to be granted in the UT on the basis of residence, the same may be done only in consonance with Article 16(3) of the Constitution," the plea said. It said that section 5A of the law which says that the only domicile of the state shall be eligible for appointment to any post was violative of Article 16 (3) of the Constitution which guarantees equal opportunity in employment. The plea further said that the reservations contemplated in Article 16 should not exceed 50 per cent. In March, the government issued the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020 which notified changes in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act. Section 5A of the Act stated that Level 4 posts will be reserved for domiciles. In August last year, parliament abolished Article 370, which had provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and then divided the state into two UTs which were Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea against 100 per cent domicile quota in J&K

ASHOK NAGAR (Madhya Pradesh): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, and accused them of abandoning the party after it gave them everything.

"I am saddened by these developments. These youngsters were given everything by the Congress party. They don't they have patience," Singh told reporters.

This comes as the Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil over the past few days after Pilot skipped recent Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings amid speculations of his exit from the party.

"Jyotiraditya received the same respect as his father Madhavrao Scindia in the Congress party. He (Jyotiraditya) was given key positions and offered several others as well. He shook hands with the enemy after being defeated by them. We did not expect this. The same is being done by Sachin Pilot," Singh said.

Singh said that the Congress made Sachin Pilot a Member of Parliament (MP) at the young age of 27 and inducted him in the Central Cabinet.

Yesterday, Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee chief by the party. The decision to sack him was taken at a CLP meeting where as many as 102 MLAs unanimously demanded that Pilot be removed.

"He was also made Rajasthan PCC president and Deputy Chief Minister. How old is he? Merely 37-38 years old. Have some patience. How many people are there who have climbed the political ladder so quickly?" the Congress leader asked.

"But he has worked against the norms of the Congress party. It is saddening. I wanted to have good relations with Sachin Pilot. Just like I had with Rajesh Pilot and Madhavrao Scindia. These youngsters don't have patience, which is a key trait in politics," he added.

Singh also ridiculed the claims of former Madhya Pradesh MLAs that work requested by them was not done as they were Scindia supporters and said, "These are blatant lies. We have a list of all the work that was done on the request of these former MLAs".

In March this year, Scindia left the Congress to join the BJP. Later, 22 Congress MLAs resigned, which led to the toppling of the Kamal Nath government and paved the way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to become the Chief Minister again.

Scindia was later elected to the Upper House of the Parliament from the BJP.&nbsp;

ASHOK NAGAR (Madhya Pradesh): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, and accused them of abandoning the party after it gave them everything.

ASHOK NAGAR (Madhya Pradesh): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, and accused them of abandoning the party after it gave them everything. "I am saddened by these developments. These youngsters were given everything by the Congress party. They don't they have patience," Singh told reporters. This comes as the Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil over the past few days after Pilot skipped recent Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings amid speculations of his exit from the party. "Jyotiraditya received the same respect as his father Madhavrao Scindia in the Congress party. He (Jyotiraditya) was given key positions and offered several others as well. He shook hands with the enemy after being defeated by them. We did not expect this. The same is being done by Sachin Pilot," Singh said. Singh said that the Congress made Sachin Pilot a Member of Parliament (MP) at the young age of 27 and inducted him in the Central Cabinet. Yesterday, Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee chief by the party. The decision to sack him was taken at a CLP meeting where as many as 102 MLAs unanimously demanded that Pilot be removed. "He was also made Rajasthan PCC president and Deputy Chief Minister. How old is he? Merely 37-38 years old. Have some patience. How many people are there who have climbed the political ladder so quickly?" the Congress leader asked. "But he has worked against the norms of the Congress party. It is saddening. I wanted to have good relations with Sachin Pilot. Just like I had with Rajesh Pilot and Madhavrao Scindia. These youngsters don't have patience, which is a key trait in politics," he added. Singh also ridiculed the claims of former Madhya Pradesh MLAs that work requested by them was not done as they were Scindia supporters and said, "These are blatant lies. We have a list of all the work that was done on the request of these former MLAs". In March this year, Scindia left the Congress to join the BJP. Later, 22 Congress MLAs resigned, which led to the toppling of the Kamal Nath government and paved the way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to become the Chief Minister again. Scindia was later elected to the Upper House of the Parliament from the BJP.

Digvijaya Singh trains guns at Scindia and Pilot, says youngsters don't have patience

Unidentified men have abducted a BJP member and Vice-President of Watergam Municipal Committee Meraj-ud-Din Malla in north Kashmir’s Sopore on Wednesday&nbsp;morning.

A massive manhunt has been launched to trace Malla. Police officials have confirmed deploying several rescue teams.&nbsp;The incident comes just days after terrorists killed BJP leader Wasim Bari, his father and brother in Bandipora district.

Police had blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba for the pre-planned killing.

Following the killing of BJP members, many political leaders and activists have demanded security particularly those who live in vulnerable areas.

Police have told WION that they are checking facts and details regarding the abduction.

Unidentified men have abducted a BJP member and Vice-President of Watergam Municipal Committee Meraj-ud-Din Malla in north Kashmir’s Sopore on Wednesday morning.

Unidentified men have abducted a BJP member and Vice-President of Watergam Municipal Committee Meraj-ud-Din Malla in north Kashmir’s Sopore on Wednesday morning. A massive manhunt has been launched to trace Malla. Police officials have confirmed deploying several rescue teams. The incident comes just days after terrorists killed BJP leader Wasim Bari, his father and brother in Bandipora district. Police had blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba for the pre-planned killing. Following the killing of BJP members, many political leaders and activists have demanded security particularly those who live in vulnerable areas. Police have told WION that they are checking facts and details regarding the abduction.

J&K BJP leader kidnapped in Baramulla; massive manhunt underway

Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus has started human studies for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, as coronavirus infections continue to surge in the world's third worst-hit nation.

ZyCoV-D, its plasmid DNA vaccine, was found to be safe, immunogenic and well-tolerated in the pre-clinical toxicity studies, Zydus said on Wednesday.

The human dosing of the vaccine marks a key milestone since the launching of the accelerated vaccine development programme for COVID-19 in February, the company said.

"We acknowledge the support of National Biopharma Mission, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology and regulatory agencies ICMR and DGCI in the development of ZyCoV-D vaccine candidate," Chairman Pankaj R Patel said.

In the human trials, Zydus will enrol over 1,000 subjects across multiple clinical study sites in India.

The company has already manufactured clinical GMP batches of the vaccine candidate for clinical trials.

In the pre-clinical phase, the vaccine was found to generate a strong immune response in multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits.

 
&nbsp;

Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus has started human studies for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, as coronavirus infections continue to surge in the world's third worst-hit nation.

Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus has started human studies for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, as coronavirus infections continue to surge in the world's third worst-hit nation. ZyCoV-D, its plasmid DNA vaccine, was found to be safe, immunogenic and well-tolerated in the pre-clinical toxicity studies, Zydus said on Wednesday. The human dosing of the vaccine marks a key milestone since the launching of the accelerated vaccine development programme for COVID-19 in February, the company said. "We acknowledge the support of National Biopharma Mission, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology and regulatory agencies ICMR and DGCI in the development of ZyCoV-D vaccine candidate," Chairman Pankaj R Patel said. In the human trials, Zydus will enrol over 1,000 subjects across multiple clinical study sites in India. The company has already manufactured clinical GMP batches of the vaccine candidate for clinical trials. In the pre-clinical phase, the vaccine was found to generate a strong immune response in multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits.

India's Zydus begins human trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine

India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the special event on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Acceleration Actions on the margins of 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Tuesday, Amitabh Kant said collective action through international cooperation is more relevant and important than ever before in these truly unprecedented times.

He told the session that the "One Nation, One Card' initiative is an example of a recent transformative solution by India presently being implemented as a response to the pandemic.

"The first half of 2020 has underscored the importance of responsive and adaptive policy making, more than ever before. When challenges are dynamic and unprecedented, peer learning and knowledge exchange are of utmost significance. We are deeply committed to foster this spirit and accelerate progress on the SDG targets by not only focusing on the recovery but by building back better for long term transformation," Kant said.

The "One Nation, One Card' initiative ensures right-based access to food supplies and covers over 800 million people at cost as low as 3-5 cents. He added that this is operationalised through beneficiary cards issued by the sub-national governments.

"By leveraging the technological capacity meticulously built over the last few years, India is all set to roll out interoperability in making access to the Public Distribution System location independent," Kant said adding that it is a "momentous step to ensure that no one is left behind, especially the inter-state migrants."

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the power of collectivised problem solving, he said.

Under the "One Nation-One Ration Card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card. The Food Ministry aims to implement this facility across the country by March 2021.

Kant added that "invigorated and renewed synergy" between the government and the private sector has resulted in over 400,000 PPEs and 220,000 N-95 masks being manufactured in India, every day.

"In February this year, we were producing none. This aligns closely with our flagship 'Make in India' approach, through which we aim at becoming a globally competitive manufacturing hub," he said.

Meanwhile, India on Monday presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum.

India's VNR report titled "Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local' highlights not only the country's progress on the SDGs, but also captures the inclusive and participatory process followed in its preparation.

Kant told the session that India is aggressively expanding its renewable energy programme, increasing the renewable energy capacity by 75 per cent since 2014 and aiming to achieve the ambitious target of 450 GW by 2030.

"We have made the global pledge, as part of our Nationally Determined Contributions, to have 40 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources," he said, adding that India's renewable energy sector has become a prime destination for global investors, with a potential to attract 10 billion dollars of annual investments.

In the global Ease of Doing Business rankings, India has jumped 79 places in the past five years: from 142 in 2014 to 62 in 2019.

"Our structural reforms in taxation, FDI regime, and insolvency and bankruptcy have contributed to this improvement," he said.

Emphasising that 21st century challenges need 21st century solutions, Kant said the role of innovation is critical in designing solutions for SDG acceleration and building back better. Today, India is home to the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with the third largest number of unicorns.

"We firmly believe that these disruptions in the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem will accelerate our pace of achieving the SDGs," he said.

He also pointed out that the government's Aspirational Districts Programme aims at accelerating transformative socio-economic improvement in 112 districts of the country with relatively greater development challenges.

By improving the lives of over 165 million citizens in these districts in terms of health, education, basic infrastructure, agriculture and water, and financial inclusion and skill development, the initiative highlights the efficacy of the cooperative and competitive federalism approach to development, he said.

"Sharing SDG acceleration actions and successes will be incomplete without discussing SDG localisation in India. Fostering sub-national peer-learning and competitiveness is the approach we took when we released the world's first government-led sub-national SDG Index in 2018," he said.

Kant said the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which annually ranks Indian States based on their SDG performance, has reshaped the SDG framework adoption and localisation discourse in the country. It has resulted in sub-national entities instituting monitoring systems and preparing development strategies aligned to the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which are customised to the local and hyper-local context.

India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the special event on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Acceleration Actions on the margins of 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Tuesday, Amitabh Kant said collective action through international cooperation is more relevant and important than ever before in these truly unprecedented times. He told the session that the "One Nation, One Card' initiative is an example of a recent transformative solution by India presently being implemented as a response to the pandemic. "The first half of 2020 has underscored the importance of responsive and adaptive policy making, more than ever before. When challenges are dynamic and unprecedented, peer learning and knowledge exchange are of utmost significance. We are deeply committed to foster this spirit and accelerate progress on the SDG targets by not only focusing on the recovery but by building back better for long term transformation," Kant said. The "One Nation, One Card' initiative ensures right-based access to food supplies and covers over 800 million people at cost as low as 3-5 cents. He added that this is operationalised through beneficiary cards issued by the sub-national governments. "By leveraging the technological capacity meticulously built over the last few years, India is all set to roll out interoperability in making access to the Public Distribution System location independent," Kant said adding that it is a "momentous step to ensure that no one is left behind, especially the inter-state migrants." The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the power of collectivised problem solving, he said. Under the "One Nation-One Ration Card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card. The Food Ministry aims to implement this facility across the country by March 2021. Kant added that "invigorated and renewed synergy" between the government and the private sector has resulted in over 400,000 PPEs and 220,000 N-95 masks being manufactured in India, every day. "In February this year, we were producing none. This aligns closely with our flagship 'Make in India' approach, through which we aim at becoming a globally competitive manufacturing hub," he said. Meanwhile, India on Monday presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum. India's VNR report titled "Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local' highlights not only the country's progress on the SDGs, but also captures the inclusive and participatory process followed in its preparation. Kant told the session that India is aggressively expanding its renewable energy programme, increasing the renewable energy capacity by 75 per cent since 2014 and aiming to achieve the ambitious target of 450 GW by 2030. "We have made the global pledge, as part of our Nationally Determined Contributions, to have 40 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources," he said, adding that India's renewable energy sector has become a prime destination for global investors, with a potential to attract 10 billion dollars of annual investments. In the global Ease of Doing Business rankings, India has jumped 79 places in the past five years: from 142 in 2014 to 62 in 2019. "Our structural reforms in taxation, FDI regime, and insolvency and bankruptcy have contributed to this improvement," he said. Emphasising that 21st century challenges need 21st century solutions, Kant said the role of innovation is critical in designing solutions for SDG acceleration and building back better. Today, India is home to the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with the third largest number of unicorns. "We firmly believe that these disruptions in the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem will accelerate our pace of achieving the SDGs," he said. He also pointed out that the government's Aspirational Districts Programme aims at accelerating transformative socio-economic improvement in 112 districts of the country with relatively greater development challenges. By improving the lives of over 165 million citizens in these districts in terms of health, education, basic infrastructure, agriculture and water, and financial inclusion and skill development, the initiative highlights the efficacy of the cooperative and competitive federalism approach to development, he said. "Sharing SDG acceleration actions and successes will be incomplete without discussing SDG localisation in India. Fostering sub-national peer-learning and competitiveness is the approach we took when we released the world's first government-led sub-national SDG Index in 2018," he said. Kant said the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which annually ranks Indian States based on their SDG performance, has reshaped the SDG framework adoption and localisation discourse in the country. It has resulted in sub-national entities instituting monitoring systems and preparing development strategies aligned to the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which are customised to the local and hyper-local context.

India set to make PDS location independent: NITI Aayog CEO at UN forum

Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar on Tuesday briefed media about the Kanpur shootout case and said post-mortem report revealed that sharp-edged weapons were used to kill the eight cops.

He also said that the slain gangster Vikas Dubey also looted the arms of the policemen after killing them.

"Post-mortem report reveals that sharp-edged weapons and guns were used to kill the 8 policemen at Bikru village on July 3. Circle Officer Devendra Mishra had four bullet injuries. Also, it reveals that all bullets were shot from point-blank range," he said in a press conference.

"After killing the 8 policemen on July 3 at Bikru village, the accused had also looted the arms of our policemen."

Kumar further informed media that that "there are a total of 21 accused in the case, of which 4 have been arrested while 6 accused, including Vikas Dubey, killed during police proceedings in different incidents."

"Vikas Dubey had asked his gang members to hide the looted arms and ammunition at his residence at Bikru village. During a search at Vikas Dubey's residence, we recovered the looted arms," he added.

Notably, the Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member commission to investigate the Vikas Dubey encounter case, officials said on Sunday. The commission will have to submit its report within two months.

Dubey was arrested by the police in Ujjain on Thursday morning. He was on the run and had come to the city to offer prayers at a temple, where he was identified by a security guard.

He was killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday after he "attempted to flee".

The gangster was the main accused in the encounter that took place in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur in which a group of assailants opened fire on a police team, which had gone to arrest him. Eight police personnel were killed in the encounter.&nbsp;

Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar on Tuesday briefed media about the Kanpur shootout case and said post-mortem report revealed that sharp-edged weapons were used to kill the eight cops.

Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar on Tuesday briefed media about the Kanpur shootout case and said post-mortem report revealed that sharp-edged weapons were used to kill the eight cops. He also said that the slain gangster Vikas Dubey also looted the arms of the policemen after killing them. "Post-mortem report reveals that sharp-edged weapons and guns were used to kill the 8 policemen at Bikru village on July 3. Circle Officer Devendra Mishra had four bullet injuries. Also, it reveals that all bullets were shot from point-blank range," he said in a press conference. "After killing the 8 policemen on July 3 at Bikru village, the accused had also looted the arms of our policemen." Kumar further informed media that that "there are a total of 21 accused in the case, of which 4 have been arrested while 6 accused, including Vikas Dubey, killed during police proceedings in different incidents." "Vikas Dubey had asked his gang members to hide the looted arms and ammunition at his residence at Bikru village. During a search at Vikas Dubey's residence, we recovered the looted arms," he added. Notably, the Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member commission to investigate the Vikas Dubey encounter case, officials said on Sunday. The commission will have to submit its report within two months. Dubey was arrested by the police in Ujjain on Thursday morning. He was on the run and had come to the city to offer prayers at a temple, where he was identified by a security guard. He was killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday after he "attempted to flee". The gangster was the main accused in the encounter that took place in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur in which a group of assailants opened fire on a police team, which had gone to arrest him. Eight police personnel were killed in the encounter.

Kanpur encounter: Sharp-edged weapons, guns used to kill 8 policemen, reveals autopsy report

It appears that China is not willing to recognise the casualties it suffered in the Galwan valley clash as the government is pressurising the families of killed soldiers to not conduct burials and in-person funeral ceremonies, according to a US intelligence assessment.

The bloody brawl between Chinese and Indian troops took place on June 15, in which, both sides suffered casualties. India, without any hesitation, accepted that 20 of its soldiers were killed in the line of duty. They are being hailed as heroes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat on June 28, conveyed condolences to the families of Army personnel and said that the sacrifice of these families is "worth worshipping".

However, even after one month of the incident, China has still not disclosed how many of its soldiers were killed in the incident.

The grieving Chinese families who have lost their loved ones in the clash are being mistreated by the Chinese government, as per the report.

Not only the Chinese government refused to accept the casualties, it is also denying the burial of the soldiers.

According to the US intelligence assessment, China is not accepting that its soldiers have been killed in order to cover up the episode that Beijing appears to consider a blunder, reported the US News.

The violent face-off occurred after China attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. India has said that the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been followed by the Chinese side.

American intelligence believes that 35 of the Chinese soldiers were killed in the showdown.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has told families of those who died that they must forgo traditional burial ceremonies and cremate the soldiers' remains and that any funeral services should be conducted remotely, not in person, a source familiar with the assessment told US News.

The government has cited the spread of coronavirus as the reason, however, the assessment concludes that the new rules are a part of a deliberate effort by Beijing to undermine public awareness and erase any enduring reminders of the violent clash.

This decision of the Chinese Communist Party has upset Chinese families who lost their loved ones in the incident, US-based Breitbart News had reported. According to Breitbart, the Chinese government is struggling to silence the families of soldiers who are using Weibo and other platforms to vent their anger and frustration.

China reportedly fears that images of gravestones of its killed soldiers could further stoke those sentiments if spread on Chinese or international social media.

"The reality is they don't want to create martyr soldiers," says the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material. "So they have banned functions where friends and families can pay their respects for the PLA deceased."

It appears that China is not willing to recognise the casualties it suffered in the Galwan valley clash as the government is pressurising the families of killed soldiers to not conduct burials and in-person funeral ceremonies, according to a US intelligence assessment.

It appears that China is not willing to recognise the casualties it suffered in the Galwan valley clash as the government is pressurising the families of killed soldiers to not conduct burials and in-person funeral ceremonies, according to a US intelligence assessment. The bloody brawl between Chinese and Indian troops took place on June 15, in which, both sides suffered casualties. India, without any hesitation, accepted that 20 of its soldiers were killed in the line of duty. They are being hailed as heroes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat on June 28, conveyed condolences to the families of Army personnel and said that the sacrifice of these families is "worth worshipping". However, even after one month of the incident, China has still not disclosed how many of its soldiers were killed in the incident. The grieving Chinese families who have lost their loved ones in the clash are being mistreated by the Chinese government, as per the report. Not only the Chinese government refused to accept the casualties, it is also denying the burial of the soldiers. According to the US intelligence assessment, China is not accepting that its soldiers have been killed in order to cover up the episode that Beijing appears to consider a blunder, reported the US News. The violent face-off occurred after China attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. India has said that the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been followed by the Chinese side. American intelligence believes that 35 of the Chinese soldiers were killed in the showdown. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has told families of those who died that they must forgo traditional burial ceremonies and cremate the soldiers' remains and that any funeral services should be conducted remotely, not in person, a source familiar with the assessment told US News. The government has cited the spread of coronavirus as the reason, however, the assessment concludes that the new rules are a part of a deliberate effort by Beijing to undermine public awareness and erase any enduring reminders of the violent clash. This decision of the Chinese Communist Party has upset Chinese families who lost their loved ones in the incident, US-based Breitbart News had reported. According to Breitbart, the Chinese government is struggling to silence the families of soldiers who are using Weibo and other platforms to vent their anger and frustration. China reportedly fears that images of gravestones of its killed soldiers could further stoke those sentiments if spread on Chinese or international social media. "The reality is they don't want to create martyr soldiers," says the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material. "So they have banned functions where friends and families can pay their respects for the PLA deceased."

China denies burials for soldiers to cover up Galwan blunder: US intelligence assessment

India's number of case in deadly coronavirus infections crosses 9 lakh mark with 28,498 new cases and 553 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total cases stand at 9, 06,752 including 3, 11,565 active cases, 5, 71,460 cured and 23,727 deaths, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health.&nbsp;

The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 63.02%, while the recoveries deaths ratio is 96.01%:3.99%, stated the Government of India.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, India tested 1, 20, 92,503 samples tested for COVID19 till 13 July, of these 2, 86,247 samples were tested yesterday.

The World Health Organisation has said the pandemic is getting worse and worse with time as too many countries are going in the wrong direction. Tedros called for countries to come up with comprehensive strategies, and noted that roughly half of all new cases are in the Americas.&nbsp;

The number of deadly coronavirus cases around the world increased by a million in just five days.

As many as 13,236,252 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 around the world so far. While more than 7,691,451 have recovered, 575,540 have died, according to Worldometer.&nbsp;

Country-wise, the United States remains the most affected. It has recorded over 65,000 cases in a day and now has 3,479,483 coronavirus cases and 138,247 deaths. Brazil has 1,887,959 cases, and 72,921 deaths, while India is the third-worst-hit with 907,645 cases and 23,727 deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's number of case in deadly coronavirus infections crosses 9 lakh mark with 28,498 new cases and 553 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total cases stand at 9, 06,752 including 3, 11,565 active cases, 5, 71,460 cured and 23,727 deaths, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health.

India's number of case in deadly coronavirus infections crosses 9 lakh mark with 28,498 new cases and 553 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total cases stand at 9, 06,752 including 3, 11,565 active cases, 5, 71,460 cured and 23,727 deaths, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health. The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 63.02%, while the recoveries deaths ratio is 96.01%:3.99%, stated the Government of India. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, India tested 1, 20, 92,503 samples tested for COVID19 till 13 July, of these 2, 86,247 samples were tested yesterday. The World Health Organisation has said the pandemic is getting worse and worse with time as too many countries are going in the wrong direction. Tedros called for countries to come up with comprehensive strategies, and noted that roughly half of all new cases are in the Americas. The number of deadly coronavirus cases around the world increased by a million in just five days. As many as 13,236,252 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 around the world so far. While more than 7,691,451 have recovered, 575,540 have died, according to Worldometer. Country-wise, the United States remains the most affected. It has recorded over 65,000 cases in a day and now has 3,479,483 coronavirus cases and 138,247 deaths. Brazil has 1,887,959 cases, and 72,921 deaths, while India is the third-worst-hit with 907,645 cases and 23,727 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

India's crosses 9 lakh coronavirus cases with 28,498 new patients

The West Bengal government on Tuesday ordered the extension of lockdown till July 19 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chennai-transgender-community-battles-covid-19-and-stigma-by-creating-awareness-313255">Also Read:&nbsp;Chennai transgender community battles COVID-19 and stigma by creating awareness</a>

The state has recorded 1,390 cases and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours with the number of COVID-19 cases rising to 32,838. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 980.

Maharashtra which is the hardest due to the virus reported 6,741 new cases and 213 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases in the state to &nbsp;2,67,665 including 1,07,665 active cases. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 10,695. There are 1,07,665 active cases in state, according to the health department.

India's financial capital Mumbai reported 969 new coronavirus cases and 70 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 5,402. The number of active cases has risen to 22,828 in the city.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at meeting with officials decided to provide Rs 15,000 for last rites of those dying due to coronavirus. &nbsp;

Uttar Pradesh which had inposed a lockdown reported 1656 new coronavirus cases and 28 fatalities in the last 24 hours with the total number of active cases rising to 13,760. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 983.

Gujarat which has also been hit hard with the virus reported &nbsp;915 coronavirus cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 43,723. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 2,071. 
&nbsp;

The West Bengal government on Tuesday ordered the extension of lockdown till July 19 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state. Also Read: Chennai transgender community battles COVID-19 and stigma by creating awareness The state has recorded 1,390 cases and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours with the number of COVID-19 cases rising to 32,838.

The West Bengal government on Tuesday ordered the extension of lockdown till July 19 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state. Also Read: Chennai transgender community battles COVID-19 and stigma by creating awareness The state has recorded 1,390 cases and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours with the number of COVID-19 cases rising to 32,838. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 980. Maharashtra which is the hardest due to the virus reported 6,741 new cases and 213 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases in the state to 2,67,665 including 1,07,665 active cases. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 10,695. There are 1,07,665 active cases in state, according to the health department. India's financial capital Mumbai reported 969 new coronavirus cases and 70 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 5,402. The number of active cases has risen to 22,828 in the city. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at meeting with officials decided to provide Rs 15,000 for last rites of those dying due to coronavirus. Uttar Pradesh which had inposed a lockdown reported 1656 new coronavirus cases and 28 fatalities in the last 24 hours with the total number of active cases rising to 13,760. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 983. Gujarat which has also been hit hard with the virus reported 915 coronavirus cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 43,723. The death toll due to the virus in the state has risen to 2,071.

COVID-19: Death toll in Maharashtra crosses 10,600; Mumbai reports 969 new cases

The Covid-19 crisis threatens the existence of various businesses across the country. The retail sector too is struggling to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. In India, the sector suffered losses worth Rs 9 lakh crore in the first 60 days of lockdown. How can it get back on its feet? On Hard Reset, we discuss the future of retail and shopping malls with PUMA India and Southeast Asia General Manager Abhishek Ganguly, Bestseller India CEO Vineet Gautam, Fashion Designer Pernia Qureshi and SCAI Chairman Amitabh Taneja.

Hard Reset: Retail after Covid-19

The Transgender community in Chennai is actively participating with the government and the civic body in the battle against the coronavirus.

From creating awareness to conducting door-to-door screening and coordinating ground-level efforts, members of the trans community and their NGOs have been at the frontlines in many badly affected areas and slums across the city.

This is said to be a first-of-its campaign involving Transgenders working with the government authorities in fighting the deadly pandemic.

In partnership with the Chennai Corporation, the transgenders are taking up a variety of tasks, spending up to eight hours a day on the field. As a part of a 100-day employment scheme, the transgenders are paid around Rs.15000 per month, besides being provided breakfast and lunch.&nbsp;

“We are primarily assigned 3 tasks:&nbsp;&nbsp;Awareness, Prevention and Control. Awareness involves going on foot and spreading the word on personal hygiene, hand washing, immunity-boosting measures and physical distancing. We go in groups around localities and announce via loudspeakers and also speak to people individually and clarify their doubts” Jaya, General Manager of the NGO Sahodaran told WION.&nbsp;

Besides the awareness creation, they go around the assigned localities and distribute free cloth masks and immunity booster drinks. As a part of control measures, they individually cover about 150 houses and conduct fever surveillance and check for symptoms. In case, people with symptoms are found, they are advised to go to the nearest fever clinic or the Primary health centre for further checks.&nbsp;

“Recently we even conducted some new initiatives where we used to dance, drama and storytelling to create awareness. We hold placards, shout slogans, and even had transgenders who won national-level beauty contests participate in the awareness campaign.” Jaya added.&nbsp;

While the 100-day scheme has been a boon to the transgender community, its not as easy as it looks. They have to fight Covid-19 and also the stigma in people’s minds.&nbsp;

“Initially the public were apprehensive, there was&nbsp;stigma and discrimination. Their cooperation was less and they even questioned its on why we were coming to their houses daily. But eventually, the rapport got better and they started seeing us as family members” Sudha the director of Thozhi NGO told WION.&nbsp;

Jaya adds that their transgender community is glad to serve the society in their little ways. “We are fighting corona and stigma. We could say that the transgenders are joining this fight for their basic economic needs and, but we’re taking these risks for the welfare of fellow members in the society”.&nbsp;

Dhanabashyam of Snegithi NGO says that this has been a very good experience for her and that it also helps them financially. “We work for about 8 hours stating 7:30 and the corporation also provides us with breakfast and lunch. We are glad for the opportunity that has come our way”.

The Transgender community in Chennai is actively participating with the government and the civic body in the battle against the coronavirus. From creating awareness to conducting door-to-door screening and coordinating ground-level efforts, members of the trans community and their NGOs have been at the frontlines in many badly affected areas and slums across the city.

The Transgender community in Chennai is actively participating with the government and the civic body in the battle against the coronavirus. From creating awareness to conducting door-to-door screening and coordinating ground-level efforts, members of the trans community and their NGOs have been at the frontlines in many badly affected areas and slums across the city. This is said to be a first-of-its campaign involving Transgenders working with the government authorities in fighting the deadly pandemic. In partnership with the Chennai Corporation, the transgenders are taking up a variety of tasks, spending up to eight hours a day on the field. As a part of a 100-day employment scheme, the transgenders are paid around Rs.15000 per month, besides being provided breakfast and lunch. “We are primarily assigned 3 tasks: Awareness, Prevention and Control. Awareness involves going on foot and spreading the word on personal hygiene, hand washing, immunity-boosting measures and physical distancing. We go in groups around localities and announce via loudspeakers and also speak to people individually and clarify their doubts” Jaya, General Manager of the NGO Sahodaran told WION. Besides the awareness creation, they go around the assigned localities and distribute free cloth masks and immunity booster drinks. As a part of control measures, they individually cover about 150 houses and conduct fever surveillance and check for symptoms. In case, people with symptoms are found, they are advised to go to the nearest fever clinic or the Primary health centre for further checks. “Recently we even conducted some new initiatives where we used to dance, drama and storytelling to create awareness. We hold placards, shout slogans, and even had transgenders who won national-level beauty contests participate in the awareness campaign.” Jaya added. While the 100-day scheme has been a boon to the transgender community, its not as easy as it looks. They have to fight Covid-19 and also the stigma in people’s minds. “Initially the public were apprehensive, there was stigma and discrimination. Their cooperation was less and they even questioned its on why we were coming to their houses daily. But eventually, the rapport got better and they started seeing us as family members” Sudha the director of Thozhi NGO told WION. Jaya adds that their transgender community is glad to serve the society in their little ways. “We are fighting corona and stigma. We could say that the transgenders are joining this fight for their basic economic needs and, but we’re taking these risks for the welfare of fellow members in the society”. Dhanabashyam of Snegithi NGO says that this has been a very good experience for her and that it also helps them financially. “We work for about 8 hours stating 7:30 and the corporation also provides us with breakfast and lunch. We are glad for the opportunity that has come our way”.

Chennai transgender community battles COVID-19 and stigma by creating awareness

China has struck a deal with America's enemy - Iran. It's a $400 billion economic and security strategic partnership deal.

As always, China is using its chequebook to have its way. It has bought Iran over for $400 billion dollars. It is a 25-year strategic accord with an 18-page agreement that weds Iran to China for a quarter of a century.

Once it is signed, Iran will open its doors for Chinese investment not just in one or two sectors but&nbsp;across the Iranian economy. The Chinese presence in Iran would expand in banking, telecommunications, ports and railways, also more than a dozen projects will go to Chinese companies.

Beijing hopes to get cheap oil in return. China will walk away with a steady supply of Iranian oil at a heavily discounted rate for 25 years and this is just one side of the story of the economic aspect.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-400-billion-china-iran-deal-where-does-it-leave-the-chabahar-project-313096/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The deal also has a military dimension. There will be reportedly joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development, even intelligence sharing as part of the agreement.&nbsp;

The deal will fundamentally change Iran’s relationship with China. It will put Tehran in Beijing’s corner and India could see its influence diminish overtime.&nbsp;

The biggest threat is to the Chabahar port. It was seen as India’s counter to the Gwadar port in Pakistan that is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative(BRI), if China invests heavily in Iran the Chabahar port could lose its relevance.&nbsp;

However, it is hypothetical as of today. The Iran-China agreement reportedly has not been submitted for Parliament’s approval yet and hasn’t been made public. China hasn’t shared the details of the deal yet as well. The ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing was asked about it today and it didn’t share any information.

It is not yet clear if the top brass of the Communist Party has signed off on it but&nbsp;the details of the deal that have leaked are reportedly part of the “final version”. Iran is not hiding the fact that it is negotiating the agreement with China. On July 5, Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif indicated that the deal will happen and it will be presented before Iran's Parliament for approval.

The potential agreement is a big threat to India. Historically, India and Iran have enjoyed a close relationship. India was one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil but&nbsp;New Delhi stopped buying oil from Iran in 2019 after the United States slapped sanctions against Iran and refused to grant any waivers to India.&nbsp;

Now, Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran has failed. China went under the nose of the Americans and managed to negotiate a deal with Tehran that could create more flashpoints in West Asia and even cost India its relationship with Iran.&nbsp;

China has struck a deal with America's enemy - Iran. It's a $400 billion economic and security strategic partnership deal. As always, China is using its chequebook to have its way.

China has struck a deal with America's enemy - Iran. It's a $400 billion economic and security strategic partnership deal. As always, China is using its chequebook to have its way. It has bought Iran over for $400 billion dollars. It is a 25-year strategic accord with an 18-page agreement that weds Iran to China for a quarter of a century. Once it is signed, Iran will open its doors for Chinese investment not just in one or two sectors but across the Iranian economy. The Chinese presence in Iran would expand in banking, telecommunications, ports and railways, also more than a dozen projects will go to Chinese companies. Beijing hopes to get cheap oil in return. China will walk away with a steady supply of Iranian oil at a heavily discounted rate for 25 years and this is just one side of the story of the economic aspect. The deal also has a military dimension. There will be reportedly joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development, even intelligence sharing as part of the agreement. The deal will fundamentally change Iran’s relationship with China. It will put Tehran in Beijing’s corner and India could see its influence diminish overtime. The biggest threat is to the Chabahar port. It was seen as India’s counter to the Gwadar port in Pakistan that is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative(BRI), if China invests heavily in Iran the Chabahar port could lose its relevance. However, it is hypothetical as of today. The Iran-China agreement reportedly has not been submitted for Parliament’s approval yet and hasn’t been made public. China hasn’t shared the details of the deal yet as well. The ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing was asked about it today and it didn’t share any information. It is not yet clear if the top brass of the Communist Party has signed off on it but the details of the deal that have leaked are reportedly part of the “final version”. Iran is not hiding the fact that it is negotiating the agreement with China. On July 5, Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif indicated that the deal will happen and it will be presented before Iran's Parliament for approval. The potential agreement is a big threat to India. Historically, India and Iran have enjoyed a close relationship. India was one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil but New Delhi stopped buying oil from Iran in 2019 after the United States slapped sanctions against Iran and refused to grant any waivers to India. Now, Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran has failed. China went under the nose of the Americans and managed to negotiate a deal with Tehran that could create more flashpoints in West Asia and even cost India its relationship with Iran.

As China eyes multi-billion dollar Iran deal, India's Chabahar port may lose relevance

Hagia Sophia was born as a church, then converted into a mosque, a pride of the Ottoman Empire, and later declared into a museum.

In modern times, it was considered a symbol of Turkish secularism.&nbsp;

However, now it is witnessing yet another transformation as it has once again been declared a mosque.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-voices-distress-over-turkeys-hagia-sophia-conversion-to-mosque-312751#:~:text=Pope%20Francis%20said%20Sunday%20he,distressed%2C%22%20the%20pope%20said.">Pope Francis voices distress over Turkey's Hagia Sophia conversion to mosque</a>

On July 24, this monument will open its doors to worshippers as Friday prayers will be held inside this structure.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkish-president-erdogan-rejects-criticism-over-hagia-sophias-conversion-to-mosque-312589">Turkish President Erdogan rejects criticism over Hagia Sophia's conversion to mosque</a>

This decision has shaken the foundations of Turkey's secular credentials and the world is openly speaking up against it.&nbsp;

However, India has opted to remain silent. This report will tell you why New Delhi needs to take a stand and object to the conversion of the structure as a mosque.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-hagia-sophia-conversion-why-india-must-take-a-stand-313101/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Three days ago, Turkey's highest administrative court, unanimously revoked a 1934 cabinet decision, which made the Hagia Sophia a museum.&nbsp;

Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree, ordering the conversion of this museum into a mosque.&nbsp;

As the news spread, there was condemnation from many parts of the world, with UNESCO, European Union, Russian Orthodox Church marking their protest.&nbsp;

UNESCO called this decision "regrettable" and a committee of this UN body said they were not informed about this decision. &nbsp;

It now wants Ankara to start a dialogue immediately, otherwise, preservation of this heritage site will be subject to a review.&nbsp;

This suggests that Hagia Sophia may lose its status as a World Heritage Site.&nbsp;

The European Union has also expressed disappointment with its foreign policy chief saying, "The ruling by the Turkish Council of State to overturn Turkey's landmark decisions and Erdogan's decision to place the monument under the management of the religious affairs presidency is regrettable".&nbsp;

Religious bodies are also speaking up like the Russian Orthodox Church, which expressed its "dismay" over Erdogan's decision.&nbsp;

"The concern of millions of Christians has not been heard. The court ruling shows that all calls for the need for extreme delicacy in this matter were ignored," it said.&nbsp;

Even Pope in his short message expressed his disappointment over the decision.&nbsp;

Countries such as the US, France, Russia, Cyprus and Greece have slammed the decision.&nbsp;

The list however doesn't include India.&nbsp;

On the contrary, The Turkish president has never missed an opportunity to criticise India, questioning its secular credentials.&nbsp;

And now when the world is speaking on the undermining of secularism in Turkey, why shouldn't India also join them?

Here are some recent examples of Turkey's approach towards India.

A few months ago, there were communal riots in New Delhi, where people from both communities were killed.&nbsp;

However, for Erdogan, it was the "massacre" of Muslims.&nbsp;

"A country which will fail to make global peace a possibility. A country which calls itself strong because of its large population, but is not," were his words on India.&nbsp;

Erdogan's activism on Kashmir is much-talked and written about.

In the same month of February, the Turkish president travelled to Pakistan and justified Islamabad's cross-border terrorism in Kashmir while addressed a joint session of the Pakistan Parliament.&nbsp;

He also said India is making Kashmiris suffer.&nbsp;

On both these occasions, the Indian foreign ministry came down heavily on the Turkish president.

"These remarks reflect neither an understanding of history nor the conduct of diplomacy...They distort events of the past to advance a narrow-minded view of the present," New Delhi said.&nbsp;

The remarks made by Indian foreign ministry are relevant now too in the context of Hagia Sophia controversy.&nbsp;

The decision to convert this monument into a mosque is "distorting of the past".&nbsp;

Erdogan indeed is advancing a "narrow-minded view of the present".&nbsp;

This is a new shift in Turkey's politics from being secular in nature to an authoritarian Islamic region.&nbsp;

This leaves Erdogan no moral right to point fingers at others.

And India must not remain silent on this issue and a statement or two may go a long way in setting the record straight.&nbsp;

Hagia Sophia was born as a church, then converted into a mosque, a pride of the Ottoman Empire, and later declared into a museum. In modern times, it was considered a symbol of Turkish secularism.

Hagia Sophia was born as a church, then converted into a mosque, a pride of the Ottoman Empire, and later declared into a museum. In modern times, it was considered a symbol of Turkish secularism. However, now it is witnessing yet another transformation as it has once again been declared a mosque. Also read | Pope Francis voices distress over Turkey's Hagia Sophia conversion to mosque On July 24, this monument will open its doors to worshippers as Friday prayers will be held inside this structure. Also read | Turkish President Erdogan rejects criticism over Hagia Sophia's conversion to mosque This decision has shaken the foundations of Turkey's secular credentials and the world is openly speaking up against it. However, India has opted to remain silent. This report will tell you why New Delhi needs to take a stand and object to the conversion of the structure as a mosque. Three days ago, Turkey's highest administrative court, unanimously revoked a 1934 cabinet decision, which made the Hagia Sophia a museum. Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree, ordering the conversion of this museum into a mosque. As the news spread, there was condemnation from many parts of the world, with UNESCO, European Union, Russian Orthodox Church marking their protest. UNESCO called this decision "regrettable" and a committee of this UN body said they were not informed about this decision. It now wants Ankara to start a dialogue immediately, otherwise, preservation of this heritage site will be subject to a review. This suggests that Hagia Sophia may lose its status as a World Heritage Site. The European Union has also expressed disappointment with its foreign policy chief saying, "The ruling by the Turkish Council of State to overturn Turkey's landmark decisions and Erdogan's decision to place the monument under the management of the religious affairs presidency is regrettable". Religious bodies are also speaking up like the Russian Orthodox Church, which expressed its "dismay" over Erdogan's decision. "The concern of millions of Christians has not been heard. The court ruling shows that all calls for the need for extreme delicacy in this matter were ignored," it said. Even Pope in his short message expressed his disappointment over the decision. Countries such as the US, France, Russia, Cyprus and Greece have slammed the decision. The list however doesn't include India. On the contrary, The Turkish president has never missed an opportunity to criticise India, questioning its secular credentials. And now when the world is speaking on the undermining of secularism in Turkey, why shouldn't India also join them? Here are some recent examples of Turkey's approach towards India. A few months ago, there were communal riots in New Delhi, where people from both communities were killed. However, for Erdogan, it was the "massacre" of Muslims. "A country which will fail to make global peace a possibility. A country which calls itself strong because of its large population, but is not," were his words on India. Erdogan's activism on Kashmir is much-talked and written about. In the same month of February, the Turkish president travelled to Pakistan and justified Islamabad's cross-border terrorism in Kashmir while addressed a joint session of the Pakistan Parliament. He also said India is making Kashmiris suffer. On both these occasions, the Indian foreign ministry came down heavily on the Turkish president. "These remarks reflect neither an understanding of history nor the conduct of diplomacy...They distort events of the past to advance a narrow-minded view of the present," New Delhi said. The remarks made by Indian foreign ministry are relevant now too in the context of Hagia Sophia controversy. The decision to convert this monument into a mosque is "distorting of the past". Erdogan indeed is advancing a "narrow-minded view of the present". This is a new shift in Turkey's politics from being secular in nature to an authoritarian Islamic region. This leaves Erdogan no moral right to point fingers at others. And India must not remain silent on this issue and a statement or two may go a long way in setting the record straight.

Why India should not remain silent on Hagia Sophia's decision

China is arming India's neighbours and turning the region&nbsp;into a very dangerous place. First, Beijing buried India's neighbourhood under debt. Now it is supplying weapons.

The string of pearls is being militarized and&nbsp;converted into a noose.

China will supply four-armed drones to Pakistan. It's not so much for Pakistan as for protecting Chinese assets in the country more specifically&nbsp;China’s Belt and Road projects. The drones will guard two investments - the China-Pakistan economic project (CPEC) and the People’s Liberation Army’s base at the Gwadar port. China likes to describe the BRI as an economic project, a development project with peaceful intent but the fact is China's projects are all strategic.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-the-biggest-arms-exporter-to-indias-neighbours-313097/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The infrastructure deals always have a military dimension and that is what poses a bigger worry for India. Last year, China had gifted a warship to Sri Lanka.&nbsp;A frigate called “P-625” something that was commissioned into the PLA&nbsp;Navy in 1994. It is now in Sri Lanka's hands.

Then comes Bangladesh, it heavily depends on China for weapons. Bangladesh between 2008 and 2018&nbsp;bought nearly $ 2 billion worth of weapons from China&nbsp;which&nbsp;was almost 72 per cent of Bangladesh’s military acquisitions in that period.

India's other neighbour Myanmar is the third-largest arms export market for China. Since 2013, Myanmar has imported $720 million worth of conventional weapons from&nbsp;China.&nbsp; It&nbsp;includes big-ticket deals like combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, frigates and armoured vehicles.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar - they get weapons and billions of dollars in loans from China. They are all part of China’s Belt and Road initiative.

Pakistan has become a testing ground for the militarization of China's BRI. Two years ago, details of a confidential plan had leaked to the press. It was the blueprint of the Pakistan-China military alliance under the garb of CPEC.

According to the proposal, a special economic zone&nbsp;will be used to build fighter jets. It&nbsp;will be a joint project between China and Pakistan. The navigation systems and other military hardware will be built in Pakistan&nbsp;factories.&nbsp;It&nbsp;is again&nbsp;under the military alliance between Islamabad and Beijing.

Sri Lanka is the other ally in the mix. A&nbsp;press release&nbsp;from the website of the Chinese military&nbsp;declares: China, Sri Lanka vow to strengthen defence ties.

The&nbsp;story was filed two years ago. It is an announcement of China's intent. A&nbsp;&nbsp;senior colonel from China&nbsp;said: "China wishes to boost the development of the Belt&nbsp;and Road initiative to strengthen the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and the two militaries."

The BRI&nbsp;is a military expansion plan under the pretext of economic development&nbsp;since the inception of the Hambantota project there have been fears that China could end up using the port for military purposes.

Those suspicions were confirmed in 2014 when a Chinese submarine and a warship docked in Colombo. Since then, India has kept a tight watch on Hambantota. The Chinese military has kept&nbsp;its distance from Hambantota for now.

But, it has deep links with the Sri Lankan military. Chinese officers have undertaken high-level visits to Sri Lanka. China has also provided military training to Sri Lankan officers.&nbsp;

All of this points to one thing, China's silk&nbsp;road is just a means to an end. It will not just put China in the centre of world trade. But, will also be a way for China to boost its military presence. It is a colonisation project. The 21-century version of the East India company.

China is arming India's neighbours and turning the region into a very dangerous place. First, Beijing buried India's neighbourhood under debt. Now it is supplying weapons.

China is arming India's neighbours and turning the region into a very dangerous place. First, Beijing buried India's neighbourhood under debt. Now it is supplying weapons. The string of pearls is being militarized and converted into a noose. China will supply four-armed drones to Pakistan. It's not so much for Pakistan as for protecting Chinese assets in the country more specifically China’s Belt and Road projects. The drones will guard two investments - the China-Pakistan economic project (CPEC) and the People’s Liberation Army’s base at the Gwadar port. China likes to describe the BRI as an economic project, a development project with peaceful intent but the fact is China's projects are all strategic. The infrastructure deals always have a military dimension and that is what poses a bigger worry for India. Last year, China had gifted a warship to Sri Lanka. A frigate called “P-625” something that was commissioned into the PLA Navy in 1994. It is now in Sri Lanka's hands. Then comes Bangladesh, it heavily depends on China for weapons. Bangladesh between 2008 and 2018 bought nearly $ 2 billion worth of weapons from China which was almost 72 per cent of Bangladesh’s military acquisitions in that period. India's other neighbour Myanmar is the third-largest arms export market for China. Since 2013, Myanmar has imported $720 million worth of conventional weapons from China. It includes big-ticket deals like combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, frigates and armoured vehicles. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar - they get weapons and billions of dollars in loans from China. They are all part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. Pakistan has become a testing ground for the militarization of China's BRI. Two years ago, details of a confidential plan had leaked to the press. It was the blueprint of the Pakistan-China military alliance under the garb of CPEC. According to the proposal, a special economic zone will be used to build fighter jets. It will be a joint project between China and Pakistan. The navigation systems and other military hardware will be built in Pakistan factories. It is again under the military alliance between Islamabad and Beijing. Sri Lanka is the other ally in the mix. A press release from the website of the Chinese military declares: China, Sri Lanka vow to strengthen defence ties. The story was filed two years ago. It is an announcement of China's intent. A senior colonel from China said: "China wishes to boost the development of the Belt and Road initiative to strengthen the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and the two militaries." The BRI is a military expansion plan under the pretext of economic development since the inception of the Hambantota project there have been fears that China could end up using the port for military purposes. Those suspicions were confirmed in 2014 when a Chinese submarine and a warship docked in Colombo. Since then, India has kept a tight watch on Hambantota. The Chinese military has kept its distance from Hambantota for now. But, it has deep links with the Sri Lankan military. Chinese officers have undertaken high-level visits to Sri Lanka. China has also provided military training to Sri Lankan officers. All of this points to one thing, China's silk road is just a means to an end. It will not just put China in the centre of world trade. But, will also be a way for China to boost its military presence. It is a colonisation project. The 21-century version of the East India company.

Is China colonising India's neighbours with arms deal and hefty debts?

No sooner had Congress sacked Sachin Pilot as deputy chief minister and PCC chief than he changed his bio on Twitter and later tweeted, "Truth can be disturbed, not defeated."&nbsp;

Notably, the nameplate of Pilot has also been removed from the party`s state headquarters in Jaipur.

Pilot`s new bio on Twitter reads, "MLA from Tonk| Former Minister of IT, Telecom &amp; Corporate affairs, GoI |Commissioned officer Territorial Army".&nbsp;

The senior leader has removed earlier bio which mentioned "Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and President, Rajasthan Congress".&nbsp;

In place of Pilot, Rajasthan`s Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra has been named as the new PCC chief.

The decision to remove Pilot was taken after the conclusion of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meet at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan earlier today.

The Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil over the past few days.&nbsp;

While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for attempting to destabilise the State government by poaching MLAs, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has been camping in Delhi. 
&nbsp;

No sooner had Congress sacked Sachin Pilot as deputy chief minister and PCC chief than he changed his bio on Twitter and later tweeted, "Truth can be disturbed, not defeated.

No sooner had Congress sacked Sachin Pilot as deputy chief minister and PCC chief than he changed his bio on Twitter and later tweeted, "Truth can be disturbed, not defeated." Notably, the nameplate of Pilot has also been removed from the party`s state headquarters in Jaipur. Pilot`s new bio on Twitter reads, "MLA from Tonk| Former Minister of IT, Telecom & Corporate affairs, GoI |Commissioned officer Territorial Army". The senior leader has removed earlier bio which mentioned "Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and President, Rajasthan Congress". In place of Pilot, Rajasthan`s Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra has been named as the new PCC chief. The decision to remove Pilot was taken after the conclusion of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meet at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan earlier today. The Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil over the past few days. While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for attempting to destabilise the State government by poaching MLAs, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has been camping in Delhi.

Sachin Pilot changes Twitter bio after sacked as deputy CM, PCC chief

The European Union has been briefed by both New Delhi and Beijing on the recent India China border clashes, with Brussels welcoming the recent de-escalation measures between the two countries.

An EU official, ahead of the India-EU summit said, "We have certainly received detailed information on how the two government see clashes at the border. But what is most important is they are talking to each other--at diplomatic, military and even the political level" 
&nbsp; 
Welcoming the de-escalation, EU officials said, "Pleased to see since the deadly clashes took place at LAC" &amp; "both sides having committed to show restraint and engage in military de-escalation and engage in dialogue"

China, India have started de-escalation at LAC with areas such as Galwan, Hot springs &amp; Gogra area witnessing complete de-escalation.

"We trust both Indian and Chinese authorities and look to continue the dialogue in order to find a peaceful solution to the differences and it is particularly important when 2 of the world's powerful and influential players like India and China...have this immediate de escalation.." and "it is crucial for global stability and EU supports good neighbourly relations between both," he noted.

EU has also expressed "Interest in a number of concrete economic steps" taken by India after 15th June clashes, said another EU official when asked about India China border row.

China will be one of the key topics of discussion at the 15th India EU virtual summit that will take place on Wednesday at 4.30 PM IST. EU will be represented by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and India will be represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell will also join.

The European Union has been briefed by both New Delhi and Beijing on the recent India China border clashes, with Brussels welcoming the recent de-escalation measures between the two countries.

The European Union has been briefed by both New Delhi and Beijing on the recent India China border clashes, with Brussels welcoming the recent de-escalation measures between the two countries. An EU official, ahead of the India-EU summit said, "We have certainly received detailed information on how the two government see clashes at the border. But what is most important is they are talking to each other--at diplomatic, military and even the political level" Welcoming the de-escalation, EU officials said, "Pleased to see since the deadly clashes took place at LAC" & "both sides having committed to show restraint and engage in military de-escalation and engage in dialogue" China, India have started de-escalation at LAC with areas such as Galwan, Hot springs & Gogra area witnessing complete de-escalation. "We trust both Indian and Chinese authorities and look to continue the dialogue in order to find a peaceful solution to the differences and it is particularly important when 2 of the world's powerful and influential players like India and China...have this immediate de escalation.." and "it is crucial for global stability and EU supports good neighbourly relations between both," he noted. EU has also expressed "Interest in a number of concrete economic steps" taken by India after 15th June clashes, said another EU official when asked about India China border row. China will be one of the key topics of discussion at the 15th India EU virtual summit that will take place on Wednesday at 4.30 PM IST. EU will be represented by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and India will be represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell will also join.

European Union briefed by India, China on border face-off

One of the key tourism destinations in India, Jammu and Kashmir, has reopened for tourists but with all new SOPs and regulations by the authorities amid Coronavirus scare. The industry which has been marred by several issues for over a year now is pinning hopes to a brighter summer.&nbsp;

The development comes as authorities have ordered a fresh lockdown in the Srinagar city and areas which have been categorized as containment zones after growing cases. The partial reopening is happening in a phased manner and only tourists reaching valley by air would be allowed to enter Jammu and Kashmir.

Some of the SOPs laid by the government include the testing of tourists for COVID at the airport, pre-booking of hotels and taxis, and confirmed return air tickets outside the union territory. Persons above the age of 65 should avoid coming on a tourism holiday.&nbsp;

People associated with the sector have been facing a tough time. They believe that the decision would help in sending the right message but don't expect a big relief.&nbsp;

"The tourists should come, we welcome this decision. I think its the right decision but now, it's up to the tourists as there are protocols for them which they have to follow," says Mohd Hafiz Shalla, a tourism operator in Srinagar.

 
The authorities have also applied similar types of SOPs for the Amarnath pilgrims and have cut shot the duration this year amid a continuous spike in the number of positive cases in J&amp;K. The gardens and parks have also been thrown open but have faced criticism due to a fresh lockdown ordered by the authorities.&nbsp;

"We had pinned hoped on Amarnath pilgrims but they would come and head back without any benefit to the local tourism sector," says Ali Mohammad, a Shikara owner.&nbsp;

The economy of the erstwhile state has been badly hit post the abrogation of J&amp;K special status which witnessed many days of curfew and restrictions. The tourism sector of the valley had pinned their hopes to this summer but the spread of coronavirus has brought down curtains on their hopes.

One of the key tourism destinations in India, Jammu and Kashmir, has reopened for tourists but with all new SOPs and regulations by the authorities amid Coronavirus scare.

One of the key tourism destinations in India, Jammu and Kashmir, has reopened for tourists but with all new SOPs and regulations by the authorities amid Coronavirus scare. The industry which has been marred by several issues for over a year now is pinning hopes to a brighter summer. The development comes as authorities have ordered a fresh lockdown in the Srinagar city and areas which have been categorized as containment zones after growing cases. The partial reopening is happening in a phased manner and only tourists reaching valley by air would be allowed to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Some of the SOPs laid by the government include the testing of tourists for COVID at the airport, pre-booking of hotels and taxis, and confirmed return air tickets outside the union territory. Persons above the age of 65 should avoid coming on a tourism holiday. People associated with the sector have been facing a tough time. They believe that the decision would help in sending the right message but don't expect a big relief. "The tourists should come, we welcome this decision. I think its the right decision but now, it's up to the tourists as there are protocols for them which they have to follow," says Mohd Hafiz Shalla, a tourism operator in Srinagar. The authorities have also applied similar types of SOPs for the Amarnath pilgrims and have cut shot the duration this year amid a continuous spike in the number of positive cases in J&K. The gardens and parks have also been thrown open but have faced criticism due to a fresh lockdown ordered by the authorities. "We had pinned hoped on Amarnath pilgrims but they would come and head back without any benefit to the local tourism sector," says Ali Mohammad, a Shikara owner. The economy of the erstwhile state has been badly hit post the abrogation of J&K special status which witnessed many days of curfew and restrictions. The tourism sector of the valley had pinned their hopes to this summer but the spread of coronavirus has brought down curtains on their hopes.

Kashmir reopens for tourists with SOPs and guidelines

Amid tensions with China along the Line of Control(LAC), India is set to acquire Heron surveillance drones and Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, newswire ANI reported.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/china-denies-burials-for-soldiers-to-cover-up-galwan-blunder-us-intelligence-assessment-313175">Also Read: China denies burials for soldiers to cover up Galwan blunder: US intelligence assessment</a>

The unmanned Heron drone can fly continuously for over 48 hours in medium altitude. The drone possesses an internal GPS navigation device. It&nbsp;has been in service with all three defence wings.

The ANI report said that the forces are also trying to bring in armed UAV and upgrading the existing fleet of UAV's under "project Cheetah". Project Cheetah was kicked off four years ago by the Indian Air Force(IAF) in order to upgrade Israeli-made UAVs with missiles.&nbsp;

The project was launched with the view to destroy terrorist launch pads in PoK. The defence forces now hope to extend it to other areas of operations.

Meanwhile, the Indian army is reportedly planning to buy more Spike anti-tank missiles in order to bolster its ground forces. India had earlier acquired 200 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel.

The Spike missile developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense System is a fire-and-forget missile. It was first developed in the 80s and is currently in the fourth-generation. The missile is fixed with infra-red heat-seeking capability.

The ANI report added that India has also placed an order to buy&nbsp;Spice-2000 bombs, assault rifles and ammunition as the tensions at the LAC continues despite both sides taking steps to disengage after clashes&nbsp;on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers had died, although the PLA had suffered casualties as well as reported by China's state-run Global Times but the Chinese foreign ministry has denied the reports.

The Indian Army had&nbsp;accused China of amassing troops along the LAC since May, after the clash on June 15, core commanders from both sides met twice last month and have been meeting&nbsp;in eastern Ladakh today to put together the second phase of disengagement.

Amid tensions with China along the Line of Control(LAC), India is set to acquire Heron surveillance drones and Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, newswire ANI reported.

Amid tensions with China along the Line of Control(LAC), India is set to acquire Heron surveillance drones and Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, newswire ANI reported. Also Read: China denies burials for soldiers to cover up Galwan blunder: US intelligence assessment The unmanned Heron drone can fly continuously for over 48 hours in medium altitude. The drone possesses an internal GPS navigation device. It has been in service with all three defence wings. The ANI report said that the forces are also trying to bring in armed UAV and upgrading the existing fleet of UAV's under "project Cheetah". Project Cheetah was kicked off four years ago by the Indian Air Force(IAF) in order to upgrade Israeli-made UAVs with missiles. The project was launched with the view to destroy terrorist launch pads in PoK. The defence forces now hope to extend it to other areas of operations. Meanwhile, the Indian army is reportedly planning to buy more Spike anti-tank missiles in order to bolster its ground forces. India had earlier acquired 200 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel. The Spike missile developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense System is a fire-and-forget missile. It was first developed in the 80s and is currently in the fourth-generation. The missile is fixed with infra-red heat-seeking capability. The ANI report added that India has also placed an order to buy Spice-2000 bombs, assault rifles and ammunition as the tensions at the LAC continues despite both sides taking steps to disengage after clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers had died, although the PLA had suffered casualties as well as reported by China's state-run Global Times but the Chinese foreign ministry has denied the reports. The Indian Army had accused China of amassing troops along the LAC since May, after the clash on June 15, core commanders from both sides met twice last month and have been meeting in eastern Ladakh today to put together the second phase of disengagement.

India set to buy Israeli Heron surveillance drone, Spike anti-tank missiles: Report

63 moons technologies limited has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the CBI to expedite its inquiry into a complaint filed by the company against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and two others alleging abuse of official powers, according to PTI.

The Jignesh Shah-promoted company, earlier known as Financial Technologies Ltd, in its petition filed on July 4 questioned `delayed' action by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the senior Congress leader and bureaucrats K P Krishnan and Ramesh Abhishek.

Abhishek was chairman of the Forward Markets Commission and Krishnan was an additional secretary and joint secretary in the Ministry of Finance when Chidambaram was Finance Minister.

On February 15, 2019, 63 moons filed a complaint with the CBI, seeking that a case be registered against the three for `abusing' their official positions and causing damage to the company when the multi-crore payment default scam at National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) came to light.

On June 20, 2019, the company filed a petition in the high court, seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR.

In August 2019, the CBI informed the court that after verification of the complaint, an inquiry will be initiated.

The petition said that in March 2020 it sent a letter to the CBI seeking to know the status of inquiry. The latter informed that its complaint has been forwarded to the Chief Vigilance Officer for approval by the competent authority.

"Four months have lapsed since then and there has been no further communication from the CBI. The CBI has failed to register an FIR," the petition said.

The company has accused Chidambaram and the other two of taking "malicious and malafide" action against it when the NSEL scam came to light in 2012-2013.

On July 10, a division bench of the high court posted the petition for hearing to July 17.

63 moons technologies limited has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the CBI to expedite its inquiry into a complaint filed by the company against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and two others alleging abuse of official powers, according to PTI.

63 moons technologies limited has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the CBI to expedite its inquiry into a complaint filed by the company against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and two others alleging abuse of official powers, according to PTI. The Jignesh Shah-promoted company, earlier known as Financial Technologies Ltd, in its petition filed on July 4 questioned `delayed' action by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the senior Congress leader and bureaucrats K P Krishnan and Ramesh Abhishek. Abhishek was chairman of the Forward Markets Commission and Krishnan was an additional secretary and joint secretary in the Ministry of Finance when Chidambaram was Finance Minister. On February 15, 2019, 63 moons filed a complaint with the CBI, seeking that a case be registered against the three for `abusing' their official positions and causing damage to the company when the multi-crore payment default scam at National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) came to light. On June 20, 2019, the company filed a petition in the high court, seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR. In August 2019, the CBI informed the court that after verification of the complaint, an inquiry will be initiated. The petition said that in March 2020 it sent a letter to the CBI seeking to know the status of inquiry. The latter informed that its complaint has been forwarded to the Chief Vigilance Officer for approval by the competent authority. "Four months have lapsed since then and there has been no further communication from the CBI. The CBI has failed to register an FIR," the petition said. The company has accused Chidambaram and the other two of taking "malicious and malafide" action against it when the NSEL scam came to light in 2012-2013. On July 10, a division bench of the high court posted the petition for hearing to July 17.

Petition filed in Bombay HC seeking speedy inquiry against Chidambaram

Since 2012, there have been a number of finds relating to the 1966 Air India crash emerging from the melting ice caps.

Indian newspapers in 1966 published on melting glacier in France; Watch this report

India on Tuesday crosses 9 Lakh cases of Coronavirus with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi still being as the hotspots. Though the recovery rate of the nation reaches to around 70%.

India crosses 900,000 COVID-19 cases; Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi continue to remain hotspots

France will soon announce an "exceptional package" for India, including ventilators and expertise, as part of its efforts to jointly combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the French envoy to India said on Tuesday.

In his message on the French National Day -- Bastille Day, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said that since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the two countries have shown exceptional solidarity.

"India has provided much needed equipment and drugs to French hospitals. Friendship is a two-way road and France has reciprocated," Lenain said.

The French development agency AFD has granted an exceptional loan of 200 million euros (Rs 1,600 crore) to provide social services to the most vulnerable population in India, he said.

"We are going to announce soon an exceptional package comprising serological test (kits), ventilators and some expertise," the French envoy said in the message posted on all social media handles of the French Embassy here.

Solidarity has been exceptional in the way the India government has lent support to the operation to repatriate stranded tourists, he said, thanking Indian authorities for it.

Another great way to express solidarity is the involvement of French companies in corporate social responsibility, he said.

Lenain cited the example of French firms partnering Indian companies for producing ventilators and a French firm contributing 65 ICU beds.

France will soon announce an "exceptional package" for India, including ventilators and expertise, as part of its efforts to jointly combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the French envoy to India said on Tuesday.

France will soon announce an "exceptional package" for India, including ventilators and expertise, as part of its efforts to jointly combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the French envoy to India said on Tuesday. In his message on the French National Day -- Bastille Day, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said that since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the two countries have shown exceptional solidarity. "India has provided much needed equipment and drugs to French hospitals. Friendship is a two-way road and France has reciprocated," Lenain said. The French development agency AFD has granted an exceptional loan of 200 million euros (Rs 1,600 crore) to provide social services to the most vulnerable population in India, he said. "We are going to announce soon an exceptional package comprising serological test (kits), ventilators and some expertise," the French envoy said in the message posted on all social media handles of the French Embassy here. Solidarity has been exceptional in the way the India government has lent support to the operation to repatriate stranded tourists, he said, thanking Indian authorities for it. Another great way to express solidarity is the involvement of French companies in corporate social responsibility, he said. Lenain cited the example of French firms partnering Indian companies for producing ventilators and a French firm contributing 65 ICU beds.

France to announce 'exceptional package' boosting India's COVID-19 fight, says Envoy

india-news

India, News on India, stories on India, articles on India, India stories at Wion, India news, India latest news

india news