Category: NATIONAL NEWS

India’s COVID-19 caseload crossed the 63-lakh mark with 86,821 infections being reported in a day, while 52,73,201 people have recuperated so far, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The recovery rate stands at 83.53 per cent. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 63,12,584, while the death toll climbed to 98,678 with the virus claiming 1,181 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. There are 9,40,705 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 14.90 per cent of…

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Twenty-eight years after the Babri Masjid was razed, a court here acquitted all 32 people including BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti accused of being involved in the demolition of the mosque they believed occupied the spot where Lord Ram was born. In a judgment that ran to 2,300 pages with enclosures, the special CBI court on Wednesday said there was no conclusive evidence against the 32 accused of being involved in any conspiracy to bring down the disputed structure in Ayodhya. Delivering the verdict…

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Voting for Bihar assembly elections will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7 in one of the biggest elections globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by counting of votes on November 10, the Election Commission announced on Friday. Announcing the poll schedule for the 243-member Bihar assembly, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said voting will begin as usual at 7 am but the period will be extended by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, so that COVID-19 patients…

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Mumbai received one of the highest showers in the last 24 hours of this monsoon season and more rainfall is likely in the city and suburbs on Wednesday, MeT officials said. Heavy showers overnight and early Wednesday morning caused waterlogging at many places in the metropolis, disrupting rail and road traffic. Rains across the island city and the western suburbs picked up late Tuesday evening. There were intense spells across Mumbai for a few hours overnight, an official said. “Mumbai received one of the highest rainfall in the last 24…

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Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday said the opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House till the suspension of eight members is revoked. Speaking after the Zero Hour, Azad also demanded that the government brings a bill which should ensure private players don’t procure food grains below the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government. He also asked the government that the MSP should be fixed from time to time as the C2 Swaminathan formula. As many as eight members of the Rajya…

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The Army has found “prima facie” evidence its troops “exceeded” powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act during an encounter in Kashmir’s Shopian district in which three men were killed in July this year and has initiated disciplinary proceedings, officials said on Friday. On July 18, the Army claimed three militants were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Committed to ethical conduct during anti-militancy operations, the Army initiated an inquiry after social media reports indicated the three men were from Rajouri district…

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A record single-day increase of 97,894 infections pushed India’s COVID-19 tally to over 51 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 40 lakh on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,253, while the death toll climbed to 83,198 with the virus claiming 1,132 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries surged to 40,25,079 while the active cases of COVID-19 crossed 10 lakh for the first time.…

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India’s novel coronavirus tally crossed 49 lakh on Tuesday with 83,809 new cases, while 38.59 lakh people have recuperated so far, taking the recovery rate to 78.28 per cent, the Health Ministry said. The death toll rose to 80,776 with 1,054 more people succumbing to the infection. The case fatality rate stands at 1.64 per cent, according to the ministry data. There are 9,90,061 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), comprising 20.08 per cent of the total 49,30,236 cases, it said. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research,…

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Facing flak from detractors on both political and coronavirus front, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said a conspiracy is afoot to malign Maharashtra. “Whatever political storms come, I will face… I will fight coronavirus too,” Thackeray said in a televised public address. A day after COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed the 10-lakh mark, Thackeray said his government has done effective work to tackle the pandemic. Speaking in the backdrop of political criticism over demolition of actress Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow in Mumbai and the way his government handled the Sushant…

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The Pakistan Army on Friday opened heavy fire and shelled mortars at forward areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said. This is the third consecutive day that Pakistani troops have targeted areas along the LoC. “At about 0830 hours, Pak initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms & shelling with mortars along LoC in Mankote sector in district Poonch,” a defence spokesman said. The Indian Army retaliates befittingly, he added. On Thursday, the Pakistan Amy had opened fire with small arms and shelled…

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