LIVE News Updates: Lockdown extended in Bihar till August 16

Amid rising COVID cases, Bihar government has extended lockdown in the state till August 16.

Andhra Pradesh records highest single-day spike of 10,167 COVID-19 cases as the cumulative touches 1,30,557. A new day’s high fatalities of 68 pushes toll to 1,281: Bulletin

Bihar govt opposes Rhea's interim prayer that probe by its police be stayed till SC decides her plea, says lawyer Keshav Mohan

Ours is the common man's govt, we are always making efforts to make the common man's life better. There was inflation during COVID. The reduction in fuel prices impacts everything. This will help people and will boost economic activity: Delhi CM on reduction of VAT levied on diesel

People who test positive for the novel coronavirus or show symptoms in the UK must now self-isolate for at least 10 days, rather than seven, it was announced by the country's chief medical officers on Thursday.

The change comes as Ministers were trying to avoid a resurgence of the virus, reports the BBC.

Until now, those showing key symptoms - a new continuous cough, a temperature or loss of taste or smell - have had to self-isolate for at least a week.

The new advice is in line with World Health Organization guidance.

In a shocking development, a government hospital lab technician allegedly took a vaginal swab from a woman for conducting a COVID-19 test, officials said on Thursday. He has now been arrested for molestation and rape.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, when the 23-year-old complainant had gone for a COVID test at the Trauma Care Testing Lab of the Badnera government hospital in the district, said Investigating Officer Punjab Wanjari.

The woman, a mall employee, turned out to be a contact of a colleague who tested COVID-19 positive, and was sent along with 20 others to the TCTL for a corona test.

Jharkhand recorded four more COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, pushing the death toll to 103, while the tally climbed to 10,195 with 300 new cases, health officials said.

Of the total infections, the number of active cases in the state is 6,134 while 4,061 people have been discharged from health facilities following recovery.

The four COVID patients who have succumbed to the virus were undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS).

In the last 24 hours, COVID cases were detected across 19 districts of the state. The state reported nine deaths during the same period.

I still want that those unhappy MLAs should attend the assembly session as they've been elected on Congress symbol. It's my responsibility to ensure that they are seen standing with the government in front of the public: Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister.

5,864 new COVID cases and 97 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu today, taking the total to 2,39,978 cases and 3,838 deaths till date. 5,295 patients were discharged today. 57,962 cases still active in the state: Health & Family Welfare Department.

Secondly, the Policy doesn't say how will the reforms, it speaks of, will be achieved. The Policy is either silent or confused on those issues: Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Education.

With 96 inmates and 17 jail staffers testing positive for coronavirus, Odisha prison authority urges police to conduct RT-PCR test to detect COVID-19 in accused persons before sending them to judicial custody: Official

Nine more deaths push total COVID-19 fatalities in Rajasthan to 663; caseload mounts to 40,145: Officials.

Father of Sushant Singh Rajput files caveat in SC, seeks hearing before any order is passed on actor Rhea Chakraborty's plea.

Through this letter I want to bring your attention down towards Dr Kafeel Khan's arrest. It's been more than 450 days he is in jail. Dr Kafeel has helped the needy during hard times.

I hope that you will try your best to reward justice to Dr. Khan, writes Priyanka Gandhi to UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

Ayodhya priest, part of Ram temple rituals next week, tests positive for COVID; 16 cops on security duty also test positive, reports NDTV

Tamil Nadu extends COVID-19 lockdown across the state till August 31 midnight, with certain relaxations. Complete lockdown on Sundays, reports ANI

Three Assam Rifles jawans killed, 5 seriously injured in ambush by suspected PLA militants in Manipur, reports NDTV

Uttar Pradesh police and Sashastra Seema Bal have been put on high alert in the districts bordering Nepal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ayodhya, Independence Day and the coming festival season, a senior official has said.

Bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats -- one each in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala -- will be held on August 24, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.

The bypolls were necessitated following the death of Beni Prasad Verma from UP and M P Veerendra Kumar from Kerala earlier this year.

While the term of Verma was till July, 2022, Kumar's term was to end in April, 2022.

The notification for the bypolls will be issued on August 6 and the election will be held on August 24.

As per established practice, the counting of votes will be held on the same evening.

Eighty more people, including 26 security personnel, tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's tally to 1,410 on Thursday, a senior health official said.

Seventeen Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and eight Assam Rifles personnel and an Army jawan are among the new patients, he said.

Six Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) personnel have also contracted the disease, State Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said.

Ten COVID-19 patients died in different hospitals of Kashmir on Thursday as locals unmindfully continued Eid eve shopping throwing caution to the wind.

Doctors said 10 COVID patients succumbed in different hospitals of Kashmir division despite their best efforts to revive them.

358 people have been killed by the deadly virus in J&K so far as the numbers of positive cases reported daily keep on rising across the Union territory.

wo key aides to the Pakistan Prime Minister, including de facto Health Minister Zafar Mirza, have resigned, amid the government facing stiff criticism for appointing individuals with a dual nationality or holding another countrys permanent residency as SAPMs, media reports said on Thursday.

Delhi Cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75%. This will reduce price of diesel in Delhi from ₹ 82 to ₹ 73.64 i.e. by ₹ 8.36 per litre: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Two persons were killed and one other was injured after a tractor in which they were travelling fell into a pond on the Delhi-Saharanpur highway in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said on Thursday.

The Jai Ram Thakur-led Himachal Pradesh cabinet was expanded on Thursday, with the induction of three ministers. Those inducted as cabinet ministers are Paonta Sahib MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary, Nurpur MLA Rakesh Pathania and Ghumarwin MLA Rajinder Garg. Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office to the new ministers at a function in the Raj Bhawan. COVID-19 protocols were followed at the event.

The spurt in fresh cases in the past two weeks, continues to worry the district health task force battling COVID-19 in the Taj city.

A total of 29 fresh cases and a death took the tally to 1,730 and fatalities to 99 on Thursday.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh said that 21 COVID-19 patients were discharged taking the number of recoveries to 1,401. So far 46,641 samples have been collected in the district.

With the new cases reported, the number of active cases now is 229 in Agra.

Indicating the gravity of Covid pandemic in Bengaluru, Karnataka's epicentre, total number of containment zones in the city rose to 19,001, an official said on Thursday.

"Snapshot of Covid cases in Bengaluru, total containment zones 19,001," said an official.

Though the total number of containment zones are 19,001, not all of them are active. Currently there are 14,143 active containment zones.

1,811 COVID-19 positive cases and 13 deaths reported in Telangana today. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 60,717 including 44,572 recovered cases and 505 deaths: Government of Telangana.

Modi is ruining the country. 1. Demonetisation 2. GST 3. Mismanagement during Corona Epidemic 4. Destruction of economy and employment. His capitalist media has created an illusion. This myth will soon be broken, tweeted Rahul Gandhi

1,203 COVID-19 cases reported in Odisha on 29th July. Total number of cases in the state is now at 30,378, including 11,235 active cases & 18,938 recovered, says State Government

There is nothing wrong in identifying MLAs as MLAs, says Anil Vij, Haryana Minister on reports of MLAs receiving ‘red flags’ bearing the logo of Haryana Vidhan Sabha for their vehicles

Total number of COVID-19 cases in India is now 15,83,792; 775 deaths in the last 24 hours

Hong Kong's new police unit enforcing the national security law imposed in the city by China, arrested four student members of a pro-independence group, it was reported on Thursday.

At least 11 people were injured on Thursday in an explosion in Japan's Fukushima prefecture, fire department officials said, adding that a possible gas leak might have caused it.

The total number of global coronavirus cases was nearing the 17 million mark, while the deaths have increased to more than 665,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Thursday morning, the overall number of cases stood at 16,957,763, while the fatalities rose to 665,486, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities at 4,424,806 and 150,676, respectively, according to the CSSE.

Brazil came in the second place with 2,552,265 infections and 90,134 deaths.

In terms of cases, India ranks third (1,531,669), and is followed by Russia (827,509), South Africa (471,123), Mexico (408,449), Peru (395,005), Chile (351,575), the UK (303,058), Iran (298,909), Spain (282,641), Pakistan (276,288), Saudi Arabia (272,590), Colombia (267,385), Italy (246,776), Bangladesh (232,194), Turkey (228,924), France (221,077), Germany (208,546), Argentina (178,996), Iraq (118,300), Canada (117,357), Qatar (110,153) and Indonesia (104,432), the CSSE figures showed.

The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the UK (46,046), Mexico (45,361), Italy (35,129), India (34,193), France (30,226), Spain (28,441), Peru (18,612), Iran (16,343) and Russia (13,650).