KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 6,07,903

New Cases in last 24 hours: 51,238

Recovered in last 24 hours: 63,731

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -13,817

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 1,324 (3,93,338)

Daily Tests (Wednesday): 18,59,469

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 2.9%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 19.0% / 4.1%

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1          Maharashtra     1,21,767           /           ↑9,844  /           ↑556

2          Karnataka         1,10,523           /           ↑3,979  /           ↑138

3          Kerala  99,862  /           ↑12,078 /           ↑136

4          Tamil Nadu       49,845  /           ↑6,162  /           ↑155

5          Andhra Pradesh            49,683  /           ↑4,981  /           ↑38

6          Odisha 30,284  /           ↑3,650  /           ↑44

7          Assam  29,667  /           ↑2,781  /           ↑34

8          West Bengal     22,308  /           ↑1,923  /           ↑41

9          Telangana        16,030  /           ↑1,088  /           ↑9

10        Manipur            9,174    /           ↑549     /           ↑11

11        Chhattisgarh     7,314    /           ↑317     /           ↑8

12        Jammu and Kashmir     6,537    /           ↑448     /           ↑11

13        Punjab  5,274    /           ↑369     /           ↑21

14        Gujarat 4,427    /           ↑129     /           ↑2

15        Meghalaya        4,424    /           ↑420     /           ↑10

16        Mizoram           4,331    /           ↑237     /           ↑1

17        Tripura 3,899    /           ↑359     /           ↑2

18        Uttar Pradesh   3,552    /           ↑224     /           ↑30

19        Puducherry       3,077    /           ↑298     /           ↑3

20        Uttarakhand      2,739    /           ↑118     /           ↑6

21        Goa      2,727    /           ↑229     /           ↑9

22        Bihar    2,557    /           ↑212     /           ↑4

23        Sikkim  2,282    /           ↑92       /           ↑2

24        Himachal Pradesh         2,123    /           ↑161     /           ↑2

25        Rajasthan         2,019    /           ↑147     /           NIl

26        Haryana           1,990    /           ↑102     /           ↑19

27        Delhi    1,767    /           ↑109     /           ↑8

28        Nagaland          1,509    /           ↑88       /           ↑2

29        Madhya Pradesh           1,280    /           ↑62       /           ↑22

30        Lakshadweep    322       /           ↑42       /           Nil

31        Chandigarh       247       /           ↑22       /           Nil

NO ACRIMONY AT J&K TALKS: POLLS FIRST, STATEHOOD LATER, SAYS PM

In his first direct engagement with leaders of Jammu and Kashmir in almost two years, many of whom were detained for long spells following the stripping of the erstwhile state’s special status and its division into two Union Territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured them Thursday that his government was committed to reviving the democratic process through Assembly elections as early as possible and sought their participation in the delimitation exercise.

Separately, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Centre was bound by its assurances on elections and statehood to J&K. He also promised a review of detentions through a committee under Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.

Former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah later said that the meeting was “a first step in the right direction”.

The main takeaway, Abdullah said, is that “the Central government is keen to restore an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest. The Prime Minister has talked about an early delimitation process. That means they are looking at following that up with Assembly elections”.

Meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence for three-and-a-half hours, the leaders – the 14 from J&K included former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah (National Conference), Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), former Deputy CMs and heads of all parties in J&K – spoke without reservations. One of the leaders later said there was “no flare-up” during the talks.

While the issue of reinstating Article 370 was raised at the meeting, especially by Mehbooba Mufti, the government, sources said, took the stand that the matter was sub judice and the Supreme Court would take a decision on it.

The Prime Minister told the leaders he wanted to meet them earlier, but could not do so due to the outbreak of Covid-19. He was keen that the delimitation exercise be completed at the earliest so that elections could be held soon. The PM, sources said, underlined that he wanted to reduce both “Dil ki Doori” and “Dilli ki doori” – the distancing of hearts and the distancing from Delhi.

CHINA'S ATTEMPT TO ALTAR STATUS QUO RESPONSIBLE FOR EASTERN LADAKH ROW: INDIA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has hit back at its Chinese counterpart over the amassing of troops in eastern Ladakh, even as it kept mum on the possibility of diplomatic talks this week.

Reacting to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian stating that the high level of troop and military equipment was a “normal defence arrangement’’ to prevent and respond to encroachment and threats on China’s territory, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “It is well recognised that it has been the Chinese actions over the last year, including amassing of a large number of troops close to border areas in the Western Sector, and trying to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC, which have seriously disturbed peace and tranquility in the border areas’’.

“These acts are in violation of bilateral agreements, including the 1993 and 1996 agreements that mandate that the two sides shall strictly respect and observe the LAC and that two sides will keep their military forces in the areas along the LAC to a minimum level,” he added.

INDIA ASKS SCO TO FRAME ACTION PLAN AGAINST PAK-BASED TERROR GROUPS

India has proposed an action plan against the LeT and the JeM as part of the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which also includes as its members Pakistan where these two banned terrorist organisations are located as well as China, which had for years blocked the international listing of the chief of one of them, said sources here.

India’s proposal was suggested by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval at the 16th meeting of NSAs at Dushanbe in Tajikistan on Wednesday.

Separately, India dismissed comments by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that the nuclear deterrent will no longer be required if the Kashmir issue is resolved by stating that developments in Jammu & Kashmir are “clearly an internal matter for India”.

Asked at a media briefing whether back channel talks brokered by the UAE also included New Delhi making a gesture on Kashmir as well as closing down two Indian consulates in Afghanistan that were near the Pakistan border, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the closure of the consulates was not a “recent development”.

On bilateral ties with Pakistan, he said the Indian stand is well known. “We desire normal ties with all nations, including Pakistan. Pakistan must work towards creating a conducive atmosphere by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible action of not allowing any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism against India in any manner,” said Bagchi.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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EUROPE ‘ON THIN ICE’ AMID DELTA SURGE; SCARE IN AUSTRALIA

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Macron urged fellow EU leaders on Thursday to take a firmer line on travel from countries outside the bloc, such as Britain, to combat the Delta variant. Merkel, arriving in Brussels for a European Union summit, said she would lobby for a more coordinated approach, particularly with regard to letting tourists in from regions where virus variants were widespread.

“We are obviously concerned about the Delta variant,” she told reporters. Earlier in a speech to parliament in Berlin, she said: “We in Europe are still walking on thin ice.” Macron told EU nations to be extremely vigilant about the variant, which is highly infectious. Macron said the 27-nation bloc needed to take coordinated decisions on opening borders. The warnings came as British PM Boris Johnson hinted that UK was close to permitting unrestricted travel abroad for fully vaccinated people.

According to an EU official, EU leaders at the summit discussed the Delta variant and agreed that vaccinations should be speeded up, and that the bloc’s internal and external borders should be opened up cautiously. EU governments have agreed on a “white list” of 13 countries, including Australia and US, for whose residents travel curbs should be lifted.

Meanwhile, a new Covid cluster in Sydney has grown to 49 cases, prompting a travel ban for the five million residents of Australia’s largest city and a return to mandatory mask-wearing. ‘Since the pandemic has started, this is perhaps the scariest period that New South Wales is going through,’ state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Health officials in the state have been scrambling for more than a week to contain the outbreak, which began when a Sydney airport limousine driver tested positive for Delta variant.

THE REST

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FOUR LADAKH STUDENTS HELD OVER BLAST NEAR ISRAEL EMBASSY IN DELHI

Four students from Kargil have been arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in connection with the low-intensity IED blast near the Israeli Embassy on January 29.

The four have been identified as Nazir Hussain (26), Zulfikar Ali Wazir (25), Aiaz Hussain (28), and Muzammil Hussain (25). All are residents of Thung village in Kargil. The last two are brothers, while the other two are their cousins. “They (students) were held in connection with a conspiracy to plan and execute terror activities in the national capital.

Aiaz Hussain is learnt to have done his graduation from Ramjas College in Delhi; his brother Muzammil Hussain is a post-graduate (Botany) from Panjab University. Zulfiqar Ali is doing his post-graduation in Commerce (distance learning) from Dyal Singh College in Delhi; Nazir Hussain is doing his post-graduation in Physical Education from Panjab University.

MAKE STD 12 MARKING PLAN IN 10 DAYS, DECLARE RESULTS BY JULY 31: SC

As all states except Andhra Pradesh agreed to cancel their Class 12 board examinations due to the pandemic, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed them to formulate their scheme for internal assessment of students within 10 days and declare the results by the end of July.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari approved the decision taken by states and questioned the Andhra government for insisting on conducting the examination, which could expose students to the virus. As the bench was not satisfied with the response of Andhra government’s advocate Mahfooz A Nazki, it directed him to provide all the details on Friday on how the exam for six subjects would be held while following Covid norms.

The bench made it clear to the state that it would pass order to scrap the proposed exam if it was not satisfied with its response. It also said the state will be held responsible in case of any fatality of students if it decided to conduct the exam. It said going by the compensation amount paid by some state governments, the Andhra Pradesh government may also have to pay compensation of Rs1 crore in case of death of any student. On Thursday evening, education minister A Suresh said the state had decided to cancel the exams as it was difficult to adhere to the SC-set July 31 deadline for completing the process.

RIL TO INVEST RS 75,000 CR IN CLEAN ENERGY, BUILD 4 GIGA FACTORIES: AMBANI

Five years after disrupting the telecom space with the launch of Jio, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Thursday announced yet another game-changing move — a mega entry into green energy.

The company is planning to get into solar power generation and manufacturing, hydrogen production, e-fuels, and energy storage under its “New Energy and New Materials” division.

It will also set up a platform for renewable energy project finance to source long-term global capital for investment in these sectors.

The three-pronged plan will cumulatively involve an investment of Rs 75,000 crore over three years, Mukesh Ambani, chairman, RIL, announced during its annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday.

Under the plan, RIL will set up a Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex, spanning 5,000 acres, in Jamnagar, Gujarat, at Rs 60,000 crore while another Rs 15,000 crore will be invested in value chains, partnerships, and future technologies, including upstream and downstream industries.

RIL will create a capacity of producing solar power of 100 Gw in 10 years. The ambition is stunning as India’s installed capacity of solar power is now 40 Gw (including ground mounted and rooftop).

The move will bring RIL into direct competition with the Adani group. Adani Solar has 3.5 Gw of annual solar photovoltaic production capacity while Adani Green Energy has a portfolio of 25 Gw of commissioned and under construction projects.

TWITTER MD GETS K’TAKA HC RELIEF IN UP ASSAULT CLIP CASE

The Karnataka high court on Thursday passed an interim order restraining Ghaziabad police from initiating any coercive action against Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in the probe into circulation of a video related to the assault on an elderly Muslim man in UP.

Justice G Narendar added that if the UP police desired to examine the petitioner, they may do so in virtual mode. The matter has been listed for further consideration on June 29.

Maheshwari had challenged the UP police’s notice under Section 41A of CrPC to appear in person at Loni Border police station in Ghaziabad at 10.30am on Thursday.

Advocate C V Nagesh, who appeared for Manish, said the petitioner is only an employee, a revenue head, in charge of advertising sales. He is neither a member of the board of directors nor is he responsible for uploading of the alleged video for which police have registered the FIR.

WINDOWS 11 SHOWCASED, BRINGS A FRESH INTERFACE

Windows 11 is now official. Microsoft's new Windows operating system has debuted nearly six years after the release of Windows 10 that took place in July 2015. The update, which is being called the “next generation” of Windows, comes with a massive redesign over its predecessor, starting from an all-new boot screen and startup sound to a centrally-placed Start menu and upgraded widgets. Windows 11 also removes elements including the annoying “Hi Cortana” welcome screen and Live Tiles. Microsoft is essentially aiming to counter the likes of macOS and Chrome OS with its latest operating system.

It is for the first time, perhaps since the release of Windows NT 4.0 that was way back in 1996, when we are not seeing the Start menu on the left side — now located centrally. The transition of the Start menu also brings all the default icons such as Edge and File Explorer to the centre. This new positioning makes Windows 11 more familiar to people who use macOS or Chrome OS. You can, however, change the position and bring the Start button to the left by going in its settings.

Windows 11 will initially be available for testing purposes to Windows Insider members starting next week. It will also be available as a free upgrade to Windows 10 users later this year and come pre-installed on new PCs. Microsoft has also released the PC Health Check app for people to check if their Windows 10 PC is upgradable. It was speculated that the company would also bring the new operating system to Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines. However, Microsoft confirmed to Gadgets 360 that users with a Windows 7 PC that meets the minimum specifications could be upgraded to Windows 11 after purchasing a Windows 10 license.

SHABANA AZMI ACCUSES ALCOHOL DELIVERY PLATFORM OF CHEATING HER

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Thursday accused an alcohol delivery platform of allegedly duping her.

In a Twitter post, the 70-year-old actor claimed that she was conned by Living Liquidz after she placed an order on the platform, but didn’t receive it.

“BEWARE I have been cheated by them. #Living Liquidz I paid upfront and when the ordered item didnt turn up they stopped picking up my calls,” Azmi wrote, sharing details of her transaction with the delivery platform.

The actor, however, didn’t mention the amount of the transaction and also whether she has filed a complaint in the matter.

In the past, Bollywood celebrities including Akshaye Khanna, Nargis Fakhri and Karan Singh Grover fell prey to online scams.

US OPEN CHAMPION DOMINIC THIEM OUT OF WIMBLEDON WITH INJURED WRIST

Reigning U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem pulled out of Wimbledon and two other tournaments Thursday because of an injured right wrist.

Thiem would have been seeded No. 4 at the All England Club, where main-draw action begins Monday.

“I’m going to do everything the doctors say in order to recover as quickly as possible,” Thiem said. “They’ve informed me that I might be out for several weeks, but I will do my best to be back on court soon.”

The 27-year-old from Austria retired during the opening set of his first match at the Mallorca Open grass-court tuneup tournament this week, citing his wrist.

The U.S. Open starts in New York on Aug. 30. He won his first Grand Slam title there last year by coming back from a two-set deficit to beat Alexander Zverev in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the final.

NEED TO BRING IN RIGHT PEOPLE WITH RIGHT MINDSET: KOHLI HINTS AT OVERHAUL OF TEST SIDE

India skipper Virat Kohli has indicated an overhaul of his Test team after a stunning loss to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, saying that "right people who have the right mindset to perform" will be brought in following a reassessment.

Kohli didn't take names but expressed his displeasure at some players for not showing enough "intent" to score runs.

Senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara managed 8 off 54 balls in the first innings and consumed 35 balls for his first run. He then scored just 15 runs off 80 balls in the second essay.

"We will continue to reassess and continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns," Kohli said at the post-match virtual press conference.

"We will not wait for a year or so and have to plan ahead. If you see our white ball team now, we have great depth and guys are ready and confident. Same thing needs to be done with Test cricket. "You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in right people who have right mindset to perform," the skipper added.

Kohli urged his batsmen to take calculated risks and strike a balance between well-timed strokeplay and holding an end. "The endeavour would be to try and score runs and not worry about getting out in testing conditions….You have to take calculated risks against a quality bowling attack like New Zealand."

INDICATORS

Sensex 52,699 (+393), Nifty 15,790 (+103), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 63543.42

Nasdaq 14,370 (+98) Dow 34,197 (+323), S&P 4,266 (+25)

US$-Rs. 74.05 GBP-Rs. 103.22, Euro-Rs. 88.36, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.15, Can$-Rs. 60.15, Aus$- Rs. 56.12

GBP 0.71 /US$, Euro 0.83 /US$, Jap.Yen 110.87 /US$, Aus$ 1.31 /US$, Sing 1.34 /US$, Bang Taka 83.30 /US$, Can$ 1.23 /US$, Mal Ring 4.15 /US$,

Pak Re 157.55 /US$, Phil Peso 48.68 /US$, Russian Rouble 72.34 /US$, NZ$ 1.41 /US$, Thai Baht 31.83 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.19 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 35,153

Dollar Index 91.74 Brent Crude 75.76  BDI 3,175

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,778 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,719 / 4,619, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 73,100

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will. - James Stephens

OFF TRACK

"I don't drink, but sometimes I wish I did. That way, when I messed up in life I would have an excuse. But right now there's no rehab for stupidity."