Breaking News: July 7, 2020 | As it happened

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said taxpayers are nation-builders and the government would come out with a charter of rights for them. The minister also said the government has taken several measures towards simplification, improving transparency and moderation in rates as part of efforts to bring in ease for honest taxpayers.

The flood situation in Assam further improved on Friday as the water receded from four more districts and currently 12,528 people and 5,375 hectare of
cropland across six districts are affected, a government bulletin said.

Amid surging coronavirus infections,the Karnataka government has issued revised guidelines on handling bodies of COVID-19 patients where stress has been laid on avoiding autopsy unless it has to be done for special reasons. There have been instances of undignified disposal of bodies at some places in Karnataka and stigmatising families where people were tested positive for coronavirus.

Issued by the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, the revised circular has given a set of directions on handling such bodies taking utmost precautions to avoid contracting the disease.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Friday told the Delhi High Court that a dummy phone number can be used for COVID-19 testing of mentally ill homeless persons alongside the address of the lab or hospital which is conducting the test.

The country’s top medical research body came out with the solution to address the issue of mentally ill homeless persons not being tested for COVID-19 for the lack of a government issued identity card, an address proof or a mobile number as required under the testing guidelines issued by the ICMR.

A two-day programme on good governance practices during COVID-19 pandemic was held in the national capital by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In a statement, the MEA said the event saw 70 participants from Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Kenya, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Somalia, Zambia and other Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) partner countries.

"A two-day eITEC programme on 'COVID-19 – Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic' at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) was inaugurated by V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions, on August 6," the statement said.

This is the 11th such eITEC programme on COVID-19 organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in which around 900 participants from different ITEC partner countries have participated and benefited, it said.

Educationist Pradeep Kumar Joshi was on Friday appointed the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the civil services examination to select the country's bureaucrats and diplomats, officials said.

State-owned UCO Bank on Friday announced reduction in its marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) by 10 basis points across all the tenors.

The UAE has waived thousands of dirhams in fines of Indian expatriates whose visas had expired before March 1, helping them return home without additional expenses amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a media report.

Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Friday as muted cues from global markets and spiking COVID-19 cases in the country kept investors on the edge. After touching a low of 37,787.38 during the day, the BSE Sensex settled just 15.12 points or 0.04 per cent higher at 38,040.57. Read More

HDFC Bank has reduced its marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) by 10 basis points across all tenors with effect from Friday. Read More

Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh may witness a temperature increase of up to 6.9 degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to climate change, according to a study which warns that the glaciers in this Himalayan region could shrink by 85 per cent if the projections come true. Read More

Japan’s Nintendo Co Ltd on Thursday reported a more than five-fold jump in quarterly profit, driven by breakout demand for its Switch device and hit title “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” as the coronavirus lockdown lifts the games industry, news agency Reuters reported. 

“Animal Crossing” is a runaway hit, with more than half of new Switch devices first used to play the title during the quarter and total sales second only to “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”.

Reuters

All passengers arriving in Mumbai will have to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine in light of the coronavirus epidemic that has gripped the city.  Read Full Story

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 'Conclave on transformational reforms in higher education under National Education Policy', spoke of the NEP and said that the policy was approved after extensive discussions that lasted 3-4 years. The PM  said that the NEP is being discussed across the nation today. People from different fields and ideologies are giving their views and reviewing the Policy. Read Full Story

• Every country goes ahead by connecting its education system to its national values & reforming it as per its national goals. It's aimed at keeping its present & future generations 'future ready': PM Narendra Modi. 
• After the National Education Policy came, no section of the country said that the Policy has any bias. It is a matter of happiness: PM Narendra Modi at 'Conclave on transformational reforms in higher education under National Education Policy'
• National Education Policy is being discussed across the nation today. People from different fields & ideologies are giving their views & reviewing the Policy. It's a healthy debate. The more it is done, the more it will be beneficial to the education system of the country: PM
• National Education Policy was approved after extensive discussions over 3-4 years and deliberation over lakhs of suggestions: PM Narendra Modi at 'Conclave on transformational reforms in higher education under National Education Policy'

Karnataka: Vehicular movement halted at Alageshwara road in Koppa town of Chikmagalur district following a landslide here, due to overnight rainfall.

Serum Institute of India (SII), which has signed deal to manufacture Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, has now entered into an agreement with American vaccine developer Novavax Inc. American developer Novavax and Serum Institute entered inked agreement on July 30 for development, co-formulation, filling and finishing, registration and commercialisation of the Novavax vaccine -- NVX-CoV2373. READ MORE

Bhojpuri film actress Anupama Pathak allegedly committed suicide in north Mumbai's Dahisar suburb, police said on Friday. Pathak, 40, was found hanging at her rented flat on Sunday, police said. Hailing from Purnea district in Bihar, she had moved to Mumbai and worked in Bhojpuri films and TV shows.

The Railways is set to end a colonial-era practise of appointing khalasis or 'bungalow peons' who worked at the residences of senior officials, following an order from the Railway Board barring any new appointment to the post. In an order issued on August 6, the Railway Board has said the issue regarding telephone attendant-cum-dak khalasis (TADKs) is under review.

Kidney is one of the most important organ of your body. It is important to maintain your vital parameters in blood and helps release excessive fluids and waste from your body. Kidney helps filter blood before sending it back to the heart. Yoga guru Swami Ramdev tells how these exercises and yoga asanas can help us keep our kidney healthy. A healthy kidney is vital for human survival. Several people who suffer from kidney diseases or renal failure today. In order to avoid renal failure or other diseases, it is important to take care of this vital body organ by simple exercises. In this video, Swami Ramdev shows how you can do yoga and exercises to keep your kidney healthy. 

US President Donald Trump has signed executive order for banning transactions with TikTok parent company ByteDance after 45 days. READ MORE

A gunman, who took 6 people hostage in a bank in northern France on Thursday, have surrendered to police after a 6-hour operation to free his captives.

Global coronavirus cases have crossed 1.92 crore with present tally at 19,244,698 including 7,17,368 deaths, 1,23,50,302 recovered and 61,77,028 active cases. Over 1,30,67,670 coronavirus cases have also been closed. Meanwhile, the race among who develops the first and most affected coronavirus vaccine is underway.

Russia has already announced that it has developed the vaccine after it completed all the trial phases and was in the process of formal documentation before being officially announced to be available for public use. Next to Russia is Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and US's Moderna, as both of them are in the final stage trial, raising hope for the world to have the vaccine for the most infectious disease by year end.