Egypt reports 138 new Covid-19 cases

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Egypt reports 138 new Covid-19 cases

Egypt has reported 138 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 97,478, said the Health Ministry.

On Monday, Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said that 18 patients died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,280, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, 890 others were cured and discharged from hospitals, increasing the recovered cases to 66,817, the spokesman said in a statement.

Egypt’s single-day cases have been falling below 200 since August 2, after they hit a record of 1,774 on June 19.

Coronavirus-related daily fatalities have also been below 20 for the past 10 days in a row.

A record of daily deaths was seen in mid-June when 97 patients died.

The most populous Arab country announced its first confirmed Covid-19 case on February 14 and the first death from the highly infectious virus on March 8.

Amid declining deaths and fatalities, Egypt has been easing relevant restrictions over the past two months as part of a coexistence plan to maintain anti-coronavirus precautionary measures while resuming economic activities.

Sushant was poisoned and autopsy forcibly delayed, alleges Swamy

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Sushant was poisoned and autopsy forcibly delayed, alleges Swamy

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has alleged that Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was poisoned before his death.

Swamy tweeted on Tuesday morning alleging that Sushant was poisoned and his autopsy was deliberately delayed so that the poison in his stomach was dissolved by the digestive fluids.

“Now the diabolical mentality of the killers and their reach is being slowly revealed: autopsy was deliberately forcibly delayed so that the poisons in SSR’s stomach dissolves beyond recognition by the digestive fluids in the stomach. Time to nail those who are responsible,” Swamy tweeted from his verified account.

Throughout Monday, netizens trended a hashtag on Twitter demanding that the CBI, which has now taken over the investigation of the case should grill the doctors at Cooper Hospital who performed Sushant’s autopsy.

On Monday evening, Swamy had tweeted suggesting Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty should be subjected to custodial interrogation.

“If Rhea Chakravarty keeps giving evidence which contradicts her conversation with Mahesh Bhatt then CBI will have no alternative but to arrest her and subject her to custodial interrogation to get at the truth,” reads Swamy’s tweet.

Recently, screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation, which took place on June 8 allegedly between Rhea and Mahesh Bhatt, went viral on social media with netizens alleging that Rhea’s “sugar daddy” Mahesh Bhatt encouraged her to break up with Sushant.

Apple acquires AR tech startup Spaces: Report

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Apple acquires AR tech startup Spaces: Report

Apple has quietly acquired an AR technology startup Spaces, a former project of DreamWorks Animation for an undisclosed amount.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” a company spokesperson told Protocol via email.

Spaces announced last week that it was shutting down its existing services, telling visitors on its website that it was “heading in a new direction,” without revealing further details.

“Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theatres, and more,” the statement said.

Spaces spun out of DreamWorks Animation in early 2016 and developed a range of location-based VR experiences, including ‘Terminator Salvation: Fight for the Future’.

The company had to shut down its VR centers at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, laying off several staff members.

Apple recently confirmed it has acquired NextVR, a live streaming AR/VR company.

Apple’s rumored augmented reality (AR) glasses are also under development and may launch by 2022.

The company is developing two head-worn products, including a combination AR/VR headset for release in 2022 and “full-fledged” AR glasses for release by 2023.

7,012 fires burn 1.5 mn acres of land in California

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7,012 fires burn 1.5 mn acres of land in California

At least 7,012 fires in California have burnt 1.5 million acres of land in the state so far this year, according to authorities.

At this time last year, 4,292 fires had burned 56,000 acres, Xinhua news agency quoted California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) as saying on Monday.

Northern California’s LNU Complex fire, the largest blaze in the state which grew to 350,000 acres in size as of Monday, has destroyed 871 buildings, damaged 234, and threatened 30,500, while its containment grew to 22 percent, Cal Fire reported.

Five people have died in the LNU Complex, bringing the state’s total toll to seven.

Of the 350-plus recreation sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, only about 150 are still open.

Parks were being closed due to smoke, dangerous fire conditions or fire activity, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday that more than 14,000 firefighters and more than 2,400 engines now are working to contain the hundreds of wildfires.

Some 2,200 residents are in emergency shelters around the state.

Bodies of two boys found hanging from tree in UP

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Bodies of two boys found hanging from tree in UP

Bodies of two boys were found hanging from a tree in a village under Usrahar police circle in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, police said on Tuesday.

According to police, the boys had gone out to purchase ‘samosa’ on a bicycle on Sunday evening and did not return home.

They were identified as Akash, 16, and Ankul ,15, of Mahua Patiyat village. While Akash was a student of intermediate, Ankul was a high school student.

“Serious injury marks were found on the bodies of the two friends. The investigation is on to ascertain the exact cause,” the police said.

ASP Rural Omveer Singh said, “We are waiting for the postmortem report. Their family members were questioned and we have also seized their mobile phones. We are also questioning their friends to zero-in on the accused.”

Ankur’s sister Kalpana said, “When they did not return till late on Sunday evening, the family began searching for them. A group of locals found their bodies hanging from the branch of a mango tree located in the outskirts of their village on Monday.”

The police questioned the family members and relatives if there could be any kind of foul play in the case, but could not get any clue so far.

Akash’s father, Rakesh Kamal, said the family was in shock.

“My son and Ankle were very good friends. They seemed fine when they left their respective homes on a bicycle to purchase ‘samosa’. We hope the police will find the accused soon,” he said.

Google fixes serious bug in Chrome web browser

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Google fixes serious bug in Chrome web browser

Google has fixed a high-severity flaw in the latest version of the Chrome browser that could lead to code execution.

The Google Chrome web browser had a use-after-free vulnerability in its “WebGL” component that could allow a user to execute arbitrary code in the context of the browser process.

A hacker could manipulate the memory layout of the browser in a way that they could gain control of the use-after-free exploit, which could ultimately lead to arbitrary code execution.

According to Jon Munshaw from Cisco Talos, the security researchers worked with Google to ensure that these issues are resolved and that an update is available for affected customers.

“This vulnerability specifically exists in ANGLE, a compatibility layer between OpenGL and Direct3D that Chrome uses on Windows systems,” Munshaw informed in a statement on Monday.

With proper memory layout manipulation, an attacker can gain full control of this use-after-free vulnerability which could ultimately lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the browser.

Another bug was found in Google’s Chromium-based browsers in early August that could allow hackers to bypass the Content Security Policy (CSP) on websites, in order to steal data and execute rogue code.

Hackers could also exploit an unpatched flaw in Google Drive to distribute malicious files disguised as legitimate files on systems worldwide.

The Hacker News reported that Google is aware of the latest security issue that is found in the “manage versions” functionality in Google Drive.

The functionality allows users to upload and manage different versions of a file.

Luis Suarez set to leave Barcelona, says radio station

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Luis Suarez set to leave Barcelona, says radio station

FC Barcelona striker Luis Suarez looks to be on his way out of the club after local radio station RAC1 reported that new coach Ronald Koeman has told the Uruguayan that he doesn’t form a part of his plans for the coming season.

The radio station, which has very close links to the club, reported that Koeman phoned Suarez this Monday and gave him the news in a brief conversation, writes Xinhua news agency.

Suarez’s contract at the Camp Nou is due to expire at the end of June 2021 and the 33-year-old’s lawyers will presumably speak to the club to try to rescind that deal to allow him to become a free agent.

Suarez arrived in Barcelona in 2014 from Liverpool and he has since scored 198 goals and given 109 assists in 283 appearances to become the third-highest scorer in the history of the club.

RAC1 broke this news just two days after Suarez spoke to Spanish newspaper El Pais to say that “nobody” had discussed his future with him.

“It would be good if the person in charge speaks directly to me. My idea today is to continue, but if the club decides that I am expendable, I have no problem talking,” he commented, adding that he wanted to “continue contributing everything I can,” and that he would have no problem if he had to be a substitute.

While Suarez looks to have one foot out of the door at Barcelona, left-back Jordi Alba’s future looks more secure after RAC1 revealed that Koeman had informed the 31-year-old Spain international he wanted him in next season’s squad.

Western & Southern Open: Thiem crashes out, Djokovic advances

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Western & Southern Open: Thiem crashes out, Djokovic advances

Second-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem lost to 32nd-ranked Serbian Filip Krajinovic in the round of 32 of the ongoing Western & Southern Open in New York.

Krajinovic stunned Thiem 6-2, 6-1 on Monday, losing only two service points en route to the third round of the tournament.

“I think I started really well today. I was aggressive and I’m really happy that I’m in the third round,” said Krajinovic as per the ATP Tour website. “I don’t think Thiem was playing today good tennis, but I took the chance and I think I deserved to win.”

Krajinovic will next play Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics, who beat 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Meanwhile, world No.1 Novak Djokovic didn’t have the luxury of easing back into tournament play in his first match back since the end of the ATP Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Djokovic had to fight it out against Lithuania’s former junior World No. 1 Ricardas Berankis and he eventually triumphed 7-6(2), 6-4 to improve his perfect record in 2020 to 19-0.

The Serb, who became the first singles player in history (since 1990) to capture all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles when he defeated Federer in the 2018 Cincinnati final, has advanced to the third round where he will face American Tennys Sandgren.

Ronaldinho released from house arrest

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Ronaldinho released from house arrest

Ronaldinho has been released from house arrest in Paraguay after nearly six months in custody for using a fake passport.

A judge suspended charges against the 40-year-old and his brother Roberto Assis on Monday after they struck a plea bargain with prosecutors, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The precautionary measure of arrest is lifted, there are no more restrictions placed by Paraguayan justice,” Judge Gustavo Amarilla told a court hearing in Asuncion.

Ronaldinho and Assis spent more than a month in prison before being relocated to the four-star Palmaroga Hotel after paying $1.6 million in bail.

Media reports said the brothers would fly back to Rio de Janeiro on a private plane on Tuesday.

Under terms of the deal with investigators, Ronaldinho agreed to a $90,000 fine and must report to a federal judge in Brazil every three months for two years.

“There is no indication that he has any personal characteristics or criminal behavior that … would put society at risk,” one of the prosecutors in the case said.

Assis was ordered to pay $110,000 and will not be allowed to leave Brazil over a two-year period. He will also maintain a criminal record in Paraguay.

Ronaldinho and Assis traveled to the South American country on March 4 to participate in a children’s charity event and promote a new book. They were arrested later that day on accusations of presenting false travel documents to immigration officials.

The pair have denied any wrongdoing and said they were presented with the passports as a “gift” upon arriving in Asuncion.

Ronaldinho retired from football in 2018 after a career that included spells at Gremio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Milan, and Atletico Mineiro, among other clubs. He was a part of the Brazil team that won the 2002 World Cup and was twice voted the FIFA world player of the year.

On opening night of RNC, Nikki Haley urges Americans to re-elect Trump

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On opening night of RNC, Nikki Haley urges Americans to re-elect Trump

Less than a week after Kamala Harris made history by becoming the first Black and Indian-American woman of color to be chosen for a major party’s presidential ticket, former US Ambassador to the UN and breakout Indian-American star Nikki Haley took the stage on the opening night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) and urged Americans to give President Donald Trump four more years in the November election.

On Monday night, Haley tore into the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign plans, describing in detail what she called a “radical left” future fuelled by “anarchy”, “riots” and “cancel culture”.

She pushed back against critics who cast the Trump White House as racist.

“America is not a racist country. This is personal for me. I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. My parents never gave in to grievance and hate. I was a brown girl in a black and white world.

“America is a story that is a work in progress,” Haley added.

Republicans opened Monday night’s prime-time convention with dark warnings about America’s future if Trump doesn’t win a second term, casting him as a protector of religious freedom, the right to bear arms, and much more.

Haley is one of two people of color who spoke at the RNC on Monday night. The other is South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate.

Taken together, both Harris and Haley’s presence at their party’s convention gigs speaks to the steady rise of Indian-Americans in US politics.

Haley was the first Indian-American to serve in the US cabinet when Trump appointed her as the Permanent Representative to the UN with cabinet status.

A star of the Republican Party, she left the post at the end of 2018 and has been active in politics.

There has been speculation about her running for President in 2024.

A poll by Leger early this month found that she ranked third as the choice of Republicans to be the party’s candidate in 2024 with 11 percent support, behind Vice President Mike Pence with 31 percent and the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr, with 17 percent.

Haley became the first woman and non-White to be elected governor of South Carolina in 2010 and the second Indian-American to be elected to the office after fellow Republican Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

Republicans will spend the week trying to convince the American people that Trump deserves four more years.

Trump’s supporters are casting the 2020 election as a choice between the American values of freedom and what they cast as the “radical left” world of the Biden-Harris ticket.

Urvashi Rautela on shooting for debut Telugu film amid new normal

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Urvashi Rautela on shooting for debut Telugu film amid new normal

Urvashi Rautela is in the city for her debut Telugu film, Black Rose, and she says it is difficult to shoot amid the new normal but work must go on.

“We are following all precautionary measures amid the COVID pandemic. It’s ‘lights, camera, mask on and action’. We are following all-new norms for ‘Black Rose’. It is a difficult time but work has to go on,” Urvashi said about shooting for the Sampath Nandi directorial.

About the film, which will also release in Hindi, she said: “My character is like Shylock in William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant Of Venice’. ‘Black Rose’ deals with the point from (the perspective of) Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’. She is the owner of a large group of companies called Lotus Capitals.”

Despite COVID restrictions, though, Urvashi says it feels amazing to be back on sets.

“This is one of the first films to start shooting in the time of COVID pandemic along with Akshay Kumar sir’s ‘BellBottom’,” noted the actress, who has in the past worked in the Kannada film, “Mr. Airvata”.

Baiju Mangeshkar: Never intend to use my surname to get work

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Baiju Mangeshkar: Never intend to use my surname to get work

Baiju Mangeskar, the nephew of playback legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, says it is tough to be in the Bollywood music business but he wants to find his voice using his merit rather than a family name.

Baiju’s first solo album, “Within You”, has released. Asked why he seems more interested in exploring the independent music scene rather than film playback for a career, he says he is too introverted to push himself aggressively for opportunities in Hindi film music.

“The music business has changed, from the days when my father and aunties were working. I always wanted to find my own voice as an artist rather than go by my family name. By nature, I am an introverted person so I cannot push myself aggressively to find opportunities in Hindi film music. I did sing for a Bollywood film but it did not release. The project did not materialize. I lent my voice in Marathi film music, too. So, I did start my career as a playback singer,” Baiju told IANS.

Baiju, who is composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s son, added: “As an individual, I do not differentiate between film and non-film music. If you look at the career of Lata aunty and Asha aunty, they also pursued music in different regions and on different platforms – be it film or independent albums. In our household, music is a sacred thing. There is no distinction between genres.”

“These days the whole system is different. At times, five singers are made to record the same song, and the final decision on whose voice will be retained in the album is taken by people who are not necessarily musically educated. Earlier, the final call was taken by the music director. These days, at times it is the producer, the film director, the actor — the list goes on,” added the singer who released his Sufi album “Ya Rabba” along with aunt Lata Mangeshkar in 2014.

“Even I recorded two songs — I do not want to name the songs — but in the final album, my voice was not kept,” claimed Baiju.

“Within You” comprises six songs sung by Baiju around the theme of Sufism. The album has been musically arranged by Jatin Sharma and young poetess Amruta.

The singer-composer also collaborated with veteran international musicians like jazz harp instrumentalist Susan Mazer and the master of woodwinds and saxophone, Dallas Smith.

Abhishek Bachchan: Web series lets you move away from usual storytelling tropes

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Abhishek Bachchan: Web series lets you move away from usual storytelling tropes

Actor Abhishek Bachchan is intrigued by the psychological interplay of his dual role in his debut web series, Breathe: Into The Shadows, and says he would love to explore the character further.

In the show, Abhishek’s character suffers from a split personality disorder — as Dr. Avinash Sabharwal, a distraught father on a lookout for his missing child, and the sinister J.

Looking back at the challenges he faced while getting into the skin of Avinash, Abhishek told IANS: “There were several challenges we faced when we started to flesh out Avi. (Director) Mayank Sharma and I spent weeks, if not months working on all his characteristics and nuances. There were much debate and discussion. We tried our best to make him as relatable as possible. We wanted the viewers to feel that maybe they could know somebody like Avi. He was not designed as your archetypical ‘Hero’.”

“A web series gives you the ability and liberty to move away from the usual tropes of story-telling and characterizations we tend to use in India. But, I feel the biggest challenge was to make it believable that he was capable of doing all the things he is made to do during the show. Also, (it was a challenge) how to incorporate very faint shades of J in certain mannerisms of his,” he added.

Abhishek researched a lot to get the nuances of the things associated with the disorder right.

“Thankfully, since they were two different personalities there weren’t any conflicts to deal with. The director, writers, and I researched the disorder as much as possible to be as accurate as we could. Apart from extensive reading up on the subject we viewed many videos of patients and also has a consultant on board,” he said.

What themes would he like to explore through the character if the story was carried forward? “I would love to explore J. He intrigues me — the way he thinks, behaves and responds to situations,” Abhishek replied.

“Breathe: Into The Shadows” was released on July 10 on Amazon Prime Video, with Abhishek, Nithya Menen, Amit Sadh, and Saiyami Kher leading the show.

Global Covid-19 cases top 23.5mn: Johns Hopkins

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Global Covid-19 cases top 23.5mn: Johns Hopkins

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 23.5 million, while the deaths have increased to over 811,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Tuesday morning, the total number of cases stood at 23,571,084 and the fatalities rose to 811,748, 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 cases and deaths at 5,739,068 and 177,248, respectively, according to the CSSE.

Brazil came in second place with 3,622,861 infections and 115,309 deaths.

In terms of cases, India ranks third (3,106,348), and is followed by Russia (959,016), South Africa (611,450), Peru (594,326), Mexico (563,705), Colombia (541,139), Spain (405,436), Chile (399,568), Iran (361,150), Argentina (350,867), the UK (328,620), Saudi Arabia (308,654), Bangladesh (297,083), Pakistan (293,261), France (282,414), Italy (260,298), Turkey (259,692), Germany (236,122), Iraq (207,985), Philippines (194,252), Indonesia (155,412), Canada (127,313), Qatar (117,266), Ukraine (109,234), Bolivia (109,149), Ecuador (108,289), Kazakhstan (104,718) and Israel (104,472), the CSSE figures showed.

The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the Mexico (60,800), India (57,542), UK (41,519), Italy (35,441), France (30,533), Spain (28,872), Peru (27,663), Iran (20,776), Russia (16,406), Colombia (17,298), South Africa (13,159) and Chile (10,916).

TikTok files lawsuit against Trump administration’s executive order

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TikTok files lawsuit against Trump administration’s executive order

Video-sharing social networking company TikTok filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order banning any US transactions with its parent company ByteDance.

In the 39-page indictment, US President Donald Trump, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and US Department of Commerce were listed as defendants, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the document, TikTok accused the US authorities of stripping the rights of the company without any evidence to justify the extreme action and issuing the order without any due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment while banning the company with no notice or opportunity to be heard.

Meanwhile, the document cited remarks from Trump about this issue, such as proclaiming in a campaign-style news conference that TikTok had “no rights” and that he would ban the popular software if the company did not pay money to the government to secure its approval for any sale. Those words are unconstitutional.

“By demanding that Plaintiffs make a payment to the US Treasury as a condition for the sale of TikTok, the President has taken Plaintiffs’ property without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment,” the document said.

Moreover, the indictment said, by preventing TikTok from operating in the United States, the executive order violates the company’s First Amendment rights in its code and expressive means of communication.

The Los Angeles-based tech firm argued that the executive order is a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), authorizing the prohibition of activities that have not been found to be “an unusual and extraordinary threat” in this case.

TikTok argued that former presidents used power authorized by IEEPA to protect the country from threats from abroad, including terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but this executive order seeks to use IEEPA against a US company with hundreds of employees across the country and to destroy an online community sharing video content by millions of Americans.

According to the company, as of June 2020, the total number of monthly active users in the country soared to 91,937,040, and based on quarterly usage, 100 million Americans used the application to express themselves and connect with each other.

The executive order was issued “for political reasons rather than because of an ‘unusual and extraordinary threat’ to the United States, which is a condition for the President to exercise his authority” under the IEEPA, TikTok noted.

The plaintiffs, TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. seek a declaratory judgment and order invalidating and enjoining the executive order and any implementing regulations issued by the Department of Commerce later.

“The President’s executive order is unconstitutional and ultra vires, and must be enjoined,” the document read.

Google Pixel 5 may feature 90hz punch-hole display

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Google Pixel 5 may feature 90hz punch-hole display

Google is expected to launch Pixel 5 on September 30 and a new report has suggested that the smartphone will feature a 6-inch, 90Hz refresh rate punch-hole display similar to the Pixel 4a.

The smartphone is also expected to have slimmer bezels compared to the Pixel 4a, but possibly the same footprint.

The Pixel 5 will have 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage powered by the Snapdragon 765G SoC which is “hardly a surprise since the smartphone was previously spotted on a benchmark database with this chipset”, reports Android Central.

The presence of the SD765G inside the device reveals that it will debut as the first 5G-ready Pixel phone.

The device will be the first Pixel phone to come with 8GB RAM. However, the AI Benchmark has no information on the other specs of the device.

It will also be the first Pixel phone to come with 8GB RAM.

Petrol prices increase for 5th consecutive day

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Petrol prices increase for 5th consecutive day

Petrol prices across the four metros increased for the fifth consecutive day on Monday, with the fuel being priced over Rs 88 per liter in Mumbai.

In the country’s financial capital, petrol was sold for Rs 88.28 per liter on Monday, higher by 12 paise from its previous level of Rs 88.16 per liter.

At the current rate, petrol prices could soon be touching unprecedented levels of Rs 100 a liter.

Similarly in Delhi, the price of the fuel increased by 13 paise to Rs 81.62 a liter from the previous day price of Rs 81.49 a liter.

In Kolkata, petrol was priced at Rs 83.13, higher by 12 paise from its previous level of Rs 83.01 per liter.

The price of the transportation fuel in Chennai was at Rs 84.64 per liter, higher by 12 paise from Rs 84.52 per liter on Sunday.

Diesel prices are, however, the same across the metros.

In the national capital, diesel prices have remained stable since the Delhi government announced a 13.25 percent reduction in the Value Added Tax on July 30, which had caused the price to fall by Rs 8.36 per liter.

Diesel is priced at Rs 73.56 a liter in the national capital. The price of the fuel in Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata was at Rs 80.11, Rs 78.86, and Rs 77.06 per liter respectively.

Rhea, family have not received CBI summons: Lawyer

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Rhea, family have not received CBI summons: Lawyer

Actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family have not received a summons from the CBI, her lawyer Satish Maneshinde said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, several reports claimed that Rhea and her father Indrajit Chakraborty have been summoned by the CBI as part of investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Following this, her legal team sent out an official statement, refuting the claims.

“Dear Friends, Rhea Chakraborty & Fly (Family) have not received any summons from CBI so far to attend. No sooner she receives it, she & fly will attend as they did before Mumbai Police and ED as law-abiding citizens. No speculations are necessary,” said her lawyer Satish Maneshinde in the statement.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14. Now, the CBI has taken over the case.

The CBI team on Sunday took the late actor’s personal staff back to his flat in Bandra for further questioning and recreating the crime scene.

The team also visited the Waterstone resort where the late actor had spent two months. The CBI team was there for over two hours, trying to determine how Sushant behaved during his stay at the place.

Rahul questions timing of dissenters’ letter seeking leadership change

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Rahul questions timing of dissenters’ letter seeking leadership change

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday targeted the party dissenters and questioned the timing of the letter which was sent to interim chief Sonia Gandhi seeking leadership change, even as Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel requested him to take over as party chief.

Congress sources said that while addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision making body of the party, Rahul Gandhi questioned the timing of the letter and said, “What was the reason to write a letter when Sonia Gandhi was admitted in hospital and when the party was fighting the political crisis in Rajasthan.”

Sonia Gandhi was admitted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on July 30 for a routine checkup and was discharged on August 2. While the Rajasthan political crisis began on July 11 when former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot rebelled against the party leadership. The Rajasthan crisis was finally taken care of by the top leadership on August 11.

As the CWC meeting took off earlier, Sonia Gandhi offered to step down from the party’s top post but it was rejected by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he asked her to continue. The letter of Sonia Gandhi to the people who wrote to her demanding a change in the leadership said that she wanted to be relieved.

In her letter, she also asked the party to begin deliberation to start a process of transition to relieve her from the duty.

Sonia Gandhi’s letter was read out loud by party General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal at the meeting, wherein she offered to quit and said the process should be initiated to elect a new Congress President.

She also referred to a letter written to her by senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony questioned that letter in which several party leaders urged her for sweeping reforms, and ‘a full-time, visible leadership’.

Haryana Congress leader Kumari Selja also targeted the dissenters for writing the letter seeking leadership change and called the leaders who wrote the letter “agents of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”.

With many Congress leaders openly demanding Rahul Gandhi to be brought back as the party chief without any further delay, the party made it clear that the CWC meeting will discuss the issue.

The meeting comes weeks after the Congress saw a stormy meeting of its Rajya Sabha MPs wherein certain leaders sought introspection on the 2019 poll debacle. It was thereafter, a bunch of leaders wrote the letter to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on the issue of leadership change and elections in the CWC.

Trump campaign announces 2nd-term priorities ahead of RNC

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Trump campaign announces 2nd-term priorities ahead of RNC

US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has announced a set of core priorities for his second term ahead of the four-day 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) set to begin from Monday.

The priorities, under the banner of “Fighting for You”, will focus on jobs, eradicating Covid-19, healthcare, education, immigration, innovation, foreign policy, and other areas, Xinhua news agency quoted the campaign as saying on Sunday night.

If re-elected, Trump has vowed to create 10 million new jobs in 10 months, develop a vaccine against the coronavirus by the end of this year, establish a permanent manned presence on the Moon, and send the first manned mission to Mars, among others.

The campaign also said Trump will continue to pursue his “America First” foreign policy.

The President “will further illuminate these plans during his acceptance speech Thursday”, it said.

“Over the coming weeks, the President will be sharing additional details about his plans through policy-focused speeches on the campaign trail.”

Trump’s speech to accept the 2020 Republican presidential nomination will be delivered on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday night despite criticism that he should not use a federal property as the backdrop for a campaign event.

This year’s RNC will kick off on Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Over 300 delegates, a small portion of the total, will meet in person there to formally nominate Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for the 2020 Republican ticket.

The Republican National Committee said on Sunday that it “has unanimously voted to forego the Convention Committee on Platform, in appreciation of the fact that it did not want a small contingent of delegates formulating a new platform”.

The committee “enthusiastically supports President Trump and continues to reject the policy positions of the Obama-Biden administration”, said a statement.

“The 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention.”

Party platforms are traditionally used to layout the party and candidate’s ideas, beliefs, and goals.

In 2016, the Republican platform was 54 pages long.

This year’s Democratic platform is 91 pages long.

Former Vice President Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee on the final night of this year’s Democratic National Convention last week.

Presently, Biden leads Trump by 7.6 percentage points nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Trump, however, has repeatedly dismissed polls showing him falling behind.

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