News Breakfast @6

01 COVID-19 Assam: Death Toll Stands At 48

Two more coronavirus infected victims have succumbed to the disease in Assam on Wednesday. Hira Devi (45) from Kamrup Metro and  Dr. Pradip Kumar Sharma (75) from Tinsukia passed away today, according to the data of the Death Audit Board. The death toll in Assam has now pushed to 48.

02 Meghalaya Government To Close All Entry Points

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday announced that the Meghalaya government has decided to close all entry points to the state from July 23 to July 31. The entry points include at Byrnihat, Ratacherra, Bajengdoba, Tikrikilla, Mirjunga, and Halidikand. The checkpoints will remain close except for emergency cases like essential commodities and transit vehicles.

03 29 Die Of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome In Assam, 190 Infected

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has killed 29 people in Assam while 190 people have been infected as of July 13. The National Health Mission data of AES does not contain the number of infected persons on July 14.

04 Google To Invest 33,737 Cr In JIO Platforms At 7.73% Stake

Reliance Industries Limited, Jio Platforms Limited, and Google LLC announced the signing of binding agreements for an investment of Rupees 33,737 crore by Google into Jio Platforms. This investment by Google values Jio Platforms at an equity value of rupees 4.36 lakh crore. Google's investment will translate into a 7.73% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis.

05 Jorhat Total Lockdown Extended

The Jorhat administration on Wednesday has announced the extension of the ongoing lockdown under Jorhat municipality for an indefinite period. The order states, all areas under Jorhat Municipal Board will undergo total lockdown from Thursday. Also, the sub-areas will follow the same protocol.

06 India: COVID-19 Testing Per Million Crosses 8994

According to the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data during the last 24 hours, 3,20,161 samples for COVID-19 have been tested. The cumulative number of samples tested, as of now is 1,24,12,664. The testing per million for India is consistently rising. On Wednesday it has touched 8994.7.

07 Armed Forces Get Special Powers For Weapons Purchase

In a special meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council under the Chairmanship of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday has taken a decision to delegate powers for urgent capital acquisition cases up to Rs 300 crores to the Armed Forces in order to meet their emergent operational requirements.

08 30% Of Jail Inmates COVID-19 Infected: HBS

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Guwahati Central Jail to review the COVID-19 situation and informed 30 percent of around 500 inmates in the jail, i.e. 150 inmates, have tested positive.

09 Girls Outshine Boys In CBSE Class X Results

The girls outperformed boys in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 10 results which were declared on Wednesday. The pass percentage of girls is 93.31 while that of boys is 90.14 percent. The overall pass percentage in the examination is 91.46 percent.

10 Skill Is Timeless, Says PM Modi On World Youth Skills Day

Addressing the nation's youth on World Youth Skills Day which marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Skill India Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that skill is timeless, it keeps getting better with time. He said that the skill is unique and it makes one different from others.

11 Singer Archana Mahanta Suffers From Stroke

Veteran Assamese folk singer Archana Mahanta has suffered a major brain stroke. The singer was admitted to the Health City hospital in Guwahati on Tuesday afternoon. Her health condition was critical yesterday but has stabilized.

12 COVID-19 Assam: Top Officials Test Positive

Top officials of the Assam government have tested positive for the coronavirus infection – VS Bhaskar, Addl Chief Secretary, S S Meenakshi Sundaram, C&S, Governor of Assam, P R Khaund, Secretary of Industries and Transport, Oinam Saran Singh, MD, AIDC, Isan Bardalai, Addl Secretary, Industries and Commerce, and Rajibuddin Ahmed, Personal Secretary to the Principal Secretary.

13 No Plan To Join BJP: Sachin Pilot

Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that he is not joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and that he is still a Congressman after he was sacked by the party as the Deputy CM. Pilot said, "I am not joining the BJP. I would like to make it clear that I have no plans to join the BJP. Attempts to link me to the BJP are to malign me in the eyes of the Congress high-command," pointing out that he had worked hard to defeat the BJP.

14 IIT Delhi Developed COVID-19 Test Kit Launches

The Central government on Wednesday announced the launch of a COVID-19 test kit developed by the IIT Delhi at a price of 399, which may help increase coronavirus testing in the country. The product named 'Corosure' has been approved by the Indian Medical Council of India and Drug Control General of India.

Host Qatar will get the ball rolling in the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 21 November 2022, at the Al Bayt stadium with the game set to kick-off at 15:30 IST.