Breaking highlights: Delhi's daily Covid-19 cases drop to 2,031, reports 9 deaths; positivity rate at 12.3%

Delhi on Saturday reported a slight dip in daily Covid-19 caseload after 2,031 people tested positive for the virus from Friday's 2,136. As many as nine fresh fatalities were logged, taking the death toll to 26,376 in the national capital. The positivity rate in Delhi stands at 12.34 per cent, down from yesterday's 15.02 per cent.

Famous author Salman Rushdie's attacker, Hadi Matar, charged with attempted murder in second degree, reports Reuters citing Chautauqua county district attorney office.

A CRPF jawan has been injured after grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar on Saturday. The grenade was lobbed by terrorist(s) towards security forces at Eidgah's Ali jan road, police said. Operations to cordon off the region and search to nab the culprits have been launched.

The Number of ministerial berths Congress will get in Bihar's new JDU-RJD regime has been finalised, and the oath-taking ceremony is expected on August 1,  AICC in-charge of state Bhakta Charan Das told news agency PTI.

Mumbai's famed Dabbawalas took out a bicycle Tiranga rally outside Andheri railway station on Saturday ahead of India's 75th Independence Day.

UP chief minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath has received a death threat ahead of Independence Day. An FIR under IPC section 506 for criminal intimidation was filed in the matter on Thursday night. Initially, a Kisan leader lodged an FIR regarding a threat letter at Lucknow's Alambagh police station. One line in the letter says “we will take care of CM”, which has been confirmed to HT by Alambagh station inspector Dhananjay Singh.

As many as five BJP workers were arrested on Saturday for allegedly hurling a slipper at Tamil Nadu finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan's car at the Madurai Airport earlier today.

Sri Lankan government on Saturday gave permitted for a controversial Chinese research ship to visit the country despite India's concerns that it could spy on Delhi's military installations, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Nodi was on Saturday snapped distributing the Tricolour to children and hoisting the national flag in Gandhinagar, Gujarat as the Centre's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign began today.

Delhi reports fifth case of monkeypox virus after a 22-year-old woman tested positive for the zoonotic disease. She is currently admitted at the Lok Nayak hospital. The women is of African origin, who has been staying in south Delhi. She had travelled to Africa a month ago.

The caste scrutinising committee on Friday gave a clean chit to former NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede. The committee was inquiring into the allegation raised by NCP’s Nawab Malik who had claimed that Wankhede was a Muslim and had used a fake caste certificate to get a government job.

“Matter of pride that with your hard work & inspiring achievement, the country is entering Azadi ka Amrit Kaal. In past few weeks, nation recorded two major achievements in field of sports. Besides historic performance in CWG, for the first time country hosted Chess Olympiad,” says PM Modi as he meets CWG contingent.

J&K government sacks four of its employees, including the wife of Bitta Karate who is facing terror charges and is an accused in the matter of killing of Kashmiri pandits. The four have been dismissed from services for terror links, reports ANI, citing government sources.

India records 15,815 new Covid cases and 68 deaths in the last 24 hours. The active caseload dropped below 1.2 lakh. The death toll includes 24 reconciled deaths from Kerala.

The attack on Salman Rushdie is appalling. We’re all praying for his speedy recovery. And we’re thankful to good citizens and first responders for helping him so swiftly, says Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor to the President of the US.

Read here how world leaders reacted. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host all the medal winners of the Commonwealth 2022 games at his official residence at 11am on Saturday. This is the first time the PM will physically interact with the winners of the Commonwealth Games after their spectacular performance in Birmingham.

"Looking forward to interacting with India's CWG 2022 contingent at my residence, 13th August at 11 AM. The entire nation is proud of the accomplishments of our athletes at the games," Modi tweeted.

“The news is not good, Salman will likely lose one eye, the nerves in his arm were severed and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” says the Satanic Verses author's agent, as quoted by Reuters, after the attack. Salman Rushdie is currently on a ventilator.