Breaking news: Maharashtra logs 7,761 new Covid-19 cases; death toll reaches 126,727 with 167 new deaths

Maharashtra has reported 7,761 fresh cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 167 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 126,727.

A police constable in Haryana has been arrested for supplying the Indian Army's confidential documents to Pakistan, said Palwal SP Deepak Gahlawat on Friday, according to news agency ANI. An FIR has been registered and the constable's mobile phone is being sent to a cybersecurity lab to recover data, reported ANI.

Karnataka has reported 1,806 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 42 related deaths in the past 24 hours. The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state stands at 31,399, according to Karnataka's health department.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar paid homage to former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri at his memorial before departing Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Jaishankar was in Tashkent for the Central-South Asia conference.

Tamil Nadu government has extended coronavirus-induced lockdown till July 31 with few more relaxations.

A flight instructor died and a trainee was severely injured after a training aircraft belonging to the NMIMS Academy of Aviation, Maharashtra, crashed on Friday. "Shocked to hear about the tragic crash...An investigation team is being rushed to the site," Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia tweeted.

The Russian plane that went missing in Siberia earlier in the day has been found and all 18 passengers are alive, news agency AFP reports.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh met with former defence ministers AK Antony and Sharad Pawar. They were briefed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on conflict at China border, reports ANI.

Delhi reported 66 new Covid-19 cases and one virus-related death in the past 24 hours. The active cases currently stand at 657 as 79 more patients recovered from the disease, according to the Delhi state health bulletin.

A Russian passenger plane with at least 13 people onboard goes missing in Siberia, news agency Reuters reports.

Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangubhai Patel called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the prime minister's office (PMO) said.

Congress workers protesting against fuel price hike in Hyderabad, Telangana, clashed with the police at Dharna Chowk and several leaders were retained on their way to the Raj Bhavan, reports ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with the chief ministers of six states, said that the increasing trend of Covid-19 infections in the states of Maharashtra and Kerala is a cause of concern.

A landslide between the Mangalore Junction and the Thokur railway station in Karnataka has affected the train movement to and from the Konkan side, news agency ANI reports.

On Friday afternoon, local train services on all railway lines in Mumbai resumed after they were interrupted due to heavy rainfall in the city.

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui has been killed in clashes in Kandahar's Spin Boldak district, according to reports on Friday. Read more

Prime Minister Modi on Friday chaired a Covid-19 review meeting with the chief ministers of six states including Maharashtra, Kerala, where he said that states which are reporting a high number of cases must take proactive measures to stop the potential third wave of the pandemic.

The Union health ministry said on Friday that states and Union Territories (UTs) across the country have received over 41.10 crore vaccine doses, adding a further 52,90,640 doses are in the pipeline.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Uttar Pradesh government's decision decision to allow Kanwar Yatra with limited kanwariyas. The apext court further asked the state to consider a compete ban on physical movement of kanwariyas. Read more

The Centre on Friday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court with regard to the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, where it said that states must not allow movement of Kanwariyas for bringing 'Ganga Jal' from Haridwar in view of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. "However, considering religious sentiments, State govts must develop system to make 'Ganga Jal' available via tankers at designated locations," the Centre added.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each of the families of the victims who lost their livesafter they fell into the well in Ganjbasoda area in Vidisha. According to an official statement, Chouhan added that a compensation of ₹50,000 will be given to those injured alo

Actor Surekha Sikri has died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest, her manager has said. Read more

Nashik district on Friday recorded 162 new cases and six more deaths due to the Covid-19 disease, taking the caseload and death toll to 396,878 and 8,450 respectively. As many as 157 patients recovered from the viral disease and the total recoveries have climbed to 386,767.

India’s caseload of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) climbed to 31,026,829 on Friday after 38,949 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. Read more

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda will on Friday hold a meeting with the members of the Uttar Pradesh BJP working committee ahead of the high stakes assembly elections in the state next year. Read more