Morning Digest: India defends action against Amnesty International; Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu tests positive for COVID-19, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day.

A view of Amnesty International India office at Indiranagar, in Bengaluru, Karnataka on September 29, 2020.

Amnesty International | India defends action as EU raises concerns

Expressing “concerns” about the government’s investigation into Amnesty International (AI), the European Union said it hopes the global human rights agency can continue its work in India. However, the government defended its actions and said AI is in “clear contravention” of Indian law.

Coronavirus | Women, children and adolescents are most vulnerable, says Harsh Vardhan

The maximum impact of COVID-19 has been felt by women, children and adolescents, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday. Health Ministry issued guidance to States to ensure that women, children and adolescents continue to get all the healthcare services.

Babri Masjid demolition case verdict | D-Day on September 30 for Advani, others

A special CBI court here will decide on Wednesday if senior BJP leader 

Lal Krishna Advani and 31 others  — many of them linked to the Sangh Parivar — are guilty of instigating a mob of 

kar sevaks  under a criminal conspiracy to bring down 

the Babri Masjid .

Coronavirus | Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu tests positive for COVID-19

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, 71, tested positive for COVID-19 on September 29. His office, however, said he is asymptomatic and in good health.

Bangladesh, India discuss celebration of Liberation War, Rohingya issue

India and Bangladesh on Tuesday resolved to jointly celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Liberation War. The decision was part of the discussion during the 6th Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting held on Tuesday. The meeting was led by External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and his Bangladesh counterpart A.. Abdul Momen and the two sides discussed a number of issues including border killings and the sharing of the Teesta waters.

Covid-19 | ESIC guidelines for workplaces cites mandatory use of Aarogya Setu

Guidelines to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19 released by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) on Tuesday include advice to companies to make the use of the Aarogya Setu app mandatory, ban cigarette breaks, and mention repeated violations of social distancing and hygiene norms by employees in their annual appraisal.

Lufthansa cancels all October flights from India

Lufthansa on Tuesday said it was cancelling all its flights from India to Germany for October after India “unexpectedly” rejected its planned flight schedule. The German national carrier in a detailed statement also said that Indian authorities had not agreed to talks on extending the bilateral agreement on temporary flights between both countries beyond September, and an application on the same was rejected.

Joe Biden takes lead in battleground State

As the presidential candidates prepared to make their way to Cleveland, Ohio, for the first presidential debate on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning India time), a new poll in the crucial State of Pennsylvania showed Democratic nominee Joe Biden with a “sizeable but not definitive” lead over the incumbent — President Donald Trump.

Coronavirus | 60 million Indians may have been exposed to COVID-19: ICMR sero-survey

Around 7% of India’s adult population may have been exposed to the  coronavirus  till the last fortnight of August, according to the  second national sero-survey  by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Indian Premier League 2020 | Sunrisers outshines Capitals

Delhi Capitals lost the plot the moment Kane Williamson (41, 26b, 5x4) started finding the gaps in the first innings. The Kiwi’s quickfire knock, along with Rashid Khan’s spell (4-0-14-3), helped Sunrisers Hyderabad record its maiden win in IPL 2020 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Spurs beat Chelsea on penalties to reach League Cup quarters

Tottenham staged a second-half comeback before eliminating Chelsea on penalties to reach the quarterfinals of the League Cup on Tuesday. The first nine penalties were all successfully converted before Chelsea’s Mason Mount missed the target to ensure Tottenham advanced 5-4 in the shootout after the game ended 1-1.