Patanjali Ayurved on Wednesday said it never claimed that its newly-tested medicine could cure Covid-19, and that clinical trials of its newly tested medicines indicated that “coronavirus patients got cured after consuming them”.

Addressing the media, Patanjali Ayurved promoter Baba Ramdev said: “All clinical trial documents have been shared with Ayush Ministry. There is no difference of opinion between Patanjali and the Ministry now.”

Last week, Patanjali had announced that its newly tested medicines could cure coronavirus, following which the Ayush Ministry had said it had not approved these products for the treatment of the virus.

“The ministry has agreed that Patanjali Research Foundation has worked on Covid-19 management,” Ramdev said while addressing the media.

The government banned 59 Chinese mobile applications, including top social media platforms such as TikTok, Helo and WeChat, to counter the threat posed by these applications to the country’s “sovereignty and security,” it said in a press release late on Monday. ShareIT, UC browser and shopping app Clubfactory are among the other prominent apps that have been blocked amid rising tensions between India and China following clashes at the border two weeks ago.

The government said the applications are engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.” The ban has been imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009, it said. The government also cited complaints about data on Indian users being transferred abroad without authorisation.

India’s term will begin from January 2021. Delhi’s priorities include effective fight against terror and reformed multilateralism as its aims to boost its status as a major power.

India scored a major diplomatic victory to enter the non-permanent category of the UN Security Council when elections were held for the five non-permanent members on Wednesday. India won 184 votes out of 192 valid votes cast.

Previously, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950—1951, 1967—1968, 1972—1973, 1977—1978, 1984—1985, 1991—1992 and 2011—2012.

Ireland, Mexico and Norway were also elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

India’s term will begin from January 2021. Delhi’s priorities include effective fight against terror and reformed multilateralism as its aims to boost its status as a major power. The 2021-22 term will be critical for India which has been pushing efforts to reform the Security Council and seek a permanent membership of the Council. Support for India has been increasing with number of countries advocating that the current UNSC does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.

The Indian Army on Tuesday (June 16, 2020) said that at least 20 soldiers have been martyred during the violent face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night.

Though the Army did not elaborate on the exact number, it said that almost the same number of Chinese troops have been killed during the clashes in the Galwan Valley.

“Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20. The Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation,” the India Army said in an official release.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014.Muslims were not given such eligibility. The act was the first instance of religion being overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian nationality law.