Breaking News: June 30, 2020 | As it happened

The national capital recorded 2,199 fresh coronavirus cases, and 62 deaths due to the disease in the last 24 hours... Click here to read more

Nine more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Ladakh, taking the total number of cases in the Union territory to 973, officials said on Tuesday.

Gujarat on Tuesday reported 620 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall count to 32,446 in the state, Health department said.

Maharashtra's coronavirus case tally rose to 1,74,761 on Tuesday with 4,878 new patients coming to light, said the state health department.

Karnataka registered 947 Covid-19 cases, with 503 of them in Bengaluru, raising the state's tally to 15,242 even as 20 people succumbed to the virus, an official said here on Tuesday.

West Bengal on Tuesday registered its highest single-day spike of 652 COVID-19 cases, which pushed the total tally in the state to 18,559, the health department said.

The COVID-19 case count in Madhya Pradesh climbed to 13,593 on Tuesday with addition of 223 new cases in the last 24 hours, officials said.

Haryana health authorities on Tuesday reported four more coronavirus deaths as the number of infections in the state rose to 14,548 with 338 fresh cases.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands has recently seen a spurt in cornavirus cases with the infection tally mounting to 97 on Tuesday, a health official said.

Nepal's coronavirus tally reached 13,564 with the detection of 316 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Tuesday said that 131 new COVID-19 positive cases were registered in the state. It included 65 who came from abroad, 46 were those who came from within the country, 10 were local infectees, nine were CISF personnel at the Kannur airport and there was one death which took place on Saturday and tested positive late Monday night.

"As of today there are 2,112 people who are positive, while 2,304 by now have been cured of the disease. There are 1,84,657 people presently in isolation at homes, corona care centres and it includes 2,781 who are in various hospitals," said Shailaja.

On Tuesday when 19 hot spot areas was added, 10 were left out, taking the total hot spot areas to 127.

Uttar Pradesh reported 25 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, taking their number to 697 as 664 new cases of the infection pushed the state's tally to 23,492.

704 COVID-19 cases and 7 deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the state is now at 14595, including 7897 active cases, 6511 discharged and 187 deaths.

A quinquagenarian brought dead to a hospital in Guwahati has tested positive for COVID-19, raising the death toll in Assam to 12, while 41 new cases pushed the total tally to 7,835 on Tuesday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The ICMR study on plasma therapy (PLACID Trial) is still ongoing. Sample size is 452. An interim analysis of 300 patients has not been conducted. The results will be shared on completion of the study from a scientific perspective: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Chandigarh stands at 440; the death toll is at 6. There are 70 active cases now: Health Department, Chandigarh

Singer and dancer Sapna Chaudhary has lauded India's ban on TikTok and 58 other Chinese Apps. Speaking to IndiaTvNews.com, the celebrity dancer and singer said that these Chinese Apps earn money from India and use it against us. 

Indian and Chinese militaries are holding another round of Lt General-level talks on Tuesday in an attempt to finalise modalities for disengagement of troops from the friction points in eastern Ladakh and de-escalate tension, government sources said.

The talks began at 10:30 AM in Chushul sector on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

In the previous two rounds of talks, the Indian side pitched for restoration of status quo ante and immediate withdrawal of thousands of Chinese troops from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and a number of other areas.

The Agra district administration's concerted efforts and coordinated execution of the multi-dimensional strategy to combat the spread of COVID-19, has begun to show results. On Monday, the number of containment zones came down to 54 from 64. And the city reported a recovery rate of over 80 per cent.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh is being credited for being proactive and taking effective steps to bridge the communication gaps, though problems and complaints about testing facilities continue to pour in. "It has taken 100 days to learn and gear up to respond effectively to situations. Better monitoring and prompt response of the medical teams are now helping us control the community spread," a senior official said.

In a bid to make students aware of COVID-19, the West Bengal education department is considering introducing a chapter on the deadly virus in the school curriculum from 2021, an official said on Tuesday.

State education minister Partha Chatterjee has recently raised the issue on how to disseminate information about the nature of the novel coronavirus and necessary precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak, the official of the syllabus committee said.

"We are holding discussions on the issue among members and experts," syllabus committee chairman Aveek Majumder told PTI. There are plans to introduce the topic on the coronavirus from junior to higher classes, another official said.

Ladakh faceoff- Commander level meeting between India and China begins in Chushul

 A new flu virus strain, identified among pigs in China, is becoming prevalent among workers in the swine industry, according to a study which says the pathogen has "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus." The study, published in the journal PNAS, is based on a surveillance of pigs in China from 2011 to 2018, and found that the influenza virus strain, with genetic material termed as G4 genotype, has become predominant in swine populations since 2016.

According to the scientists, including those from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, these G4 viruses bind to receptor molecules in human cells, and can replicate in the outer layer of the respiratory system.

India coronavirus cases have crossed 5.66 lakh-mark taking positive patients toll to 5,66,840 including 2,15,125 active cases, 3,34,822 recovered and 16,893 deaths, as per health ministry's figures released on Tuesday. Read more here

Pakistani troops opened unprovoked fire towards Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Naugam sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday in violation of a ceasefire agreement, an army official said.

"On 30 Jun 2020, in the morning hours, Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation (CFV) along the LoC in Naugam sector (in north Kashmir's Kupwara district) by firing mortars and other weapons," the official said.

He said befitting response is being given to the Pakistani aggression. There were no reports of any casualties so far.

Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 200 points in early trade on Tuesday led by gains in index-heavyweights Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and HDFC amid positive cues from global markets. The 30-share index was trading 211.55 points, or 0.61 per cent, higher at 35,173.07, while the NSE Nifty rose 57.35 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 10,369.75.

Tata Steel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging around 4 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, L&T, SBI, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC and Reliance Industries.

Hello and welcome to today's live coverage of coronavirus news in India and across the world, with me, Vani Mehrotra and my colleagues Himanshu Shekhar, Shashwat  Bhandari, Rashi Hardaha, Priya Jaiswal, Sidhant Mamtany. You can get in touch with us directly on Twitter ​@rashihardaha, @himaanshus, @ShashBhandari​ @vani_mehrotra​ @priyajais and @SidMamtany for news, tips, photos, questions and comments.

Here's a quick overview: 

The total number of global cases has surpassed 10.4 million, including more than 508,000 fatalities. More than 5,664,000 patients are reported to have recovered.

Total positive cases country-wise:

• United States- 2,681,811
• Brazil- 1,370,488
• Russia - 641,156
• India - 567,536
• UK - 311,965
• Spain - 296,050

Andhra Pradesh: Two workers died, four hospitalised following leakage of Benzimidazole gas at Sainor Life Sciences Pvt Ltd in Visakhapatnam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the nation at 4 pm today

Delhi: No change in the price of petrol or diesel in the national capital today. Price of petrol stands at Rs 80.43  and that of diesel at Rs 80.53