Some of India’s top ranking politicians including Amit Shah, BS Yediyurappa, Banwarlilal Purohit and Swatantra Dev Singh are COVID-19 positive, Amitabh Bachchan now COVID-19 negative and has been discharged from hospital, while worldwide cases top 18 million, and other news to follow in today’s top headlines:

After Amit Shah, Karnataka CM and Tamil Nadu governor too test positive for COVID-19

Even as the BJP mourned the death of Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Kamal Rani Varun due to COVID-19, Sunday saw Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa and Tamil Nadu governor Banwarlilal Purohit among prominent faces testing positive for the virus.

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and the state's Jal Shakti minister Mahendra Singh too contracted the virus on Sunday. Read more.

Six Months After WHO Declared it Global Emergency, Coronavirus Cases in the World Top 18 Million

Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, the virus has killed more than 687,000 people since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

Fresh clusters have been reported in countries that had previously brought their outbreaks under control, forcing governments to reimpose lockdown measures despite worries over further economic fallout. Read more.

Receding Social Base, Rifts Within & Pawar's Masterstrokes: Is Time Up for Congress in Maharashtra Too?

That the Congress is in a state of drift is among the country’s worst-kept secrets.

But its state of affairs in Maharashtra, where it was born as the Indian National Congress in 1885, may be a good petri dish for analysing this gradual implosion in the party.

Here, while the Congress is living out the contradiction of being in power, but not in authority, it is also riven with rising factionalism and has to contend with an elephant in the room — its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Read more.

Latin America see coronavirus records tumble as cases near 5 million

Argentina broke past 200,000 COVID-19 cases on Sunday and Colombia set a daily record as grim milestones topple in Latin America, pushing the world’s worst affected region towards a combined 5 million cases.

The region, which topped 200,000 deaths on Saturday, has struggled to stall the spread of the novel coronavirus, with infections picking up pace in many countries even as governments look to ease lockdowns and revive economic growth. Read more.

Microsoft to continue talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance

Microsoft Corp said on Sunday that it would continue discussions to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance, and that it was aiming to conclude the negotiations by Sept. 15. Read more.

Charges Against Mahesh Bhatt Over Involvement In Company Accused of Harassing Women False: Advocate

A clarification issued on behalf of Mahesh Bhatt has declared that the filmmaker is not involved with IMG Ventures, the company that allegedly blackmailed and sexually assaulted a number of women on the pretext of providing modelling opportunities.

There were reports that National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognisance of a case against Sunny Verma, promoter of the company, and issued notices to certain Bollywood celebrities including Bhatt, named in the complaint filed by a social activist. Read more.

NASA Astronauts in SpaceX Capsule Splashdown in Gulf Of Mexico

The first American-crewed spaceship to fly to the International Space Station in almost a decade, returned safely back to Earth on Sunday, 2 August.

The spaceship, with its two astronauts, splashed down in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off Pensacola, Florida, after a two-month long mission. The mission was jointly conducted by NASA and SpaceX. Read more.

Amitabh Bachchan tests negative for COVID-19, discharged from hospital; Abhishek still recovering

Amitabh Bachchan has tested negative on his latest COVID-19 test, revealed his son Abhishek on Sunday, 2 August. He further added Amitabh has been discharged from the hospital.

Abhishek, who had also tested positive for the coronavirus, was admitted to Nanavati hospital along with his father on 11 July. He will continue his treatment in the hospital following testing positive again on Sunday. "I'll beat this and come back healthier," the 44-year old actor tweeted. Read more.