| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases in India stood at 2,86,121 at the time of publishing this newsletter and the death toll was at 8,087. The Health Ministry today said the number of recovered Covid-19 patients has exceeded the total active cases in India for the first time. The number of active cases in the country stands at 1,33,632, while 1,35,205 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. "Thus, 48.99% of the patients have recovered so far," an official added. To understand more about recovery rates and how to interpret these numbers, tune in to our podcast on the subject here. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu reported an all-time single-day high of 1,927 new coronavirus cases. The infection count in the state was at 36,841, and the death toll, 326. 'Positive consensus' on de-escalation China today said that Indian and Chinese troops have started implementing the "positive consensus" aimed at "easing" the situation along the borders. Senior military officials of the two countries had met on June 6 to thrash out a consensus. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks came a day after officials in New Delhi suggested that armies of India and China have undertaken a "limited disengagement" in a few areas in eastern Ladakh, ahead of another round of military talks on Wednesday. Asked about the reports of the troops on both sides disengaging and moving back to their previous positions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing that both sides are taking steps to ease the situation along the border.  Cattle drink water at Pangong Lake in Ladakh on September 14, 2018. As talks continue between the two sides, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the subject of the Chinese army's incursion into Ladakh. In a tweet quoting news reports that the Chinese side has been driving a hard bargain in the talks between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army, Gandhi said, "The Chinese have walked in and taken our territory in Ladakh. Meanwhile, the PM is absolutely silent and has vanished from the scene." Chouhan's admission on BJP takeover in MP Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is purportedly heard saying in an audio clip that the BJP's central leadership had decided that the Kamal Nath government should fall, in contrast to his previous remarks denying the party's role in it. "...But there is one question. The Central leadership decided that the government should fall. They will ruin and destroy everything," he reportedly told party workers in Indore on Monday. When 22 Congress MLAs crossed over to the BJP, effecting the fall of the Kamal Nath government in March, Chouhan had asserted that this was a result of infighting in the Congress. Chouhan's latest remarks came in the Sanwer Assembly constituency, when he was exhorting party workers to support BJP Minister Tulsiram Silawat's candidature in the forthcoming by-elections for 24 seats. Nepal message to U.P. CM Adityanath Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath should be told not to threaten Nepal, and India's claim on the Kalapani region is based on unsound facts, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli said on Wednesday in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Nepalese parliament.  "Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Adityanathji has said certain things about Nepal. His comments are inappropriate and not legitimate. Someone in a responsible position in the Central government [of India] should request him not to comment on issues that are not part of his domain and he should be told that comments that threaten Nepal will be condemned", Oli said in response to a question on Adityanath's recent statements. Speaking on Nepal's claim on the Kalapani region, Adityanath had said last week, "Before determining political boundary, Nepal should think of the consequences and it should also remember what happened to Tibet". Back to the business end of politics In an analysis piece today, The Hindu's political editor Nistula Hebbar writes that 'Unlock 1' has also seen a stepping-up of political activity from the BJP. While some of it had to do with marking the first anniversary of the second full majority government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a series of "virtual rallies" called "Jan Samvaad", conducted over video and weblinks and targeted at Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are clearly meant as pre-election organisational preparation. "This means two things: one, that the BJP expects electoral activity, especially the Assembly polls in Bihar and bypolls to 24 seats in Madhya Pradesh, to take place on time," and second, it views Covid-19 "as a long haul that cannot be allowed to cast too long a shadow on this process." In Brief:  Mehul Choksi (left) and his nephew Nirav Modi (right) are accused in the over $2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud. File The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has brought back from Hong Kong 108 consignments of precious gems and jewellery, with a declared value of ₹1,350 crore, in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. The consignments belonged to various UAE and Hong Kong-based entities of Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi. "These valuables include polished diamonds, pearls, and silver jewellery. They were kept in the godown of a logistics company in Hong Kong," said a senior ED official. Priests conducted special prayers at a Shiva shrine at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya today but stopped short of symbolically launching the construction of the Ram temple. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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