News18 Afternoon Digest: Sonia Gandhi Asks CWC to Elect New Congress President and Other Top Stories

Sonia Gandhi Asks Congress Working Committee to Elect New President

Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked the Congress Working Committee to elect a new party president, even as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked her to continue in the post. The party's top decision-making body is meeting today amid a massive controversy over a letter by more than 20 top party leaders calling for sweeping reforms, introspection and "a full-time, visible leadership". LIVE UPDATESGeneral Bipin Rawat Says India Open to Using Military Option to Resolve Row With China

India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, on Sunday made it clear that India is open to opt for a military option to tackle the transgressions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in Ladakh. General Rawat said the option will be exercised only if all talks between the two armies and the diplomatic option fail to yield results. His assertion comes even as the government decides to hold more military talks with China to resolve the border crisis despite Chinese intransigence. READ MORE69 Lakh Register for Jobs on Government Portal in 40 Days, Only 7,700 Placed

A government jobs portal launched by the Modi government on July 11 saw 69 lakh people register in 40 days. However, only a miniscule fraction were actually placed, showing that employment will be the biggest political economy challenge for the government as it restarts economic activities. According to the data, of the 69 lakh migrant workers who registered, 1.49 lakh were offered jobs, but only 7,700 could join work. READ MOREAs CBI Takes Over Sushant Case, a Silent Epidemic of Depression & Suicide Sweeps Entertainment Industry

In the months following Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic death in June, three more suicide cases were reported from the entertainment industry. As the COVID-19 pandemic brought the production of over dozens of movies, TV shows, and ad films to a screeching halt in late March, the fear of unemployment, financial anxiety, and the prospect of uncertainty about future work gnawed at the minds of many individuals working in the show business. READ MORE‘Want to Pound Your Mouth with Punches’: Brazil's Bolsonaro Threatens to Hit Reporter

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday threatened to punch a reporter repeatedly in the mouth after being asked about his wife's links to an alleged corruption scheme. "I so want to pound your mouth with punches," the far-right president said when a reporter from O Globo, posed the question. The president ignored protests from other journalists after the remarks and left without making further comments. READ MOREIIT Bombay Awarded Students Digital Avatars in Virtual Convocation and Internet is Shook in 3D

Welcome to the new normal. We may have expected a Terminator scenario before AI became sentiment and humans started using similar technology to fight back, but it took a global pandemic to make the most VR thing ever: Digital avatars. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, on Sunday held its 58th annual convocation ceremony in a virtual reality mode in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. And videos of the event have gone viral on Twitter. READ MORE