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Thu, 05 November 2020
Trump to legally challenge all Biden wins
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23:57 Trump to legally challenge all Biden wins
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the states where Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is winning will be 'legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud'.
Taking to Twitter, Trump said, 'All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud. Plenty of proof: just check out the media. WE WILL WIN! America first!'
Earlier today, he had said, 'STOP THE COUNT!'
In another tweet, he said, 'ANY VOTE THAT CAME IN AFTER ELECTION DAY WILL NOT BE COUNTED!'
This comes as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Trump in several states including Arizona and Nevada. -- ANI
23:06 Trump wins first legal battle in Pennsylvania
United States President Donald Trump scored the first legal battle in the battleground state of Pennsylvania wherein an appellate judge has ordered that poll watchers must be allowed within six feet of counting of votes.
'Big legal win in Pennsylvania,' Trump said in a tweet soon after the court gave the ruling.
Trump is currently leading in Pennsylvania, but his vote count has reduced considerably over the last one day.
Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien told reporters during a conference call that the court ruling would allow them to review the counting that has already occurred as well.
"As a result of this incredible legal victory, the lower court's order has been reversed. Now, according to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 'all candidates, watchers, or candidate representatives' shall 'be permitted to be present for the canvassing process' and 'be permitted to observe all aspects of the canvassing process within 6 feet, while adhering to all COVID-19 protocols, including, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing," said Justin Clark, the Deputy Manager of the Trump Campaign.
In a major victory for election integrity, election transparency, all Pennsylvania voters, and the rule of law, the Trump Campaign has prevailed in our suit challenging our Republican poll watchers' complete lack of any meaningful access to the ballot processing and counting process, he said.
Earlier, the Trump Campaign had reached out to court demanding that counting of votes be halted until courts can enforce rules that permit campaign observers to watch the ballots being opened and counted.
The Trump Campaign had alleged that its poll watchers were being denied close up access to observe counting of votes.
"The eyes of the country are on Pennsylvania, but Pennsylvania Democrats, led by their radical left Secretary of State whose only goal is to steal this election from President Trump, has kept eyes off of the absentee ballot counting process. That ends now in Philadelphia, Clark alleged.
"For the good of the nation, every Pennsylvania county should follow the lead of this judge and provide access for observers to ensure transparency and integrity in Pennsylvania.
"That is the only way to ensure a fair, transparent election in which all Pennsylvania voters can have confidence their vote will count," he said.
As per the latest report, with 91 per cent of the voting, Trump has garnered 50.4 per cent of the total votes counted and his Democratic rival Joe Biden has 48.3 per cent of the votes.
Trump's lead is 135,626 votes, which has dropped considerably in the last few rounds of counting.
Trump had a lead of 400,000 on Wednesday.
The media and the insiders are in the city, they've been trying to count Donald Trump out for years, Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien told reporters on a conference call on Thursday.
"We will win Pennsylvania. I have as much confidence today as I had yesterday. We also won a major victory in Pennsylvania this morning that helps ensure the transparency and openness that Pennsylvania deserves is held true," he asserted. -- PTI
Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
22:58 Biden's (264) path to White House seems easier
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared to be on the cusp of making history along with his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, while President Donald Trump continued to have a bumpy and narrow path to victory as counting of votes in some key battleground states entered its last stretch.
As per projections made by major media outlets, Biden has 264 electoral college votes, just six votes short of the magical number of 270 out of 538 required to win the presidency.
However, for news outlets like CNN, Biden has 253 electoral college votes as it has still not called Arizona, which has 11 votes and counting of votes continued.
Trump is projected to get 214 electoral college votes, which is 56 votes less than the magical figure of 270.
Races in some of the key battleground states have not been called yet. These states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada.
In Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral college votes, Trump is leading by 135,671 votes with 91 per cent of the votes being counted.
Over the past one day, his lead has reduced considerably.
In North Carolina, which has 15 electoral college votes, the president has a lead of 77,337 votes with 95 per cent of the votes being counted so far.
Trump's lead has reduced considerably in Georgia over the last 24 hours. The state has 16 electoral college votes.
After an overnight round of counting, Trump's lead over Biden has come down to just 18,586 votes.
Officials have said that they have completed counting of 96 per cent of the votes.
In Arizona, which has 11 electoral college votes, Biden continues to lead by over 68,000 votes with 86 per cent of the total votes being counted.
A traditional Republican state, Trump has been fast catching up with Biden in the last few rounds of counting, but he has a long way to go.
In Nevada, that has six electoral college votes, Biden is leading by nearly 8,000 votes with 86 per cent of the counting reportedly over. Nevada is a traditional Democratic state, but the race has entered a tight finish.
To reach the magical figure of 270, Trump needs to win Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15) and Georgia (16) and either of Arizona (11) or Nevada (six), which appears to be a tall order.
For Biden, the path seems to be much easier. He needs to win any of these States, with Arizona. A win in Pennsylvania would seal the deal for him, even if Trump manages to win rest of the States including Arizona.
-- PTI
22:20 How long to finish probe? HC to CBI on Hathras
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to let it know on November 25 how much time it would take to complete the probe into the Hathras gang rape and murder case.
It has also asked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to file an affidavit stating that it has provided security to the victim's family members.
A bench of Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Rajan Roy is hearing a Public Interest Litigation which the court had earlier filed suo motu in the Hathras case.
It heard the matter on November 2 and its order was made available on the court website on Thursday.
A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14.
She died on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital during treatment.
During the hearing on November 2, the bench asked the CBI to apprise it on November 25, the next date of hearing in the case, how long it would take to complete its probe in the case.
It also asked the agency's lawyer, Anurag Thakur, to file a status report with regard to the investigation so far.
The bench directed the CRPF to file an affidavit stating that it has provided security to the victim's family members.
During the hearing, the court had also expressed concern on allowing Hathras District Magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar to continue in office during the pendency of the investigation into the case.
Laxkar came under fire after the victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on September 30, with her family members alleging that they were not allowed to bring the body home one last time.
Senior police and administration officials were also present at the cremation.
The bench asked state government lawyer S V Raju if retaining Laxar was fair and reasonable.
The bench further asked Raju, "Would it not be appropriate to shift him elsewhere during pendency of these proceedings without there being any stigma attached to such an action only to ensure fairness and transparency in the matter?"
At this, Raju assured the bench that he would convey the court's concern to the state government and get back to it on November 25. -- PTI
21:42 Tamil Nadu government denies permission for BJP's 'vel yatra'
The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said it has denied permission to the BJP's 'Vel Yatra', a rally covering six abodes of Lord Murugan and slated to start tomorrow, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ruling AIADMK asked its saffron ally to drop the plans to take out the rally in the interest of the people of the state.
The BJP said the party high command would be consulted before announcing the next plan of action.
Hours after the state government made a submission in the Madras high court on the matter, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said it was not "legally" possible to permit the yatra, slated from November 6 to December 6.
"Legally it cannot be permitted. The central and state governments have come out with rules that rallies cannot be taken out," he said in an apparent reference to the Covid-19 protocols against large religious gatherings. Under those provisions, "permission cannot be given," he said.
The BJP, under its state chief L Murugan, had announced taking out the 'Vel Yatra' in honour of Lord Murugan, in the wake of the Kanda Sashti Kavacham controversy, where a YouTube channel had allegedly denigrated the Tamil hymn song in praise of the deity.
Vel, a spear-like weapon of Lord Murugan, is worshipped by the faithful as a destroyer of evil.
The rally was scheduled to start from Tiruttani and end at Tiruchendur.
-- PTI
21:31 Indian woman held in NY for spitting in cop's face
A Indian origin demonstrator was charged with spitting in an NYPD sergeant's face during protests in Manhattan on Wednesday night, police said.
Devina Singh, 24, was caught on video without a mask and screaming at the sergeant, 'F*** you, fascist!' before allegedly spitting at him.
Singh, who lives in tiny Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, was charged with obstruction of governmental administration, violation of local law and harassment.
More details HERE
21:14 Haryanvis first: State passes bill on 75% job quota in pvt sector for local people
The Haryana assembly on Thursday passed a bill to give 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to youth from the state, an election promise made by ruling alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party.
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020 provides a 75 per cent job quota for local people in private sector jobs which offer a salary of less than Rs 50,000 a month.
It applies to private companies, societies, trusts and partnership firms, among others, located in the state.
The state governor has to give assent to the bill before it becomes law.
The bill was tabled by Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala in the state assembly in Chandigarh.-- PTI
21:14 Stop the count, tweets Trump as Biden closes in
United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday morning to again urge for vote counting to be stopped as Democrat Joe Biden continued to push closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to carry the White House.
"STOP THE COUNT!" Trump tweeted in upper caps.
Trump has claimed he was being cheated and went to court to try and stop vote counting.
20:54 Shah sets target of 200 seats for 2021 Bengal polls
Union home minister and top Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Shah Thursday set a target of 200 out of the total 294 seats in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections and to come to power in the state, party sources said.
Shah, who visited Bankura during the day to take stock of the party organisation, asked BJP functionaries to take a vow to work hard so that acheives the target, the sources said.
During a closed door meeting with the party leaders he said the state party unit has to put up an intense fight against the ruling TMC to come to power in Bengal.
"Earlier in the day Amit Shahji had said the party would come to power with a two-thirds majority. During the closed-door meet he told us that Bengal assembly election is of immense importance to BJP and we need to ensure that the party comes to power with 200 seats in the 2021 assembly polls," a state BJP leader said.
The BJP presently has eight MLAs in the state.
It also has the support of eight TMC MLAs who switched to the saffrom party after the 2019 general elections.
Sources in the party said Shah asked the BJP workers to speak of the pro-people policies of the Centre and the misrule and anti-people policies of the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.
"He asked us to tell the people of West Bengal how they are being deprived of the central schemes meant for them as the TMC government has not allowed them to be implemented in West Bengal. We have been told to tell the people about the misrule of the TMC regime in the state," another BJP leader said.
Shah had told newsmen earlier in the day that he could "sense massive public anger" against the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal and the "death knell of her regime has been sounded."
Exuding confidence on forming the next government with two-third majority, Shah urged the people to give BJP a chance to form the next government in the state to fulfil their dream of "Sonar Bangla" (golden Bengal). -- PTI
20:41 India best place for long-term investment: PM to global investors
Soliciting global investments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India is the best place for generating long-term returns.
Addressing the Virtual Global Investor Roundtable 2020, he said the country has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world.
"If you want returns with reliability, India is the place to be. If you want demand with democracy, India is the place to be. If you want stability with sustainability, India is the place to be. If you want growth with a green approach, India is the place to be," Modi said.
India offers "democracy, demography, demand as well as diversity. Such is our diversity that you get multiple markets within one market. These come with multiple pocket sizes and multiple preferences. These come with multiple weathers and multiple levels of development", he said.
The country's growth has the potential to catalyse global economic resurgence as "any achievements by India will have a multiplier impact on world's development and welfare", the Prime Minister said.
VGIR 2020 was attended by 20 top institutional investors from the US, Europe, Canada, Korea, Japan, Middle East, Australia and Singapore.
These pension and sovereign wealth funds have total assets under management of about USD 6 trillion, as per an official statement issued earlier.
The roundtable is being organised by the Ministry of Finance and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. -- PTI
20:14 Wafer-thin margins separate Biden and Trump
It's Thursday morning in the United States and the race for the White House is still too close to call.
As votes continue to come in, former Vice President Joe Biden has edged closer to the 270-electoral-vote threshold needed to win the presidency, but razor-thin margins separate him from President Donald Trump in key battleground states.
The final outcome hinged on a handful of states on Thursday where a flood of mail-in ballots triggered by the raging coronavirus pandemic remained to be counted.
In the US election, voters decide state-level contests rather than a single, national one.
Each US state gets a certain number of Electoral College votes partly based on the size of the population, with a total of 538 up for grabs.
19:44 Police file revision plea for Arnab's custody
The Alibaug police in Raigad district on Thursday filed a revision application before a sessions court challenging the order passed by a lower court remanding Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and two others to judicial custody in an abetment of suicide case.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle, after perusal of the case diary and other relevant documents on Wednesday, noted that the prosecution has failed to prima facie establish a link between the deceased and the accused persons.
The CJM, in a late night order, remanded Goswami and the two other accused in judicial custody till November 18 in the case of suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother, residents of Alibaug, over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused persons.
The police, in its application, said the CJM court at Alibaug had erred in not considering the submissions and grounds submitted by the prosecution while seeking custody of Goswami and two other arrested accused Feroze Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda.
The police sought the sessions court to quash the CJM order and grant them custody of the three accused.
The sessions court at Alibaug, around 90km from Mumbai, hear the application on November 7.
"Taking into consideration the reasons behind the arrest of the accused persons and the arguments put forth by the accused persons, the arrest appears to be prima facie illegal," the CJM said.
CJM Pingle noted that the chain of circumstances, the reason behind the deaths of Anvay Naik and his mother Kumodini Naik and its connection with the accused persons are not established by the prosecution.
"There is no cogent evidence submitted that warrants this court to remand the arrested accused to police custody," she said.
A team of the Raigad police picked up Goswami (47) from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai on Wednesday morning.
Goswami and the two other accused were later produced before CJM Pingle in Alibaug and remanded in judicial custody.
Goswami is presently kept at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison. -- PTI
19:43 Indian TV channels witness highest-ever ad volumes in week to Oct 30: BARC
Advertising volumes on television touched an all-time high in the week to October 30 amid the festival demand, surpassing a five-year-old record, the Broadcast Audience Research Council said on Thursday.
The release of the data, which comes amid an unprecedented impact on the economy when the gross domestic product is set to contract by 10 per cent, did not spell out the revenues realised by the channels.
The body attributed the strong surge in advertising to the ongoing festivities and big-ticket properties like the IPL for the volume growth.
It said 38.7 million seconds of ad volumes was telecast on TV channels during the week, surpassing the previous high attained in 2015.
In the immediate preceding week, the number stood at 37.9 million seconds, while comparing it on a weekly basis, it is higher than the 36.6 million seconds attained during the 43rd week of 2018, the body said.
American e-commerce giant Amazon was the biggest brand that advertised during the week, followed by Dettol liquid and Surf Excel, the body said.
From a companies perspective, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever led the pack, followed by Reckitt Benckiser and tobacco major ITC, the body said on its website. -- PTI
19:21 Govt issues revised guidelines for intl arrivals
The government on Thursday issued a set of revised guidelines for international arrivals, under which travellers seeking exemption from institutional quarantine will need to submit a negative RT-PCR report 72 hours before undertaking the journey.
The India-bound passengers can also undergo COVID-19 testing at the airports where the provisions are available.
According to the guidelines issued by the health ministry, passengers would need to give an undertaking on the portal or to the Ministry of Civil Aviation through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey, stating that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo facility/ home quarantine/self-monitoring of their health for 14 days, or as warranted.
"Only for compelling reasons/ cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parent(s) with children of the age of 10 years or below, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days," it said.
For seeking exemption, they would need to apply to the online portal (HYPERLINK "http://www.newdelhiairport.in"www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before boarding the flight to India. The decision taken by the government as communicated on the online portal will be final, it said.
"Travellers may also seek exemption from institutional quarantine by submitting a negative RT-PCR test report. This test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey. The test report should be uploaded on the portal for consideration," the guidelines said.
The guidelines stated that international passengers arriving without an RT-PCR negative certificate and wishing to seek exemption from institutional quarantine may also avail the facility to undergo testing at the airports where such provisions exist.
"International passengers arriving without RT-PCR negative certificate and not opting for RT PCR test at airport (if facility is available) /arriving at an airport where testing facility is not available will have to undergo mandatory 7 days' institutional quarantine and 7 days' home quarantine," it said.
"The passengers who have been exempted from institutional quarantine will show the same to the respective state counters on their cell phones/other mode before being allowed home quarantine for 14 days," it said. -- PTI
18:56 I need Nitish govt for development: PM to Bihar
Asserting that reforms are impossible in an environment of mismanagement and anarchy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he needs the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar to ensure that there is no paucity in the state's development and the welfare schemes continue there uninterrupted.
In an open letter to the people of Bihar ahead of the final phase of voting on Saturday, Modi said people have full faith that only the National Democratic Alliance government can work for the state's development.
"I am convinced about the development of Bihar. I need the Nitish Kumar government to ensure that there is no paucity in Bihar's development and the welfare schemes continue there uninterrupted," he said.
"I have full faith that the power of 'double engine' will take Bihar to new heights of development in this decade," Modi said.
In his four-page letter in Hindi, the prime minister also said that better infrastructure and rule of law are imperative for social and economic prosperity and only NDA can provide that in Bihar.
The NDA has done work in all sectors in Bihar -- electricity, water, roads, health, education and for law and order, he said.
Modi said it was a matter of pride that the focus in Bihar polls has been on development.
He said that the NDA has presented its report card to people and also shared its vision for the future.
While the first two phases of voting for Bihar assembly elections have taken place, the final round will be held on November 7, followed by counting of votes for all 243 seats on November 10.
Modi has himself addressed a number of rallies in the state during the election campaign, seeking the return of chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state. -- PTI
18:20 Delhi govt bans firecrackers ahead of Diwali
Ahead of Diwali, the Delhi government on Thursday decided to ban firecrackers in the national capital and ramp up medical infrastructure in hospitals, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said after a review of the COVID-19 situation.
COVID-19 cases have increased in Delhi due to the ongoing festival season and pollution, the chief minister said after the review meeting with the chief secretary, health department officials and district magistrates.
Delhi has recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases in the past few days with the number of daily infections crossing the 6,000-mark for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
"Reviewed corona situation in Delhi and preparedness with Chief Secy, Health officials and all DMs. Corona cases have increased due to festival season and pollution. It was decided to: 1. Ban crackers in Delhi, 2. Ramp up medical infra, Oxygen and ICU beds are being increased in Delhi govt hospitals," Kejriwal said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister appealed to Delhi'ites not to burst firecrackers this Diwali. -- PTI
17:54 Arnab's arrest appears to be illegal: Court
A court at Alibaug in Maharashtra while refusing to remand Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in police custody in a 2018 abetment to suicide case observed that the arrest of Goswami and two other accused "appears to be prima facie illegal".
Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle after perusal of the case diary and other relevant documents on Wednesday noted that the prosecution failed to prima facie establish a link between the deceased and the accused persons.
The magistrate in a late Wednesday night order remanded Goswami and two other accused in judicial custody till November 18 in the case of suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused persons.
"Taking into consideration the reasons behind the arrest of the accused persons and the arguments put forth by the accused persons, the arrest appears to be prima facie illegal," the court said. The magistrate noted that the chain of circumstances, the reason behind the deaths of Anvay Naik and his mother Kumodini Naik and its connection with the accused persons are not established by the prosecution.
"There is no cogent evidence submitted that warrants this court to remand the arrested accused to police custody," the court said.
A team of Raigad police picked up Goswami (47) from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. Goswami and the two other accused -Feroze Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda - were later produced before magistrate Pingle in Raigad's Alibaug town, around 90 km from Mumbai, and were remanded in judicial custody till November 18.
The court ruling came shortly after 11 pm. The magistrate in the order noted that if the police case is to be accepted that Anvay Naik took the drastic step of committing suicide due to non-payment of dues by Goswami and the two other accused, then the question arises as to why his (Anvay Naik's) mother Kumodini Naik committed suicide.
"Did she (Kumodini) die by suicide? There is no clear answer to this by the prosecution. The police have been unable to establish a link between the deaths of Kumodini Naik and Anvay Naik and the three arrested accused," the court said.
The magistrate in the order also said the case was investigated by the police in 2018 and an 'A' summary report seeking closure of the case was submitted before the court concerned in 2019.
"The said closure report was accepted by the magistrate in 2019. Since then neither the prosecution nor the complainant challenged the closure report in the sessions court or High Court," the court said.
The court further said the Alibaug police did not seek the magistrate's permission before reopening the case.
17:40 Advertising volumes on television touched an all-time high in the week to October 30
Advertising volumes on television touched an all-time high in the week to October 30 amid the festival demand, surpassing a five-year-old record, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) said on Thursday. The release of the data, which comes amid an unprecedented impact on the economy when the GDP is set to contract by 10 per cent, did not spell out the revenues realised by the channels.
The body attributed the strong surge in advertising to the ongoing festivities and big-ticket properties like the IPL for the volume growth.
It said 38.7 million seconds of ad volumes was telecast on TV channels during the week, surpassing the previous high attained in 2015. In the immediate preceding week, the number stood at 37.9 million seconds, while comparing it on a weekly basis, it is higher than the 36.6 million seconds attained during the 43rd week of 2018, the body said.
American e-commerce giant Amazon was the biggest brand that advertised during the week, followed by Dettol liquid and Surf Excel, the body said. From a companies perspective, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever led the pack, followed by Reckitt Benckiser and tobacco major ITC, the body said on its website. PTI
17:28 Calcutta HC bans firecrackers on Kali Puja
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday banned the use and sale of firecrackers on Kali Puja in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. A division bench of justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee gave the direction while hearing two Public Interest Litigations.
Kali Puja is on November 15.
The court directed that the ban will also be in force during Jagaddhatri Puja, Chhath and Kartik Puja. The court said that guidelines, which were in place during Durga Puja such as no entry to pandals, will also be in effect during Kali Puja. The bench lauded the state government for effectively implementing the court-directed guidelines on Durga Puja.
It asked the police to ensure that the norms are strictly enforced on Kali Puja as well. Fifteen people will be allowed in the Kali Puja pandals having an area up to 300 sq metres, and 45 persons in the bigger ones, the court said. The bench also disallowed procession during immersion. -- PTI
Image: KBK Graphics
17:25 Campaigning ends for final phase of Bihar assembly polls
Campaigning for the third and final phase of Bihar assembly elections in which 2.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of more than 1,200 candidates, including the Speaker and some members of the state cabinet, ended on Thursday evening.
The final phase of polling on Saturday will cover 78 constituencies spread across 19 north Bihar districts. Leading from the front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rallies in remote districts of Araria and Saharsa for this phase of elections, exhorting the masses to retain their trust in the NDA. He asserted that the coalition headed in the state by Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar was looking forward to meet the "aspirations" of people in the decade to follow, having fulfilled their "needs" in the preceding one.
Altogether 12 rallies were addressed by the Prime Minister, on whom the NDA banks for performing well in the 243 assembly constituencies across the state.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also addressed election meetings at Madhepura and Araria where he raised suspicions of poll rigging dubbing the EVMs as MVMs (Modi voting machines), drawing jeers from the BJP which claimed the opposition leader had lost his nerves in the face of an impending defeat. -- PTI
17:12 No bail for Arnab, to stay in jail tonight
Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, who has been sent to 14 days judicial custody in an 2018 abetment to suicide case, failed to get any interim relief from the Bombay High Court.
The division bench of Justice S S Shinde and Justice M S Karnik, which was hearing the case, said it would will hear both the sides and pass an appropriate order tomorrow.
Arnab is in judicial custody till November 18.
The bench said it will also hear tomorrow a plea by Adnya Anvay Naik, daughter of late interior designer Anvay Naik, seeking reinvestigation of the A-summary report filed in connection with the FIR of her father's suicide case.
16:42 How (Not) to Defend Arnab Goswami
"If we find Goswami's brand of media problematic, and many of us do, we need to try and counter that through means of discourse, legal remedies and using whatever organisations and means are still available to us. This could include robust prosecution of hate speech and a denunciation of fact-free media production in every platform available. To take succour in any other shortcut may be unhelpful and undermine our own strengths."
Read the column here
16:33 AstraZeneca misses target for delivery of Covid vaccine: UK govt
The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has missed its target of delivering 30 million doses of its vaccine against Covid-19 to the UK by September, as the producer is predicted to only hand over 4 million doses by the end of the year, Kate Bingham, the head of the government's vaccine task force, has said.
Bingham spoke during a meeting of the Commons health and social care committee on Wednesday and said issues had arisen during the production process.
"The projections that were made in good faith at the time to get to 30 million doses in September was assuming that absolutely everything would work and that there were no hiccups at all ... and it hasn't gone linearly and it's not through lack of care or attention or availability of equipment ... it's just, this normally takes a very long time," the vaccine task force chief said. -- ANI
16:26 This is my last election, announces Nitish
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar addressing a poll rally in Purnia. "This is my last election," the JD(U) Chief said. Yesterday, Nitish reached out to voters in Muslim dominated Kishanganj district assuring them that there was no need to fear about deportation in the event of implementation of the new citizenship laws.
"No power can oust or shift the people of minority from the country. There is no strength in us to take our people out of the country," he said at an election rally in Kochadhaman Assembly constituency while seeking votes for JDU's sitting MLA Mujahid Alam.
Muslims comprise 68% of the total population of 16,96,400 in Kishanganj which goes to voting in the third phase of election on November 7.
16:20 Karnataka will put an end to religious conversion in the name of love jihad: Yediyurappa
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said the government will take strong measures to put an end to religious conversion in the name of "love jihad."
"In recent days there are media reports about religious conversion in the name of love jihad in Karnataka. I have discussed this with officials before coming here. What other states have done or not done is a different matter, but in Karnataka we will have to put an end to it," Yediyurappa said.
Addressing the BJP state executive meeting in Mangaluru, he said, his government was mulling taking strong steps against such activities. "Young girls of the state are being lured in the name of love and money and are being converted to other religions, we have considered it seriously. After thorough review, we will take a strong measure," he added.
Amit Shah eyes a juicy rasgulla at a tribal's home in Bankura
16:05 Lunch at tribal's home in Bankura for HM
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah meets a tribal family in Chaturthi village, Bankura, during his two-day visit to the state.
Amit Shah said on Thursday that he can sense massive public anger against the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal and the death knell of her regime has rung. Shah, who is on a tour to the state, accused the chief minister of creating roadblocks to stop the benefits of the central schemes from reaching the poor.
"Since last night, I am in West Bengal and can sense the massive public anger against the Mamata Banerjee government. We are confident of bringing change in the state under the leadership of Narendra Modi," the senior BJP leader said.
Arnab Goswami is in jail till Nov 18
15:53 Arnab arrest: Human Rights Body demands answers
The Maharashtra Human Rights Commission issues notice to SP Raigad to be present before it tomorrow by 11 am over the arrest of Republic TV's Arnab Goswami and present entire material records before the Commission.
Republic TV Editor-in Chief Arnab Goswami has petitioned the Bombay high court challenging his "illegal arrest" in a 2018 case of abetment of suicide of an interior designer, and sought quashing of the FIR lodged against him by Alibaug police in Maharashtra.
Goswami was arrested on Wednesday from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik, and was taken to the Alibaug police station in neighbouring Raigad district.
15:47 Maha Assembly calls meet to discuss 'breach of privilege' against Arnab
A day after the arrest of Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in a 2018 abetment to suicide case, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly's Privilege Committee called a meeting on Thursday to discuss a "breach of privilege" motion moved against him by Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at 4 pm.
Sarnaik moved the breach of privilege motion against Goswami in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on September 16 for allegedly using derogatory language against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP President Sharad Pawar for their alleged inaction in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
A similar motion was moved by MLA Manisha Kayande in the Legislative Council.
On Wednesday, Goswami was arrested in the death case of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother who allegedly died by suicide in Alibaug in May 2018. He has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. -- ANI
15:34 WhatsApp introduces 'disappearing messages'
WhatsApp on Thursday said it is introducing 'disappearing messages' feature on its platform that will allow new messages sent to a chat to disappear after seven days. The feature will be rolled out to all users this month. The Facebook-owned company said the goal is "to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn't have to stick around forever".
"That's why we're excited to introduce the option to use disappearing messages on WhatsApp. When the 'disappearing messages' feature is turned on, new messages sent to a chat will disappear after 7 days, helping the conversation feel lighter and more private," it said in a statement.
In a one-to-one chat, either person can turn disappearing messages on or off. In groups, administrators will have the control. "We're starting with seven days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren't permanent, while remaining practical so you don't forget what you were chatting about. The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don't," it explained.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp had said it has redesigned the storage management tool to make it more useful for people to easily identify, review and bulk delete content that may be filling their phone. The new storage management tool is being rolled out to users worldwide this week and is available under the 'Settings' option. PTI
15:07 HM holds review meet with CRPF in Bengal
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a review meeting with senior officials of CRPF in Bankura, West Bengal, today. Shah is on a two-day visit to the state.
15:05 Mamata blocked 80 Central schemes in WB: Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that benefits of more than 80 schemes of the Central government are blocked for the people by the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal.
"Benefits of more than 80 schemes of the Central government for poor and tribals are blocked by the Mamata government. I would like to tell Mamata Banerjee that if she perceives that she can stop BJP by these moves then it is her misconception," Shah told reporters on the first day of his visit to West Bengal.
"The kind of exploitative policies Mamata government is employing against the BJP workers, it is clear that the end of the Mamata government has come. In the next election, BJP will form a government with a two-thirds majority," he added.
The Union Home Minister paid tribute to Birsa Munda's statue in Bankura. He further said that on the one hand, there is tremendous public anger towards Mamata Banerjee government and on the other hand there is immense faith in the Narendra Modi government.
"The aid that the Central government has committed to the poor people of West Bengal has not reached them. In the tribal areas also this is the case. The poor families are also not getting health services of Rs 5 lakhs under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Even the farmers are not getting Rs 6,000 every year," he said.
"I appeal to the people of Bengal that to give employment to Bengal's youth and to ensure the security of the state elect a BJP government in the state. We will make West Bengal into 'Sonar Bangla'," he added. -- PTI
14:53 Kerala's elephant care centre is world's largest
Kerala's acclaimed elephant rehabilitation centre at nearby Kottoor is set to become the largest care-and-cure centre for pachyderms in the world with upgraded features and facilities.
The existing jumbo care centre at Kottoor, located over 25 kms away from the capital city, is being upgraded to international standards as part of the state government's special programme for the protection and conservation of elephants. The facility is upgraded with an aim to give the elephants that come to the rehabilitation centre a natural ecosystem just like in the forest, official sources said. -- PTI
14:37 Mental confusion early sign of Covid: Study
Delirium or mental confusion accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of Covid-19, particularly in elderly patients, according to a review of studies. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy, suggests that together with the loss of the senses of taste and smell, and headaches that occur in the days prior to the manifestation of coughing and breathing difficulties, some patients also develop delirium.
As such, the manifestation of this state of confusion, when accompanied by high fever, should be considered an early marker of the disease, particularly in the case of elderly patients.
"Delirium is a state of confusion in which the person feels out of touch with reality, as if they are dreaming," explained Javier Correa from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain.
"We need to be on the alert, particularly in an epidemiological situation like this, because an individual presenting certain signs of confusion may be an indication of infection," said Correa, who carried out this study at the University of Bordeaux in France. Correa, together with UOC researcher Diego Redolar Ripoll, reviewed scientific work published on the effects of COVID-19 in relation to the central nervous system, i.e. the brain.
The review found that there are growing indications that the novel coronavirus also affects the central nervous system, and produces neurocognitive alterations, such as headaches and delirium, as well as psychotic episodes.
"The main hypotheses which explain how the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain point to three possible causes: hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency, inflammation of brain tissue due to cytokine storm and the fact that the virus has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier to directly invade the brain," said Correa.
He noted that any one of these three factors has the potential to result in delirium. The evidence of hypoxia-related brain damage has been observed in autopsies carried out on patients who have died from the infection, and it has been possible to isolate the virus from the cerebral tissue, Correa said.
According to the researchers, delirium, cognitive deficits and behavioural anomalies are most likely to be the result of systemic inflammation of the organ and a state of hypoxia, which also causes the neuronal tissue to become inflamed and cause damage in areas such as the hippocampus. This is associated with the cognitive dysfunctions and behavioural alterations presented by patients suffering delirium, they said. -- PTI
14:11 Trump supporters protest at Arizona poll centre
A group of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered at the Arizona Capitol and Maricopa County elections centres in Phoenix demanding election workers to keep counting ballots.
The county elections department indicated it would not be intimidated, USA Today reported.
With 86 per cent of the state reporting, Trump trailed Biden by just shy of 80,000 votes, according to the New York Times.
As counting of ballots are underway and the result of the US Presidential election is awaited, protestors took to the streets in the cities across America.
Tensions ran high into the night following a mostly peaceful start to the day, with reports of "widespread violence" leading to the National Guard being deployed in Portland, Oregon. Arrests have also been made in Minneapolis and New York City, with the New York Police Department confiscating weapons, USA Today reported.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced for the second day in a row a citywide tactical alert "to ensure sufficient resources to address any incidents that may arise as a result of Election Day activities." Several demonstrators were detained, police said.
According to the New York Times, in Portland, a "Count Every Vote" demonstration taking place in the city merged with another one focused on racial justice and police brutality.
The biggest county in Arizona has just released the second of two sets of new votes promised Wednesday night -- shrinking Joe Biden's lead there by just over 10,000 votes.
Biden: 253, Trump: 213.
13:44 It's getting close in Arizona... Trump is catching up
The race for the White House is still too close to call as contests tighten in the battleground states of Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
The biggest county in Arizona has just released the second of two sets of new votes -- shrinking Joe Biden's lead there by just over 10,000 votes.
Updated vote totals released by Maricopa County show Biden with 912,585 votes and Trump with 838,071.
Previously, Maricopa, the state's most populous county, was reporting 887,457 votes for Biden and 802,160 for Trump.
The release came as Maricopa County officials were forced to close the Phoenix election office building to the public due to growing pro-Trump protests outside.
13:38 Cong, allies questioning EVM show they have accepted defeat: Chirag
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday said questions being raised by Congress and Mahagathbandhan over the Electronic Voting Machine show that they have accepted their defeat in the ensuing Bihar Assembly polls and termed it as a good sign for BJP-LJP.
Paswan's remark came in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's comment that "EVM is not EVM, but MVM -- Modi Voting Machine".
"Whenever Congress and Mahagathbandan raise questions on EVM then it is a good sign that they have accepted defeat. They never questioned EVM when they formed the government and never discussed it in the Vidhan Sabha. This is a good sign for BJP-LJP as the Opposition has accepted defeat and are now looking for excuses," he said.
The LJP has fielded candidates in over 130 constituencies, mostly against the Janata Dal-United in the election to 243-member Bihar assembly. Paswan has been claiming that his party will form the government with BJP after the polls.
Reacting to a senior BJP leader's reported comment that the LJP chief is in the election field with mace in the form of toys, the Paswan scion said, "I have no issues with any BJP leader because I believe it might be their voice (BJP) but the thought is from JD-U specially Nitish Kumar."
"I have no issues and I am not angry with the statement. On 10 Nov it will prove who is real Hanuman. At last, this hanuman will make the BJP government in Bihar after 10 November," he added.
Paswan also said that Bihar has made its mind that they want a corruption-free government.
Bihar voted in the second phase of state assembly elections on Tuesday. Voting in the third phase will take place on November 7 and counting of votes will be held on November 10.
-- ANI
13:30 ITBP gets dog breed deployed in Osama capture
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) gets 17 new warriors for its K9 Team. Mothers Olga and Oleshya gave birth to 17 Malinois pups at ITBP's elite National Training Centre for Dogs in Panchkula, Haryana. The Malinois breed was used by the United States in the operation to eliminate terrorist Osama Bin Laden from his hideout at Abottabad, Pakistan.
13:15 42% of Delhi's pollution due to stubble burning
The share of stubble burning in Delhi's pollution rose to 42 per cent on Thursday, the maximum so far this season, according to a central government air quality monitoring agency.
Experts said raging farm fires and a fall in the wind speed and temperatures pushed air quality in Delhi-NCR to the worst levels in around a year on Thursday. The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the farm fire count in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and neighbouring areas increased significantly and stood at 4,135 on Wednesday, the highest this season so far. SAFAR said the boundary layer wind direction is northwesterly favourable for the transport of pollutants from farm fires.
"The share of stubble burning in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution was estimated at 42 per cent for Thursday," it said. Stubble burning accounted for five percent of Delhi's pollution on Wednesday, 10 per cent on Tuesday, 16 on Monday and 40 on Sunday. Last year, the stubble contribution to Delhi's pollution had peaked to 44 per cent on November 1, according to SAFAR data. NASA's satellite imagery showed a large, dense cluster of fire dots covering Punjab and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
SAFAR predicted conducive conditions for dispersion of pollutants over the next two days. "Better dispersion condition and not so low daytime boundary layer height is predicted for the next two days which is likely to improve AQI unless more than estimated fire-related emission takes place," it said. -- PTI
13:08 India will protect its territory: Rajnath on LAC
India is determined to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of "unilateralism and aggression", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, as the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh enters the seventh month.
The defence minister also said that India attaches importance to peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue and is committed to respect various agreements inked for maintenance of peace along the borders.
"However, India is determined to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unilateralism and aggression," he said, in an address at a virtual seminar organised by the National Defence College. Singh said India is a peace-loving country and it believes that differences should not become disputes.
The standoff between India and China began on May 6 and has significantly strained their ties. Both sides held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the row. However, no breakthrough has been achieved to end the standoff.
The eighth round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China is likely to take place on Friday. In his address, the defence minister also talked about efforts being made to enhance India's military prowess as well as to boost domestic defence production.
"Peace can only be ensured through the ability to deter war; we have attempted to build deterrence through capability development and indigenisation," Singh said. On Pakistan, the defence minister said it continues to be "adamant" in use of terrorism as a state policy. PTI
Thick smog covered Rajpath this morning. Pic: ANI
13:00 Air pollution increasing Covid cases: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the Covid-19 situation is deteriorating in the city due to rising air pollution and appealed to people to avoid bursting firecrackers this Diwali. Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said he along with his cabinet ministers will perform 'Lakshmi Puja' at 7.39 pm at some place and urged Delhiiites to join them from their homes by watching it on television.
The chief minister said that at present, Delhi has been facing two issues - the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising air pollution - adding that the AAP government is making all efforts to deal with the situation.
"The Covid-19 situation is deteriorating in Delhi due to rising air pollution," he said while appealing to people to avoid bursting firecrackers this Diwali. "If we burst firecrackers on this Diwali, we are playing with the lives of our children and families.." he added. -- PTI
Migrants hosed down with chlorine in Bareilly in March
12:24 Ban use of disinfectants on people: SC to Centre
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to issue directions for banning use of disinfectants and ultra violet rays on humans for Covid-19 management. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan asked the government to do the needful in this regard within a month.
The bench passed the verdict on a plea seeking directions to the Centre to forthwith ban the installation, production and advertisement of disinfection tunnels involving spraying or fumigation of chemical disinfectants on humans.
On September 7, the apex court had asked the Centre why it has not banned the use of tunnels for disinfecting people for Covid-19 despite taking the stand that spraying of chemical disinfectants is physically and psychologically harmful.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had earlier informed the court that the Health Ministry has not issued any advisory or guideline on the use of ultraviolet lights for disinfection of humans for Covid-19 management. Mehta had said that spraying of any chemical disinfectant is also physically and psychologically harmful for humans.
The top court was hearing a PIL filed by Gursimran Singh Narula who also sought forthwith a ban on spraying or fumigation of organic disinfectants and exposing humans to ultraviolet rays for the purposes of disinfecting them. -- PTI
12:15 Maha: 602 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 13 more deaths
The Covid-19 tally in Maharashtra's Thane district reached 2,13,762 with the addition of 602 new cases of the viral infection, an official said on Thursday. The district also reported 13 deaths due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the toll to 5,401, he said.
There are currently 8,247 active coronavirus cases in the district, while 2,00,114 patients have recovered from the infection, he said. The Covid-19 recovery rate in the district is 93.62 per cent, while the mortality rate stands at 2.53 per cent. The active cases constitute 3.86 per cent of the total number of infections reported so far in Thane, he added.
In neighbouring Palghar, there have been 41,137 cases of Covid-19 so far, while the death toll has reached 1,006 with the addition of 12 fatalities reported on Wednesday, an official from the district administration said. Out of the total deaths, 721 have been reported from the Vasai-Virar civic limits and 285 from rural parts of the district, he said. -- PTI
11:53 Even PM is equal under law: Sena on Arnab arrest
The Shiv Sena on Thursday slammed the BJP for describing the arrest of Republic TV Editor-in- Chief Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case as "black day" and an "attack on the freedom of press". An editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said it was surprising that central ministers along with state BJP leaders should say there was an "Emergency-like situation" in Maharashtra due to Goswami's arrest.
Goswami was arrested by police on Wednesday from his residence in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik. Goswami and two others were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention) in connection with the suicide of Naik and the latter's mother over alleged non-payment of dues by the Republic TV.
The editorial in 'Saamana' alleged that the previous state government "covered up" Naik's suicide case to protect Goswami. It further claimed that a journalist was arrested in Gujarat for writing against the state government, while in Uttar Pradesh, journalists have been killed.
"Nobody felt these incidents were reminders of the Emergency. In fact, the state BJP leaders should demand justice for Anvay Naik, a son of the soil," the editorial said.
"An innocent man died by suicide along with his aged mother. The dead man's wife is demanding justice and the police are following the law," it said. "Where is the question of the fourth pillar (of democracy) being attacked? Those who are saying this are attempting to trample the first pillar," the editorial said. Everyone including prime ministers are equal before the law of the land, it said. -- PTI
11:39 Nobody can throw you out of India: Nitish on CAA
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, said that nobody had the power to throw anybody out of the country, apparently allaying fears of people in the region over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Addressing a rally in Kishanganj, Kumar said: "Who keeps spreading misinformation, keeps talking rubbish? Who will send whom out of the country? No one has the power to throw anyone out as all belong to India. Sab Hindustan ke hain, sab Bharat ke hain. Kaun kisko bahar karega (All belong to Hindustan, all belong to Bharat. Who will throw anyone out)?"
The region was among those which had seen widespread protests against the CAA. The Act grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who had arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014.
The chief minister said that that his government had worked for an environment of peace love and brotherhood and said that society will move forward only when everybody lived in peace and harmony.
"We tried to unite everyone. Some people want society to continue fighting, (so that) there is no need to work. We keep working, that is our goal. When everyone lives in peace, love, and brotherhood, only then will society go forward, people will go forward, the development will happen," he said.
Bihar voted in the second phase of state assembly elections on Tuesday.
Voting in the third phase will take place on November 7 and counting of votes will be held on November 10. -- ANI
Arnab Goswami said he was assaulted during his arrest
11:16 Arnab moves HC, challenges 'illegal arrest'
Republic TV Editor-in Chief Arnab Goswami has petitioned the Bombay High Court challenging his "illegal arrest" in a 2018 case of abetment of suicide of an interior designer, and sought quashing of the FIR lodged against him by Alibaug police in Maharashtra.
A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik will hear the plea on Thursday afternoon. Goswami was arrested on Wednesday from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik, and was taken to the Alibaug police station in neighbouring Raigad district. He was later produced before a magistrate's court in Alibaug which remanded him in judicial custody till November 18.
Goswami is currently kept at a local school which has been designated as a Covid-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.
In his petition, Goswami has challenged his "illegal arrest" and sought an urgent order of stay in the investigation into the case and also a direction to the police to release him immediately. The plea has also sought the FIR against him to be quashed.
It alleged that Goswami was assaulted by the police team that barged into his house on Wednesday.
"He has been wrongly and illegally arrested in a motivated, false and closed case. This is another attempt of political witch-hunt and vendetta politics against the petitioner and his channel," the petition said.
"The arrest was conducted in blatant violation of the fundamental rights to life and personal liberty of the petitioner (Goswami) and his dignity. The petitioner and his son were assaulted and dragged into the police van when Goswami was arrested," it added.
As per the plea, the investigation into the case was closed last year and a closure report was filed which was accepted by Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Alibaug court by an order dated April 16, 2019. -- PTI
11:11 Nevada, Arizona crucial for Biden (253 v 213) win
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is edging towards a victory over incumbent President Donald Trump in the fierce battle of US Presidential elections with 253 projected Electoral College votes.
Biden needs 17 more votes to win the race as counting is underway in key states including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona, according to New York Times projections.
US President Donald Trump, despite winning the big states of Florida, North Carolina, currently has only 214 votes, according to a tally by New York Times.
In a last-ditch effort, Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania, challenging the state Supreme Court's decision to allow officials to count ballots received as late as three days after Election Day if they were postmarked November 3 or before.
Addressing his supporters on Wednesday, Biden said he "believes" he will win. He flipped Arizona and Wisconsin while taking California, Washington, New York and Illinois.
With narrow wins in Wisconsin and Michigan called on Wednesday afternoon, Biden has flipped two of the three northern industrial states that handed Trump the White House in 2016.
Nevada, which has only 6 electoral votes, has also become important as Biden needs 17 more votes. Vice President Joseph R Biden leads President Trump in the state, but by less than one percentage point.
With millions of votes yet to be counted across several key states, Biden is holding narrow leads in Arizona and Nevada. If he can hold those states, the former vice president could win the election even without Pennsylvania.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed victory prematurely and continued to falsely claim ballots counted after Election Day signal malfeasance. He takes Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.
Trump's chances of winning a second term depended on his ability to hang on to his leads in states like Georgia and in Pennsylvania -- where Biden has been narrowing the gap as vote counting progresses -- and on overtaking Biden in one of the states where he is currently ahead.
Pennsylvania's secretary of state said there were more than 1.4 million mail-in ballots still to be counted, and those votes are expected to heavily favour Biden.
Trump held leads in North Carolina and Georgia, and his campaign expressed hopes that his early Pennsylvania lead could withstand an influx of mail-in ballots for Biden. -- ANI
10:45 The first thing Biden will do if he is Prez...
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has pledged that his administration would rejoin the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. Biden, 77, has not won the presidential elections yet, but is inching closer to be declared the winner by garnering 253 electoral votes out of the required 270. His Republican rival and incumbent US President Donald Trump has got 213 electoral votes, according to latest projections released by the US media.
On November 4, the US formally withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a decision originally announced three years ago.
"Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," Biden tweeted on Wednesday night, reflecting his decision to reverse one of the key policies of the Trump administration on day one.
The US, under the Obama administration, had acceded to the Paris Agreement in 2016. It was a signature achievement of the Obama administration. The Paris accord committed the US and 187 other countries to keeping rising global temperatures below 2C above pre-industrial levels and attempting to limit them even more, to a 1.5C rise.
Trump argues that the agreement is disadvantageous for the US, while it gives benefits to countries like China, Russia and India. According to him, it could be economically detrimental and cost 2.5 million Americans their jobs by 2025.
The decision by the US -- one of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases -- to quit the agreement has led to condemnation from environmentalists and expressions of regret from world leaders.
Biden has proposed a USD 5 trillion plan to combat climate change. The US is the second leading producer of all carbon dioxide emissions globally, behind China. President Trump originally announced his intention to withdraw from the agreement in 2017 and formally notified the United Nations last year.
The US exited the pact after a mandatory year-long waiting period that ended on Wednesday. The US is the only country to withdraw from the global pact. It can still attend negotiations and give opinions, but is relegated to observer status. -- PTI
10:33 Why Georgia matters to Trump (213 votes)
There are still about 20,000 mail-in ballots to be counted in Georgia's Fulton County, Director of Registration and Elections Richard Barron tells CNN. He added that the county may have to resume counting ballots at some point Thursday.
Fulton County has counted 121,683 ballots as of 11 p.m. ET, and will need several more hours to finish going through the absentee ballots, Barron said.
This is important because there are 16 electoral votes at stake in Georgia. CNN is yet to project a winner in the state. Joe Biden leads the race for the presidency with 253 electoral votes. President Trump has 213 electoral votes. The candidates each need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign has filed a lawsuit to stop ballot counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania and to prevent the counting of absentee ballots in Georgia that it claims arrived after the deadline on Election Day.
If Georgia is close, "of course" the Trump camp will ask for a recount if he loses.
It's currently a 33,000 vote margin and there's around 90,000 remaining to be counted.
In Georgia, a candidate can ask for a recount if the margin of victory is less than half of one percent.
10:16 'USA electoral system flawed'
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi makes a valid point: "World's oldest &most developed ctal demo-#usa-also most flawed. Ridiculous electoral system. No direct vote 4world's most powerful #CEO. Skewed cos Popular vote can be trumped by electoral Coll votes. Counting varies from state 2state from 1-10 days. No federal #EC. No #EVMs!"
09:57 Trump considers legal action in Arizona, Nevada
US President Trumps campaign is considering taking legal action in Arizona and Nevada as votes are still being counted, two sources told CNN.
As Trumps path to victory has narrowed dramatically, the campaign pursued a tactic the US president has often relied on throughout his life; litigation. The campaign has launched legal fights in several battlegrounds, called for a recount in Wisconsin and is now weighing further lawsuits.
Not only are officials laying the groundwork to contest the outcome, theyre also trying to buy themselves time to slow the counting in states where he could ultimately lose, according to the sources.
09:48 India records 50,209 new COVID-19 cases
India recorded as many as 50,209 coronavirus cases in a span of 24 hours, taking the country's COVID-19 tally above 83 lakh, while the total recoveries surged to 77 lakh, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Thursday.
India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 8,364,086 while the death toll reached 1,24,315 after 704 new fatalities were reported, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.49 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
A total of 77,11,809 people have recovered from the infection so far, pushing the national recovery rate to 92.20 per cent.
The number of active cases of COVID-19 remained below six lakh for the sixth consecutive day. There are 52,79,62 active cases in the country as on date which comprise 6.31 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
09:31 Biden launches transition website
When a candidate wins the presidency, he or she needs to set up what's called a transition team to help prepare to take office in the following January.
Now Joe Biden has launched his transition website - Build Back Better. It states: "The crises facing the country are severe - from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice - and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden‑Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One."
On Wednesday, Biden reaffirmed his pledge to re-join the Paris Climate Agreement on the first day of his presidency.
The US officially withdrew from the accord on Wednesday, something that Donald Trump committed to in 2016.
09:15 Arnab Goswami spends night at jail
Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of an nterior designer, spent the night at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.
A court at Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Wednesday remanded Goswami and two other accused in judicial custody till November 18 in a 2018 abetment to suicide case.
Police had sought Goswami's custody for 14 days, but the court held that custodial interrogation was not required.
After the medical exam, he was taken to Alibaug Nagar Parishad School, which is designated as a COVID-19 centre of the Alibaug prison, and he spent the night there, the official said.
08:50 "Feel good" about Georgia: Biden adviser (253)
A Biden campaign adviser says they feel good about Georgia, along with Arizona and Pennsylvania, as votes continues to come in the state.
Advisers have long viewed Georgia as an expansion state where a win could help complicate Trumps path to the presidency.
Biden himself paid a visit to the state, where he delivered his closing argument speech, and the campaign deployed its more powerful surrogate Barack Obama there in the final day of the campaign.
Meanwhile, a Trump adviser says officials inside the campaign believe they will claw back enough votes in the late returns in Arizona to capture the state by a narrow margin.
As of now, for those who want to know it's 253 vs 213 in favour of Biden in the race to 270.
08:29 Trump angrily calls Republican governors
US President Trump is angrily phoning Republican governors while publicly casting doubt on his own legal strategy that he personally instructed aides to carry out.
After Fox News called Arizona for Joe Biden, Trump instructed aides to begin filing lawsuits almost immediately. Those aides spent most of Wednesday putting together half-baked legal strategies, partly in order to buy them more time as votes were being counted in critical states like Arizona, one source said.
Trump has been angrily calling Republican governors all day, including Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to two sources.
08:15 Counting of votes in Pennsylvania expected to continue for a few more days
In Pennsylvania, vote counting is expected to continue for a few more days.
Almost 80% of the votes counted today were for Biden.
A poll worker supervisor looks on as she handles an envelope of original ballots at the TCF center after Election Day in Detroit, Michigan
07:57 Poll official calls Trump's lawsuit 'frivolous'
The top election official in Michigan has criticised a legal challenge launched by the Trump campaign to stop vote counting in the battleground state, calling it "frivolous".
All valid ballots cast in the state had been tabulated accurately, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said.
Trump won the state in 2016 by just over 10,700 votes.
His campaign announced the lawsuit on Wednesday alleging irregularities. Trump is also challenging counts in Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.
Image: Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Activists hold signs as they attend a news conference to demand respect for the results of the 2020 US presidential election, in Phoenix, Arizona
07:51 Arizona keeps Trump and Biden guessing
After Maricopa county, Arizona released a latest batch of election results, Joe Bidens lead in the state narrowed.
The counting in Maricopa County, which contains Phoenix, is underway. So far it shows Joe Biden at 887,457 and President Trump at 802,160, CNN's Kyung Lah reported.
That is 52 per cent of the vote for Biden, 47 per cent of the vote for Trump in that county, she said.
The ballots that county officials are currently processing include absentee votes that arrived over the weekend. Maricopa has long been a conservative stronghold, but a number of factors including demographic shifts, a cultural transformation in the suburbs, and a decade of progressive Latino-led activism has turned the state into one of the most hotly contested political battlegrounds.
Image: Edgard Garrido/Reuters
06:59 Biden inches forward with 253 to Trump's 213
Here's a roundup of where we are with the US elections.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads the race for the presidency with 253 electoral votes. US President Trump has 213 electoral votes.
The final result will come down to key, undeclared battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The US presidents reelection campaign launched a lawsuit against Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Trump attorney's Rudy Giuliana, during a press conference, said, "We are going to continue the lawsuit here [in Philadelphia]. Then we're going to bring a second one and then we're going to bring a federal lawsuit and then we're going to take a good look at whether we're bringing this nationally."
06:39 It's 6.30 am in India and this is where the US polls stand
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads the race for the presidency with 253 electoral votes. US President Trump has 213 electoral votes.
Trump's lead in Georgia has shrunk to about 47,000 votes as more ballots continue to be tallied in Fulton County, home to Atlanta.
06:29 Trump files lawsuit to stop counting in Georgia
The Trump campaign is filing a lawsuit to stop vote counting in Georgia, a campaign official said. It is unclear whether the suit will be successful.
"President Trump and his team are fighting for the good of the nation to uphold the rule of law, and Georgias law is very clear: to legally count, mail ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Thats still the law, even after Democrats sued earlier this year to extend the deadline and delay Election DayPresident Trump and Republicans fought to uphold Georgia law, and we won," Trump Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark said in a statement.
Clark went on to say that "a Republican poll observer in Georgia witnessed 53 late absentee ballots illegally added to a stack of on-time absentee ballots in Chatham County. We will not allow Democrat election officials to steal this election from President Trump with late, illegal ballots. President Trump and the Georgia Republican Party have filed suit to require all Georgia counties to separate any and all late-arriving ballots from all legally cast ballots to ensure a free, fair election in which only legal, valid ballots count."
Separately, David Shafer, the chairman of the Georgia state GOP, tweeted a short time ago, "I have authorised lawyers for the Georgia Republican Party to file an emergency petition against the Chatham County Board of Elections to enforce election laws and prevent the unlawful counting of absentee ballots received after the election."
Trump advisers are nervously watching the final returns in Georgia, and have been taken aback by Biden's performance in what was thought to be a GOP stronghold. Both Trump advisers said African American turnout in Georgia for Biden are exceeding their expectations, resulting in a very tight race.
Still, both advisers believe Trump has a better chance of closing the gap in Arizona than Biden has in Georgia.
06:11 As ballots are counted, US tallies 100,000 new coronavirus cases -- a record
As the US awaits election results, more than 100,000 have tested positive for Covid-19, per the COVID Tracking Project.
Cases are surging in nearly every state, with major cities including Omaha, Nebraska pausing elective surgeries to free up staff and resources to treat coronavirus patients.
Hospitals in Arkansas are facing shortages of healthcare workers and midwestern states including Minnesota and Indiana have set single-day records for new infections.
South Dakota -- where officials have not enacted a mask mandate -- is seeing some fastest growth in the country for new cases, recording nearly 1,000 new cases per day.
06:05 US counts on... Trump's lead shrinks in Georgia
With more votes in populous, Democratic counties left to be counted, Donald Trumps lead in Georgia has shrunk to 47,000 votes.
Fulton county said they will be announcing the results of 36,000 votes by midnight tonight so far, 72% of voters in that county have favoured Biden. If the trends hold, Biden is expected to pick up more votes by tonight.
Rick Barron, the Fulton County Elections Director said they are bringing in more bodies to help the counting efforts.
05:13 Revised Bihar turnout in second phase is 55.70%
The voting percentage in the second phase of polling on 94 seats in the Bihar assembly elections increased to 55.70 after updation of the figures by the Election Commission Wednesday.
The provisional voting figure till late Tuesday night was 54.64 which rose marginally after the poll panel updated the data with the arrival of more inputs from these constituencies.
Still, the revised voter turnout in the second round of voting in the respective seats is marginally lower than it was in 2015 polls at 56.17 per cent, according to Election Commission statistics.
The updated figures shows that in the second leg of voting, women voter turnout was 58.80 per cent vis-a-vis 52.92 among male electors.
While Minapur assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur district recorded the highest 65.10 per cent voting in the second phase, Kumhrar in Patna witnessed the lowest voters mobilisation at 35.69 per cent.
Bankipur seat from where actor-politician ShatrughanSinha's son Luv Sinha is fighting on a Congress ticket against sitting BJP MLA Nitin Nabin, even after revision the percentage stayed at 35.89, the EC figures said.
In Raghopur seat from where opposition Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav is in the fray, the updated voting figure stood at 57.97 per cent while its 58.59per cent at his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav's Hasanpu constituency.
The third and final leg of voting will take place on the remaining 78 seats on November 7. -- PTI
03:33 Trump campaign seeks to halt Pennsylvania count
United States President Donald Trump's campaign is set to file a lawsuit in Pennsylvania over poll watchers and voter ID laws amid the run-up to the nail-biting finish of the 2020 presidential elections.
'Bad things are happening in Pennsylvania. Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and dilute Republican votes. President Trump and his team are fighting to put a stop to it,' Justin Clark, Trump's deputy campaign manager said in a statement.
'We are suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers -- observers whose only job is to make sure every valid ballot is counted and counted once,' Clark added.
Clark also said: 'The Trump Campaign is also suing to stop Pennsylvania Democrats from breaking the very law that helps America vote--the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).' -- ANI
Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
02:55 Biden 253 after Michigan win, Trump 213
CNN projects Joe Biden victory in Michigan.
After the latest projection, Biden has 253 electoral college votes as against Trump's 213, making it much difficult for the President to win the polls.
Meanwhile, the Trump Campaign has filed a lawsuit to halt counting until meaningful access is granted to them in Michigan.
Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
02:37 US reports over 91,000 Covid cases on poll day
The United States reported its second-highest daily total of new COVID-19 cases on Election Day as over 91,000 new cases were reported on Tuesday.
Around 9.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the US, including more than 232,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The COVID-19 cases in the US have surged in recent weeks as the cold weather forces people to spend more time indoors, where the infection spreads easily, The Hill reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the increase in small indoor events and breaking the COVID-19 guidelines have led to increasing cases.
On Tuesday, voters in the US who are infected with the novel coronavirus were allowed to cast their vote in-person in the 2020 presidential election.
"Voters who are sick or in quarantine should take steps to protect poll workers and other voters. This includes wearing a mask, staying at least six feet away from others, and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer before and after voting," the CDC was quoted by Sputnik.
Those who are either sick or in quarantine should inform polling station staff upon their arrival, the CDC had said. -- ANI
01:25 Wisconsin goes to Dems; Biden 237, Trump 213
Joe Biden wins Wisconsin, projects CNN.
Biden delivers a setback to President Trump's path to reelection by flipping a state Trump won four years ago, inching ahead in the race with 237 electoral college votes against Trump's 213.
01:14 Trump campaign pleads to stop Michigan counting
JUST IN: United States President Donald Trump campaign files a lawsuit in Michigan to halt the counting of ballots. -- ANI
00:29 Trump campaign to request recount in Wisconsin
The campaign of President Donald Trump will 'immediately' request a recount in the battleground state of Wisconsin, citing 'irregularities' in several state counties while raising doubts about the validity of the results.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden is leading Trump by 0.6 per cent in Wisconsin after 99 per cent of votes were counted, however, Wisconsin officials are still counting votes, CNN reported.
'Despite ridiculous public polling used as a voter suppression tactic, Wisconsin has been a razor-thin race as we always knew that it would be.
'There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results. The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so,' Bill Stepien, Trump's campaign manager, said in a statement.
As per CNN, in Wisconsin, a presidential candidate can request votes recount if the margin is less than 1 per cent.
The US presidential election has turned into a nail-biting battle as Biden is ahead of Trump in Electoral College votes, having 227 votes to the Republican incumbent's 213.
Some 239 million people were eligible to vote this year.
The mail-in ballots could take days to be counted, delaying the election results. -- ANI
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