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Wed, 28 October 2020
Pawar downplays Uddhav's remark about Sena govt
Timeline Refresh
23:57 Pawar downplays Uddhav's remark about Sena govt
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday made light of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's reported remark that he wanted his party, the Shiv Sena, to form government on its own one day.
The Sena, the NCP and the Congress are the partners in the ruling coalition in the state.
As per Sena MLA and spokesman Pratap Sarnaik, Thackeray, in an online meeting with district-level leaders on Tuesday, exhorted them to strive to bring the party to power on its own strength in future.
Pawar told reporters in Nashik that such appeals are routine.
"I have been hearing about unfurling the (Sena's) saffron flag (at the government headquarters) for the last 30 years. It is said to energise the cadre," he said.
"No need to put any other meaning on it. You (the three parties) have come together to keep the BJP away and there are good results. I can only say, rule together.
"Whatever Uddhav Thackeray, state NCP president Jayant Patil and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat decide is binding on all of us," Pawar added. -- PTI
23:37 India strongly deplores personal attacks on French Prez
India on Wednesday strongly deplored the personal attacks against French President Emmanuel Macron following his tough stance on radical Islam, calling it a violation of the most basic standards of international discourse.
In a strongly-worded statement, the ministry of external affairs also condemned the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner and asserted that there is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.
"We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse," the MEA said.
"We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world. We offer our condolences to his family and the people of France," it said.
Following the MEA statement, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain thanked India saying both countries can count on each other in the fight against terrorism.
"Thank you @MEAIndia. France and India can always count on each other in the fight against terrorism," he tweeted.
Macron has been facing criticism from various Muslim-majority countries after he took a tough stand on radical Islam and defended cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The French President said that Islam was a religion in 'crisis'.
His comments came in the backdrop of the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty on October 16 outside Paris in broad daylight.
He had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students. -- PTI
23:36 US to open embassy in Maldives: Pompeo
The United States will open an embassy in Maldives, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday as he held talks with leadership of the strategically located island nation in the Indian Ocean, weeks after the two countries clinched a key defence cooperation agreement.
"I am pleased to announce our plan to open an Embassy in Male. Since the establishment of our diplomatic ties in 1966, we've seen Maldives make great progress in supporting democratic institutions, and we are proud to partner with them on regional security issues," Pompeo tweeted.
US embassy services for Maldives is currently available from the US embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The State Department earlier said that Pompeo will travel to Male to "reaffirm our close bilateral relationship and advance our partnership on issues ranging from regional maritime security to the fight against terrorism."
The top US diplomat, who arrived here from India and Sri Lanka after holding talks with the country's leadership, said he had a "great" meeting with the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
"Great meeting with President @ibusolih in Male. I made a historic announcement regarding our plan to open a U.S. Embassy in Maldives. We deeply value our friendship with the Maldivian people and look forward to taking our partnership to the next level," Pompeo said in a tweet after his meeting with President Solih.
Earlier on his arrival here, Pompeo wrote that he was "thrilled" to visit Maldives.
"Thrilled to be the first Secretary of State to visit the Maldives in nearly three decades. I look forward to strengthening the U.S.-Maldives relationship and discussing our mutual interests in a free, open, and rules-based #IndoPacific region," he tweeted.
Maldives currently hosts resident diplomatic missions from the UK, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China.
In September, the US and the Maldives inked a defence cooperation deal with Maldives amidst the Chinese Navy's growing presence in the Indian Ocean.
The US signed a framework for defence cooperation with the Maldives to deepen engagement in support of maintaining peace and security in the strategic Indian Ocean, as the Trump administration looks for strengthening alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's growing presence in the region.
The framework for defence and security relationship was signed in Philadelphia on September 10 between Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Reed Werner and Maldivian Minister of Defence Mariya Didi. .
"The framework sets forth both countries' intent to deepen engagement and cooperation in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean, and marks an important step forward in the defence partnership," the Pentagon said last month.
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean.
Mariya said the framework will strengthen defence and security cooperation between the two countries, Maldivian portal Sun Online reported.
She said that peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region is tied to the best interests of both countries.
She stressed the importance of bilateral dialogue and engagement, against a backdrop of growing transnational threats such as piracy, violent extremism, terrorism, and illicit trade, which she said remained relevant, even amidst the coronavirus pandemic. -- PTI
22:50 Suspended IAS officer held in gold smuggling case
Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar was on Wednesday arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case, official sources said.
The former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was arrested after around six hours of interrogation by the ED, probing the money trail in the case.
Earlier, soon after the Kerala high court rejected his anticipatory bail applications, a team of ED officials reached an Ayurveda hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where Sivasankar was undergoing treatment, and took him into custody.
He was later brought in a car to the ED office in Kochi for interrogation. -- PTI
22:04 Bihar sees 53.54% voter turnout, lower than 2015
The coronavirus pandemic did not have much impact on the voter turnout in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls as an estimated 53.54 voters exercised their franchise compared to 54.75 per cent in these districts in 2015, according to provisional figures.
This is the first major election being conducted amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The 2020 poll percentage is likely to go up as the Election Commission is updating the data with more inputs from 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts.
While the voting percentage in these districts was 54.75 in 2015, it was 53.54 (provisional figures) this year, the EC said.
According to the provisional data, the highest poll percentage is recorded in Banka district at 59.57.
It had recorded 56.43 per cent out in 2015 polls.
Munger district has registered the least voter turnout at 47.36 per cent. It had recorded 52.24 per cent turnout in 2015.
Out of the 71 constituencies, 35 are in Naxal-hit areas where the polling hour was curtailed.
Polling was conducted till 3 PM in four Naxal-affected constituencies of Chainpur, Nabinagar, Kutumba and Rafiganj while in the other five Naxal-hit constituencies it went up to 5 PM.
In the remaining 26 Naxal-affected constituencies, polling was held till 4 PM.
The poll panel said that since the announcement of the elections, 534 arms, 193 cartridges and three bombs were seized from the areas that went to polls in the first phase.
21:32 China denies allegations of genocide in Xinjiang
China on Wednesday refuted US senators' allegations that it is committing genocide against Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims in the restive Xinjiang province, asserting that the American lawmakers are obsessed with making up "lies" to "vilify" the country for selfish political gains.
According to reports, a resolution moved in the US Senate stated that China's campaign against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region constitutes "genocide".
Asked for his response to the Senators' charge, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here that the US Senators are "entrenched in their anti-China bias and obsessed with making up all sorts of lies to vilify China and seek selfish political gains".
"The so-called genocide is a rumour deliberately started by some anti-China forces and a farce to discredit China," he said.
Wang claimed that from 2010 to 2018, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang grew from 10.17 million to 12.72 million, an increase of 2.55 million or 25 per cent, higher than the 14 per cent for the whole population in Xinjiang, and much higher than the two per cent for the Han population.
Since last year, China faced severe international criticism including from the UN and western countries over allegations that it is holding over a million people, mostly ethnic Uyghurs in internment camps in Xinjiang in a bid to wean them away from religious extremism.
Resource-rich Xinjiang province is the home for Turkik speaking Uighur Muslims. The province is restive for several years over settlements of Han Chinese.
China defends the camps, describing the facilities as re-education centres aimed at de-radicalising sections of the Uyghur Muslim population from extremism and separatism.
Friction between the US and China has been growing over a host of issues including trade tariff, the Chinese military's offensive manoeuvres in the South China Sea and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. -- PTI
21:13 Parl panel on data protection bill summons Jio, Airtel
A Joint Committee of Parliament issued a notice on Wednesday calling representatives of telecom operators Reliance Jio and Airtel and cab aggregators Ola and Uber to depose before it on the issue of data security.
The committee, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Meenakshi Lekhi, is examining the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019.
According to the notice, representatives of Reliance Jio Infocomm and Jio Platforms have been called to depose before the panel on two different sittings on November 4. Representatives of Ola and Uber have been called to appear before the panel the next day.
Representatives of Airtel and Truecaller are scheduled to depose before the panel separately on November 6.
Representatives of social media giants Facebook and Twitter and e-commerce major Amazon have already deposed before the panel.
Google and Paytm are scheduled to appear before the panel on October 29.
The Personal Data Protection Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 11, 2019.
The bill seeks to provide for protection of personal data of individuals and establishment of a data protection authority for the same.
The bill was later referred to a joint select committee of both Houses of Parliament.
The proposed law seeks bar on storing and processing of personal data by entities without the explicit consent of an individual. -- PTI
21:10 UK govt's vaccine taskforce: Strategy for protecting the UK and the world
No vaccine in the history of medicine has been as eagerly anticipated as that to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Vaccination is widely regarded as the only true exit strategy from the pandemic that is currently spreading globally.
The United Kingdom is at the forefront of a huge international effort to develop clinically safe and effective vaccines.
The Vaccine Taskforce was the brainchild of Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government's chief scientific advisor, who saw the need for a dedicated, nimble private-sector team of experts embedded in the Government to drive forward the development of vaccines for the UK and internationally.
The Vaccine Taskforce was set up under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in May, 2020, and I was asked to chair the taskforce, reporting directly to the prime minister, and working alongside Deputy Chair Clive Dix.
The Vaccine Taskforce aims to ensure that the UK population has access to vaccines as soon as possible, while working with partners to support equitable access for populations worldwide, whether rich or poor.
21:07 Channel apologises for Jaan Kumar Sanu's 'anti Marathi' remark on 'Bigg Boss'
TV channel Colors on Wednesday apologised for singer Jaan Kumar Sanu's comment on Marathi language on the reality show Bigg Boss, saying that it had no intentions of anyone's hurting sentiments.
In a recent episode of the show, Sanu asked his fellow contestant actor Nikki Tamboli to not speak in Marathi as it "irks" him.
The singer further said if Tamboli should talk to him in Hindi.
His comments didn't do down well with a section of social media users who called Sanu's remarks "insulting" and "anti-Marathi."
In a brief statement posted on Twitter, the channel apologised for the singer's statements.
"We at Colors apologise for the remarks in relation to Marathi language made on the 'Bigg Boss' episode aired on Tuesday, 27th October. We had no intentions of hurting sentiments of the people of Maharashtra," the statement read.
Earlier, Ameya Khopkar, who heads the MNS film workers union, had posted on Twitter that if Sanu doesn't apologise, they would halt the shooting of the show.
Bigg Boss, now in its 14th season, is hosted by superstar Salman Khan. The show went on air earlier this month. -- PTI
20:49 Bihar poll: BJP complains to EC against Rahul
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar on Wednesday lodged a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the Election Commission, charging him with violating the model code of conduct by "asking for votes" in a tweet on a polling day.
State BJP legal cell head S D Sanjay shot off the written complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar requesting "legal action" against Gandhi who also addressed a couple of rallies in the state earlier in the day.
As per the complaint, Gandhi had "issued a statement on Twitter asking for votes... today. The time for making appeal for the first phase of polls was over 28 hours earlier".
According to Sanjay, who is a former Additional Solicitor General of India, such an appeal made on the day of polling was "in utter violation of Model Code of Conduct, warranting action against him".
Polling took place for 71 constituencies of the 243-member assembly in the first of the three-phase election on Wednesday.
The complainant also appended printouts of the three-line tweet of Gandhi, in Hindi, which said, "This time for justice, employment, farmers and labourers, may your votes be for the Grand Alliance. Best wishes for all of your for the first phase of polls in Bihar", ending with the hashtag #aajbadlegaBihar (today Bihar will undergo a change). -- PTI
20:07 Trump's campaign website briefly hacked, defaced
United States President Donald Trump's campaign website was briefly hacked on Tuesday, just a week before the presidential elections.
The spokesman for the Trump campaign, Tim Murtaugh, said in a statement that the website was "defaced."
"We are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack. There was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site. The website has been restored," Murtaugh said.
A report in The New York Times said Trump's campaign website was briefly taken over by hackers and the hack lasted less than 30 minutes.
The paper said in a screen posted to Trump's website - donaldjtrump.com - the hackers claimed to have compromised "multiple devices" that gave them access to the president and his relatives "most internal and secret conversations," including classified information.
The hackers also accused the Trump administration of having a hand in the origins of the coronavirus and cooperating with "foreign actors manipulating the 2020 elections."
The NYT added that the hackers appeared to be looking to generate cryptocurrency and invited visitors to donate cryptocurrency to one of two funds - 'Yes, share the data' and the other labeled 'No, Do not share the data'.
"After the deadline, we will compare the funds and execute the will of the world, the hackers wrote, without specifying a deadline. The hackers also posted what they said was their encryption key to Trumps' campaign site.
With less than a week left for the elections, the defacement highlighted cybersecurity risks facing the election campaigns.
The report said intelligence agencies have been closely monitoring hacking groups, including teams backed by Iran and Russia, that have tried to break into election-related systems and have been involved in influence operations in recent weeks.
Last week, the director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe had identified Iran and Russia as two nations responsible for disinformation and some limited intrusions into voter registration databases.
Trump last week told a campaign rally in Arizona that "Nobody gets hacked. To get hacked you need somebody with 197 I.Q. and he needs about 15 percent of your password." -- PTI
19:47 Actor Soumitra Chatterjee very critical, doctors decide on dialysis
Doctors have decided to start dialysis on legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee as his health condition continued to be "very critical", doctors of the private hospital, where the thespian is undergoing treatment, said on Wednesday.
The 85-year old has been "unconscious" since last week.
"Mr Chatterjee's health condition is more or less the same as it was in the last 48 hours. There is no new deterioration.
"The haemologin and other parameters are stable, but his renal function is not... we have decided to go for dialysis to bring down the urea and creatinine levels. This will also improve his consciousness," they said.
The dialysis will be for a short duration, one of the doctors said.
The ace actor's creatinine and urea levels have been on the rise since Monday, and nephrologists are also mulling the option of providing "renal replacement therapy support".
He is also suffering from secondary pneumonia.
Chatterjee's lung functions are more or less stable and his ventilation parameter is also good, he said.
The critically acclaimed actor, the first Indian film personality to be awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres -- France''s highest civilian award -- was admitted to hospital on October 6 after he tested positive for COVID-19. -- PTI
19:27 Resume Mumbai trains for all: Maha govt to Rlys
The Maharashtra government has proposed to the railway authorities that general public be allowed to travel by Mumbai local trains during non-peak hours, an official said on Wednesday.
At present only certain categories of persons including essential services staff can travel by local trains, Mumbai's lifeline, due to the coronavirus threat.
In a letter to the Railways, the state government suggested that any person holding a valid ticket be allowed to board local trains till 7.30 in the morning, between 11 am to 4 pm and between 8 pm till the end of the day.
The time between 8 am to 10:30 am and 5 pm to 7.30 pm should be reserved for essential services staff having valid QR coded identity cards, and there should be ladies special trains every hour, the state government said.
"The state is looking to open up the local train services to the general public while ensuring adherence to all COVID-19 protocols," said the letter marked to general managers of Central Railway and Western Railway besides the Government Railway Police commissioner.
The state government also sought increase in the frequency of suburban services that are being operated for essential services staff since June 15.
Currently the Railway authorities are operating 1,410 special services on the Mumbai suburban network, including 10 ladies special trains. -- PTI
18:45 Smriti Irani tests positive for COVID-19
Union minister Smriti Irani has tested positive for coronavirus.
"It is rare for me to search for words while making an announcement; hence here's me keeping it simple I've tested positive for #COVID and would request those who came in contact with me to get themselves tested at the earliest," Irani tweeted.
18:37 Over one third people in TN don't wear masks, says CM
Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday rued that about 35 per cent of the people in the state don't wear mask, one of the preventive measures against COVID-19, and urged authorities to ensure strict implementation of the safety protocols.
The pandemic, however, was under control in the state due to a multi-pronged approach of the government, he said, reviewing the COVID-19 situation at a meeting with bureaucrats and district collectors.
"In Tamil Nadu, over 35 per cent of the people don't wear mask. Therefore the (respective) district administration should take steps to ensure compliance by all," he said.
Lack of awareness prompted people to throw caution to wind, he said.
Ahead of the Deepavali season, many people in Chenna did not comply with the mask rule, he said, urging the authorities, especially the police, to step in and create awareness.
Spraying disinfectants in regular intervals in affected areas was among the key to prevent the spread of the contagion, he added.
Detailing his government's efforts in handling the pandemic, he said so far Rs 7,372.25 crore had been spent on prevention, treatment and relief activities.
Holding fever camps in all districts, conducting door-to-door checks for symptomatic persons, doing RT-PCR tests and isolating the infected people and treating them had resulted in a dip in fresh and active cases, he added.
As many as 6,75,518 people have been cured of the disease and the recovery rate was 94.57 per cent while the fatality rate was 1.53 per cent.
"Due to the exemplary work of our doctors, positivity rate has been brought to 7.39 per cent," Palaniswami added.
The daily infections have been less than 5,000 for the past 17 days and dipped below 3,000 in the past four days. Active cases were less than 30,000, he added.
Tamil Nadu's total coronavirus cases, as of Tuesday, stood at 7,14,235 with 10,983 deaths while the active cases were 27,734.
Even during this pandemic, the government signed 55 new investment proposals for Tamil Nadu worth Rs 40,718 crore which will create over 74,000 jobs, Palaniswami said.
Without naming anyone, he hit out at the opposition for its criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic and said due to its various efforts, there was a "situation of return to normalcy". -- PTI
18:27 FIR against Sushant's sisters by Rhea 'vitiated': CBI
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday told the Bombay high court that Rhea Chakraborty's accusation that late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sisters obtained a fake medical prescription for him was "mostly speculative".
Such speculation cannot be the basis of an FIR, the central agency said in response to Rajput's sisters Priyanka Singh and Meetu Singh's petition seeking to quash the case lodged against them by Mumbai Police.
Chakraborty, Rajput's girlfriend, has alleged that a fabricated prescription was used to help him procure medicines banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act only a few days before his suicide in June 2020.
"The allegations in the present FIR are mostly presumptive and speculative in nature," the CBI said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation also pointed out that it is probing the complaint filed by Rajput's father K K Singh against Chakraborty and her family members for allegedly abetting the 34-year-old actor's suicide.
Rajput's sisters filed the petition through advocate Madhav Thorat on October 6 seeking that the FIR filed against them by Bandra Police here be quashed.
The CBI said the police should have conducted preliminary enquiry before registering the first information report.
"It is settled law that two FIRs cannot be registered on the same cause of action....the CBI is already investigating the causes relating to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput and all aspects surrounding the same.
"In view of this, it was expected from the Mumbai police to forward the complaint received from Rhea Chakraborty to the CBI instead of registering FIR itself," the CBI said.
"Therefore, registration of FIR on the same facts and cause of action is both unwarranted and not allowed under law. Thus, this FIR is vitiated and bad in law," the agency said.
If Rhea Chakraborty was aware of the mobile phone chat between Rajput and his sister Priyanka in June 2020 during which Priyanka allegedly sent him a medical prescription, then Rhea should not have kept silent till September, the CBI said.
It was conducting probe without being hindered by any external factors in an impartial manner, it said.
The police's FIR names Rajput's two sisters and a doctor of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi, Tarun Kumar, who allegedly signed the medical prescription.
The HC will hear the petition on November 4. -- PTI
18:06 Delhi University VC Yogesh Tyagi suspended
Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi was suspended on Wednesday on the orders of President Ram Nath Kovind who has also directed an inquiry against him over allegations of dereliction of duty, according to officials of the ministry of education.
The move comes amid a power tussle in the central university.
The President, who is the Visitor to the university, has placed Tyagi under suspension to ensure that the inquiry is fair and that he is not able to tamper with material records or coerce the witnesses, a senior ministry official said.
"All orders issued by or issued with the approval of Yogesh Tyagi during the period of his absence on medical ground are set aside and to be treated as null and void," the official said.
Tyagi has been on leave since July 2 when he was admitted to AIIMS under emergency medical condition. The government had on July 17 given Pro-VC P C Joshi the charge of VC, until Tyagi resumes office.
The ministry official said, "The Vice Chancellor is not administering the university in accordance with (statutory) provisions...which has caused mis-governance and malfunctioning of University of Delhi. This is not conducive for appropriate academic as well as administrative environment of the university."
"The President of India in his capacity as Visitor of the University, on consideration of facts and material available on record, has ordered to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of dereliction of duties and lack of commitment and devotion to duty against him. The president has also been pleased to place Yogesh Tyagi under suspension with immediate effect until further orders as he may influence/coerce the witnesses and tamper with the material records of the university so as to ensure fair inquiry," the official said.
A controversy erupted last week when Tyagi removed Joshi as pro-VC on Thursday and appointed Geeta Bhatt, the director of the Non-Collegiate Women's Eduction Board of the university, in his place.
Joshi had, meanwhile, notified the appointment of a new registrar, Vikas Gupta, whose interview had been completed and appointment cleared by the executive council on Wednesday.
However, the same day, Tyagi had approved and notified the appointment of P C Jha as acting registrar and director of the South Campus.
The ministry then intervened in the power tussle between the vice chancellor and the pro-vice chancellor, saying appointments made by Tyagi were not "valid" as he is on leave.
The power tussle intensified with Jha writing to the ministry citing himself as "acting Registrar" and saying that all decisions taken by Tygai are in accordance with university norms. The ministry took objection to the letter and directed the varsity to take strict action against him. -- PTI
17:58 Bihar sees 51.90% turnout till 5 pm
Bihar saw 51.90 per cent voter turnout till 5.30 pm in the first phase of assembly polls on Wednesday. According to Election Commission data, the highest turnout was in Jamui district at 57.41 per cent followed by Kaimur at 55.95 per cent and Lakhisarai at 55.44 per cent.
The polling percentage was 52.16 per cent in Bhagalpur, 54.71 per cent in Gaya 49.39 per cent in Rohtas and 53.84 per cent in Buxar.Munger (43.64 per cent) recorded the lowest voter turnout till as per data from the Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.
Bihar is witnessing a keen contest between the ruling JDU-BJP alliance, grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others), third front with RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha as its chief ministerial candidate and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly. Elections will decide if Nitish Kumar will win a fourth term as Chief Minister.
Voting began in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of polls at 7 am. This is the first election in the country being held amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The Election Commission has extended the period of voting by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Naxal affected areas.
The Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines that include lowering the cap on voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and postal ballot facility for those aged above 80 or those infected. -- ANI
A mask-less onion-seller weighs his produce in Rameswaram, TN
17:53 Over 35% people in TN don't wear masks, says CM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday rued that about 35 per cent of the people in the state don't wear mask, one of the preventive measures against Covid-19, and urged authorities to ensure strict implementation of the safety protocols.
The pandemic, however, was under control in the state due to a multi-pronged approach of the government, he said, reviewing the Covid-19 situation at a meeting with bureaucrats and district collectors. "In Tamil Nadu, over 35 per cent of the people don't wear mask. Therefore the (respective) district administration should take steps to ensure compliance by all," he said.
Lack of awareness prompted people to throw caution to wind, he said. Ahead of the Deepavali season, many people here did not comply with the mask rule, he said, urging the authorities, especially the police, to step in and create awareness. Spraying disinfectants in regular intervals in affected areas was among the key to prevent the spread of the contagion, he added.
Detailing his government's efforts in handling the pandemic, he said so far Rs 7,372.25 crore had been spent on prevention, treatment and relief activities. Holding fever camps in all districts, conducting door-to-door checks for symptomatic persons, doing RT-PCR tests and isolating the infected people and treating them had resulted in a dip in fresh and active cases, he added. -- PTI
17:24 15 yrs of Nitish made Bihar poorest state: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said there was anger among small shopkeepers, youths, farmers and labourers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Bihar.
Addressing his second poll rally of the day at Kusheswar Asthan in Darbhanga, the former Congress president also said it was sad that Prime Minister Modis effigy was burnt in Punjab on the occasion of Dusshera.
"You didn't get to see it perhaps because Nitishji and Modiji control the media," he alleged. He said the people of Bihar gave 15 years to Nitish Kumar as chief minister and six years to Modi as Prime Minister yet "Bihar is the poorest state".
He said the ongoing elections in Bihar was about the states future and if the Congress comes to power with its Grand Alliance partners it will be the government of all castes and religions. PTI
Sharad Pawar met onion traders amid escalating prices
17:08 Pawar blames Centre's policies for onion crisis
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday blamed the central government's policies for the spiralling prices of onion and said he would speak to the Centre about the stock limit imposed on the commodity traders. Speaking to onion growers and traders in Nashik district of Maharashtra, Pawar said a comprehensive policy is needed regarding lifting of the export ban and stock limit of onion, and it should cover interests of all stakeholders.
Onion is being sold at Rs 80 to Rs 100 per kg at retail markets in Mumbai. To contain onion prices, the Centre last week imposed stock holding limit on retail and wholesale traders till December 31 to improve the domestic availability of the key kitchen staple and provide relief to consumers.
Retailers can stock up onion up to 2 tonne, whereas wholesale traders are allowed to keep up to 25 tonne, it said. To register their protest against the Centre's move, traders kept off onion auctions for the last two days in all 15 Agriculture Produce Market Committees in Nashik, including at Lasalgaon APMC, Asia's biggest onion market.
Pawar on Wednesday urged traders to reopen the markets for auction, and said banning export and promoting import was contradictory and the stock limit condition should also be removed. He further said the Centre had excluded onion from the list of essential commodities and at the same time, there were raids against traders.
"I don't think the instructions came from the state government," the former Union agriculture minister said. "The state government is not responsible for action against traders. The decision on import and export of onion takes place at the central government-level," said Pawar, whose party is an alliance partner in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.
16:51 Bihar records 46.29% turnout till 3 pm
Over 46 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 3 pm in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said in its provisional data. A total of 71 assembly segments of the state's 243 constituencies are voting in the first phase in which nearly 2.15 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of over 1,000 candidates.
With the progress of time, voters turnout at booths has been increasing at several places notwithstanding raging coronavirus cases in the state.
As per the provisional voter turnout data updated by the Election Commission at 3 pm, 46.29 per cent of the total electorates have exercised their franchise.
The 71 constituencies are spread across 16 districts. The maximum 49.84 per cent turnout has been recorded in Lakhisarai, followed by Buxar (48.91 per cent), Kaimur (49.26 per cent), Banka (47.44 per cent), Patna (45.77 per cent) and Bhagalpur (45.51 per cent) among others. Only Sandesh and Barbigha assembly seats have seen less less than 40 per cent voting till 3 PM out of the total 71 constituencies in the first phase. -- PTI
16:44 WB Guv to meet Shah in Delhi tomorrow
Amid incidences of political violence and killings in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday. Dhankhar has been vocal about the political killings which have taken place in the past few months attracting criticism from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.
West Bengal Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar would be on an official visit to Delhi from Oct 28-30. Governor Dhankhar leaves for Delhi on the evening of Oct 28 and returns to Kolkata on Oct 30. His engagements include calling on the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on Oct 29, a Raj Bhavan communique said on Wednesday.
Following this he will be on a month-long visit to Darjeeling from November 1, the sources said. Dhankhar's scheduled visit to Darjeeling will take place at a time when political equations in the hills have changed after the supremo of the undivided Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), Bimal Gurung walked out of the BJP-led NDA accusing it of not fulfilling its promises. Gurung had during his dramatic reappearence in the city after absconding for three years lent support to the ruling TMC.
The TMC got a shot in the arm as he vowed to support it in the next assembly polls. "Dhankhar will be stayinng at the Raj Bhavan in Darjeeling, the statement said. He is also scheduled to address a press conference at Siliguri on November 1. The TMC has expressed apprehension over the governor's scheduled visit to the hills. Dhankhar has been at odds with the Mamata Banerjee dispensation since assuming charge over a year ago.
16:33 Standoff with India doesn't concern US: China
China on Wednesday said its border standoff with India in eastern Ladakh is a bilateral issue, and asked the US to "stop" its Indo-Pacific strategy, terming it as an attempt to impose American hegemony in the region. The remarks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured India that the US stands firmly with it to confront threats to its sovereignty. Pompeo's remarks came after the third edition of the Indo-US dialogue in New Delhi during which the two sides deliberated prominently upon the Sino-India border row and situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Reacting to the US push for closer defence ties with India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that "the border affairs between China and India are matters between the two countries."
"Now the situation across the border is generally stable and the two sides are in resolving relevant issues through consultations and negotiations," he said, in apparent reference to the military and diplomatic level talks between India and China to resolve the standoff.
In a blunt criticism of China, Pompeo cited the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in a clash with the Chinese military and said the US stands firmly with India in confronting threats to its sovereignty.
"Our leaders and our citizens see with increasing clarity that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is no friend to democracy, the rule of law transparency...I am glad to say that the US and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese communist party," Pompeo said.
Wang sharply criticised the US' Indo-Pacific concept, saying "the Indo-Pacific strategy proposed by the US is preaching outdated Cold War mentality and preaching confrontation and geopolitical game. It is aimed to uphold the hegemony of the US. This runs counter to the common interest for the region and we urge the US to stop this." "In the meantime, any concept for regional development should be in line with the trend of the times for the peaceful development and win-win cooperation, he said. -- PTI
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16:18 Two Jaish terrorists killed in encounter in Budgam
Two Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists were killed on Wednesday in an encounter that started on Tuesday in Aribagh Machama area of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
"One soldier was injured and two terrorists were killed. Both the terrorists were affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit. One of them was a citizen of Pakistan while the other was from Pulwama district," Vijay Kumar, Kashmir IG said on Budgam encounter.
The encounter started in Mouchwa area of Budgam between the security forces and terrorists on Tuesday. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Moachwah area of Budgam district.
A top police officer said that two terrorists' bodies are visible and expressed possibility that there could be one more as searches are still underway.
During the operation, when a joint team of Srinagar Police, Budgam Police and Army's 50 Rashtriya Rifles were approaching towards, terrorists fired upon them triggering off a gunfight.This is the second encounter of this week, earlier, a terrorist was neutralised on Tuesday, while another surrendered in South Kashmir's Tral. -- ANI
16:15 Sensex plunges 600 pts; Nifty cracks below 11,750
Equity benchmark Sensex plunged 600 points on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses in index majors Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank amid a massive selloff in European markets.
After hitting a low of 39,774.60 during the day, the 30-share BSE index ended 599.64 points or 1.48 per cent lower at 39,922.46. Similarly, the broader NSE tanked 159.80 points or 1.34 per cent to close at 11,729.60. IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 3 per cent, followed by HDFC, ICICI Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, UltraTech Cement and Tata Steel.
On the other hand, Bharti Airtel was the top gainer, rallying more than 4 per cent, after the country's second largest telecom operator reported its highest-ever quarterly consolidated revenue, helping it narrow losses in the July-September period. Consolidated revenue rose 22 per cent to Rs 25,785 crore in the September quarter, while net loss narrowed to Rs 763 crore. M&M, Maruti and L&T also ended with gains. -- PTI
15:19 Hong Kong bars Air India flights for fourth time
Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Mumbai till November 10 after a few passengers on its flight earlier this week tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival, a senior government official said on Friday.
This is the fourth time that Air India flights from India have been banned by the Hong Kong government for bringing passengers who tested positive for the infection after arrival.
Previous bans were on the airline's Delhi-Hong Kong flights during September 20-October 3 and August 18-August 31 and October 17-October 30. Passengers from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a COVID-19 negative certificate from a test done within 72 hours prior to the journey, according to rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July. Moreover, all international passengers are required to undergo a post-flight COVID-19 test at the Hong Kong airport.
Besides India, a pre-flight COVID-19 negative certificate is mandatory for all passengers from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, the UK and the US, according to the Hong Kong government's rules -- PTI
15:17 Sonia should have pulled up Kamal Nath: Scindia
In what could be termed as his first indirect attack on Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that the Congress chief should have pulled up former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for calling BJP leader Imarti Devi "item".
"Though, it is an internal matter (of Congress). I certainly think so. In a country where 50 per cent of the population comprises of women, every political party must set a standard," stated Scindia when asked whether Congress chief being women should have intervened.
Scindia said Kamal Nath and Ajay Singh's statements about Imarti Devi, one of the MLAs who switched sides and shifted to Scindia camp leading to the fall of Congress government, showed that the Congress and its leaders' mentality towards women, especially if she is a Dalit.
"If we use such unparliamentarily language against women, it speaks about one's own culture and principles and morals. Kamal Nath has used it against a woman who has risen from ranks and had been a member of his cabinet. Is this the kind of respect you give to your cabinet colleagues? Derogatory language usage speaks volumes about both Kamal Nath and Congress," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Scindia advocated for 'some dignity in language' while stating that there used to be a time when people used to be civil despite disagreements, a tradition lost on the likes of Kamal Nath.
"The comments of Kamal Nath are unwarranted. Imarti Devi has risen in ranks because of her hard work. And look at this man's (Kamal Nath's) thought process- he says he forgot her name. This is how you respect your cabinet colleague why because she is a woman from the Dalit community," he asked.
The 2018 floods in Kerala
15:11 Kerala mulls country's first transgender-inclusive disaster management programme
The transgender community will soon play a key role in disaster management in Kerala as the state government is gearing up to make it inclusive of the marginalised group, for the first time in the country. Authorities are mulling roping in the third gender in its disaster management programme and utilise their services during the time of emergencies besides strengthening their emergency response capabilities and survival skills, official sources said.
In the wake of increasing natural disasters in recent times, the state Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is contemplating implementation of a Transgender-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction programme in the state, which is first of its kind in the country.
The southern state, which had suffered two massive floods in consecutive years recently, already has a successful Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction model, which had garnered wide national acclaim. Recent natural disasters, especially the floods which had hit the state in the years 2018 and 2019, have persuaded the SDMA to envisage a disaster management model involving people from all stratas of life especially the vulnerable communities. -- PTI
15:06 SpiceJet to operate seaplane flights to Statue of Unity
SpiceJet on Wednesday said it will operate two daily seaplane flights between the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad and the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat from Saturday.
"The all-inclusive one-way fares will begin from as low as Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme and tickets will be available on www.spiceshuttle.com from 30th October, 2020 onwards," the airline said in a press release.
The seaplane flights will be operated by SpiceJet's subsidiary Spice Shuttle. The duration of each flight would be around 30 minutes. Under the UDAN scheme, financial incentives in terms of concessions from the Centre, state governments and airport operators are extended to select airlines to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports, and keep the airfares affordable.
At least half of the seats in UDAN flights are offered at subsidised fares, and the participating carriers are provided a certain amount of viability gap funding (VGF) -- an amount shared between the Centre and the state concerned. The Ahmedabad-Kevadia launch flight is scheduled to operate on Saturday in honour of the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, SpiceJet added. -- PTI
14:56 Modi rakes up Ayodhya, 'jungle raj' at Bihar rally
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the second leg of his campaign for Bihar assembly elections, raking up the Ayodhya issue and urging the people to defeat the opposition which had ushered in a "jungle raj" in the state and embezzled funds meant for development schemes.
Invoking the imagery of Goddess Sita and her father Janaka, the king of Mithila of which this north Bihar town became the capital later on, Modi said those who used to taunt the BJP over the delay in construction of Ram temple were now forced to applause.
"I am happy to be here, in the birth place of Mother Sita. Construction of temple at Ayodhya has also begun. Those siyasi log (political opponents) who used to taunt us with the question what is the date (for commencement of construction), have now been forced to clap in applause," Modi told a rally in Darbhanga.
The prime minister, who shared the stage with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, lavished praise on the latter, calling him the "bhaavi mukhyamantri" (prospective CM) and crediting him with Bihar's economic turnaround.
"The people of Bihar have made up their mind to inflict yet another defeat on those responsible for the 'jungle raj' where crime graph had soared to an extent that living a normal life became difficult for the common people, our mothers and sisters," Modi said in an obvious attack on the RJD-Congress combine, without mentioning either by name.
"They committed financial irregularities in the name of waiving farm loans. They took bribes to give jobs. The NDA stands for development. Beware of those who are greedily eyeing the funds earmarked for progress," said Modi. He said those who were in power before the NDA government was formed were so obsessed with their "commission" that they never cared about connectivity for regions like Mithila. A project like Kosi Mahasetu could be completed only when the NDA was in power both in the state and the Centre, he added. -- PTI
14:45 Scientists find brain abnormalities in Covid patients
An analysis of more than 80 studies reporting complications experienced by Covid-19 patients has revealed that about one-third of them have abnormalities in the frontal lobe of the brain, findings which shed light on the neurological symptoms of the disease.
The review of studies, published in Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, focused on abnormalities detected using electroencephalogram (EEG) scans, which are used to evaluate the electrical activity in the brain.
"We found more than 600 patients that were affected in this way. Before, when we saw this in small groups we weren't sure if this was just a coincidence, but now we can confidently say there is a connection," said Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in the US.
The scientists explained that patients are recommended an EEG test when they have a slowed reaction to stimuli, followed by seizure-like events, speech issues, confusion, or an inability to wake up after sedation. From the review of studies, the researchers said the most common findings from the EEG were slowing or abnormal electrical discharge, mostly in the frontal lobe of the patients.
They said some of the EEG alterations found in COVID-19 patients may indicate damage to the brain that might not be repaired after recovering from the disease. Since the brain cannot regenerate, Haneef cautioned that any damage to the organ will more than likely be permanent.
14:41 Cong can't compete with PM in lying: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a rally in Balmiki Nagar, Bihar: "Prime Minister doesn't say in speeches that he'll give jobs to 2 crore youth. He knows he was lying and people also know it. I guarantee, if PM comes here and says he'll give 2 crore jobs, the crowd will chase him away.
"Congress gave direction to the country. We gave MNREGA, waived off farmers' loans. We know how to run the country, stand with farmers and generate employment, but yes, we do lack one thing -- we don't know how to lie. We cannot compete with him (PM) at lying."
Over 33.11 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 1.45 pm in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said. While Lakhisarai has recorded the highest turnout of 40.16 per cent, followed by Nawada at 38.08 per cent.
Sheikhpura with 29.29 per cent along with Rohtas (30.26 per cent), Buxar (30.38 per cent), and Arwal (30.55 per cent) has recorded the lowest voter turnout till now.
The Election Commission informed that in 31,371 polling stations in Bihar, 41,689 ballot units, 31,371 control units and 31,371 VVPATs have been deployed. "As of 10 am, 0.18 per cent ballot units, 0.26 per cent control units, and 0.53 per cent VVPATs have been replaced," EC said.
14:31 Twitter's explanation on showing Ladakh as part of China inadequate: Govt
Microblogging site Twitter's explanations to a parliamentary panel on showing Ladakh as part of China are inadequate and the act amounts to criminal offence attracting imprisonment of seven years, committee chairman Meenakshi Lekhi said on Wednesday.
Representatives of Twitter appeared before the joint committee of parliament on Data Protection Bill, 2019 and were questioned by the members on showing Ladakh as part of China, Lekhi said. "The committee was unanimous in its opinion that Twitter's explanation on showing Ladakh as part of China was inadequate," Lekhi told PTI.
However, representatives of Twitter told the panel that the social media company respects the sensitivities of India, she said. "It is not a question of sensitivities only, it is a matter of India's sovereignty and integrity, showing Ladakh as part of China amounts to criminal offence which attracts imprisonment of seven years," Lekhi said.
Officials who deposed before the panel on behalf of Twitter India included Shagufta Kamran, senior manager, public policy, Ayushi Kapoor, legal counsel, Pallavi Walia, policy communications, and Manvinder Bali, corporate security. Officials from the Ministry of Electronics, Information and Technology, and Ministry of Law and Justice also deposed before the panel. -- PTI
14:22 Scheduled intl flights suspended till Nov 30
The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till November 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Wednesday.
"However, the international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis," the Indian aviation regulator said in a circular.
The scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under the bilateral 'air bubble' arrangements with selected countries since July.
India has formed air bubble pacts with around 18 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.
The DGCA circular also mentioned that the suspension does not affect the operation of international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by it. The scheduled domestic passenger flights resumed in India on May 25 after a gap of two months amid the pandemic situation. -- PTI
14:03 Bihar polls: 33.10% turnout till 1 pm
Bihar polls: Voter turnout of 33.10% recorded till 1 pm in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections. Over 2.14 crore voters are today deciding the fate of 1,066 candidates contesting for 71 seats.
Voting began on 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.
As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties.
Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.
13:35 Schools to remain closed in Delhi till next order
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday announced that all government and private schools in the national capital to remain closed until next order.
Schools in the national capital are closed since March, days before the lockdown was announced to curb the coronavirus transmission.
Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia said the Delhi Government has decided to increase 1,330 seats in colleges that are under the IP University.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 27,873 active coronavirus cases in Delhi and the cumulative death toll stands at 6,356. -- ANI
13:18 I choose public service not politics: Scindia
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that his thought process is clear, he has chosen the path of public service and not of politics. Scindia asserted, he is not interested in any post and only wants to work for development.
Speaking to ANI, Scindia said, "My thought process is clear, I have chosen the path of public service not of politics. It's been 20 years and I am determined to serve people. I am not interested in any post, only want to work for development."
"It was a government (of Congress) of corruption, working solely on basis of money. They made Vallabh Bhavan a hub of corruption. Don't ask me about this, you can ask the people of Madhya Pradesh. There was a complete disregard of promises made to the public," he added.
Speaking about former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's remarks on BJP leader Imarti Devi, Scindia said that he is full of ego and people will shatter it.
"In defence, Kamal Nath said he forgot her (Imarti Devi's) name. How can you forget the name of someone who was in your cabinet? Because she's a woman, a Dalit? Is this his and Congress's thinking about women? He is full of ego and people will shatter it," said Scindia.
Former chief minister Kamal Nath recently come under attack for his 'item' jibe against Imarti Devi. However, he clarified that his remarks were not meant to insult anyone.
Vit D deficiency is linked to a variety of health concerns
13:01 80% Covid patients had vitamin D deficiency: Study
A study of over 200 Covid-19 cases in a hospital in Spain found that about 80 per cent patients had vitamin D deficiency, scientists said on Wednesday. However, the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, did not find any relationship between vitamin D concentrations or vitamin deficiency and the severity of the disease.
The researchers found 80 per cent of 216 Covid-19 patients at the Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla had vitamin D deficiency, and men had lower vitamin D levels than women. Covid-19 patients with lower vitamin D levels also had raised serum levels of inflammatory markers such as ferritin and D-dimer.
"Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in COVID-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system," said Jose L. Hernandez, of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain.
"One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and nursing home residents, who are the main target population for the COVID-19," said Hernendez.
Vitamin D controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system, the researchers said. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of health concerns, although research is still underway into why the hormone impacts other systems of the body, they said. -- PTI
12:52 Kidnappers want ransom in bitcoins
A middle-aged doctor from the city was rescued from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, a day after he was allegedly kidnapped by a gang from his clinic here, police said on Wednesday. The kidnappers, had demanded Rs 10 crore ransom to be paid in bitcoins to release the doctor, they said.
Five burqa-clad people forcibly took away the dentist in a car to an undisclosed location in the city. Later the victim, who is also in to real estate business, was taken to Karnataka, they said. After receiving information from Telangana police regarding movement of kidnappers' vehicle, their counterparts in Anantapur managed to chase and intercept it. While they caught hold of one of the accused, three others escaped, they added. The victim was rescued, police said. -- PTI
Voting underway in Mokama
12:48 Bihar records 18.31% turnout, Lakhisarai 26%
Over 18.30 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 11 am in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said in its provisional data. A total of 71 assembly segments of the state's 243 constituencies are voting in the first phase in which nearly 2.15 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of over 1,000 candidates. As per the provisional voter turnout data updated by the Election Commission at 11 am, 18.31 per cent of the total electorates have exercised their franchise.
The 71 constituencies are spread across 16 districts. The maximum 26.76 per cent turnout has been recorded in Lakhisarai, followed by Nawada (23.42%) and Banka (22.58 per cent). Among other districts, Buxar has recorded 19.10 per cent turnout, Gaya 19.02 per cent, Aurangabad 18.46 per cent, Sheikhpura 17.31 per cent, Kaimur (Bhabua) 16.98 per cent and Bhojpur 16.21 per cent. Munger recorded a turnout of 15.71 per cent, Rohtas 15.32 per cent, Arwal 14.81 per cent, Jamui 13.91 per cent, Jehanabad 11.39 per cent, Bhagalpur 6.84 per cent and Patna 5.96 per cent.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a polling booth in Lakhisarai, while former Bihar chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi exercised his franchise at a booth in Gaya. PTI
12:38 Remember tears, blistered feet: Tharoor to voters
As voting for phase-1 of Bihar Assembly elections began on Wednesday, Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor reminded voters of the struggles that migrant workers went through at the beginning of nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
"The tears in your eyes, the blisters on your feet. Do you remember everything? The ones who are voting today," Tharoor wrote on Twitter.
Voting began in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am and the voter turnout was recorded at 18.29 per cent till 11.30 am.
This is the first election that is being held amid COVID-19 pandemic.As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties.Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest between the ruling JDU-BJP alliance, the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.
12:24 Mehbooba Mufti calls NIA 'pet agency' of BJP
People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has become BJP's pet agency to intimidate and browbeat those who refuse to fall in line.
Her remark came after the NIA conducted raids at multiple locations in Srinagar, Bandipora and Bengaluru including the residence of Khurram Parvaiz, offices of NGO Athrout and Greater Kashmir Trust.
"NIA raids on human rights activist Khurram Parvez & Greater Kashmir office in Srinagar is yet another example of GOIs vicious crackdown on freedom of expression & dissent. Sadly, NIA has become BJPs pet agency to intimidate & browbeat those who refuse to fall in line," Mufti tweeted. -- ANI
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12:17 Free to join party of choice: Pilot on Scindia
Reacting to Congress leaders terming BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia as 'Gadda' (traitor), Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that everyone is free to decide which party they want to be in and the public ultimately decides who is wrong or right.
"I believe everyone is free to decide which party they want to be in and the public ultimately decides who is wrong or right," said Pilot on being asked about his party leaders terming Jyotiraditya Scindia 'gaddar'.
Scindia had quit Congress to join BJP earlier this year."The public voted for the government that was formed here and now Shivraj Singh Chouhan has become the Chief Minister but the public is not accepting this. Congress holds a strong place in the 28 places (assembly seats) where elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh," said Pilot.
"Our candidate will win with a good majority. The public watches every action of their representative. Not only in Madhya Pradesh but in other places in Bihar, Congress candidates will win," he added.Voting on 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh by-polls will take place on November 3 and the results will be declared on November 10.
By-elections are due on 28 seats following the resignation of 25 MLAs and the death of three legislators earlier.
In the 230-member assembly, the BJP currently has 107 MLAs and Congress 88. There are 4 independent MLAs, 2 from BSP and a lone Samajwadi Party MLA. -- ANI
11:42 NDA delivers on promises: Modi@Darbhanga
"NDA does what it says," Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a election rally in Darbhanga. Modi appealed to voters to take Covid-19 precautions amid voting in the first phase. "I pray for all the leaders who are affected by Coronavirus. I pray that they get healthy very soon," PM Modi said while addressing voters in Darbhanga.
11:31 Prohibition will be lifted if BJP wins Bihar polls
As Bihar goes to the polls in the first of the three phases today, a BJP leader who wields both clout and mass appeal, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will lift prohibition in the state if it wins the polls.
The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, came into effect in October 2017, with stringent provisions to enforce total ban on the sale and consumption of liquor in Bihar.
The source, who is a high-profile actor-politician said liquor is easily available in Bihar defeating the entire purpose of prohibition.
"Middlemen supplying liquor to privileged classes make huge profits. Its pointless to implement prohibition when liquor is freely available in the state, the leader said.
The source added that the lifting of prohibition in Bihar would be gradual. To begin with we will allow alcohol to be served in clubs and at parties. Uske baad dekha jayega (then well see)."
-- Subhash K Jha
A polling booth at Sasaram
11:04 Amit Shah urges people of Bihar to vote
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday appealed to the voters of Bihar to vote as polling on 71 Assembly constituencies of Bihar in the first phase is underway.
"I appeal to all the voters of Bihar in the first phase to vote in maximum numbers. Your one vote will keep Bihar out of fear and corruption and keep it on the path of development and progress," Shah tweeted.
Voting began on 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.
As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties. -- ANI
10:52 Bihar village refuses to vote
The beauty of democracy in display at Balgudar village in Bihar. Voters of the village in Lakhisarai district boycott elections in protests. "Villagers are not voting as they're protesting against the construction of a museum on a playground," says Booth No. 115 Presiding Officer Mohammad Ikramul Haq.
10:46 Lotus blooms on BJP leader's mask
Bihar Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar arrives at a polling booth in Gaya to cast his vote wearing a mask with his party's symbol.
10:43 Chirag Paswan is Tejashwi's 'B' team: JD-U
Congress' Bihar in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil on the Chirag Paswan factor in the polls: "BJP wants to keep 'Chirag' in their hand to light up their home and burn down Nitishji's house. Woh 'Chirag' ko bhi bujhana chahte hain. So BJP wants to use Chirag first, then get rid of him later."
And this is what JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha has to say on Chirag Paswan: "It has been proved that Chirag Paswan is Tejashwi Yadav's B team, now do we need to say anything more? To help Tejashwi, this entire game is being played. Chirag Paswan has failed in 'Reel' life as well as in his real life."
Firing a fresh salvo at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Wednesday said that he and his party Janata Dal (United) have done preparations to ditch the BJP and join Rashtriya Dal Party (RJD) after the poll results are out.
"A single vote given to Nitish Kumar ji will not only weaken and ruin Bihar, but will also strengthen the RJD and the Grand Alliance. He has done preparations to leave the BJP and go with the RJD after the elections. Earlier also, he has formed the government with the blessings of RJD," read Paswan's tweet roughly translated from Hindi.
"Bihar was infamous for the first 15 years. Bihar is in bad condition in second 15 years. But now with all your blessings, we have to make Bihari First and Nitish-free government. LJP is contesting more seats than Nitish Kumar. BJP-LJP government will be formed after winning more seats than Nitish Kumar," he said in another tweet.
10:36 Sena backs uniform civil code: Raut
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on being asked whether central govt should bring Uniform Civil Code: If Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and others want to impose Article 370 in Kashmir with help of China then central govt should take strict steps. If any person who wants to unfurl tri-colour in Kashmir is stopped, then I consider it as 'Rashtra droh'. We have said it before also that Uniform Civil Code should be implemented in the country. If govt brings something like that, then we will take a decision about it."
10:32 China reports 42 new confirmed Covid cases
China has reported 42 new Covid-19 cases, including 22 from Kashgar prefecture in Xinjiang province where all the 4.74 million people underwent tests following the detection of a villager as an asymptomatic carrier, the health authorities said on Wednesday.
This comes a day after the Kashgar prefecture reported 183 coronavirus cases after the completion of COVID-19 tests for all the residents in the region, according to official media reports.
Of the news cases, 22 infections were reported in Kashgar's Shufu County, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. The local health authorities said an epidemiological survey for virus tracing is still underway and the medical expert team has so far ruled out a connection between Kashgar and the epidemic in the regional capital of Urumqi in July. On October 24, a 17-year-old female villager from Shufu County was confirmed as an asymptomatic carrier of the virus during a routine nucleic acid testing. -- PTI
10:28 Union minister Giriraj Singh votes
Union Minister Giriraj Singh casts his vote at a polling booth in Lakhisarai.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Wednesday address two rallies in Pashchim Champaran's Valmikinagar and Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga district for the second phase of state assembly polls.While voting is underway in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.
As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties.
Voters wait their turn at Paliganj in Bihar
10:25 Bihar records 5 pc voter turnout till 8 am
Voting for the phase-1 of Bihar Assembly elections began at 7 am on Wednesday and the voter turnout has been recorded at 5 per cent till 8 am. Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.
Elections will decide if Nitish Kumar will win a fourth term as Chief Minister.Voting began in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.
This is the first election that is being held amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The Election Commission has extended the period of voting by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Naxal affected areas, so that COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day. Results of the 3-phase Bihar election will be announced on November 10.
The Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines that include lowering the cap on voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and postal ballot facility for those aged above 80 or those infected.
All precautionary measures have been taken considering the COVID-19 pandemic as Electronic Voting Machines have been sanitised.
Thermal scanners, hand sanitiser, soap and water have been made available for voters. Officials deployed on polling duties in Gaya were seen wearing masks and gloves. Temperature of voters was measured at polling stations before they cast their vote.
Meanwhile, voting at polling booth no. 170 in Jehanabad got delayed after a glitch was detected in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).On the other hand, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were seen helping differently-abled and elderly voters at Booth number 10 in the Chakarbandha area.
Sanitization work was also carried out at various booths including booth number 56 and 57 in Munger and in Gaya in view of COVID-19. People queue up at the polling booth while maintaining social distancing at the polling stations. -- ANI
Voters wait their turn at Paliganj in Bihar
10:25 Bihar records 5 pc voter turnout till 8 am
Voting for the phase-1 of Bihar Assembly elections began at 7 am on Wednesday and the voter turnout has been recorded at 5 per cent till 8 am. Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.
Elections will decide if Nitish Kumar will win a fourth term as Chief Minister.Voting began in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.
This is the first election that is being held amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The Election Commission has extended the period of voting by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Naxal affected areas, so that COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day. Results of the 3-phase Bihar election will be announced on November 10.
The Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines that include lowering the cap on voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and postal ballot facility for those aged above 80 or those infected.
All precautionary measures have been taken considering the COVID-19 pandemic as Electronic Voting Machines have been sanitised.
Thermal scanners, hand sanitiser, soap and water have been made available for voters. Officials deployed on polling duties in Gaya were seen wearing masks and gloves. Temperature of voters was measured at polling stations before they cast their vote.
Meanwhile, voting at polling booth no. 170 in Jehanabad got delayed after a glitch was detected in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).On the other hand, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were seen helping differently-abled and elderly voters at Booth number 10 in the Chakarbandha area.
Sanitization work was also carried out at various booths including booth number 56 and 57 in Munger and in Gaya in view of COVID-19. People queue up at the polling booth while maintaining social distancing at the polling stations. -- PTI
Temperature check at a polling booth in Paliganj, Bihar
10:17 Yogi to address six poll rallies in Bihar
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will address six rallies in the poll-bound state of Bihar starting today.
On Wednesday, he will address gatherings in Siwan, East Champaran and Chanpatia Assembly in Paschim Champaran district.
The next day, he will address rallies in support of BJP and NDA candidates in Siwan's Daraunda Assembly seat, Vaishali's Lalganj and Madhubani's Janjharpur.
Meanwhile, voting is underway in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections.
As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties.
Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly. On one side is the NDA which includes JD-U (contesting 115 seats), BJP (110 seats), Vikassheel Insaan Party (11 seats) and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (7 seats).
Mahagathbandhan which picked Tejashwi Yadav as chief ministerial candidate constitutes RJD (144 seats) and the Congress with 70 seats. Other alliance partners include the CPI-ML (19 seats), CPI (6 seats), and the CPIM (4 seats).LJP is contesting 136 seats on its own and fielded candidates against all JD-U nominees and only a few against BJP.
10:11 Bihar begins its date with democracy
Polling underway for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections in Gaya district. Visuals of CRPF jawans helping differently-abled and elderly voters at Booth number 10 in Chakarbandha area.
BJP President JP Nadda on Wednesday appealed to voters to participate in this grand festival of democracy while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. In a tweet, he said the right to cast vote is the biggest strength of democracy. "First phase of polling for Bihar assembly elections is being held today. I appeal to people to take part in the grand festival of democracy while keeping COVID related precautions in mind," Nadda said. "Pehle matdaan phir jalpaan (First vote then take meal)", he added.
09:55 43,893 new Covid cases, 508 deaths in 24 hrs
JUST IN: With 43,893 new COVID-19 infections, India's total cases surge to 79,90,322.
With 508 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,20,010.
Total active cases are 6,10,803 after a decrease of 15,054 in last 24 hours.
Total cured cases are 72,59,509 with 58,439 new discharges in last 24 hours.
Total 10,54,87,680 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to October 27, of which 10,66,786 samples were tested yesterday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). -- ANI
09:48 For justice, jobs vote for grand alliance: Rahul
As polling began for the first phase of the Bihar elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged voters to cast their votes in favour of the 'Mahagathbandhan' for 'justice, employment and farmers-workers'.
The polling began Wednesday morning in 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar in the first phase of three-phase elections amid tight security and COVID-19 guidelines in place.
'This time for justice, employment, farmers-workers, your vote should be only for 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance),' Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
'Good wishes to all of you on the first phase of Bihar elections,' he tweeted with the hashtag in Hindi 'Aaj Badlega Bihar'.
The Bihar polls are being held in three phases -- October 28, November 3 and November 7.
The results will be out on November 10. -- PTI
09:10 2 terrorists killed in Budgam in encounter
Two unidentified terrorists were killed by security forces in an encounter that broke out on Tuesday night in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation at Moachwah in Chadoora area of Budgam district around 7 pm on Tuesday following information about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter around 9 pm after terrorists opened fire at security forces positions.
Two terrorists were killed in the gunbattle, which lasted nearly four hours.
The identity and group affiliation of the terrorists was being ascertained, the official said, adding preliminary investigation suggests that one of the ultras was a foreigner. -- PTI
08:39 Voting begins in 1st phase of Bihar polls
Polling began Wednesday morning in 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar in the first phase of three-phase elections amid tight security and COVID-19 guidelines in place.
Of the nearly 2.15 crore electors eligible to exercise the franchise, 1.12 crore are male, 1.01 crore female and 599 are categorised as third gender, according to data provided by the Election Commission.
Guidelines have been issued by the Commission for safe conduct of the electoral exercise in the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
These guidelines include lowering the maximum number of voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and extending postal ballot facility for those above 80.
Besides, sanitisation of electronic voting machines, wearing of masks and other protective gear by polling personnel and the availability of thermal scanner, hand sanitiser, soap and water has also to be ensured at polling stations.
The candidates in the fray in the first phase include 952 men and 114 women.
As many as 33 of the constituencies going to polls in the first phase have been declared as 'sensitive or hypersensitive' constituencies, the poll panel said.
It said 31,371 polling stations have been set up in this phase and as many Electronic Voting Machines and Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be used.
Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar told PTI-Bhasha that security forces have been deployed in adequate strength at all polling stations and the buildings housing them.
The local police has also been used to supplement the paramilitary forces wherever required, he said, adding the services of home guard jawans will also be taken at polling stations for works like maintaining the queue.
He said that as a precautionary measure, all security personnel deployed on poll duty have been given a coronavirus kit which has a face mask, gloves, a face shield and sanitisers.
He said special security arrangements have been made for the Naxal-affected areas.
Most of the state's Naxal-hit areas are going to polls in the first phase, he said.
The administration will keep an aerial vigil also and one helicopter will be used for the purpose, he said.
Announcing the election schedule for the 243-member assembly on September 25, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had said that polls will open as usual at 7 am but the voting hour will be extended by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Left Wing Extremism affected areas, so that COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day.
"Bihar assembly polls will be one of the biggest elections globally to be held during prevailing COVID-19 situation," Arora had said. -- PTI
Of the nearly 2.15 crore electors eligible to exercise the franchise, 1.12 crore are male, 1.01 crore female and 599 are categorised as third gender, according to data provided by the Election Commission.
Guidelines have been issued by the Commission for safe conduct of the electoral exercise in the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
These guidelines include lowering the maximum number of voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and extending postal ballot facility for those above 80.
Besides, sanitisation of electronic voting machines, wearing of masks and other protective gear by polling personnel and the availability of thermal scanner, hand sanitiser, soap and water has also to be ensured at polling stations.
The candidates in the fray in the first phase include 952 men and 114 women.
As many as 33 of the constituencies going to polls in the first phase have been declared as 'sensitive or hypersensitive' constituencies, the poll panel said.
It said 31,371 polling stations have been set up in this phase and as many Electronic Voting Machines and Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be used.
Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar told PTI-Bhasha that security forces have been deployed in adequate strength at all polling stations and the buildings housing them.
The local police has also been used to supplement the paramilitary forces wherever required, he said, adding the services of home guard jawans will also be taken at polling stations for works like maintaining the queue.
He said that as a precautionary measure, all security personnel deployed on poll duty have been given a coronavirus kit which has a face mask, gloves, a face shield and sanitisers.
He said special security arrangements have been made for the Naxal-affected areas.
Most of the state's Naxal-hit areas are going to polls in the first phase, he said.
The administration will keep an aerial vigil also and one helicopter will be used for the purpose, he said.
Announcing the election schedule for the 243-member assembly on September 25, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had said that polls will open as usual at 7 am but the voting hour will be extended by one hour until 6 pm, except in the Left Wing Extremism affected areas, so that COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day.
"Bihar assembly polls will be one of the biggest elections globally to be held during prevailing COVID-19 situation," Arora had said. -- PTI
00:11 Europe's Covid deaths rise by nearly 40%: WHO
Europe's daily Covid deaths rose by nearly 40 per cent compared with the previous week, the World Health Organization has said.
WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said France, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and Russia accounted for the majority of cases which increased by a third.
"The concern... is that intensive care units in hospitals are now beginning to fill with very ill people," she warned.
Russia reported a daily record of 320 deaths, pushing the tally to 26,589.
There has been a sharp increase in Italy too, with 221 fatalities announced in the past 24 hours. The total number of fatalities in Austria went above 1,000 on Tuesday.
Russia has the world's fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases after the US, India and Brazil. It recorded another 16,550 infections on Tuesday alone and authorities have now made the wearing of face masks compulsory in all crowded places.
While infections surged in Italy too, to almost 22,000 in the past 24 hours, officials said testing had also been ramped up.
She said daily cases rose by a third compared with the previous week, while daily deaths increased by "close to 40%".
"Despite better management of hospital capacity, hospitals in several countries are filling up fast," she warned.
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