LIVE! Fire at South Mumbai highrise, 8 rescued

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Wed, 05 February 2020

Fire at South Mumbai highrise, 8 rescued

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23:23 Fire at South Mumbai highrise, 8 rescued

A fire broke out on Wednesday evening on the fifth floor of a 15-storey residential building in the posh Malabar Hill area in south Mumbai, officials said.

Eight persons -- five men and three women -- were rescued from the building and there were no reports of casualties, they added.

A civic official said the fire erupted on the fifth floor of the Palma Building located near the famous Hanging Gardens around 7 pm.

Eight fire engines were rushed to the spot, he said.

Fire dousing and rescue operations were on till late in the evening, a fire brigade official said. -- PTI

A 35-year-old man was lynched while six of his friends were seriously injured on Wednesday in an attack by a group of villagers armed with sticks and stones amid rumours that a child-lifter gang was on the prowl in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, police said.

The victims, all hailing from Indore, had travelled to Baroli village, around 60 kms from Dhar, to recover money from some local labourers but were attacked by a mob this noon, district superintendent of police Aditya Pratap Singh said.

He said the labourers allegedly spread rumours that the seven men were child-lifters, apparently to avoid returning the money they had taken as advance from one of the victims.

Villagers stoned the victims, set one of their cars on fire and damaged another one, the SP said.

"One of the victims, Vinod Mukati, had hired five labourers from the village for some work and had paid them Rs 50,000 each as advance. The labourers had initially travelled to Indore but returned to Baroli in Dhar district without doing their job," Singh added.

He said when the victims reached Baroli to recover the money, the labourers allegedly spread rumours that they were child lifters, following which they were attacked.

While Ganesh Patel was killed in the attack, Mukati and five others were grievously injured, the officer said, adding they were rushed to a hospital in Indore.

A case has been registered against more than 12 unidentified persons, he said, adding that no arrest is made so far. -- PTI

22:53 UP, TN to be defence manufacturing hubs: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said two grand defence manufacturing corridors were being built in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to help the defence sector as well as other smaller businesses in the regions.

"Two grand defence corridors are being built today here in India. One is in Tamil Nadu, while the second is being built in Uttar Pradesh. This will not only help the defence sector but other smaller businesses in the regions as well," said Prime Minister here at the Defence Expo 2020.

Stressing on India's future plan to strengthen defence sector, he said at least 25 products associated with artificial intelligence in the defence sector will be developed in the next 5 years.

He said aspirations and abilities of 21st century India are being well-portrayed at this Expo.

The Prime Minister said India is targetting to export defence of Rs 35,000 crore in next five years.

"In 2014, the export of defence of India was about Rs 2000 crore. In the last 2 years, India has exported defence worth Rs 17,000 crore. In the next 5 years, we're targeting to take the number to Rs 35,000 crore," he said.

"Till 2014, only 217 defence licenses were issued. In the last 5 years, this number has grown to 460," the Prime Minister added.

He asserted that India is building several defence types of equipment like artillery guns, aircraft carriers, submarines, light-combat aircraft, and combat helicopters.

"People who understand economy and defence know that India is not just a market, but a huge opportunity as well," he said.

Underlining that several changes have been made in the offset sector and guidelines have been made more flexible, Modi said: "These changes would help the Indian industry take a bigger role in the world supply chain. World's top defence manufacturers will now get more competitive Indian partners.

"The Prime Minister also said that the "wrong use of technology, terrorism and cyber threats" are big hurdles for the entire world. -- PTI

22:06 EC censures cop over Shaheen shooter-AAP link

Taking a strong view of Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Deo sharing with the media investigation details that linked Shaheen Bagh shooter to the Aam Aadmi Party, the Election Commission on Wednesday said his statement was 'totally uncalled for' and barred him from election duty.

The EC said Deo's conduct has 'consequences' on holding 'free and fair elections'.

On Tuesday, Deo told reporters that Kapil Baisala, who had opened fired at Shaheen Bagh on Saturday, was an AAP member.

This prompted the AAP to approach the poll body against the police officer. -- PTI

21:47 Stones pelted at UP bus carrying Ravish Kumar

Unidentified people pelted stones at an Uttar Pradesh government bus, injuring a passenger, police said in Gorakhpur on Wednesday.

Ramon Magsaysay award-winning journalist Ravish Kumar was among those on the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus that was attacked while passing through the Kusmhi jungle area on Tuesday night.

The Cantonment police registered a first information report at about 1 am Wednesday on the basis of a complaint filed by bus driver Awadh Bihari.

SHO Ravi Kant said a glass pane was broken and a person injured.

The driver transferred all passengers to another bus after first aid was given to the injured passenger.

"Police have launched an investigation and are going through CCTV footage," he added.

NDTV India journalist Ravish Kumar later posted pictures of the bus on Facebook.

He claimed many passengers called the 112 helpline but there was no response.

He then rang up Gorakhpur's Senior Superintendent of Police, whose public relations officer took the call. The police then reached the spot.

Gorakhpur SSP Sunil Kumar Gupta said the driver didn't stop the bus when it was attacked and was not able to say anything about the assailants.

The motive for the attack can only be found after an investigation, he said.

"The probe has been initiated and no culprit will be spared." -- PTI

21:03 Prez rejects mercy plea of Nirbhaya convict

JUST IN: President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected the mercy petition of Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the four men facing the gallows in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, Home Ministry officials said on Wednesday.

Singh filed the mercy petition before the president a few days ago.

The President has rejected Singh's mercy plea, an official said.

Kovind has already rejected the clemency petition of two other accused in the case Mukesh Singh and Vinay Kumar Sharma. -- PTI

Two persons, including a two- year-old boy, were admitted to a hospital in Indore on Wednesday for possible exposure to novel coronavirus, an official said.

According to the official, both of them had recently returned to India from different cities in China, where the deadly infection has so far claimed the lives of 490 people.

"A 19-year-old man and a two-year-old boy were admitted to the isolation ward of the Maharaja Yeshwantrao Holkar Hospital on Wednesday morning for suspected coronavirus infection," P S Thakur, superintendent of the government-run hospital, said.

They were hospitalised as a precautionary measure and their swabs and blood samples were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV), he added.

The two-year-old boy had returned from Shanghai with his parents on February 1, Thakur said, adding that as coronavirus symptoms were not found in his parents, their swab and blood samples have not been sent for analysis so far as per the directives. -- PTI

20:12 AI cancels ticket of Kunal Kamra's namesake

Air India mistakenly cancelled the ticket of a Boston-based man, namesake of comedian Kunal Kamra, on its Jaipur-Mumbai flight of February 3, according to senior officials.

However, he was reissued the ticket and allowed to board the flight once the airline staff at the Jaipur airport realised that he is not the comedian who is on the no-fly list of four airlines, including Air India, the officials said.

Kamra was banned by IndiGo for six months on January 28 for allegedly harassing Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami on its Mumbai-Lucknow flight.

As Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri advised other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the comedian, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India imposed a similar ban on him without specifying any period.

When asked about the February 3 incident, an Air India spokesperson on Wednesday said, "Comedian Kunal Kamra is banned to board in Air India. It's mentioned in our system that's why his (man's) name was automatically rejected. But after verification of all the credentials of the pax, we allowed him to board the flight."

On the matter of banning comedian Kamra from flying, two airlines of the Tata group -- Vistara and AirAsia India -- have stated that they are 'reviewing' the matter. -- PTI

20:08 Delivery of S-400s to begin by end of 2021

Russia will begin the delivery of the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021 and there will be no delay in execution of the project, a top Russian official said on Wednesday.

In October 2018, India had signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite United States sanctions.

Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around $800 million to Russia for the missile systems.

"The S400 deal is being implemented as per the original schedule. First delivery of the systems will start by the end of 2021. We will fulfil our delivery commitments," Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, told PTI on the sidelines of the DefExpo in Lucknow.

"The defence cooperation between the two countries is very robust. We are committed to boost it further," Drozhzhov said.

The 'Triumf' interceptor-based missile system can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

Another official said Russia has started production of the S-400 missile systems for India and all the five units will be delivered by 2025.

The US had imposed sanctions on Russia under the stringent Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The law also provides for punitive action against countries purchasing defence hardware from Russia. -- PTI

There is no proposal under consideration to absorb Air India employees in any other government department after the airline's disinvestment, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday.

The central government on January 27 issued a preliminary information memorandum (PIM), initiating the process to divest its entire stake in the national air carrier.

'Presently, there is no proposal under consideration for absorption of employees of Air India in any other department post disinvestment,' Puri said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. -- PTI

18:32 EC imposes additional 24-hr ban on BJP's Verma

JUST IN: Election Commission bars Bharatiya Janata Party MP Parvesh Verma for holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews for 24 hours over his statement against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a news channel.

He was earlier banned for 96 hrs as well. -- ANI

18:25 Chinmayanand released from Shahjahanpur jail

Former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand was released from Shahjahanpur prison on Wednesday, two days after being granted bail in the case of sexual abuse against a law student.

Chinmayanand, 72, walked out of the district jail after the completion of legal formalities, prison superintendent Rakesh Kumar told PTI.

The Allahabad high court had granted him bail on Monday. But he was not released earlier as the bail papers had not reached the jail.

While granting him bail, the high court also transferred Chinmayanand's trial from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow. -- PTI

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was undergoing treatment for a stomach infection at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, was discharged on Wednesday, hospital authorities said.

Gandhi was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening.

'She has recovered from stomach infection and was discharged today morning. Her condition was stable at the time of discharge,' Dr D S Rana, the chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said in a medical bulletin.

The Congress chief did not attend the Union Budget presentation in Parliament on Saturday. -- PTI

Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party government as it hosts the DefExpo in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday pulled out a video clip that showed Indian Air Force planes performing touchdowns on an expressway built when he was chief minister.

Posting the clip on Twitter, Yadav said his own state government had laid a 'concrete path for the country's defence'.

The video showed fighter aircraft using a stretch of the Agra-Lucknow expressway as an emergency runway. A caption described the 3.3 km stretch as the country's first 'road runway'.

'No, you are mistaken. This is not a sight from Lucknow's DefenceExpo,' the former chief minister tweeted in Hindi.

'But it's a view from the day when the Samajwadi government gave people a top-class transportation facility and along with it prepared a concrete path for the country's defence,' he added.

A day earlier, Yadav had tweeted a picture of the Gomti riverfront developed during the Samajwadi Party government's term.

'This is not somewhere abroad, but Lucknow,' he tweeted.

The five-day DefenceExpo-2020 will showcase defence equipment manufactured by firms across the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on Wednesday. -- PTI

17:33 Nirbhaya verdict: Centre, Delhi govt move SC

The Centre and the Delhi government moved the Supreme Court Wednesday challenging the rejection of their plea by the Delhi high court against the trial court's order staying the execution of four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

Hours after the high court verdict, the Centre and the Delhi government filed an appeal challenging it in the apex court.

The high court said all the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case have to be executed together, not separately, and faulted the authorities concerned for not taking steps for issuance of death warrant after rejection of appeals of the convicts by the Supreme Court in 2017.

The trial court had on January 31 stayed 'till further orders' execution of the four convicts in the case -- Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Kumar Sharma, 26, and Akshay Kumar, 31, who are lodged in Tihar Jail. -- PTI

Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi on Wednesday said she will be happy only on the day when convicts in the 2012 gang-rape and murder case are hanged, shortly after the Delhi High Court gave a week's time to the four for exhaustion of all legal remedies.

"I am satisfied but I will be happy only on the day when the convicts will be hanged. The court has given them a week's time, we will wait till then. This was the government's appeal and the government will think over it how early could they be hanged," she said.

A 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16 and 17, 2012 inside a moving bus in South Delhi by six men before being thrown out on the road.

On Wednesday, the high court said all the four convicts have to be executed together, not separately, and dismissed the Centre's plea against the trial court's order staying the execution of their death sentence.

It also faulted the authorities concerned for not taking steps for issuance of death warrant after the rejection of appeals of the accused by the Supreme Court in 2017.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait directed the convicts to exhaust within seven days all the remedies available to them after which the authorities should act as per law. The high court, however, said, "It cannot be disputed that the convicts have frustrated the process by using delaying tactics." -- PTI

16:35 Ram temple trust to have office in Delhi's GK

The Union home ministry on Wednesday said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the newly-created trust for the construction of a Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, will have its office in Delhi's Greater Kailash locality.

In a notification, the ministry also said the Uttar Pradesh government had already issued the allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for construction of a mosque, as directed by the Supreme Court.

A trust named "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra" was registered with its registered office at R-20, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi 110048, the notification said. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Lok Sabha that the Union cabinet had given its approval for the constitution of a trust for the construction of the Ram temple. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the trust will have 15 members, including one from the Dalit community. -- PTI

Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said it would be incorrect to link the decision of the Union Cabinet to form an independent trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya with the Delhi Assembly polls.

"This is the decision taken for the temple in Ayodhya. Nothing to do with Delhi. The whole country is not under elections. Let us not confuse the situation," he told reporters at the briefing of decisions taken by the Union Cabinet.

He was asked why the decision was announced on Wednesday and not on Sunday after the Delhi elections. The Supreme Court had directed the government to form the trust within three months and the deadline was ending on February 9.

Asked whether the Election Commission's nod was taken before the Cabinet decision on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, Javadekar said "It is a Supreme Court order. So I think Supreme Court by name is supreme."

He refused to entertain questions on the opposition questioning the timing of the decision, stating that he would not say anything from a government platform. He said questions regarding the trust would be answered by Home Minister Amit Shah. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Union Cabinet's approval of formation of a trust to construct a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Modi announced in the Lok Sabha the formation of a trust to construct the temple, as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year.

Thackeray said the apex court had given a historic decision on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. "It was mandatory for the government to implement the decision. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking steps to implement the court's decision," Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut tweeted Thackeray as saying.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis also hailed the Centre's announcement as "historic". "The wait for a grand temple of Lord Ram will be over soon," he tweeted.

A permanent provision that one of the 15 trustees will be from the SC (scheduled caste) community shows the inclusive approach of the BJP led government, he said. -- PTI

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case were misusing the law to delay their hanging and that the judgement should be implemented at the earliest.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentences in the case and mercy petitions of convicts had been rejected by President Ram Nath Kovind.

"The way the convicts are misusing the law to stop that (sentence), it is unfortunate. This is not right," he said.

He said the government had gone to the Delhi High Court against the lower court order.

"We are very firm. Nirbhaya, who was the daughter of this country, should get justice. The death sentence should be carried out at the earliest," he said.

The Centre had moved the Delhi High Court challenging the Patiala House court order, which stayed the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. A single-judge Bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait had on Sunday reserved the order in the matter after hearing arguments from all the parties.

The execution of the four convicts -- Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma -- was earlier scheduled to take place on February, 1.

2012 Delhi gang-rape case: The Delhi High Court observes that Delhi prison rules do not state that if mercy petition of one convict is pending, the execution of the other convicts can take place.

In effect, the court said that no separate hanging can take place for the Nirbhaya convicts; their execution has to take place together.

The court has set a period of seven days within which all the convicts have to exercise all legal remedies. After one week, the proceedings against them for the execution of death warrant will be initiated.

15:01 Govt in discussion with states on NPR, CAA

The Central Government is in discussion with the States having concerns in regard to the preparation of the National Population Register (NPR) and implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), said Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs on Wednesday.

On the State Assemblies who have passed resolutions against the updation of NPR and CAA, MoS Home Affairs informed the parliament: "The Central Government has received resolutions adopted by Legislative Assemblies of certain States such as Rajasthan. State Government of Kerala has also filed an original suit in the Honourable Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution of India,""The Government is in discussion with the states having concerns in regard to the preparation of NPR and implementation of CAA," he added. -- ANI

The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board on Wednesday said that had the 5 acres of land allotted for the Sunni Central Waqf Board been given to them, they would have constructed a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Earlier, the state government allotted 5 acres of land in Ayodhya district to the Sunni Central Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court.

The land is in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters, state government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said.

"Had the Shia Waqf board got the land, it would have constructed another Ram temple there," chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi said here. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community.

14:36 PM will use budget to sack Sitharaman: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to use the "useless" budget presented by a "clueless" Nirmala Sitharaman to dump the entire blame on her and sack her.

"Dear PM, The economy has imploded and you must be racking your brains on how to avoid the blame. Use the useless budget presented by clueless Nirmalaji. Sack her and dump the entire blame on her. Problem solved," he said on Twitter.

Gandhi has been blaming the prime minister for the state of the economy, often accusing him of destroying it through his policies including demonetisation and GST. He has also been criticising the budget presented by Finance Minister Sitharaman, saying there was no strategic idea or anything concrete in it. -- PTI

Pregnant women who are poor, and have lower access to education and employment are more likely to experience a child's death at delivery, according to a study which mapped global patterns of stillbirth rates.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, noted that 2.6 million stillbirths happen worldwide annually, a number that has remained high despite reduction in neonatal, and under-five mortality rates.

"Our research offers a better understanding of where stillbirth rates are higher, and what the social causes underlying stillbirths are, not just taking into account the medical factors as most studies do," said Nazeem Muhajarine, from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in Canada.

According to the computer model developed by the researchers, stillbirths are more likely in countries where gender inequality is high -- where women face financial hurdles, and have less access to education and employment opportunities compared to men.

Assessing data from 194 countries, the model showed which social causes in addition to gender inequality have a potential link to stillbirth rates worldwide.

The researchers found that stillbirth rates are more likely in countries where pregnant women have higher rates of iron deficiency, limited pre-birth healthcare, and lack of access to skilled health professionals like nurses, midwives, or doctors. -- PTI

Dharm Das Maharaj of the Akhil Bhartiya Panch Ramanandi Nirmani Ani Akhara on Wednesday expressed happiness over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of the formation of Ayodhya temple trust and exuded confidence that soon the work of the temple construction could be started.

"I am happy that the announcement of trust has been made. Our country runs on laws. The trust should have been formed last month. While the world is happy that we have got success," he said while speaking to ANI.

Mahant Dinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara also spoke to ANI on the same and said, "While the world got united for the construction of the Ram Temple. Lord Ram has fulfilled all our wishes. We all are one now its good that the announcement of trust has been made."

Chief Priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Acharya Satyendra Das also commented on the temple trust announcement and said, "Trust should have been formed a couple of months ago. Unless the trust is constituted, the temple cannot be built. I am happy that our wishes have been fulfilled."

-- ANI

Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Wednesday said that Chinese and Pakistani grapplers won't face any problem in getting visas for the Asian Championships to be held in New Delhi from February 18 to 23.

At a time when India has suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers in the wake of the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, that killed more than 490 people and infected more than 24,000, the WFI chief claimed that a 40-member contingent from China had been quarantined by their national federation.

"All 40 Chinese wrestlers have been checked and none of them have tested positive for the virus. They have been quarantined," Brij Bhushan said.

Brij Bhushan, who is a ruling BJP MP, also said he has apprised Foreign Minister S Jaishankar about visa issues of Pakistani grapplers and has also submitted the world body, UWW's letter on the issue.

"The UWW had written to us that no problems in visa should be there for any country. Today, I met the Foreign Minister and briefed him on the issue. I have attached a copy of that letter also," he said. "No problem should be there for both the countries in getting visas." -- PTI

Image: A woman wearing a protective mask stands in the empty luggage collection hall at the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the coronavirus.

13:19 A Kashmiri success story you MUST read!

"Kashmiris have always been prepared for the worst. Whatever we have been facing for the last 50 years has made us strong as a community. People always find ways to fight back and rise again,.

"If monetary goal is the only thing you are looking for, then Kashmir is certainly not the right place. You have to have love for the land and the people.

"Survival is the basic challenge for a businessman in Kashmir. There could be an indefinite shutdown anytime. I make the most of each normal day that comes. You never know whether it will be the same tomorrow or not."

This is the story of Javid Parsa, who defied odds to become the owner of Kashmir's only restaurant chain. In conversation with Rediff.com's Archana Masih.

13:11 Jai Shree Ram chants in LS after PM's speech

The moment Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party MPs greeted him with "Jai Shree Ram" chants making it evident that it is the announcement of Ram Mandir Trust formation, paving way for the temple construction, for which the Prime Minister had come in the house.

The MPs were waiting in anticipation as the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha late last night asked them to be present in the house as the prime minister was scheduled to make an important statement.

Wearing a saffron muffler, the Prime Minister stood from his seat while declaring that the cabinet has decided to form 'Shree Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra', trust to take a decision on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as mandated by the Supreme Court in its decision.

"The trust will be autonomous and independent to take decisions on issues related to renovation and construction of Ram temple. We have spoken to the Uttar Pradesh government and five-acre land will be given to Sunni Wakf Board," said Prime Minister Modi as the BJP MPs again raised slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram'.

While there were wide smiles all across the treasury benches, the opposition was seemingly found wanting for a reaction even when the Prime Minister asked for unanimous support to the decision from the members of the house. The hall was filled with slogans of Jai Shree Ram.

Sitting a row behind the Union home minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Mahendra Nath Pandey raised both their hands while chanting Jai Shree Ram in the middle of PM's speech, to show their support for the decision that will eventually lead to the construction of Ram temple.

Lallu Singh, Member of Parliament from Ayodhya could be seen chanting Jai Shree Ram with both hands in the air as he came out to express his happiness over the decision.

BJP chief JP Nadda was also present in the Lok sabha viewers gallery to witness the historic statement being made by the prime minister.

The construction of a grand Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi has been an important issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it has been on the manifesto of the party for over two decades. -- PTI

Replying to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that his government was working for every Indian, senior TMC leader Derek O'Brien on Wednesday said "Today is not April 1".

The prime minister's office had tweeted, "We are all members of one family. This is the ethos of India. We want every Indian to be happy and healthy. Guided by 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas' we are working for the welfare of every Indian." Replying, O'Brien also tagged the PMO's post. April 1 is also known as April Fool's Day. -- PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that there will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra', which would oversee the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, nearly three months after the Supreme Court ruling in the decades-old case."

According to the order of the Supreme Court on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, today the Government of India has taken a historic decision to form a trust in the name of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, showing its commitment towards the construction of the grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya," Shah tweeted.

Shah stated that today is a day of great joy and pride for the whole country.

"There will be 15 trustees in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, of which one will always be from Dalit community. For such an unprecedented decision that strengthens social harmony, I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Shah tweeted.

According to sources, no one from BJP will be there in the trust. -- ANI

Nationalist Congress Party leader Majeed Memon on Wednesday said that with the introduction of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the central government is trying to divert the attention of public from the major issues such as unemployment and farmer's issue.

"In Maharashtra, Udhhav Thackerayji had made it clear that it will not be implemented in Maharashtra. He believes there are no benefits from it and such a thing will create a divide in society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are taking such controversial steps in order to divert the attention of the people from real issues such as agricultural crisis and farmers' issues."

The NCP leader also commented on the Shaheen Bagh shooter Kapil Gujjar joining Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saying, "This is nothing but electoral tactics as the Delhi assembly elections are around the corner."Election to the 70-member Assembly in Delhi will be held on February 8, while the results will be declared on February 11. (ANI)

12:42 1 CRPF jawan killed in encounter in Srinagar

Terrorists attack a checkpost in Parim Pora, Srinagar. One CPRF jawan has lost his life, while two terrorists were killed.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday criticised the Centre's decision to transfer probe into the 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) without taking the state government into confidence.

In the third and concluding part of his interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray also accused the BJP of "betraying" him and said his 'hindutva' ideology was different from that the BJP as he did not want an unstable 'Hindu Rashtra' where governments are toppled and there is communal tension. To a question, he said the (Supreme Court's) decision on Ram temple was according to the Constitution.

He also said the future of his Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress,was "good". NCP chief Sharad Pawar was the MVA government's "guide" and not remote controlling it, he said, adding that he will visit Delhi soon to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Referring to the Koregaon Bhima violence case, Thackeray said the Centre has all rights to step into the probe, but it should have taken the state government into confidence before handing over the investigation to NIA.

"I was surprised by the Centre's decision. Doesn't the Centre trust the state's investigating agencies. Due to such incidents, there is a problem in Centre-state relations," he said while speaking to Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut. Thackeray said the probe in the case was handed over to NIA when Pawar was demanding an inquiry into it by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). -- PTI

Image: File pic of the protests at Bhima Koregaon in 2018.

A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath mocked Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for chanting Hanuman Chalisa, the latter said that he expects people in BJP also to do the same.Replying to a question on his reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, Kejriwal told ANI,

"It was a coincidence. There was an interview going on. He (the interviewer) said that BJP members were saying that I am anti-Hindu. I replied that I help senior citizens to seek blessings at Vaishno Devi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Shirdi, Tirupati, then how am I anti-Hindu? I am a staunch believer of Lord Hanuman."

He added, "When I said this, he asked whether I know Hanuman Chalisa. So, I replied yes and he asked me to recite it. BJP has a problem with this too."

Addressing a rally in Delhi, Yogi Adityanath had on Tuesday said that after Kejriwal, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi will also start chanting Hanuman Chalisa.

When asked about this, Kejriwal replied, "I expect the BJP members also to read it (Hanuman Chalisa). I don't think, those from BJP would have read Hanuman Chalisa in their entire life." -- ANI

12:16 No NRC in Maharashtra, promises Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act, but asserted his government will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens to be implemented as it would "impact people of all religions".

Throwing out Bangladeshi and Pakistani migrants out of the country was an old demand of the Shiv Sena, the chief minister said in the third and concluding part of his interview to party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"I can confidentally say the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country. But, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going to impact Hindus as well," the Sena president said. India has the right to knowthe number of minorities from neighbouring nations who applied for Indian citizenship after being persecuted in their home countries, he said. "When they come here, will they get homes under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana'? What about employment and education of their children? All these issues are important and we have the right to know," hesaid in the interview to Saamana's executive editor and Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

"As chief minister, I should know where will these people be relocated in my state. Our own people don't have adequate housing. Will these people go to Delhi, Bengaluru or Kashmir, since Article 370 is now scrapped?" he wondered.

Several Kashmiri Pandit families are staying like refugees in their own country. The CAA is not to throw citizens out of the country, Thackeray said.

"However, the NRC will impact Hindus and Muslims and the state government will not allow it to be implemented," he asserted. Under the NRC, all citizens will have to prove their citizenship. In Assam, 19 lakh people could not prove their citizenship. Of these, 14 lakh are Hindus, Thackeray claimed.

India's services sector activity surged to a seven-year high in January driven by sharp increase in new business orders, leading to job creation and business optimism amid favourable market conditions, a monthly survey said on Wednesday.

The IHS Markit India Services Business Activity Index rose from 53.3 in December to 55.5 in January, signalling the strongest upturn in output in seven years.

"The Indian service sector sprung to life at the start of 2020, defying expectations of fragility and building on to the momentum gained at the end of 2019," said Pollyanna de Lima, Principal Economist at IHS Markit. New work intakes also expanded to the greatest extent in seven years. Fresh business orders were mainly generated domestically, as exports decreased at the start of the year.

A number of panellists mentioned weaker demand from China, Europe and the US.

"With business revenues rising, service providers continued to increase capacity to meet further strong growth in sales. This is good news for jobseekers, particularly when we consider the results from the manufacturing industry which showed the steepest upturn in employment since August 2012," Lima said.

Meanwhile, the Composite PMI Output Index that maps both the manufacturing and services sector increased from 53.7 in December to a seven-year high of 56.3 in January. -- PTI

IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders has denied any financial dealings with the controversial Rose Valley Group except for it being a sponsor of the side's official jerseys in 2012 and 2013. KKR issued the clarification after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rose Valley's assets worth over Rs 70 crore on Monday. The attached assets include Rs 11.87 crore bank deposits of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd, that owns KKR, in connection with a money laundering probe. The franchise said it hopes for the matter to be resolved expeditiously.

The Aam Aadmi Party's Rajinder Nagar candidate Raghav Chadha has been getting a lot of attention of late, not just because of the imminent Assembly polls in the national capital. The 31-year-old chartered accountant, a bachelor, seems to be so popular with women voters that he has been inundated with marriage proposals from many of them.

Chadha has received at least 12 marriage proposals on social media in the last 15 days, according to his social media team. "Recently, a woman tagged him on Twitter, asking him to marry her. Chadha said the economy was not doing good so it was not the right time to get married," his social media manager said.

Chadha's Instagram account is also replete with messages from his women fans, he said. "Women from across the country have expressed their interest in him. We usually don't respond to such messages. If the women are from Delhi, we ask them to vote for him," he said.

Though Chadha is not new to this kind of attention, the number of such proposals have surged because his social media activity has increased due to the elections, the social media manager said.

"When he went to a school for a meeting recently, a teacher said 'If I had a daughter, I would have got her married to you'," another member of his team recalled. Chadha doesn't really like to talk about the proposals and is a bit shy, a woman member of the team said. The AAP's face on prime-time TV debates, Chadha is contesting his first assembly election. He had last year unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from South Delhi. This time, he is pitted against BJP veteran R P Singh, an advertising professional from the same neighbourhood, and Congress's Rocky Tuseed, 25, the youngest candidate in this election. -- PTI

11:19 Govt forms Ram Temple trust for Ayodhya: PM

PM Modi speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Ram temple, announced that the Union Cabinet has decided to set up a trust for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra," the PM said, amid cheers from the ruling party.

"In India, be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Parsi or Jain, everyone is a part of one family. Development must take place for every member of the family. Our govt is moving forward with 'sabka sath sabka vikas' policy so that everyone is happy," the PM added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the BJP is using Delhi Police against his party, a day after cops said that the Shaheen Bagh shooter has links with the AAP, and called for strict punishment to the accused.

"BJP is left with nothing. They have nothing to counter the workers done by the AAP government in Delhi. All parties came together to beat Kejriwal. Later, they started saying Kejriwal is terrorist, traitor and anti-worker. It all did not work. So they started using the Delhi Police. Do we have the power to do such a thing (shooting)? Do we do such type of work?" Kejriwal told ANI.

"Kapil's family has said they have nothing to do with AAP. Anyone can get their pictures clicked with someone. I say he should get strict punishment. If he has any link with AAP, then he should be given harshest punishment. Forty-eight hours before polling, Amit Shah is using police to do such petty conspiracies. The entire country knows they are doing a political stunt," he said.

His remarks came after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police revealed that Kapil Gujjar is associated with the AAP, based on photographs recovered from his phone in which he and his father are seen with prominent leaders of the party.

The photos, recovered from Kapil's phone, show him and his father Gaje Singh with AAP leaders such as Atishi and Sanjay Singh and are allegedly from 2019 on the day when the father-son duo joined AAP.

However, Gaje Singh has denied links of his family with the AAP.

Earlier, CP Crime Branch, Delhi Police, Rajesh Deo said Kapil, at the beginning of the investigation, had disclosed the fact that he had joined AAP in 2019 but added that the influence of any politicians on Kapil would become clear only after further investigations.

Kapil, according to the official, had told the Crime Branch that he had brought the pistol almost seven years ago for celebratory firing during his brother's wedding. -- ANI

10:49 Felt anguished breaking up with BJP: Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that splitting with their decades-old ally Bharatiya Janata Party was a hurtful decision and Shiv Sena had stood like a mountain for BJP during the time of crisis.

"I am honestly saying that it was not a game. We were with the BJP from the past 25-30 years and it was not any sort of political compulsion. We have a relationship with Pramodji (Pramod Mahajan), Nitinji (Nitin Gadkari), Gopinathji (Gopinath Munde) and besides them Atalji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee). I was anguished while breaking up with them (BJP). This has hurt me a lot... During the time of crisis, our party stood like a mountain for them... there were attacks on Hindutva, we took it upon ourselves.. Why could not they stay united with the Shiv Sena?" he said in an interview with Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna.

When asked if there is any possibility of forming an alliance with the BJP in the future, Thackeray avoided a direct answer and said: "whatever I have done so far, I have done with an open heart.""When we were with the BJP, it was them who closed the doors. They stepped out of the door...They themselves closed the doors. I have clearly said a lot of times that we have wasted our 25 years by being in alliance with them (BJP)", stated the Shiv Sena chief.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also outlined that it was not only the Shiv Sena who have faced loss due to the alliance but also the BJP, whose tally has also come down from 122 in the 2014 assembly elections to 104 in 2019.

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party by winning 105 seats in the last Maharashtra Assembly polls while the Shiv Sena got 56 seats in the 288-member state Assembly. -- ANI

10:40 Why Pelosi tore up Trump's speech papers

The climax of Donald Trump's nearly one hour of speech at the State of Union address on Tuesday (local time) was not when the US President appeared to reject a handshake from Nancy Pelosi, instead the gathering was awe-struck when the House Speaker tore apart his written address saying she was trying to find "one page with truth on it."

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, ripped up her copy of President Trump's State of the Union address at the end of his speech.

Pelosi told Fox News that she did so because she couldn't find "one page with truth on it."

From colleague Marisa Schultz. Pelosi on ripping up Trump speech: "I tore it up. I was trying to find one page with truth on it. I couldn't," FOX News's Chad Pergram wrote on Twitter.

After ripping up Trump's State of the Union speech, Nancy Pelosi shared a photo from earlier in the night, in which the president appeared to reject her handshake.

"Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot," she tweeted.

Prior to delivering the annual address, Trump declined to shake hands with Pelosi after she offered it.

Trump's decision to shun Pelosi comes just one day ahead of his expected acquittal in Wednesday's Senate impeachment trial.

According to media reports, former American President Bill Clinton, who in 1999, also delivered a State of the Union while awaiting the results of his own impeachment trial, exchanged pleasantries and shook hands with then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illinois just before launching into his speech on the House floor.

Trump's State of the Union ended without a single mention of impeachment, marking a moment of restraint from the unpredictable president.

Trump, earlier on Tuesday, told reporters that he was "not bitter" about the impeachment and said his speech would be "extraordinarily low-key," although the several House Democrats who walked out of the speech would probably disagree with that. -- ANI

10:18 Nirbhaya: Order on convicts' hanging today

Delhi High Court will pass its order on Wednesday on a plea filed by the Central government and Tihar Jail authorities challenging Patiala House court order, which stayed the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case.

A single-judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait had on Sunday reserved the order in the matter after hearing arguments from all the parties.

During the hearing on Sunday, advocate AP Singh, who was appearing for convicts Pawan Gupta, Akshay Thakur, and Vinay Sharma, asked: "Why there was a hurry to execute the death sentence in this case only ... Justice hurried is justice buried."

"They (convicts) belong to rural areas and Dalit families. They come to Delhi and get implicated. Mukesh and Ram Singh are Dalits. Both are brothers who came from a rural part of Rajasthan. It is not the convicts' fault. They cannot be made to bear brunt of ambiguity in the law," Singh had said.

Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing on behalf of convict Mukesh, had said that the "Centre has sought the setting aside of the order of the Patiala House Court" when "an earlier Delhi High Court order has clearly said that any order of the trial court should be challenged in the Supreme Court only".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Centre, had alleged that the convicts were deliberately delaying the execution, adding that any delay in death sentence will have a dehumanising effect on the convicts.

A Delhi court last week stayed till further orders the execution of the four convicts -- Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma -- which was earlier scheduled to take place on February 1. -- ANI

Market benchmark Sensex jumped over 100 points in opening session on Wednesday tracking gains in index-heavyweights Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank amid firm recovery in global equities.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 115.08 points or 0.28 per cent higher at 40,904.46, and the broader NSE advanced 26.15 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 12,005.80. In the previous session, Sensex closed at 40,789.38, up 2.30 per cent or 917.07 points. This was the biggest single-day rise for the Sensex since September 23, 2019. Likewise, Nifty settled at 11,979.65, surging 2.32 per cent or 271.75 points.

Meanwhile, on a net basis, foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 366.21 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased shares worth Rs 601.86 crore on Tuesday, data available with stock exchanges showed. Mahindra and Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech and L&T were among the top gainers in the Sensex pack. While ITC, Infosys, Hero MotoCorp, Asian Paints, Titan, UltraTech Cement and HDFC were trading in the red.

According to analysts, markets were trading in the positive territory on the back of encouraging data points related to the domestic economy. Other factors like substantial fall in crude prices, a rise in Indian rupee and positive Asian markets also helped the market move higher, they added. -- PTI

Image: Bajaj Auto was among the top gainers in the Sensex pack.

Market benchmark Sensex jumped over 100 points in opening session on Wednesday tracking gains in index-heavyweights Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank amid firm recovery in global equities.

Image: Bajaj Auto was among the top gainers in the Sensex pack.

Ahead of the Delhi assembly polls, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's daughter Harshita Kejriwal criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party and asked whether it is terrorism, if her father taught her Bhagavad Gita.

"They say politics is dirty but it's a new low. Is it terrorism if health facilities are made free and brought to people? Is it terrorism if children are made educated? Is it terrorism if electricity and water supply are improved?" Harshita told ANI.

"My father has always been in social services. I still remember he used to wake us -- my brother, mother, grandparents and I -- up at 6 AM, make us read Bhagwad Gita and sing, 'Insaan se insaan ka ho bhaichara' song and teach us about it. Is this terrorism? Let them level allegations, let them bring 200 MPs and 11 Chief Ministers. Not only us, but two crore common people are also campaigning. They will show them on 11th February if they cast votes on the basis of allegations or the work done," she added.

Asked about Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath making fun of Kejriwal's illness, the Delhi chief minister's wife Sunita Kejriwal said, "I pray to God that he stays healthy. If this is his attitude, then he only will understand it. Don't know whether he is able to sleep at night after saying all this."

She also said that people have assured her that their vote will go to Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

"People are watching how allegations are being put on us. But they assure us that their vote will go only to 'jhaadu'. It is very disheartening to see that allegations are being put on a person who is working so hard," Sunita said.

"This is a democracy. Whoever the people elect, they have to govern. In the past five years, Arvind has traveled a lot to the 70 constituencies of Delhi. People are our family," she added.

She expressed disappointment with the allegation of some people from the opposition that Arvind Kejriwal is a terrorist or Maoist.

"Our concern is about his health. It is very sad that some people from the opposition party are leveling Arvind with tags of a terrorist. He is someone who has devoted his life to social service. People in politics should be mature and not make such statements," she said.

"The AAP has worked for the basic education and health services in Delhi in its first term. Further, we want to take Delhi to level 2 if given an opportunity again," she added.

The elections for the Delhi assembly will take place on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. -- ANI

Headed into the election year, United States President Donald Trump told lawmakers that in three years of his presidency, the US has moved forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago.

Making a strong pitch for his re-election and confident of his acquittal from impeachment, Trump, in his joint address to the US Congress told Congressmen that the American dream is back -- bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.

"Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results," he said as he listed his achievements of the three years and giving his vision for the next term.

Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East."

Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens."

Speaking about the US-China relationship, he said for decades, China has taken advantage of the US, "now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Days ago, we signed the ground breaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the US," he said.

Trump said that the US is coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China.

"My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat (coronavirus)," he said. -- PTI

Joint Action Committee, Shimoga, comprising of several organisations, on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register at Idgah Maidan in Shivamogga city.

Protesters said that they will continue their protest round the clock like the one in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, where agitation is going on for over 40 days now. They also held placards that read "Reject NRC, CAA and NPR".

"Sit-in protest like the one in Shaheen Bagh is now being held in every nook and corner of India. We will continue our protest 24x7 until the government withdraws the law and talks to us. We are not going to show papers to anyone," a protester said. -- ANI

As the coronavirus crisis continues to spread across the world, as many as 11,093 people have been screened at the Mumbai International Airport till February 3.

Out of those who were screened, 107 were from Maharashtra, including 21 who showed symptoms similar to coronavirus.

So far, 20 out of 21 patients have been tested negative for coronavirus in Mumbai's Kasturba hospital and Pune's Naidu hospital -- the two dedicated hospitals for suspected patients in the state.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, suspected patients in several states have been put under observation, including Kerala where nearly 2,421 of them are being monitored.

Meanwhile, other states have also been taking precautionary measures to meet any eventuality in view of the swift spread of the virus.

The virus originated in Wuhan in China's Hubei province in December and has since then spread to various parts of the world.

Like the previous two, the third confirmed coronavirus case in India is of a student who came back from Wuhan.

All three confirmed coronavirus cases are from Kerala.

Meanwhile, China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate. -- ANI

The death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak rose to 490 on Tuesday with the number of confirmed cases mounting to 24,324, Chinese health officials announced on Wednesday.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 490 people had died of the disease and 24,324 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions, China's National Health Commission reported.

It said 65 deaths were reported on Tuesday, all from Hubei province and its capital Wuhan.

Also 3,887 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported on Tuesday, it said.

Also on Tuesday, 431 patients became seriously ill, while 262 were discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission added that 3,219 patients remained in severe condition and 23,260 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 892 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery, it said.

Over 2.52 lakh who were in close contacts with patients had been traced with over 1.85 lakh others still under medical observation, it added.

By the end of Tuesday, 18 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), including one death, 10 in the Macao SAR and 11 in Taiwan, it said. -- PTI

00:40 Hong Kong reports first death from coronavirus

Hong Kong reported its first death from deadly coronavirus on Tuesday even as the death toll in China, the epicentre of the outbreak, surged past 400.

This is the second death due to the virus reported outside mainland China, the first one being reported in the Philippines.

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a 39-year old man, who had been to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus originated and returned to Hong Kong two days later, became the first to die in the city-state after being diagnosed with the virus.

The outlet citing hospital authorities reported that the patient died on Tuesday morning after his condition deteriorated.

The health authorities in the city-state have confirmed 15 cases of the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Nepal has banned the export of masks due to their shortage in the market in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the country's Health Ministry announced. -- ANI

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