LIVE! Delhi riots: No eyewitness, 17-yr old gets bail

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Sat, 21 November 2020

Delhi riots: No eyewitness, 17-yr old gets bail

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20:54 Delhi riots: No eyewitness, 17-yr old gets bail

A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to a 17-year-old student in a case related to the February communal violence in north east Delhi, saying there is no public eyewitness who has attributed his role in the matter.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat granted bail to the minor on furnishing of a bail bond of Rs 15,000 with one surety of like amount in the case related to rioting in the Welcome area of north east Delhi, during which a person, Sajid, suffered bullet injuries to his head.

The court said that the minor's disclosure statement carried no meaning and the statement of Constable Pushkar given on April 19 in which he identified the accused was not a strong piece of evidence.

'There is no public eyewitness who has attributed the role of the accused /applicant in the present case. Apart from a disclosure statement, which by itself carries no meaning, there is one statement of Constable Pushkar who identified the applicant/accused as one of the rioters in the incident of February 25, 2020.

'However, the statement by a police personnel, given only on April 19, 2020, for the incident of February 25, 2020, is not a strong piece of evidence,' it said in its order.

The court also noted that Sajid did not identify or name the accused in his statement.

It directed the 17-year-old student not to tamper with evidence or leave Delhi without its permission. During the hearing, advocate Abdul Gaffar, appearing for the accused, argued that he has been falsely implicated in the matter and was not even named in the FIR.

There is no credible evidence against the accused in the case, he said.

Additional Public Prosecutor Saleem Ahmad, appearing for the police, opposed the bail plea and said the minor was apprehended in another case related to the riot and in it, he disclosed about his involvement in the present case.

He said that the accused was also identified by Constable Pushkar.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. -- PTI

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday claimed that she was stopped by the police from visiting Rambiara Nalla in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

She claimed that sand extraction through 'illegal tenders' was being carried out in the area and lashed out at the administration alleging that Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into 'an open air prison'.

There was no response from the police to queries on Mehbooba's charges.

'I was stopped from visiting Rambiara Nalla today by local admin. This is where sand extraction through illegal tenders has been outsourced to outsiders & locals are barred from the area. Our land & resources are being plundered by GOI that has nothing but contempt for us (sic),' Mehbooba said on Twitter.

The PDP chief alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was 'brazenly violating' her rights and 'curbing' her movements under the 'guise' of security.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state said she would fight tooth and nail against the 'onslaught' on the rights and identity of the people.

Mufti on Saturday also accused the Centre of 'sabotaging' the participation of political parties other than the BJP in the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir by not allowing them to campaign freely.

Police have said the candidates were being provided collective security and put up in secure areas as deploying security personnel for every candidate was difficult. -- PTI

19:34 Shivakumar gets CBI summons in DA case

Congress Karnataka unit president D K Shivakumar on Saturday said he has received summons from the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with a disproportionate assets case, and he will be appearing before the investigating agency on November 25.

"It is true that the CBI has issued summons, on November 19. CBI officers had come to my house to issue summons, but we were not here as we were attending a personal event. Next day morning when I came home, they issued me summons," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said CBI has asked him to appear on November 23 at around 4 pm, but it will not be possible on that day as he along with Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah will be touring Maski and Basavakalyana assembly constituencies, where bypolls are likely to be announced soon.

"From tomorrow I will be touring Hospete (Ballari), Maski (Raichur), Basavakalyana (Bidar). I will be back on November 25. I have officially communicated that I can appear in the afternoon that day and have also spoken to CBI officials over phone and they have agreed to it," he added.

On November 19, Shivakumars daughter Aishwarya had got engaged to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader S M Krishna's grandson and the late Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha's son Amartya.

CBI on October 5 had conducted searches at 14 locations, including in Karnataka, Delhi and Mumbai at the premises linked to Shivakumar and others.

The investigating agency had said searches have led to recovery of Rs 57 lakh cash and several documents, including property documents, bank related information, computer hard disk etc, and the investigation is continuing.

The CBI had also registered a case against Shivakumar and his family members on the allegations of possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs 74.93 crore. -- PTI

The head of the Tibetan government in exile has visited the White House for the first time in six decades, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Saturday, a move that could further enrage Beijing, which has accused the United States of trying to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Dr Lobsang Sangay entered the United States White House on Friday -- a historic feat.

This is the first time in the last six decades the head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has been invited into the White House, the CTA said in a statement.

'It is a great honour to be the first political head of the Central Tibetan Administration to formally enter the White House,' Sangay said in a tweet.

'Today's visit amounts to an acknowledgement of both the democratic system of the CTA and its political head...

'This unprecedented meeting perhaps will set an optimistic tone for CTA participation with US officials and be more formalised in the coming years,' said the CTA, which is based in Dharamshala in India.

Sangay, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), was invited to the White House to meet the newly appointed US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Robert Destro, on Friday, it said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 15 named senior diplomat Destro as Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues, who, among other matters, would focus on advancing dialogue between the Communist government in China and the Dalai Lama.

Announcing Destro's appointment, Pompeo said it was consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act and he will lead the US efforts to promote dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives; protect the unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans; and press for their human rights to be respected.

China has criticised Destro's appointment, saying it amounted to political manipulation aimed at destabilising Tibet.

After Destro's appointment, Sangay met him and discussed the situation in Tibet.

Asked about the Destro-Sangay meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here last month: "Xizang's (Tibet's) affairs (are) purely China's internal affairs. No external forces shall interfere in them."

Unlike in the past, the Chinese officials in recent times have been referring to Tibet only as Xizang.

"Appointing the so-called special coordinator for Tibetan issues is a political move to interfere in China's internal affairs and sabotage Xizang's stability.

"It is China's consistent position we firmly oppose that and we will not acknowledge that. We have lodged stern representation to the US side," he said.

China firmly opposes any official exchanges between countries having diplomatic ties with China and Taiwan or signing any official documents, he said.

Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a splittist who is working with foreign forces to separate Tibet from China.

"Today, the House sent a strong message with the passage of resolutions calling for the end of China's human rights abuses.

"The House on a bipartisan basis will always fight for freedom of religion & culture in Tibet and for the rule of law in Hong Kong," US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted on Thursday.

In his address to a key meeting on Tibet in August, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a 'new modern socialist' Tibet, constructing an 'impregnable wall' against separatism in the sensitive Himalayan region and 'sinicisation' of the Tibetan Buddhism.

17:55 OPS announces AIADMK-BJP tie-up for TN polls

JUST IN: We will continue our alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, says O Panneerselvam, deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam coordinator, soon after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah who landed in Chennai on Saturday.

More details awaited. -- Agencies

Different farmers' organisations in Punjab, protesting the three Central farm laws, on Saturday announced to lift their rail blockade for passenger trains from November 23.

The decision to allow passenger trains in the state came after a meeting of representatives of farmer leaders with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who had invited them for talks in Chandigarh.

'Punjab farmers to completely lift their rail blockade from Monday (November 23) to allow all goods and passenger trains, in response to impassioned appeal by the chief minister at a meeting with Kisan Unions,' tweeted Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the Punjab chief minister.

Before meeting the chief minister, farmers' organisations held their own meeting to deliberate the rail blockade issue.

The farmers' organisation, that had resorted to 'rail roko' agitation from September 24 over the farm laws, had already agreed to allow goods trains to run in the state, besides clearing rail tracks and vacating platforms.

But the deadlock between the protesting farmers and the Railways continued over resumption of trains.

The farmers' bodies had maintained that they would consider allowing passenger trains to run in the state if the Centre starts running goods trains first.

However, the Railways had refused to resume goods trains, saying it would either operate both freight and passenger trains or none.

The Railways has maintained that it needs full guarantee from the state government that no trains will be disrupted and both passenger and freight trains would be allowed to operate.

The farmers' bodies were also under pressure from the industries which have seen a loss of about Rs 30,000 crore because of suspension of goods trains in the state.

Halting of goods trains has also hit the supplies of fertilizers for the agriculture sector, coal for thermal power plants and supply of gunny bags for paddy procurement. -- PTI

15:43 Shah walks on Chennai road to greet supporters

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sprang a surprise here when he virtually broke protocol to get out of his vehicle and walk on the busy GST Road outside the airport to greet supporters, minutes after he landed in Chennai for a two-day visit of the city.

Shah, who thanked the metropolis for its love, said it was 'great' to be in Tamil Nadu.

Shah is slated to attend a Tamil Nadu government event later in the day, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 67,000 crore, including phase II of Chennai Metrol Rail.

Soon after his arrival from Delhi, Shah was received by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam, senior cabinet members and Bharatiya Janata Party state president L Murugan among others, before proceeding to the city hotel where he will be put up.

However, after exiting the airport, Shah's car suddenly stopped and the BJP veteran got out, before walking a short distance, waving at scores of BJP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam workers who had gathered to receive him with their respective party flags.

Accompanied by BJP national general secretary and party in-charge of poll-bound Tamil Nadu, C T Ravi, and Murugan, with his security detail in tow, the home minister warmly waved at the overjoyed supporters who had thronged the airport since the morning.

A heavy security cover has been provided in the city following Shah's visit, during which he will meet state BJP functionaries and possibly discuss Tamil Nadu elections, due next April-May, before leaving on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, Shah took to Twitter to thank the city for its love and support.

'It is always great to be in Tamil Nadu. Thank you Chennai for this love and support,' he said in a tweet accompanying a video clip of his walk on GST Road.

Shad had earlier been in Chennai in Augsut 2019 to release a book on vice president M Venkaiah Naidu's two years in office then. -- PTI

15:03 NCB raids comedian Bharti Singh's house

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday conducted a search at the residence of comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh in Mumbai and recovered small quantity of cannabis from the place, an official said.

The search was conducted as part of the ongoing probe by the NCB into alleged drug use in the entertainment industry, he said.

"A team led by NCB's zonal director Sameer Wankhede carried out a search at Bharti Singh's residence at Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri based on specific information. A small quantity of cannabis was recovered from her place," the official said.

"Singh's name had cropped up during the interrogation of a drug peddler," he said.

The agency is also carrying out searches at two other locations in the metropolis, the official added.

Bharti Singh has appeared in many comedy and reality shows on TV.

She has also hosted a few such shows.

The NCB has been probing the alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June on the basis of WhatsApp chats involving drugs.

The central agency had earlier arrested Rajput's girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, some employees of the late filmstar and a few others under various sections of the NDPS Act.

Rhea Chakraborty and some other accused are currently out on bail. -- PTI

14:15 Maha may suspend trains, flights to Delhi

The Maharashtra government is toying with the idea of suspending train and flight operations to and from Delhi in view of the rising coronavirus cases in the national capital, a senior official said on Saturday.

This is one of the steps being considered by the state government to curb the spread of the virus, he said.

"Various measures are being discussed in order to curb the virus spread in the state, and suspension of train and flight operations to and from Delhi is one of them," Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar told PTI.

"However, no decision has been taken so far on this," he added.

Sources said that during a meeting held recently in Mumbai it was discussed that steps need to be taken to prevent the spread of infection from people entering Maharashtra from the states that have been witnessing a spike in the number of cases.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally on Friday went up to 17,68,695 with the addition of 5,640 cases during the day andthe death toll reached 46,511.

The national capital recorded 6,608 fresh coronavirus positive cases on Friday, taking the infection tally to over 5.17 lakh, while 118 more fatalities during the same period pushed the death toll to 8,159.

The National Centre for Disease Control, in a report drafted recently, had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared for about 15,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 per day taking into account the upcoming winter season-related respiratory problems, large influx of patients from outside and festive gatherings. -- PTI

A Delhi court on Saturday asked former Union minister M J Akbar and journalist Priya Ramani whether there was a chance of settlement between them in a criminal defamation complaint filed by him against her.

Akbar had filed the complaint against Ramani for allegedly defaming him by accusing him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist.

Ramani had said the allegations against Akbar, made in the wake of #MeToo movement in 2018, were her truth and were made in public good.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM)Ravindra Kumar Pandey posed the query on Saturday as he started hearing afresh the final arguments in the case since the previous judge hearing the matter was transferred to another court on Wednesday.

The court has asked both the parties to respond on the point of settlement and get back on November 24, the next to date of hearing. -- PTI

13:29 India to cut carbon footprint by 30-35%: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India has set a target of reducing the carbon footprint by 30 to 35 per cent.

He made the statement while addressing the convocation ceremony of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in Gandhinagar through video conference.

"Today, our country is moving ahead with the target of reducing the carbon footprint by 30 to 35 per cent. When I told this to the world, it expressed surprise and wondered if India can achieve it," he said.

"Efforts are on to increase the use of natural gas capacity four times during this decade, and work is also on to nearly double the oil refining capacity in the next five years," he said.

Modi also said that work is constantly going on to strengthen the start-ups in the energy sector, and a special fund has been allocated for the purpose.

"If you have any idea, product or a concept that you want to incubate, then this fund will be a good opportunity for you, and a gift from the government," he said.

"In the oil and gas sector alone, crores of rupees are going to be invested during this decade, so you have a lot of opportunities in this field," he added. -- PTI

A person was killed in a firing incident during the birthday celebrations of a man at the official residence of a Samajwadi Party MLC in the Hazratganj Kotwali area in Lucknow, police said on Saturday.

During the birthday celebrations of one Vinay Yadav at the government-allotted residence of SP MLC Amit Yadav on Friday night, Rakesh Rawat of Barabanki district suffered gunshot injuries, Deputy Commissioner of Police Somen Burma said.

He was rushed to a trauma centre where he succumbed to injuries, Burma said.

Four persons were taken into custody in connection with the incident and their interrogation is on, police said.

They said one Pankaj Singh told them that Rawat suffered gunshot injuries when a pistol went off accidentally.

However, during the preliminary investigation, the four taken into custody said Rawat had brought the pistol along with him and had given it to another youth, Vinay, who was checking it when it accidentally went off, police said.

But during the detailed investigation, it was found that the pistol belonged to Pankaj Singh and it went off during a playful scuffle between friends who had consumed beer, they said.

Police said they have recovered the pistol along with cartridges.

An FIR in the case is being lodged, they said. The incident took place in the government colony where houses are allotted to legislators, officers and journalists. -- PTI

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie has been sealed for two days after 33 trainees were found COVID-19 positive on Saturday.

"We have found 33 positive cases. The hostels, mess, administrative office, and the library have been sanitised," Sanjeev Chopra, academy director, told ANI.

The pathogen-affected hostels and other areas will remain sealed until November 30.

There are currently 428 trainee officers of the 95th Foundation Course of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFS), and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) at the academy campus.

Officers found infected have been quarantine and 150 people have been examined while the remaining staff was also investigated.

"A team from the Health Department has been sent to the academy campus from Dehradun. Medicines and other essentials have also been sent," Dr Ashish Srivastav, Dehradun District Magistrate, said. -- ANI

11:20 Soldier killed in Pak firing along LoC in J-K

A soldier of the Indian Army was killed on Saturday as Pakistani forces opened fire on forward posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The unprovoked firing from across the border in Lam area of Nowshera sector took place around 1 am, resulting in critical injuries to a havaldar, who died later, the officials said.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly to silence the Pakistani guns, and cross-border firing between the two sides continued for quite some time, they added. -- PTI

Schools for Classes 10 and 12 in Goa reopened on Saturday after being shut for nearly eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

The state government has asked the schools to strictly observe the COVID-19 standard operating procedures like thermal screening of students, hand sanitising, wearing of masks, social distancing in classrooms, they said.

The government had decided to allow the schools to reopen from November 21 onwards for Classes 10 and 12 in the initial phase.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the education portfolio, had announced on November 4 that all the COVID-19 safety protocols would have to be followed by these institutions.

Talking to PTI, a senior official of the state education department said, "Schools in Goa reopened on Saturday morning for Classes 10 and 12. The schools are adopting all the necessary SOPs to ensure that the classrooms

are safe. The managements were informed in advance so that they can be ready to resume the classes."

The education department had consulted all the stakeholders, including parents, teachers and managements before deciding to reopen schools, he said.

A senior office-bearer of a city-based school said, "We have installed thermal guns at the entry point of the school. We have made it mandatory for the students to sanitise their hands."

"The strength of classroom has been restricted, due to which we have to repeat the sessions. On the first day, the school attendance was thin as only half the students were asked to remain present," he said.

10:53 Pak court jails 2 more aides of Hafiz Saeed

A Pakistani court has jailed two more aides of Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed in a terror financing case.

The Anti-Terrorism Court of Lahore on Friday handed down six and five-and-a-half years of imprisonment to JuD leaders Muhammad Ashraf and Lucman Shah, respectively.

ATC Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them.

On Thursday, the 70-year-old JuD chief was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in two terror cases by ATC Lahore. Saeed's two close aides -- Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid -- were sentenced to 10 and a half years each, while his brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki was sentenced to six months of imprisonment in the same cases.

Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror financing cases.

The JuD chief is lodged at Lahore's high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.

Saeed is wanted in India for planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks when 10 Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds others.

Paris-based global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is instrumental in pushing Pakistan to take measures against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and using its territory to carry out attacks in India.

A total of 41 cases have been registered by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department against the JuD leaders, out of which 24 have been decided while the rest are pending in the ATC courts. Four cases have been decided against Saeed so far.

The sentencing of JuD leaders comes weeks after the FATF retained Pakistan on its grey list till February 2021 as Islamabad failed to fulfil the agency's six key obligations, including failure to take action against two of India's most wanted terrorists -- Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar. -- PTI

10:40 India's COVID-19 tally rises to 90,50,598

With fresh 46,232 cases, India's COVID-19 tally rises to 90,50,598, the Union health ministry data showed.

The country's total fatalities rise to 1,32,726 with 564 new deaths.

So far 84,78,124 people have been recovered from the deadly disease.

09:26 Nitish celebrates Chhath puja at his residence

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar offers prayers at his residence in Patna on the last day of Chhath puja.

People offer 'Usha Arghya' at Patna College Ghat

09:22 Covid norms go for toss as Chhath Puja concludes

Devotees across the country offered morning prayers to the rising sun on the last day of Chhath Puja on Saturday.

While many chose to stay back home to offer the "doosra arghya" to the rising sun from temporary water bodies, made specifically for the festival inside their campuses, a large number of people across Jharkhand's Ranchi, Bihar's Patna and Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur stuck to the traditional practice of offering prayers at river ghats on the concluding day of the four-day Chhath Puja today.

While people gathered at Lucknow's Gomti riverfront, the Ganga banks in Varanasi and Patna were abuzz with devotees, keeping the COVID-19 protocols at bay.

Among other places, Mumbai, Delhi and Bhubaneswar too witnessed the Chhath morning rituals amid the COVID-19 restrictions.

On the fourth and the last day, devotees pray to the Sun God on the river banks at sunrise and end their fast.

As per the Hindu tradition, devotees, especially in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP, worship the Sun God and his wife Usha to express gratitude and seek their blessings.

The Trump administration has done everything statutorily required under the Presidential Transition Act, the White House said on Friday, asserting that a constitutional process is being played out to determine the winner of the November 3 elections.

Former vice president Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election on November 7 after flipping Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to the Democrats' column.

Biden now has 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 votes.

To win the race to the White House, the successful candidate should have at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538-member Electoral College.

There is a Presidential Transition Act that determines exactly what an administration needs to do in advance of an election. And we have done everything statutorily required, and we will continue to do that, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a news conference.

Trump has refused to concede the November 3 election and has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the poll results in several states.

What I am describing to you is a massive fraud, former New York mayor Giuliani told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference on Thursday as he and other attorneys gave an outline of their legal case that they are going to pursue over the next few weeks.

In the absence of certification of the election and conceding by President Trump, the General Services Administration has refrained from taking the steps necessary to ensure smooth transition of power to the incoming administration, including the release of over USD 9 million for the Congressional-mandated transition team.

The GSA will make the determination of ascertainment at the right moment. Right now, there is a constitutional process that is being played out. There are questions being asked in court. But the GSA will determine when ascertainment is reached, McEnany said in response to a question.

There is ongoing litigation, she said.

What we know, 74 million Americans voted for this President, that is more votes any President has got in history. It is really extraordinary. There are very real claims out there that the campaign is pursuing -- 234 pages of affidavits publicly available in one county alone; that is Wayne County. And two individuals in the canvassing board there that have declined to certify, she said.

These individuals deserve to be heard. This was a system that had never been tried in American history: mass mail-out voting. It is one that we have identified as being particularly prone to fraud. So those claims deserve to be pursued, McEnany added. -- PTI

08:35 Multiple people injured in shooting at US mall

Multiple people have been injured in a shooting at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported citing emergency radio traffic.

The media outlet said witnesses reported hearing gunshots and stores responding to an active-shooter situation.

Local media on the scene said three ambulances have taken people to the hospital.

A flyer circulating on social media shows that a Make America Great Again (MAGA) rally featuring Sheriff David Clarke, was scheduled to take place at Mayfair Mall on Saturday.

08:12 Trump's son Donald Trump Jr tests Covid +ve

Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of Unites States President Donald Trump, tested positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson said on Friday.

Trump Jr tested positive at the start of the week and has been "quarantining out at his cabin since the result", the spokesman said.

"He has been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines," the spokesman added.

Trump Jr, 42, is the latest in the First Family to have been tested positive for coronavirus. In the middle of the election cycle, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. Their son Barron had also tested positive.

The president was also admitted to a military hospital for a few days for treatment.

Trump Jr had campaigned extensively across the country in support of his father. -- PTI

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has invited protesting farmers for a meeting on Saturday, a day after seeking the Union government's support to create a "congenial environment" for ending their prolonged agitation against the the Centre's new farm laws.

"The farmers' bodies have been invited for a meeting by the chief minister in Chandigarh. In this regard, we have kept a meeting at Kisan Bhavan here on Saturday and whatever will be the consensus regarding the chief minister's invitation in that meet we will act accordingly," said Bharat Kisan Union (Dakaunda) state general secretary, Jagmohan Singh on Friday.

With farmers refusing to allow movement of passenger trains in the state, Amarinder Singh had on Thursday urged the Centre to show magnanimity and not link restoration of freight services with movement of passenger trains.

Singh had also urged the Union government to support his government in creating a congenial environment for ending the prolonged farmers' agitation, which had grave repercussions for the state and the nation.

The deadlock between protesting farmers and the Railways continued over the issue of resumption of trains.

Punjab farmers' bodies on Wednesday had said that they would consider allowing passenger trains to run in the state if the Centre starts running the goods trains first.

-- PTI

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