LIVE! Will have vaccine before end of this year: Trump

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Wed, 14 October 2020

Will have vaccine before end of this year: Trump

Timeline Refresh

23:48 France to impose curfews on major cities including Paris

From Saturday, curfews will be in place in the French capital, Paris, and eight other cities including Grenoble, Lille, Lyon and Toulouse, President Emmanuel Macron announces.

The restriction will be in place from 21:00 to 06:00 local time.

And is to last for four weeks.

It comes as France re-imposes a state of health emergency to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The US will have a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine before the end of this year, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, assuring the country's corporate sector that if re-elected, he would deliver optimism, opportunity and growth.

Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 on October 1 and was admitted to a military hospital for three nights and four days, declared himself cured after he was treated with an experimental antibody drug cocktail.

White House doctors have now cleared him for holding election rallies.

"The choice facing America is simple, it is the choice between historic prosperity under my pro-American policies or very crippling poverty and a steep depression under the radical left and that is what you will have is a depression," Trump said in his White House address to the Economic Club of New York as well as the Economic Clubs of Chicago, Florida, Pittsburgh, Sheboygan, Washington DC.

The US President said that if re-elected, he will deliver optimism, opportunity and growth.

'They (Democrats) will deliver pessimism, stagnation, decline and very high taxes. Simply put it's a choice between a socialist nightmare and the American dream. Under my leadership, we will have a safe and effective vaccine before the end of the year. We will swiftly defeat the China virus, in the pandemic, bring back our critical supply chains and lift our economy to unprecedented new heights," Trump said.

-- PTI

Celebrated actor Soumitra Chatterjee has tested negative for coronavirus and his condition improved Wednesday evening, doctors treating him at a private hospital in Kolkata said.

The 85-year-old thespian had no fever since Tuesday evening but is still in an "acute confusional state". He is, however, responding to verbal commands and is opening his eyes at times, the doctors said.

Today the health condition of Chatterjee has improved compared to what it was in the last 48 hours. He is now responding to verbal commands and opening eyes at times spontaneously, a senior doctor treating him said.

His involuntary movements and jittery condition is persisting. His kidney, liver function, ammonia level in the blood, the infective mucus are nomalising or are almost normal. The cardiac function, blood pressure, respiration and urine output are also improving, they said.

22:36 Delhi records 3,324 new COVID-19 cases

The national capital's cumulative COVID-19casecount rose to 3.17 lakh with authorities reporting 3,324 fresh cases on Wednesday, while 44 fatalities took the number of deaths to 5,898.

This is the second consecutive day that the city reported more than 3,000 new cases. Around 3,036 caseswere recorded on Tuesday. The city reported 44 deaths on Wednesday. The fatality count was 45 on Tuesday, 40 on Monday, 29 on Sunday and 48 on Saturday.

Of the total cases reported in Delhi so far, 2,89,747 have either recovered, been discharged or migrated out.

A total of 56,950 tests were conducted to detect COVID-19 on Tuesday, of which 12,596 were RT-PCR tests and 44,354 rapid antigen tests.

-- PTI

Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Kirti is back on Twitter and Instagram after she deactivated her accounts earlier on Wednesday.

Kirti has been at the forefront of #JusticeForSSR campaign since the demise of Rajput on June 14.

Earlier in the day, several users noted that Kirti's Twitter and Instagram pages were inaccessible. It was not clear whether Kirti herself deactivated her accounts as she did not announce quitting social media before her profiles disappeared.

The deactivation had left many Rajput fans puzzled, who took to Twitter sharing screenshots of the same.

Kirti later made a comeback on social media, saying there were "attempts" by unknown people to log into her accounts.

"Sorry, there were multiple log in attempts being made on my social media accounts so had to deactivate them," she wrote after returning on Twitter.

Rajput's death ignited discussions on the nepotistic nature of the industry and its gate-keeping attitude, but took an entirely different angle after the actor's family filed an FIR against his girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty.

-- PTI

Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has tested positive for coronavirus, the party announced on its official Twitter handle, adding he is currently asymptomatic and receiving medical care.

Uttar Pradesh reported 41 fresh COVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 6,507, while 2,778 fresh cases took the tally to 4,44,711 in the state.

Of the total fresh cases, 279 were reported from state capital Lucknow, while 173 were from Gorakhpur.

Allahabad reported 151 fresh COVID-19 cases, followed by Ghaziabad with 149 cases. Gautam Buddh Nagar and Meerut reported 139 fresh cases each, 100 cases were reported from Varanasi, the state health bulletin said on Wednesday.

Of the 41 fresh COVID-19 deaths, Lucknow topped with seven deaths, followed by Varanasi with four deaths. Three deaths each were reported from Gorakhpur and Mathura, it said.

In the past 24 hours, 3,736 COVID-19 patients have been discharged after recovery.

So far, 4,01,306 COVID-19 patients have been discharged after recovery.

The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 36,898, the health bulletin said.

Russia has granted regulatory approval to a second COVID-19 vaccine, according to its register of authorised medicines. A delighted Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the news at a government meeting on Wednesday.

The jab was developed by the Vector Institute in Siberia and completed early-stage human trials last month. However, results have not been published yet and a large-scale trial, known as Phase III, has not yet begun.

The peptide-based vaccine, named EpiVacCorona, is the second to be licensed for use in Russia. There has been a placebo-controlled trial on 100 volunteers between 18 and 60 in Novosibirsk.

A shot developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, Sputnik V, was licensed for domestic use in August.

That vaccine, based on an adenovirus vector, was also registered before Phase III trials. A trial involving 40,000 participants is now under way in Moscow.

Since the start of the pandemic, Russia has recorded more than 1,340,000 infections, fourth in the world behind the United States, India and Brazil.

Another vaccine against COVID-19 is being developed by the Chumakov Institute in St Petersburg. It plans to start an early-stage clinical trial involving around 300 people on Oct 19.

20:39 Sabarimala temple to be opened from Oct 16

The Sabarimala temple will be opened for devotees for five days starting from Friday during the Malayalam month of Thulam amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

As per the Travancore Devaswom Board, only 250 people will be allowed to visit on a single day and booking will be done on a first come first serve basis.

A virtual queue portal for the booking of darshans at the temple has been opened for the public.

A COVID-19-negative certificate will be mandatory and pilgrims will be required to take the test 48 hours before reaching Pamba.

Those arriving without the certificate will have to undergo a COVID-19 test at the base camp at Nilackal. Special showers are arranged for bathing and devotees will not be allowed to bathe in the Pamba river.

The TBD also informed that toilet and bathroom facilities have been set up at Pamba, Nilakkal and Sannidhanam, and sanitisers, soap and water have been arranged at various points.

Devotees will ascend and descend through the Swami Ayyappan Road and special marks have been put in place for devotees to perform darshan at Sannidhanam in accordance with the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

There will be no accommodation for devotees at Sabarimala. In addition to the regular poojas, Udayasthamana poojas and Padi poojas will also be held, the TDB said.

An 89-year-old woman in the Netherlands has reportedly become the first known person to die of coronavirus after contracting it twice. Reports say the elderly woman was suffering from a rare kind of bone marrow cancer known as Waldenstrm's macroglobulinemia.

According to a report in CNN, the woman's immune system was "compromised" following a therapy she received.

This case was reported in a study carried out by experts at the Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

As per the CNN report, even though the woman was suffering from a rare cancer, researchers were of the view that her natural immune response could still have been "sufficient to fight-off Covid-19".

This, they said, was because the cancer she had was "does not necessarily result in life threatening disease."

When she tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time, the woman had a severe cough and fever, and was admitted.

"She was discharged five days later when besides some persisting fatigue her symptoms subsided completely," the report said.

Fifty-nine days after she first tested positive for Covid-19, the woman reportedly developed fever, cough and breathing difficulty.

She was again tested for Covid-19 and her result came as positive. The CNN report says "no antibodies were detected in her blood system when tested on days four and six".

By the eighth day of her chemotherapy, her condition deteriorated and she died two weeks later.

19:59 PM assures AP, T'gana CMs of help after rains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday after the two southern states were hit by heavy rains and assured them of all possible support and assistance from the Centre in the rescue-and-relief work.

At least 10 and 15 people were killed in rain-related incidents across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana respectively, following torrential downpour in the last 48 hours.

In a tweet, the prime minister said, "Spoke to @TelanganaCMO KCR Garu and AP CM @ysjagan Garu regarding the situation in Telangana and AP respectively due to heavy rainfall. Assured all possible support and assistance from the Centre in rescue & relief work. My thoughts are with those affected due to the heavy rains."

-- PTI

The Statue of Unity which is the world's tallest statue is set to reopen for tourists on October 17.

This comes nearly six months after it was closed for tourists due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Interestingly, the opening day also falls on the day when the festival of Navratri starts.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue better known as the Statue of Unity is situated in Gujarat. It is located at the shore of Narmada River in Kevadia Colony facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam. It was closed in March this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sardar Ekta Trust which manages the monument has released the Standard Operating Procedures which will have to be followed once the Statue of Unity opens.

Special arrangements have been made to re-open the Statue of Unity to ensure strict adherence to the coronavirus guidelines.

19:06 Developing herd immunity unethical: WHO chief

The idea of fighting a rapidly spreading pandemic like Covid-19 by developing herd immunity among populations is "unethical" and cannot be justified scientifically, World Health Organisation Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said.

The WHO chief argued that herd immunity can't be a justifiable strategy to respond to an outbreak, let alone the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elaborating on this, he said there has been some discussion on the concept of reaching "so-called herd immunity" by letting the virus spread among people.

He said instead of thinking of herd immunity, "We must prevent amplifying events, protect the vulnerable, empower and educate communities and find, isolate, test and treat (patients)."

Herd immunity, Dr Tedros said, is a concept that is used for vaccination in which a population can be protected from a certain virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached.

Strongly opposing the proposal for herd immunity, the WHO chief said this strategy has never been used to respond to an outbreak.

18:53 Left parties demand sacking of Maha governor

The Left parties on Wednesday demanded the sacking of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for "insulting"and "violating" the Constitution in his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for reopening of places of worship.

Koshyari and Thackeray were engaged in a bitter war of words on Tuesday after the former pushed for reopening of the places of worship in the state, closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked the Shiv Sena chief whether he had suddenly turned secular.

Thackeray responded to Koshyari's letter saying he will consider the request, but asserted that he does not need the governor's certificate for "my Hindutva".

"The CPI strongly objects to the remark made by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over secularism. The party feels it is a serious violation of the oath of office he had undertaken while assuming the office. Such a remark is also an insult to our Constitution, the Preamble of which specifically upholds India's commitment to secularism.

"The party urges the President of India, under whose pleasure he is the Governor, to dismiss him as he has proved to be not fit for the post. We express serious concern over the conduct of the governors appointed by the President in states which are under non-BJP elected governments. The party also appeals to the President to ensure that the heads of constitutional bodies pay their undiluted respect to our Constitution," the Communist Party of India said in a statement.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury echoed similar sentiments and said Koshyari should be sacked.

"President of India must recall this Governor appointed by him. Having assumed this high Constitutional office upon oath of affirmation on the Indian Constitution he writes to the democratically elected CM brazenly violating it. This is unacceptable," he said in a tweet.

-- PTI

The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled on Wednesday said it has lodged police complaints in different districts of Tamil Nadu against BJP member Kushboo Sundar for allegedly making derogatory remarks against people with disabilities.

According to media reports, Kushboo, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday after quitting the Congress, said she has exited a "mentally retarded" party.

NPRD general secretary Muralidharan said complaints have been lodged in nearly 30 police stations, some of them online, against the politician.

"A complaint has also been lodged with the Chennai Police Commissioner's Office. Complaints have been lodged in Chennai, Kanjipuram, Chengalpet, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirupur among other places," he said.

The official said while Kushboo has every right to politically take on her opponents, usage of terms that invoke a negative portrayal of disability was "unacceptable".

"Time and again people holding public offices tend to invoke such negative terms to tarnish the image of political opponents, lending them legitimacy. This cannot be tolerated. The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled strongly condemns the insensitive remarks made by Kushboo," he said.

The country and people like Kushboo need to be reminded that such insults and humiliation are also prohibited by law, Muralidharan said.

-- PTI

18:03 India's COVID-19 testing crosses 9 crore-mark

India has crossed the 9-crore mark of COVID-19 testing across the country on Wednesday after 11,45,015 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of health and family welfare.

The ministry said, "With 11,45,015 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests now stand at 9,00,90,122." The testing capacity has multiplied manifold with more than 1,900 labs across the country and now more than 15 lakh samples can be tested every day.

With 1,935 testing labs in the country including 1,112 government laboratories and 823 private laboratories, the daily testing capacity has got a substantial boost, stated an official statement.

The positivity rate is low in 20 states/UTs than the national average, which is at 8.04 per cent.

Currently, the active cases stand at 8,26,876 as of today and comprise only 11.42 per cent of the total positive cases of the country. Whereas, 74,632 COVID cases have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases stand at 63,509. A higher number of recoveries has aided the national recovery rate to further improve to 87.05 per cent.

-- ANI

17:48 India's Inflation in the last six months

Here's a simple graphic to show India's inflation.

17:26 Infosys Q2 net profit up 20.5% at Rs 4,845 cr

India's second-largest IT services company Infosys on Wednesday said its consolidated net profit grew by 20.5 per cent to Rs 4,845 crore for the September quarter, and it has raised revenue forecast to 2-3 per cent for FY21. Infosys had clocked a net profit of Rs 4,019 crore in the same period last fiscal, Infosys said in a regulatory filing.

The Bengaluru-based company's revenues rose 8.5 per cent to Rs 24,570 crore in the quarter under review, from Rs 22,629 crore in the year-ago period. Infosys has revised its guidance upwards to 2-3 per cent growth in FY21 in constant currency terms.

Earlier, the company had guided to up to 2 per cent growth in constant currency terms for the current fiscal. "Increase in revenue and margin outlook for FY21 is due to the continued trust clients have in us," Infosys CEO and MD Salil Parekh said.

He added that the company's digital and cloud capabilities, combined with intense client relevance, are helping it achieve differentiated results in the market, and the same is reflected in the quarterly performance.

The company has declared an interim dividend of Rs 12 per equity share. Infosys CFO Nilanjan Roy said free cash flows grew significantly in H1, driven by its consistent focus on liquidity and cash management. -- PTI

Shweta Singh Kirti with Sushant

17:24 Sushant Singh Rajput's sister's Twitter, Instagram profiles deactivated

Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Kirti's social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram pages, have been deactivated, four months after the actor's death. Kirti was at the forefront of #JusticeForSSR campaign since the demise of Rajput on June 14.

It is, however, uncertain whether Kirti herself deactivated her accounts as she did not announce quitting social media before her profiles disappeared. The deactivation has left many Rajput fans puzzled, who took to Twitter sharing screenshots of the same. Rajput's death ignited discussions on the nepotistic nature of the industry and its gate-keeping attitude, but took an entirely different angle after the actor's family filed an FIR against his girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty.

The family of the late actor, known for films like "Kai Po Che!", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", and "Chhichhore", accused Chakraborty of abetting Rajput's death, laundering his money and isolating him from his family. The case, which was initially investigated by the Mumbai Police, was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) also got involved. -- PTI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Congress-turned-BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Thawar Chand Gehlot are some of the 30 star campaigners of the BJP for the next month's bypolls to 28 Assembly seats in MP.

The BJP on Wednesday released a list of its star campaigners for the November 3 by-elections in the party-ruled state. Besides Chouhan, Scindia, Tomar and Gehlot, former state chief minister Uma Bharti, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Prahlad Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste, state BJP chief Vihsnu Dutt Sharma also figure in the list. Senior party leaders, including BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra and PWD Minister Gopal Bhargava are some other star campaigners of the party.

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader K K Mishra sought to know why BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur was not made a star campaigner, while Scindia, who was Congress's poll campaign in-charge in the 2018 state elections, was made one. -- PTI

Farooq and Omar Abdullah at Mehbooba Mufti's residence today

17:15 Art 370: Abdullahs, Mehbooba to meet tomorrow

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has convened a meeting at his residence on Thursday for chalking out the future course of action on 'Gupkar Declaration' with regard to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir which was revoked by the Centre last year. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who was released from detention after 14 months on Tuesday, will also attend the meeting.

"My father and I called on Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba to enquire about her well-being after her release from detention," NC vice president Omar Abdullah told reporters.

He said the PDP leader has accepted the invitation for the meeting of signatories to the Gupkar Declaration on Thursday. "She has kindly accepted Farooq sahib's invitation to join a meeting of the Gupkar Declaration signatories tomorrow afternoon," Omar said.

The Gupkar Declaration is a resolution issued after an all-party meeting on August 4, 2019 at the Gupkar residence of the NC president. The resolution at the end of the meet on August 4, 2019, a day before the Centre announced its decision of revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and split it into two Union territories, said the parties unanimously resolved that they would be united in their effort to protect and defend the identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu and Kashmir against all attacks and onslaughts.

The parties had met again in August this year and vowed to fight for restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Republic TV's executive editor Niranjan Narayanswamy and senior executive editor Abhishek Kapoor on Wednesday appeared before the Mumbai crime branch for recording statements in the fake TRP racket case. Narayanswamy reached the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) office at 12 noon, while Kapoor, who is based in Delhi, reached around 4 pm, a crime branch official said.

Republic TV on October 10 had aired a document which purportedly belonged to Hansa Research Group. The summons issued to Narayanswamy and Kapoor on Tuesday said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" they were "acquainted with certain facts and circumstances of the document", so it was necessary to record their statements.

In a tweet, Republic TV said, "Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor reaches Crime Branch after being summoned. Republic Media Network will not yield by revealing sources."

In another tweet, the news channel said, "Republic Media Network stands with our Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy & Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor. Republic stands wholly for the right of the media to report and protect its sources." The crime branch has so far arrested five persons in the case. -- PTI

A collection of stills of the 1974 Satyajit Ray film 'Sonar Kella', not in public domain, would be published in the autumnal issue of the children's Bengali magazine Sandesh this month. The maestro's director son Sandip Ray told PTI on Wednesday the stills were taken in 1973 during the outdoor shooting of Sonar Kella, the first film on the iconic fictional sleuth Feluda created by the film maker-writer- editor and illustrator himself.

"I can't divulge details about the stills but yes these were taken during shoots of the film in 1973 in Rajasthan. I had kept these stills, clicked by me and we will publish 10-12 such treasures in black and white, preserved in all these years in the Sandesh pujo sankhya (special edition of a magazine published on the occasion of Durga puja)," Sandip said.

Sandip now helms the magazine founded in 1913 by writer Upendra Kishore Ray, taken to new height by his gifted son writer-limerick writer Sukumar Ray till his death in 1925 and revived by Sukumar's son Satyajit in 1961 with two other writers late Lila Majumder and Nalini Das on board.

"In the run up to the birth centenary year of Satyajit Ray, we had long been planning to gift something new to the readers a large number of them belonging to young generation. And what better way than to bring out hitherto unseen footage of stills of one of the most popular films of father," he said.

Sandip recalled many of these stills features legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee who immortalised the role of the popular iconic sleuth Feluda in the first two films. "Recently before he fell sick I had interviewed Soumitra Kaku for a documentary on his life and career. He recalled fondly the different moments during the shoot of Sonar Kella. Also shared anecdotes about shootings in thirteen other films of my father. They had a deep bonding," Sandip said. -- PTI

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government announces that the Ghatkopar-Versova metro line will begin operations starting tomorrow, in a graded manner with precautions as part of Maharashtra government's fresh 'Begin Again' guidelines.

There has been a there is a growing demand among Mumbai residents to resume the Metro and suburban railway services, especially after the state allowed private offices to operate at 30% capacity from September.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose

16:35 Bengal polls: Left-Cong talks on seats next week

Talks between the Left and the Congress over sharing of seats for the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections will begin next week, their leaders said on Wednesday. The Left and the Congress have hit the roads together over the last one year on several issues, opposing the TMC government in the state and the BJP-led government at the Centre.

"Now, this is the time to take forward this alliance to its logical conclusion, and that is sharing of seats for the elections. The preliminary talks will begin next week," state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told PTI.

"The TMC and the BJP are trying to polarise the state on communal lines, and it is the duty of the Left and the Congress to provide a third alternative," he said. The two sides want to begin the talks as early October for the elections likely to be held in April-May next year to avoid last-minute "hiccups", he said.

"The talks are being started now so that there are no problems at the last moment. We struck a seat-sharing deal for the 2016 assembly elections but it was half-baked. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we couldn't stitch an alliance as the talks failed at the last moment," Chowdhury said.

The Left-Congress tie-up bagged 76 seats in the 294- member assembly in 2016. Senior Congress leader and MP Pradip Bhattacharya, who is the chairman of the newly-formed coordination committee, along with Chowdhury and the state's Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan will lead the talks with the Left parties, according to sources in Bidhan Bhawan.

"The party's district presidents and office-bearers of the state committee have been asked to submit reports about strengths and weakness of the organisation in their districts," a senior state Congress leader said. Left Front chairman Biman Bose recently had a telephonic conversation with Chowdhury and had urged him to initiate the talks as early as possible, said sources in the CPI(M). -- PTI

There will be a temporary impact on investment flow to start-ups due to the curbs imposed by the government to stop opportunistic takeover by firms from countries with which India has border tensions, Chief Economic Adviser K V Subramanian said on Wednesday. According to a Press Note 3 issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in April, a company or an individual from a country that shares land border with India can invest in any sector here only after getting government approval. The decision has bearing on foreign investments from countries like China and Hong Kong.

Speaking at a virtual event organized by FICCI, Subramanian said investment, both direct and indirect, coming from countries, especially with which India has border tensions, needs to be scrutinised.

As a result, he said, "There will be some impact on start-up funding in the short run, but I do think that space will get filled by a large number of private equity (PE) companies from other countries." He was replying to a question on if Press Note 3 will have any impact on investment flow from Hong Kong. PE firms from other countries are interested in participating in the start-up ecosystem, he said, adding that "I expect this impact to be temporary".

15:47 Abdullahs meet Mehbooba Mufti

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah visited PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti at her residence after her. release. Mehbooba, under house arrest for 14 months, was released yesterday.

Senior Congress leader Karan Singh said Wednesday National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's remarks on restoring the special status of Jammu and Kashmir were "totally unacceptable" and could provoke "unrealistic expectations" among the people of Kashmir.

"My old friend Farooq Abdullah has made an astounding statement to the effect that Article 370 will be restored with China's support," Singh said. "I can understand his rage and frustration at recent events, including the fact that he was under house arrest for a year, an emotion that large sections in the Kashmir Valley share. However, his recent articulation is totally unacceptable. It will tend to, once again, provoke totally unrealistic expectations among the people of Kashmir," he said in a statement.

The National Conference has denied Abdullah said Article 370 would be restored with "China's support". It asserted that Abdullah never justified China's expansionism or its aggression during his interview to a TV channel on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Singh, the former Sadr-e-Riyasat and ex-governor of J&K, welcomed the release of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after 14 months in detention and hoped she and Abdullah will strengthen the democratic process by taking their agenda to the people once elections take place.

"That is the only way political stability can be restored in the state so that developmental activities in both the regions can gather momentum," he said. Mufti was released Tuesday night as the Union territory administration revoked the Public Safety Act charges against her. She was detained following the abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state on August 5, 2019. PTI

A virtual unknown 10 months ago, the wealthy and polished British finance chief gained stature during the pandemic, while remaining in his boss's good graces. Read the report here

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's time on October 22 to address four rallies in support of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates in poll-bound Bihar.

The rallies proposed to the Prime Minister are scheduled to be held in Buxar, Jehanabad, Rohtas and Bhagalpur for the NDA candidates, according to sources in the party.

Once the clearance from the PMO comes, the party would ensure proper logistics at these venues along with the facilities for crowd management and also for the other leaders who are likely to be present in these rallies.

PM Modi is the biggest star campaigner for the party, and BJP hopes to encash his popularity among the masses in garnering votes for the alliance.

Amid Covid-19 pandemic phase, the rallies ahead of the Assembly elections would be conducted with standard operating procedure (SOP) and guidelines for safety.

It is due to PM Modi's popularity that BJP had to clarify and amplify that the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP), which is still its ally at the Centre but severed relation with NDA in the state because of Janata Dal United (JDU), will not be able to use his photographs in banners and hoarding.

As LJP Chief Chirag Paswan continued heaping praises on the PM, BJP leaders like Bhupendra Yadav reiterated that the LJP cannot cash in on Modi's popularity as it is not fighting in alliance.

Meanwhile PM Modi is likely to address four rallies in a day for the next phase of election as well. The top leadership is lining up to campaign for the NDA candidates in Bihar polls with development under Nitish government as its main poll plank.

Bihar with 243 Assembly seats will go to polls in three phases: October 28, November 3 and November 7. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.

15:05 Soumitra's health still critical, say doctors

The health of veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee continued to be "critical" on Wednesday, though his parameters are normal, doctors attending to the thespian said. The 85-year-old Dadasaheb Phalke awardee is in a "confusional state" but his fever has subsided, they said.

"He is stable but critical. He had slept well last night. All of his parameters are normal but sodium-level is high. We are keeping a close watch on his health condition," they said.

Intermittent non-invasive ventilator support is being provided to the veteran actor whose oxygen saturation has improved, the doctors said. He is likely to undergo another Covid-19 test during the day, they said.

"Chatterjee is still in a confusional state which is progressive in nature with Covid-related encephalopathy and metabolic encephalopathy.

"He continues to be restless, arousable and has mild agitation and involuntary limb movements but no focal or generalised seizure event occurred. His neurological condition is also improving," they said.

The critically acclaimed actor, who has the rare distinction of having worked with maestros like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Mazumdar, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata on October 6 after he tested positive for Covid-19.

"Medicines will continue to keep his heart rate and blood pressure stable, and we have decided to reduce steroids," they said. Chatterjee had to be shifted to the ITU as his condition turned critical. A team of 15 doctors is overseeing him at the hospital. PTI

Leaders of 29 farmer unions walked out of a meeting with the Agriculture Secretary after the Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar was absent from the meeting. The meeting had been called to discuss the recently enacted Farm Laws.

The farmers union leaders tore copies of the laws outside Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi, in protest.

"We weren't satisfied with discussions so we walked out, we want these black laws to be scrapped. The Secretary said he'll communicate our demands further," says a farmer union leader.

"We walked out as no minister came for meeting. We want these laws to be taken back," said another.

They said their agitation against the contentious farm laws will continue.

The farmers' groups, which have been on warpath for months over the contentious farm bills, had decided yesterday to hold talks with the Centre. The decision was taken by representatives of 29 farmers' groups at a meeting in Chandigarh.

Under the new laws, the farmers are allowed to sell produce anywhere in the country and deal directly with big corporates -- a situation that the farmers have found alarming as they feel they will be at the mercy of the corporates.

File pic

14:46 2 terrorists killed in encounter in J-K's Shopian

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Chakura area of Shopian district following information about the presence of militants there, a police officer said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire at security forces' positions. He said two militants have been killed in the operation.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants were being ascertained. -- PTI

A minor girl allegedly died by suicide by jumping into a well in Puwasi village of UP's Pratapgarh district, after being repeatedly molested by three people of her village, the police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the incident happened in Puwasi village of Baghrai police station area at 1 pm on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Dabboo Singh, Guddu Singh and Munnu Tiwari.

"Guddu Singh has been taken into custody. The body has been sent for the post-mortem. FIR has been registered under the relevant section of IPC and POCSO Act," Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Anurag Arya told ANI.

Three teams have been formed to nab the other two accused and further investigation is underway, the SP said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the cases of violence against women to be tried in fast track courts and crimes against minors to be tried under POCSO Act.

BJP leader Nitesh Rane asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to "sort out your own house" amid the latter's ongoing tiff with Maharashtra Governor over reopening of temples in the State.Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had earlier written to Thackeray expressing concerns over the delay in reopening of temples. Koshyari had questioned whether the Shiv Sena leader had "turned secular", a jibe which had been not well received by Thackeray.

Responding to this, Thackeray had said that the delay in reopening of places of worship is being done due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and had added, "As imposing lockdown all of a sudden was not right, revoking it completely at once will also be not a good thing. And yes, I am someone who follows Hindutva, my Hindutva doesn't need verification from you."

Meanwhile, the BJP leader Nitesh Rane dug out an old statement from Sena leader Sanjay Raut, in which he had demanded India should be declared a "Hindu Rashtra"."Don't u want to reply to this too .. Mr CM ? Or it's just pure politics as usual ? Sort out ur own house first before blaming others!!!" Rane's tweet, which had an image of Raut's statement embedded, read.

The BJP had carried out demonstrations across the state yesterday demanding reopening of temples, several party leaders and workers had also been arrested for carrying out protests yesterday. -- ANI

14:14 Housing sales dip 57% in July-Sep in 8 cities

Real estate brokerage firm PropTiger on Wednesday reported 57 per cent year-on-year decline in housing sales across eight major cities at 35,132 units due to the Covid pandemic, but said sales have recovered significantly from the previous quarter. During July-September 2019, sales of residential properties across eight cities stood at 81,886 units.

However, September quarter sales rose 85 per cent from the April-June quarter on the back of pent-up demand following the nationwide lockdown, according to the Real Insight Q3 2020 report released by News Corp-backed PropTiger through video conference.

The eight cities tracked by PropTiger are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune.

"We are beginning to see green shoots all across the economy including the residential sector. Although sales and launches have declined year-on-year, but the demand and supply have gone up significantly from the April-June quarter," PropTiger and Housing.com CEO Dhruv Agarwala told reporters.

He termed the current festival season as a crucial period for the real estate sector which will determine the demand outlook for the next 12 months. With housing prices remaining stable during the last five years and interest rates on home loans at 15 year low, Agarwala expressed confidence that sales would rise significantly during the current quarter. The discounts and freebies offered by developers during the festive season would also aid in driving demand, he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation which is investigating the Hathras incident has re-summoned the father and the two brothers of the victim for questioning on Wednesday.

They were questioned by the CBI team on Tuesday as well.

Speaking to ANI, SDM Anjali Gangwar, who has been assigned to look after the victim's family, said that male members of the victim family will be questioned in the temporary office set up by the CBI team in Hathras.

"The male members of the victim family will be questioned today in Hathras, they will go to a temporary office set up by the CBI in Hathras. Female members will be questioned at home by CBI officials. We are ensuring that they will not be troubled during the process. The CBI is investigating the case. They have their own set of procedures. The family has no issues in the process of investigations," Gangwar said.

The family members of the victim demanded that the accused should be transferred to another jail from Aligarh.

"My husband was with the CBI yesterday on the incident spot. The CBI took away the slippers, ashes, and other things of the victim. We demand that the accused should be sent to another jail from Aligarh. They are not afraid. They are living there like they are staying at their home," said sister-in-law of the victim.

"The government and administration should shift accused from Aligarh jail. We are co-operating with CBI. We are not afraid," the victim's brother said.

The CBI has set up the office of the Deputy Director of Agriculture as its camp office in Hathras.As a part of the agency's ongoing investigation, the CBI team on Tuesday collected samples from the spot where the victim of the alleged gang-rape was cremated on September 30.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and severely injured in Hathras on September 14. She succumbed to her injuries at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on September 29 and when her mortal remains were taken to her native place, the UP Police and administration allegedly cremated her body forcefully without the family's consent or their presence, in the dead of the night.

13:12 WPI inflation rises to 1.32% in Sept

The wholesale price-based inflation rose to 1.32 per cent in September mainly on the back of costlier food articles. "The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 1.32 per cent (provisional) for the month of September, 2020 (over September, 2019) as compared to 0.33 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year," government data showed on Wednesday.

The wholesale price-based inflation stood at 0.16 per cent in August. The wholesale price index based (WPI) inflation was in the negative territory for four straight months -- April (-) 1.57 per cent, May (-) 3.37 per cent, June (-) 1.81 per cent and July (-) 0.58 per cent.

Inflation in food articles during the month was at 8.17 per cent, as against 3.84 per cent in August, showed the data from the commerce and industry ministry. Prices of cereals came down with a negative inflation print of 3.91 per cent during the month, while, cost of pulses went up by 12.53 per cent. -- PTI

A technical inquiry committee is being formed today to investigate the causes behind the power outage in Mumbai, and other areas and file its interim report in a week's time, said Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut on Wednesday.

The minister also said possibilities of a cyber attack or any other kind of sabotage also could not be ruled out.

"A technical committee is being formed today to conduct a technical audit in this matter. The committee will file an interim report within a week. Those who are found responsible will face strict action. Possibilities of a cyber attack or any other kind of sabotage also can't be ruled out," Raut told reporters.

Raut also said it could have been an attempt to defame his ministry.

Payal Ghosh

12:39 Richa Chadha, Payal Ghosh settle dispute

Actor Richa Chaddha's defamation case against Payal Ghosh in the Bombay High Court withdrawn after both parties signed consent terms.

Ghosh withdrew her statement made against Chadha and tendered an apology.

Chadha last week filed a defamation suit against Ghosh for making a "false, baseless, indecent and derogatory statement" against her and also sought monetary compensation as damages.

Ghosh, while levelling allegations of rape against filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, had also dragged Chadha and two other female actors into the controversy.

On Wednesday, advocate Nitin Satpute, appearing for Ghosh, told Justice A K Menon that both the parties (Chadha and Ghosh) have settled the matter amicably and submitted a statement of undertaking.

Ghosh, in the undertaking, said she was withdrawing the statement she made against Chadha and tendered an apology.

"The parties have agreed they would not file any cases against each other with regard to this matter and there would not be any demand for monetary compensation, Satpute told the high court.

Representational image

12:34 Covid linked to sudden permanent hearing loss

Although uncommon, infection with the novel coronavirus may cause sudden permanent hearing loss in some patients, according to a study which is the first case report linking the disabling condition to Covid-19 in the UK. According to the scientists, including those from the University College London in the UK, awareness of this possible side effect is important since a prompt course of steroid treatment can reverse the hearing loss. They said while the causes are not very clear, the condition sometimes follows a viral infection, such as flu or herpes.

The research, published in the journal BMJ Case Reports, describes the case of a 45 year old man with asthma who was referred to the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in the UK after suddenly experiencing hearing loss in one ear while being treated for Covid-19.

According to the scientists, the patient had been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms which had been going on for 10 days during which he was transferred to intensive care as he was struggling to breathe. He was put on a ventilator for 30 days, and developed other complications as a result, the study noted. The researchers noted that he was treated with the antiviral drug remdesivir, intravenous steroids, and a blood transfusion after which he started to get better.

However, the patient noticed ringing (tinnitus) in his left ear followed by sudden hearing loss in that ear a week after the breathing tube was removed and he left intensive care.

According to the scientists, he had not lost his hearing or had ear problems before, and apart from asthma, he was otherwise fit and well. On examining his ear canals, they found that there were no blockages or inflammation, but a hearing test showed that he had substantially lost his hearing in the left ear.

He was treated with steroid tablets and injections after which his hearing partially recovered, the study noted. The scientists said he tested negative for other potential causes, including rheumatoid arthritis, flu and HIV, prompting his doctors to conclude that his hearing loss was associated with Covid-19 infection. "

Despite the considerable literature on Covid-19 and the various symptoms associated with the virus, there is a lack of discussion on the relationship between Covid-19 and hearing," the researchers wrote in the case report.

12:08 Covid immunity may last several months: Study

Immunity against Covid-19 may persist for at least five months after being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study led by an Indian-origin researcher in the US. The researchers from the University of Arizona studied the production of antibodies from a sample of nearly 6,000 people infected with the novel coronavirus.

"We clearly see high-quality antibodies still being produced five to seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Deepta Bhattacharya, associate professor at the University of Arizona.

"Many concerns have been expressed about immunity against Covid-19 not lasting. We used this study to investigate that question and found immunity is stable for at least five months," who led the study, published today in the journal Immunity, alongside Professor Janko Nikolich-Zugich from UArizona.

"When a virus first infects cells, the immune system deploys short-lived plasma cells that produce antibodies to immediately fight the virus, the researchers explained. Those antibodies appear in blood tests within 14 days of infection, they said. The second stage of the immune response is the creation of long-lived plasma cells, which produce high-quality antibodies that provide lasting immunity, according to the researchers.

Bhattacharya and Nikolich-Zugich tracked antibody levels over several months in people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. They found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are present in blood tests at viable levels for at least five to seven months, although they believe immunity lasts much longer.

"Whether antibodies provide lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 has been one of the most difficult questions to answer," said UArizona Health Sciences Senior Vice President Michael D Dake.

"This research not only has given us the ability to accurately test for antibodies against COVID-19, but also has armed us with the knowledge that lasting immunity is a reality," Dake said. Earlier studies extrapolated antibody production from initial infections and suggested antibody levels drop quickly after infection, providing only short-term immunity. Bhattacharya believes those conclusions focused on short-lived plasma cells and failed to take into account long-lived plasma cells and the high-affinity antibodies they produce.

"The latest time-points we tracked in infected individuals were past seven months, so that is the longest period of time we can confirm immunity lasts," Bhattacharya said. He said people who were infected with the first SARS coronavirus, which is the most similar virus to SARS-CoV-2, are still seeing immunity 17 years after infection.

"If SARS-CoV-2 is anything like the first one, we expect antibodies to last at least two years, and it would be unlikely for anything much shorter," the scientist added. -- PTI

The Kerala Congress (M) faction headed by Jose K Mani on Wednesday announced its decision to severe its decades old ties with the Congress-led UDF and work alongside ruling CPI(M)-led LDF in the state. Party leader Jose K Mani also said he would quit his Rajya Sabha membership, won with the support of the UDF. Announcing his faction's political position at a press conference, Jose expressed hope that the LDF leadership will take a decision on his party's entry into the ruling front. -- PTI

11:53 Pakistan re-elected to UN rights body

Pakistan has been re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council despite opposition from activist groups over its abysmal human rights records. Among the five candidates from the Asia-Pacific region vying for four seats in the UN's premiere human rights body, Pakistan secured the highest number of votes, the Foreign Office said.

In a secret-ballot voting in the 193-member UN General Assembly on that race, Pakistan secured 169 votes, Uzbekistan received 164, Nepal 150, China 139 and Saudi Arabia lost the race with just 90 votes. Under the Human Rights Council's rules, seats are allocated to regions to ensure geographical representation.

Except for the Asia-Pacific contest, the election of 15 members to the 47-member Human Rights Council was all but decided in advance because all the other regional groups had uncontested slates. Last week, a coalition of human rights groups from Europe, the US and Canada called on UN member states to oppose the election of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, saying their human rights records make them unqualified. Russia and Cuba, running unopposed, also won the seats. Pakistan is currently serving on the HRC since January 1, 2018.

With its re-election, Pakistan will continue as a member for another three-year term commencing on January 1, 2021. -- PTI

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response of the Centre on separate pleas by two same sex couples, one seeking to get married under the Special Marriage Act and the other seeking registration of their wedding in the US under the Foreign Marriage Act (FMA).

A bench of justices R S Endlaw and Asha Menon issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government seeking their stand on the plea by two women seeking to get married under the SMA.

The court also issued notice to the Centre and the Consulate General of India in New York on the other plea by two men who got married in the US but were denied registration of their marriage under the FMA. The bench listed both matters for hearing on January 8, 2021. -- PTI

Actor Kangana Ranaut who had gained 20 Kgs for playing the role of political stalwart and actor J Jayalalithaa in her upcoming film 'Thalaivi,' is currently sweating it out to get back to her "earlier size".

The 'Queen' actor took to Twitter early on Wednesday and posted a picture of herself performing a Yoga asana.

She complimented the picture with a note on how she is working to get back in shape as the shoot for the 'Thalaivi,' is very close to completion.

"I had gained 20kgs for Thalaivi, now that we are very close to completing it, need to go back to my earlier size, agility, metabolism and flexibility," she tweeted.

Kangana also asked her followers if they are with her in the goal of attaining a fit lifestyle by utilising the morning time for physical exercises.

"Waking up early and going for a jog/walk .... who all are with me?" her tweet further read.

Ranaut had gained over 20 kgs to essay the role of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. -- ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at the government over IMF growth projections showing Bangladesh closing in on India in terms of per capita GDP this year and described it as a "solid achievement" of six years of BJP's "hate-filled cultural nationalism".

Gandhi also shared a graph citing its source as the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook report which showed Bangladesh closing in on India and almost catching up with it in terms of per capita GDP this year. "Solid achievement of 6 years of BJP's hate-filled cultural nationalism: Bangladesh set to overtake India," Gandhi said in a sarcastic tweet accompanied by clapping emojis.

The IMF said on Tuesday that the Indian economy, severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is projected to contract by a massive 10.3 per cent this year. However, India is likely to bounce back with an 8.8 per cent growth rate in 2021, thus regaining the position of the fastest growing emerging economy, surpassing China's projected growth rate of 8.2 per cent, the IMF said in its latest 'World Economic Outlook' report. PTI

11:01 Sharad Yadav's daughter to join Congress

Ahead of Bihar Assembly polls, Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav's daughter Subhashini Raj Rao will join Congress in the national capital on Wednesday.

She will also contest in the forthcoming Bihar polls.

Congress, CPI, CPM are part of the "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) under the leadership of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP has quit Mahagathbandhan and forged an alliance with BSP. Hindustan Avam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi has joined NDA.

The huge setback has been given by Mukesh Sahni from Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP) who announced his disassociation from Mahagathbandhan in a live press conference in Patna.

In the NDA alliance, the Lok Janshakti Party(LJP) will not contest seats where BJP will be contesting. However, it will fight against Janata Dal (United). Both JDU and LJP are in a pre-poll alliance with the BJP.

Bihar with 243 Assembly seats will go to polls in three phases: October 28, November 3 and November 7. The results will be declared on November 10. -- ANI

Pic courtesy: Twitter

10:30 Feel like Superman after Covid treatment: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that he felt like a "Superman" after his experimental Covid-19 treatment and boasted about his new immunity to the disease which has claimed the lives of 216,000 Americans. Trump, who tested positive for Covid-19 on October 1 and was admitted to a military hospital for three nights and four days, declared himself cured after he was treated with an experimental antibody drug cocktail. White House doctors have now cleared him for holding election rallies.

Holding his second rally since contracting the coronavirus, Trump told a crowd of his supporters packed onto an airport tarmac in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that he felt like "Superman" after the treatment. Trump was briefly forced to pause his re-election campaign after he tested positive for Covid-19 and he returned to the campaign trail from the battleground State of Florida on Monday.

Addressing his supporters in Pennsylvania, another battleground State, Trump, 74, thanked the doctors that treated him. "All I know is I took something, whatever the hell it was, I felt good very quickly. I don't know what it was, antibodies, antibodies. I don't know. I took it, I said I felt like superman," Trump said.

"Then I said, let me at 'em. Nah, and I could've been here four or five days ago. It's great, we have great doctors. I want to thank the doctors at Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins, and--great doctors," he said.

Trump said, that "one great thing about being president, if you're not feeling 100 per cent you have more doctors than you thought existed in the world. "I was surrounded with like 14 of them. Where are you from? I'm from this one. Where are you from? I'm from Johns Hopkins, I'm from Walter Reed. But what great, talented people. They did a great job."

Boasting about his new immunity to the disease, Trump said he can kiss everyone in the audience. "And now I'm immune they tell me. I'm immune. I could come down and start kissing everybody. I'll kiss every guy -- man and woman. Man and woman. Look at that guy how handsome he is. I'll kiss him. Not with a lot of enjoyment but that's okay," the president joked. -- PTI

10:17 India's Covid tally reaches 72,39,390 cases

With a spike of 63,509 new cases and 730 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's Covid-19 count reached 72,39,390 on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

It is important to note that the rise in Covid-19 cases has been on the decline in the country, while around 56,000 cases were reported yesterday, the rise today has stayed is a little over 60,000.

Meanwhile, as per the MoHFW, the Covid-19 count includes 8,26,876 active cases, and 63,01,928 cured and discharged or migrated cases.

Further, with 706 deaths reported due to the disease in the last 24 hours, the toll due to the disease is at 1,10,586 in the country.

With 2,05,884 active cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state by Covid-19 in the country. While 12,97,252 patients have recovered from the disease in the state, 40,701 died so far.

Among other severely affected states, Karnataka has 1,13,478 active cases; while 6,02,505 people have recovered, 10,123 succumbed to the novel coronavirus.

Andhra Pradesh has 42,855 active and over seven lakh cured cases, besides 6,291 deaths.

Tamil Nadu has 43,239 active cases, with 6,12,320 recoveries, alongside 10,371 fatalities.

Delhi's count of active cases is at 21,490, while over 2.8 lakh patients have recovered, besides 5,854 dying by Covid. -- ANI

10:00 The importance of being Amit Shah

On September 17, believing rumours swirling around Amit Shah's health, a London-based broadcaster called a reporter in New Delhi to ask for inputs to add in Shah's obituary which the news desk wanted to keep ready. A Mumbai-based tabloid decided to assign someone in Delhi to write the obituary of Shah if and when needed. The curiosity around Shah is not new. Shah has, without any hesitation, owned up positive and negative perceptions that go with the implementation of the government's security agenda.

Read the column here

A Dalit teenage girl, who was allegedly raped by three men, has ended her life by hanging herself in this district of Uttar Pradesh, officials said. Chitrakoot Superintendent of Police (SP) Ankit Mittal said the 15-year-old girl hanged herself in her house in the Manikpur area on Tuesday.

After the girl's death, her family members alleged that she was raped by three men in a forest area on October 8, the officer said. On the basis of a complaint from the victim's family members, a former village head's son Kishan Upadhyay and two others -- Ashish and Satish -- were arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Mittal said.

The family members alleged that the girl ended her life as her complaint was not registered, a charge denied by the police, who said that the victim's kin had not given any application to lodge an FIR. The SP said the post-mortem did not confirm rape and the samples would now be sent to a Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL).

The girl will be cremated on Wednesday in the village, where elaborate security arrangements have been made. The victim's father alleged that after raping his daughter, the accused left her with her hands and legs tied and the police brought her home, but did not register an FIR.

The incident comes close on the heels of a 19-year-old Dalit woman succumbing in a Delhi hospital after allegedly being raped by four upper-caste men in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district, triggering a nationwide outrage. PTI

US President Donald Trump has described his presidential challenger Joe Biden as "the single worst candidate in the history of America", referring to a few recent gaffes of the Democratic leader. Republican incumbent Trump, 74, and challenger Biden, 77, are locked in a close contest for the November 3 elections.

"I'm running against the single worst candidate in the history of American presidential politics and you know what that does? That puts more pressure on me. Can you imagine if you lose to a guy like this?" Trump told his supporters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Trump recalled how recently Biden, mid-speech, forgot the name of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"It's unbelievable. It's disgusting. It's disgraceful. If he wins the radical left will be running the country. He won't be running the country. The radical left will takeover. And how about (that), Pennsylvania? So he says there will be no fracking. No fracking!" the president said, as his supporters jeered Biden.

With the elections just 21 days away, Trump exuded confidence of winning the eastern swing state. "And we are going to win four more years in the White House," he said. "This election is a simple choice. If Biden wins, China wins. All these other countries win. We get ripped off by everybody. If we win, you win, Pennsylvania wins, and America wins. Very simple, he said. For years the selfish and corrupt political class betrayed the people of Pennsylvania. You know that. And the people of our country. Career politicians like Joe Biden lied to you," the president said.

China and the far left are "desperate" for Joe Biden's win as the Democratic presidential candidate will "surrender" jobs to China, President Donald Trump said as he returned to the battleground State of Pennsylvania after being treated for COVID-19.

In his first political rally in Pennsylvania, which sends 20 electoral college votes, after he was tested positive for COVID-19, Trump on Tuesday hit hard at his political opponent, alleging that the former vice president is known for "surrender".

"Biden will eliminate tariffs on China. He's already said he's going to take the tariffs off China. There goes your steel industry. There goes your aluminum industry. There goes everything. Allowing them to plunder without consequence," he said, addressing thousands of his supporters in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

"The one constant in Biden's platform is surrender. He surrenders. He surrenders, whether it's China, whether it's Cuba. How about Cuba? How about the deal they made with Cuba? How bad was that one? I ended it," he said.

"That's why both China and the far left are desperate for a Biden win because he will surrender our jobs to China. China will own the US if that sleepy guy gets the position, okay," Trump said.

Tump said that over the next four years, he will make America into the manufacturing superpower of the world.

"And we'll end our reliance on China once and for all. That's already happening. We'll hire more police, increased penalties for assault on law enforcement, and we will ban deadly sanctuary cities that people don't want," he said.

"Unlike 'sleepy' Joe Biden, I will never abandon our nation, and I would never abandon its values. My goal is not to make friends in the DC swamp. My goal is to fight for you and fight for your family," said the president amidst applause from thousands of his supporters who came to listen him at a local airport, ignoring the social distancing restrictions of COVID-19.

Trump, 74, said while in 2017, he signed a historic executive order making it official government policy to buy American and hire American, his opponent has put forward a radical plan to eliminate US borders by implementing catch and release programmes that he ended. -- PTI

Stranded commuters at CSTM

09:25 Can't rule out foul play in Mumbai power outage: Maha Min

Maharashtra energy minister Dr Nitin Raut on Wednesday said that foul play or sabotage by external forces cannot be ruled out in connection with the power outage in Mumbai and other parts of the state on October 12.

Electricity supply was interrupted in Mumbai due to Tata's incoming electric supply failure causing power loss all over Mumbai and suburbs, also disrupting train traffic of Central and Western railway lines, according to Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport on Monday.

"Possibility of foul play/sabotage cannot be denied in the power outage incident of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai on Monday," Raut said on Twitter.

Taking serious cognisance of a massive power outage in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered an immediate probe.

Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been "erratic" just like his presidency, his Democratic challenger Joe Biden has said, terming the US president's leadership as "chaotic and divisive" that has cost Americans far too much.

The former vice president said Trump was playing games with people's lives and "the only senior Donald Trump seems to care about" is himself.

"His handling of this pandemic has been erratic just like his presidency. And it has prevented Florida seniors and people all across the country from getting the relief that they need, Biden said at a campaign event in Florida on Tuesday.

Florida is a battleground State which was won by Trump in the 2016 elections.

According to Real Clear Politics, which tracks major opinion polls, Biden is leading the state by 3.7 percentage points. However, Trump has been attracting thousands of people to his election rallies in Florida, despite coronavirus social distancing measures in place.

Biden claimed that Trump just hasn't been willing to do the work.

"I think it's beyond that, I'm not sure he cares about delivering any real help. I think it's both. People say he's not willing to do the work. Well, I don't think he cares much about it," he said.

"While you're losing precious time with your loved one's, he's been stuck in a sand trap on one of his golf courses. When he does decide to lift a finger, it isn't to help you. It's to propose new tax cuts for billionaires. That's not hyperbole. 100 wealthiest billionaires in America are expected to get another USD 30 billion tax cut he's proposing," he said.

"We know what happened the last time a tax cut was passed when he came into office. Pharmaceutical companies got billions of dollars in tax breaks. Then they turned around and raised prices for medicines that you rely on to stay healthy. And they're still doing it even during the pandemic. Quite frankly, it's unconscionable," Biden said.

But Trump does not really care about lowering the healthcare cost because he's beholden to health insurance companies and the drug companies, he said.

"After all, he's asking the United States Supreme Court as I speak, he's asking right now to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act which would eliminate seniors' ability--everyone--most of you are on Medicare--but it would eliminate your ability--and that act we passed," Biden said.

"I was able help put in place, was that you'd have preventative services, and annual checkups and mammograms for free under Medicare. If it gets struck down, that gets wiped out as well," he said, adding that the rise in prescription drug prices for millions of seniors has put Medicare trust funds at risk.

Biden accused Trump of wanting to terminate the tax that finances Social Security.

All Trump knows how to do is play games with people's lives, he said, adding that the president turned his back on educators and school children, and on workers whose jobs have not come back. -- PTI

Three cases of suspected coronavirus reinfection -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad -- have been "described" in India, the country's apex medical research body said on Tuesday.

Director General Balram Bhargava said the Indian Council of Medical Research had decided upon a cutoff of 100 days for reinfection if it occurs as, according to some studies, antibodies were also assumed to have a life of four months.

"Reinfection was a problem which was first described via a case from Hong Kong. Subsequently a few cases were described in India -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad," Bhargava said at a press conference in New Delhi.

"We have got some data from the WHO, which says that there are about two dozen reinfection cases in the world at the moment," he said. "We are looking at the ICMR database and finding out those who have had reinfection and making telephonic contact to get some data out of them."

The definition of reinfection, whether it is 90 days, 100 days or 110 days, is still not decided even by the World Health Organization, according to Bhargava.

However, the government is taking the cutoff of about 100 days if reinfection occurs because that is "what we have assumed as the life of antibodies", the official said. "So it's work in progress."

Referring to reports of reinfection surfacing in various states, health minister Harsh Vardhan had said on Sunday an analysis by the ICMR had revealed that many cases reported as COVID-19 reinfection had been "mis-classified" because the RT-PCR tests could detect dead virus shed for prolonged periods after recovery.

"Actual reinfection would mean a fully-recovered person getting infected by a freshly-introduced virus in his/her body, belonging to the same or different strain. ICMR is commissioning a study to understand the true burden of reinfected cases. Results will be shared in a couple of weeks," he had said. -- PTI

08:08 Heavy rains kill 11 people in Telangana

At least 11 people have died in Telangana following incessant rains that lashed several parts of the state, leading to waterlogging on roads and inundation of some low-lying areas.

Nine persons died when a boundary wall collapsed in Mohammedia Hills in Bandlaguda due to the heavy rains in Hyderabad in the past two days, Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted on Wednesday.

"HyderabadRains, I was at a spot inspection in Mohammedia Hills, Bandlaguda where a private boundary wall fell resulting in death of 9 people & injuring 2. On my from there, I gave a lift to stranded bus passengers in Shamshabad, now I'm on my way to Talabkatta & Yesrab Nagar," he tweeted.

Some boulders fell on the compound walls of two houses, killing eight people on the spot and injuring four persons. The injured are being treated, a police official said.

In a separate incident, a 40-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter died after the roof of their old house collapsed in Ibrahimpatnam area Hyderabadon Tuesday due to heavy rains, police said.

Normal life was thrown out of gear at various places in Telangana on Tuesday as heavy rains lashed the state, leading to water-logging in different localities in Hyderabad and other parts of the state. -- PTI

00:52 No freedom to speak truth in Cong: Khushbu

Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar on Tuesday claimed she was insulted in the Congress and wondered how the grand old outfit could do good for the nation when there was 'no freedom to speak the truth' within the party.

She accused the state unit of the Congress party of 'impaired' cognitive functions while reacting to an alleged remark, reportedly made by some in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee that she was seen merely as an actor during her entire six year stint in the party.

Speaking to reporters at the airport on her arrival in Chennai from Delhi following a warm reception accorded by Bharatiya Janata Party workers,she said she was prompted to respond in such a fashion in view of strong remarks made against her for leaving the party and joining the BJP.

The people who made such remarks in state Congress had no capability to ponder on the reason for people quitting the party and accused them of impaired cognitive functions.

"There is no respect for people in the party and those who quit," she said.

A day after joining the BJP, Sundar said though Congress set in motion initiatives like the Goods and Services Tax while it was in power, it was keen on only finding faults, be it the tax reforms or the farm laws of the Centre just for the sake of opposing the saffron party.

Even while she was in the Congress, the actor said she had welcomed the National Education Policy and abolition of the triple talaq.

"I was insulted (in Congress party) and not invited for party events. I used to get to know about programmes only after seeing newspapers," she claimed, addressing her maiden press conference at the BJP's Tamil Nadu headquarters 'Kamalalayam' in Chennai.

Despite such an ambience, she remained committed to the Congress till she quit it, she said.

On Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief K S Algiri saying that there was no loss to the party because of her exit, she said the TNCC would realise 'what they lost' in due course.

She joined the BJP at Delhi on Monday after quitting the Congress, where she had been its national spokesperson for six years.

Pointing to leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia quitting the Congress and the party 'sidelining 23 leaders', who wrote to top leader Sonia Gandhi recently, she asked: 'when there is no freedom to speak the truth within the party, how then could one expect it to do good for the country?'

Asked on her taking part in a recent protest here over the Hathras case and attacking the BJP, she said at that time she was in the Congress and hence toed the party line and she was also requested by office-bearers in Delhi.

To a question on switching loyalties between one party to another, she said she would stay put with the BJP for all time.

From 2010 to 2014, she was with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Known for her views espousing the rights of women, the actor said she continued to remain a 'Periyarist' (follower of social reformer and rationalist Periyar's ideology) as she would go on to champion the cause of women.

She said Periyar fought for the rights of women and oppressed people, including Dalits and to be a Periyarist, there was no need to subscribe to all of his ideologies, seen as a reference to his commitment to atheism.

Also, she said the BJP as well stood for the rights of women and Dalits.

To a question, she said just because that she has joined the party she did not expect the organisation to field her in elections (assembly elections next year).

"I leave it to senior party leaders."

Asked about claims that she joined the BJP only because of her husband Sundar C's persuasion, she dismissed it and asserted that she came to the party on her own for doing good to people and not expecting anything. -- PTI

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