LIVE! Flyer claims 'terrorist' on AI flight, held

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Thu, 22 October 2020

Flyer claims 'terrorist' on AI flight, held

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23:40 Flyer claims 'terrorist' on AI flight, held

A passenger created panic on- board Air Indias Delhi-Goa flight when he claimed presence of a 'terrorist' in the aircraft on Thursday, leading the police to arrest him on landing, a senior officer said.

The officer attached to the Dabolim Airport Police Station stated that the passenger, Zia Ul Haq, 30, said to be mentally unsound, was arrested after the flight landed.

The accused claimed himself to be an officer of 'Special Cell' and informed passengers about the presence of a 'terrorist' on-board, creating panic among travellers and giving some anxious moments to the in-flight AI staff, he said.

The man was handed over to the airport police by the Central Industrial Security Force and the staff of Air India, when the plane landed at the Dabolim airport, the officer said.

The police stated that the passenger was mentally unsound and has a history of taking treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, New Delhi.

He was medically examined at a state-run hospital and later admitted to the Institute of Psychology and Human Behaviour near Panaji after obtaining necessary orders from a local magistrate, they said. -- PTI

22:15 33 Indian labourers held 'hostage' in Somalia

The Indian High Commission in Kenya has said that it is in touch with the Somalian government to rescue 33 Indian labourers who are allegedly been kept hostage by a company in Mogadishu.

It also said that it was trying to provide the required assistance to the labourers.

This mission is in constant touch with Somalian government for immediate rescue of 33 Indian labourers from Mogadishu, Somalia.

'We are in touch with the labourers also for getting them the assistance needed, at the earliest. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia has assured that arrangements will be made for these people to visit India soon,' the Commission tweeted in Hindi on Wednesday in reply to a tweet by activist Rajesh Mani.

Rajesh Mani of Manav Seva Sansthan said 33 Indian labourers, including 25 workers from Uttar Pradesh, have been held hostage by a company in Somalia for the last eight months.

He said the matter came to his knowledge after a labourer from Kushinagar district contacted him.

The activist said he took to Twitter to contact the Indian High commission in Kenya to seek help.

"I contacted the Indian High Commission in Kenya and the external affairs ministry through Twitter and e-mail. They gave assurance of helping the labourers," he said.

Mani said out of the 33 labourers held hostage, 21 belong to Gorakhpur division.

Six of the labourers are from Bihar and one each from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, he said.

According to the activist, the labourers had joined the company 10 months ago.

In the first two months, the company treated them well, but from the last eight months, the workers were not paid their salaries, he said.

On Tuesday, one Sugreev Kushwaha of Kushinagar contacted me through WhatsApp, and told me that 33 Indian labourers were living in difficult conditions as the company at Mogadishu in Somalia, where they were working, had made them hostage in the factory campus.

He said they have not been paid from the last eight months.

He also sent me a video clip showing their condition, Mani said.

When the labourers demanded their salary, the company made them hostage inside the factory campus, took their passports and threatened to shoot them.

They have also not been given food, water and medicines since the last 15 days.

The labourers have been confined to their rooms and kept hungry and thirsty.

The company is treating them like bonded labourers, he added. -- PTI

21:46 Joint Parliamentary panel summons FB, Twitter

Social media giants Facebook and Twitter have been issued summons by a joint committee of Parliament on the issue of protection of data and its privacy, sources said on Thursday.

Representatives of Facebook India have been asked to appear on Friday before the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Meenakshi Lekhi, while Twitter officials are required to appear before the panel on October 28, as per the notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Summoning officials of Amazon and Google on the same issue is also under active consideration of the joint committee of Parliament, the sources said.

When contacted Lekhi said, "Whosoever iso required, whether an individual or an entity, will be asked to depose before the panel on the issue of protection of data and its privacy and their respective social media platforms will be thoroughly examined by the panel."

"It would be inappropriate and unfair to look at the calling of social media platform from the political prism. The committee has representatives from across the political spectrum and the deliberations on the bill are being held from the national interest perspective," she said.

Meanwhile, the Centre on Thursday warned Twitter about its location setting that showed Leh in China, saying any disrespect towards the country's sovereignty and integrity is totally unacceptable.

In a strongly-worded letter, Ajay Sawhney, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to respect the country's sensitivities, sources in the ministry said.

Twitter came under heavy criticism and faced backlash from social media users after its geo-tagging feature displayed 'Jammu & Kashmir, People's Republic of China' in a live broadcast from Leh's Hall of Fame, a war memorial for fallen soldiers in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Last month, Union Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had also written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and accused the social media platform's employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and of 'abusing' the prime minister and senior cabinet ministers.

The parliamentary standing committee on Information and Technology chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had also summoned Facebook officials on the alleged misuse of its hate speech rules. -- PTI

21:30 PM to present 'development agenda' in Bihar

A day before addressing his first set of rallies in Bihar bound for Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he will present the development agenda of the ruling National Democratic Alliance before the people and seek their support for it.

Modi is scheduled to address three rallies in the state on Friday and is expected to speak at around 12 of them during the entire Bihar poll campaign.

The three-phase polls will begin from October 28 and end on November 7.

The counting of votes is scheduled for November 10.

In a tweet, Modi said, 'Will have the opportunity to be in the midst of brothers and sisters of Bihar tomorrow. Will address rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur. Will present the NDA's development agenda before people and seek their blessings for the alliance.' -- PTI

A day after quitting the Bharatiya Janata Party, senior leader Eknath Khadse stepped up his attack on former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, saying that his arrogance resulted in the saffron party losing power in the state in the last assembly elections.

Khadse also took a dig at Fadnavis over his 'Mi punha yein' (I will come back) refrain he used during the poll campaign and asked why he did not say 'we will come back' instead.

Talking to a regional news channel, Khadse said, "Devendra Fadnavis is such a capable leader that he dethroned his own party from power in the 2019 assembly elections. Instead of stressing on 'I will come back', why didn't he say 'we will come back'?" he said.

"It was his arrogance that led to BJP's loss of power after the 2019 assembly polls," he said.

Sulking since his unceremonious exit from the Fadnavis-led ministry in 2016, Khadse on Wednesday quit the party and is set to join the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Khadse, 68, had blamed Fadnavis for 'trying to destroy his life' and political career.

Responding to his allegations, Fadnavis had said, "If he had complaints about me, he would have told seniors of the party."

On this, Khadse said, "I did visit Delhi and met senior BJP leaders (over my grievances), but I was disappointed. Every time I went there, I was asked to discuss the issues with Fadnavis."

"After I stepped down as a state minister, Fadnavis never found time to go to Delhi for me and resolve the issues," he said.

Khadse, the seniormost minister in the Fadnavis ministry, had resigned as revenue minister in 2016 over land grab allegations, and was since then largely sidelined in the BJP. -- PTI

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19:55 Pak made 3800 ceasefire violations this year

Pakistani troops have resorted to more than 3800 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir this year and even supported smuggling of arms and narcotic substances, including through drones and quadcopters, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Pakistani forces have continued to engage in unprovoked ceasefire violations, often from civilian areas, to support infiltration of terrorists across the LoC.

"This is a clear violation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding between the two sides. This year, till date, Pakistani forces have carried out more than 3,800 unprovoked ceasefire violations," he said at a media briefing.

The MEA spokesperson said there have also been attempts to drop arms and ammunition close to the LoC in the garb of civilian activities.

"We have also witnessed that Pakistan's aid and abetment to cross-border terrorism, smuggling of arms and narcotic substances have spilled over to the International Boundary including through usage of drones and quadcopters," he said.

Srivastava said such violations are regularly highlighted to Pakistan through diplomatic channels and at the regular Director General of Military Operations-level talks.

Notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic in the region, Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC and making concerted efforts to push militants into Kashmir.

Pakistani hostilities increased after India announced its decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divide the state into two union territories in August last year.

-- PTI

Dhirendra Pratap Singh

19:51 BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh in UP police's custody

The police on Thursday took custody of BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh who was arrested for allegedly shooting dead a man in Durjanpur village of the district during the allotment of a ration shop.

A Ballia court had on Wednesday remanded the BJP leader in police custody for two days.

Reoti SHO Praveen Singh took Dhirendra Singh's custody from the district jail, officials said without elaborating further. He was later taken to his house in Durjanpur village, sources said.

When asked by the media about the incident, the BJP leader, who was returning from his village with the police said, "I fired in self-defence and for the security of my family."

Chief judicial magistrate Ramesh Kushwaha had remanded the BJP leader in police custody to enable the police to recover the murder weapon, a country-made pistol, from the accused and for his custodial interrogation as part of the ongoing probe into the case.

The court remanded Dhirendra Singh in police custody for only two days, rejecting the prosecution demand for seven-day custody. The BJP leader was arrested from Lucknow on Sunday.

-- PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a dig at the BJP over its promise that people in poll-bound Bihar will get vaccine against coronavirus free after it is cleared by Indian Council of Medical Research and said the Centre has announced its COVID 'access strategy' and that people in every state should refer to their election schedule to know when they will get the vaccine.

'GOI just announced India's Covid access strategy. Kindly refer to the state-wise election schedule to know when will you get it, along with a hoard of false promises,' Gandhi said in a tweet.

The BJP on Thursday released its manifesto for three-phased Bihar elections and promised that after approval of coronavirus vaccine from ICMR, every person in the state will get vaccinated free of cost.

Three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in the country, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III trials.Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the party's manifesto.

Assembly elections in Bihar will be held on October 28, November 3 and 7 and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

BJP is fighting the polls in alliance with JD-U, Hindustani Awam Morcha and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). -- ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party landed in a soup after promising "free" coronavirus vaccines in its election manifesto for Bihar on Thursday.

Facing criticism for "using" pandemic as a "political opportunity", the party was criticised across social media and by several political parties and leaders.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Aam Aadmi Party appeared "shocked and appalled" at BJP's announcement.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday released the BJP manifesto for the Bihar assembly polls which promised free COVID-19 vaccine once it has been cleared by the ICMR.

Rahul took a jibe at BJP, saying that now India's Covid access strategy will depend upon state-wise election schedule.

"GOI just announced India's Covid access strategy. Kindly refer to the state-wise election schedule to know when you will get it, along with a hoard of false promises (sic)," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Taking pot shots at the BJP, Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak said, "Even (PM Narendra) Modi ji does not know when the corona Vaccine will come... And, Nirmala Sitharaman has started distributing it for free."

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also took a dig at the saffron party, saying that while the vaccine is yet to come, it has already become a part of poll rhetoric by the BJP.

"The vaccine is yet to come, but it has already become a part of poll 'jumlas' (rhetoric). Is the central government's responsibility not equal towards people of all states?"

"Is the promise of a free COVID vaccine the same as the Rs 1.25 lakh crore package promised to the state in 2015," she said on Twitter.

"Appalling cynicism", tweeted Tharoor and asked the election commissioner to take action against the party.

"Blatant populism that shamefully exploits Covid fear," Abdullah tweeted as he retweeted a video of Sitharaman releasing the manifesto.

18:56 R&AW chief meets Nepal Prime Minister Oli

Research and Analysis Wing) chief Samant Kumar Goel paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and said India will not allow interruption in the friendly bilateral relations with Nepal and resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue, according to a top Nepalese official on Thursday.

His visit comes ahead of the upcoming official trip of Indian Army chief Gen. M M Naravane to Nepal in the first week of November.

Goel called on Prime Minister Oli at his official residence at Baluwatar on Wednesday evening, the premier's press advisor Surya Thapa told PTI.

During the meeting, Goel "expressed his views regarding not to allow interruption in friendly relations between Nepal and India, resolving all the outstanding issues through dialogue and continuing mutual cooperation," Thapa said.

Sources here said the chief of India's external intelligence agency is also expected to meet chiefs of different security agencies in Nepal, including the Nepalese Army, during his visit.

The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.

In the midst of the row, Gen Naravane said that there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to the road at the behest of "someone else", in an apparent reference to a possible role by China in the matter. The comments triggered angry reactions from Nepal.

India too had published a new map in November 2019 showing the areas as its territories.

After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply, calling it a "unilateral act" and cautioning Kathmandu that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it.

In June, Nepal's Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it.

In its reaction, after Nepal's lower house of parliament approved the bill, India termed as untenable the "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims by the neighbouring country. -- PTI

A Mumbai-based lawyer on Thursday filed a criminal complaint against actor Kangana Ranaut for allegedly posting a "malicious" tweet against the judiciary after a local court ordered the registration of an FIR against her.

The police have already summoned Ranaut and her sister for questioning next week after a case was registered against them on the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate's order on another complaint.

In his complaint before the Andheri Magistrate Court, lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh also accused Ranaut of sedition and causing disharmony between two religious groups through her tweets.

The Bollywood actor had "no respect for varied communities of India, law of the land and authorised government bodies" and even made fun of the judiciary, it stated.

Following the Bandra court's order to the police to register a First Information Report against her, Ranaut posted "malicious and defamatory" tweets against the judiciary, terming it as "Papu Sena", the complaint stated.

The matter will be heard in the Andheri court on November 10.

Last week, the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate's court had ordered the police to investigate a complaint filed by Munawwar Ali Sayyed, a Bollywood casting director and fitness trainer, which referred to Ranaut's and her sister Rangoli Chandel's tweets and other statements.

On the direction of the court, the Bandra police registered an FIR against Ranaut and her sister under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments) and 124-A (sedition). -- PTI

18:04 Free Covid vaccine in Tamil Nadu, declares CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday assured free immunisation against coronavirus for all sections of people in the state as soon as a vaccine is made available.

"I would like to announce that as soon as the vaccine is developed (and made available to states) all people in Tamil Nadu will be immunised and the government shall bear the cost," he said here during an official visit.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has last week said India is expected to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a few months and the country should be in the process of delivering it to people in the next six months.

Presently COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of trials. -- PTI

17:40 Trump plans to sack FBI director

United States President Donald Trump and his advisors have reportedly been considering the possibility of firing FBI Director Christopher Wray after election day as he did not provide him with information that would be politically beneficial in the final weeks before elections.

Discussions between the President and his senior aides have resulted from criticism that Wray and Attorney General William Barr have not fulfilled Trump's wish for an official investigation to be launched into Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, The Hill reported, citing sources.

A source who requested anonymity to be able to freely disclose information on the internal discussion said that Trump has suggested that he wants action similar to that taken ahead of the 2016 elections by FBI Director James Comey, who had informed Congress about the investigation he had reopened into the then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of State.

According to the polling data from 2016, Comey's announcement had a significant impact on Clinton's lead over Trump, even though it came in just 11 days before the elections.

As per sources, Trump considers Wray to be one of his worst personnel picks. Both White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and top Trump advisor Dan Scavino have also criticised Wray in internal talks. -- ANI

17:35 It's Modi vs Rahul in Bihar tomorrow!

The political temperature in Bihar is set to go up substantially as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi take a direct plunge in electioneering Friday, addressing a series of rallies for their respective alliances in the state.

Prime Minister Modi will address three rallies at Dehri-on Sone (Rohtas district), Gaya and Bhagalpur -- to seek support for NDA nominees on different assembly constituencies going to vote in the first phase on October 28.

According to BJP sources and reports from the districts Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will join Modi at the rallies in Dehri and Bhagalpur.

In Gaya, JD(U) leader in the Lok Sabha Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan will share the dais with Modi along with former chief minister and president of Hindustani Awam Morcha Jitan Ram Manjhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also slated to launch his campaign in Bihar elections Friday.

He will address two rallies Friday -- at Hisua in Nawada and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. Sources at the Congress as well as in the RJD said that Tejashwi Yadav, the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan, will join Gandhi at Hisua, where Congress nominee Neetu Singh is taking on sitting BJP MLA Anil Singh.

In Kahalgaon, the former Congress president will be accompanied by Shaktisinh Gohil and other senior party leaders, besides some district-level office bearers and candidates of the coalition partners.

The BJP has already launched a "carpet bombing" campaign for the Bihar polls with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, BJP president J P Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressing public meetings at various places.

Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the party's manifesto for the Bihar polls during the day which promised free COVID-19 vaccine once it has been cleared by the ICMR among others. Besides, them, BJP general secretary and in-charge of the state Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister Ravishankar Prasad, union minister of state for Home Nityanand Rai, former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state leaders such as deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, state unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal are criss-crossing the state.

From ally JD(U), its head Nitish Kumar is addressing 4-5 public meetings daily and also addressing virtual rallies to reach out to maximum number of voters.

In the opposition camp, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is holding the fort in the absence of his father Lalu Prasad. Tejashwi is addressing 8-9 rallies daily cutting short there duration for 15-20 minutes only to garner support for the candidates of his party as well as those from allies Congress and others.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his address to the country, Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said on Thursday that he remained silent on major issues, but it was "one of the best speeches" made in the last few months.

"There was nothing to dislike in Modi's Tuesday's address, and the prime minister had a "radiant glow" on his face which will rid the country of its problems," the editorial in the Marathi daily said in a sarcastic tone.

"What did prime minister Modi tell the countrymen through his address? What was new? Did he give any assurance to the flood-hit people in Maharashtra? Which monetary package was announced? All such criticism can be directed at the speech, however, the speech was short and effective," it said.

The prime minister on Tuesday appealed people to follow COVID-19 guidelines even though lockdown has ended, and warned that negligence can dampen the festive spirit.

"Whatever he spoke about coronavirus, it was all true. He came, he spoke. His white beard, the radiant glow on his face....This glow will eradicate the darkness of calamities in the country," the editorial said.

Modi talked about economic activities in the country being increased, but did not refer to the unemployment caused by the pandemic, it said.

"Before the speech, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had appealed to the PM to talk about the Chinese incursion (in Ladakh) and when India will drive out Chinese soldiers. But Modi did not touch on a single issue," the Sena mouthpiece said.

"His speech was short and crisp. In fact, the seven-to-eight minute-long coronavirus awareness address was one of the best speeches in the last seven months," it added.

Referring to the demand to reopen temples in Maharashtra, the editorial said governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari must have noted that the prime minister said the places where crowding can happen can not be reopened so soon. Opposition BJP has been demanding that temples in Maharashtra be reopened, and Koshyari had written a caustic letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the issue. -- PTI

A criminal defamation complaint, filed by former union minister M J Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani, was on Thursday sent back to the judge who was hearing the matter. An Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate trying the case had earlier this month sent the matter to the Principal District and Sessions Judge seeking transfer of the matter to another court on the ground that his court was designated to hear cases filed against lawmakers. Principal District and Sessions Judge Sujata Kohli, however, sent the matter back to the ACMM. -- PTI

BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Thursday the NDA government has spared no effort in securing the country's boundaries and its focus on building border roads has shaken China.

Laying the foundation stone of the BJP's six offices in Himachal Pradesh, virtually from Delhi, he said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the government has built 4,700-km four-lane all-weather roads on the border from the Galwan Valley in Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh in the last six years.

Similarly, double-lane bridges of total length 14.7 km have also been constructed on the border for big tanks to pass. This is empowered India and shaken China, Nadda said.

The BJP chief said earlier there were small bridges and vehicular traffic had to be halted whenever army trucks had to cross those. Referring to the strategically important Atal Tunnel in Rohtang which was inaugurated by the prime minister a few days back, Nadda said he wanted to come to Himachal Pradesh during its opening, but could not as the process for selection of candidates for Bihar polls was on.

Congratulating the public of Himachal Pradesh for the Atal Tunnel, he said it would also be beneficial for the security of the country. PTI

The Congress party reacts to the BJP's manifesto for Bihar promising free vaccinations. Randeep Surjewala says, "During the migrant workers crisis, Bihar CM and Deputy CM said they won't let Biharis enter their state. The PM said vaccine can't possibly be made before a year. 1000 Biharis died due to Covid. Do central ministers care? They're deriding Biharis."

Finance Minister released the Bihar manifesto today saying, "As soon as the Covid-19 vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale, every person in Bihar will get free vaccination. This is the first promise mentioned in our poll manifesto."

Congress MP and former union minister Shashi Tharoor tweeted, "Tum mujhe vote do main tumhe vaccine (Give me votes, I will give you vaccine)... what appalling cynicism! Will the Election Commission rap her and her shameless government on the knuckles?"

Snapping its four-session rising streak, equity benchmark Sensex ended 149 points lower on Thursday, tracking losses in index majors Reliance Industries, Infosys and ICICI Bank amid weak cues from global markets. The 30-share BSE index settled 148.82 points or 0.37 per cent lower at 40,558.49. The broader NSE Nifty slipped 41.20 points or 0.35 per cent to 11,896.45.

IndusInd Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, Titan, Infosys, HDFC Bank, Nestle India, Sun Pharma and Reliance Industries. On the other hand, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance and Axis Bank were among the gainers.

"Indian markets traded on a negative note following benign Asian and global market cues as IMF on Wednesday downgraded its forecast for Asia-Pacific region to (-) 2.2 per cent in 2020," said Narendra Solanki, Head- Equity Research (Fundamental), Anand Rathi. During the afternoon session, markets attempted briefly to scale back losses but failed and remained lacklustre with narrow range, he added. -- PTI

15:51 IndiGo celebrating Durga Puja at six airports

IndiGo on Thursday said it is celebrating Durga Puja through Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at six airports from October 21 to 27. These six stations are Kolkata, Silchar, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Agartala and Jorhat, IndiGo said in a press release.

"In addition, special Bengali food menu has been introduced as part of 6E tiffin, which will be available exclusively on flights from Kolkata for travel dates between on October 21 to 27 October," the airline said. The carrier said this celebration is part of its "India by IndiGo" campaign that promotes diverse Indian culture.

"The (Oct 21-Oct 27) festivities will include Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at the airport, while the staff will be dressed in traditional Puja clothes and boarding gate and inflight announcements will be made in Bengali," the airline said. -- PTI

15:39 Here's to Bengal!

Trust Shashi Tharoor to find this particular Ma Durga depiction among a 1000 others in West Bengal. "And I thought Bengalis are known for their diplomacy! Clearly the days of "China-er Chairman amader Chairman"' are officially over... #DurgaPuja2020."

This particular Durga pandal depicts Chinese premier Xi Jinping in the form of the Asura being devoured by the Ma Durga's lion.

Pakistan National Assembly's Standing Committee on Law and Justice approved the bill for review of Kulbhushan Jadhav's conviction on Wednesday.

The Indian has been sentenced to death by a military court for espionage.

Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. India has rejected Pakistan's allegations and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar.

In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death.Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem said that the bill to review the conviction of Jadhav has been introduced with the directives of the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance, reported Dawn.

The ordinance allows Jadhav to file an appeal against his conviction in a high court.

Farogh warned that in case the bill was not adopted by Parliament, Pakistan could face sanctions for not complying with the ICJ's verdict. The law minister said that India could be filing a contempt petition against Pakistan in the ICJ by promulgating the said ordinance. -- ANI

File pic

15:19 Hrithik Roshan's mother tests Covid+ve

Actor Hrithik Roshan's mother, Pinkie Roshan, has tested positive for Covid-19, filmmaker-husband Rakesh Roshan said. There were reports that Pinkie Roshan, who turned 67 on Thursday, tested positive for the virus a week ago. When contacted, Rakesh Roshan told PTI that she is currently asymptomatic.

"Yes it's true. There are no symptoms and she is doing home quarantine," he said. Pinkie Roshan took to Instagram and shared an image of baloons and flowers, a surprise gift to her from the family.

"My family brings in my birthday with this surprise at my door," she captioned the picture. On Wednesday, Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rose to 2,45,871 and death toll reached 9,869. -- PTI

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have raised stake in billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries to a record 25.2 per cent in the quarter ended September 30, according to the company's regulatory filing. Reliance Industries on Thursday filed a statement showing the shareholding pattern for the quarter ended September 30.

The statement showed FII holding 165.8 crore shares or 25.2 per cent of the total shareholding. In the previous quarter ended June 30, foreign investors held 163.07 crore shares of 24.72 per cent. In an investor note, JP Morgan said FII holding in RIL has hit a new high. -- PTI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid-19. He is admitted at AIIMS Patna. Modi tweeted, "Tested positive for CORONA. All parameters perfectly normal. Started with mild temp for last 2 days. Admitted to AIIMS Patna for better monitoring. CT scan of lungs normal. Will be back soon for campaigning."

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has won seven out of the 11 oil and gas exploration blocks offered for bidding in the latest licensing round, upstream regulator Directorate General of Hydrocarbons said Thursday.

Oil India Ltd won the remaining four blocks, it said. The government had offered 11 blocks for exploration and production of oil and gas in the fifth bid round under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy. A total of 12 bids -- seven bids by ONGCand four by Oil India Ltd (OIL) -- were received for the 11 blocks on offer at the close of bidding on June 30. Invenire Petrodyne Ltd was the only private bidder for one block.

Despite the notice served on him by the BJP over his recent remarks, party MLA Surendra Singh on Thursday again defended a murder accused, saying "a criminal got killed at the hands of a soldier in the firing".

The main accused in the case is the district unit president of the BJP ex-servicemen cell. Local BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh had shot dead a 46-year-old man following a quarrel over the allotment of ration shops in Ballia district's Durjanpur village on October 15.

Surendra Singh, the MLA from Bairia, had come out in his support, saying Dhirendra Pratap Singh had "opened fire in self-defence" as "it was a do-or-die situation for him".

"Jai Prakash Pal Gama, who was killed in the firing incident, was a criminal. He had four cases of train dacoity against him," Surendra Singh told reporters here. The MLA said "a criminal got killed at the hands of a soldier in the firing".

"Gama had encroached upon the land of one Lokanath Tiwari in his village and attacked Tiwari when he objected to it," Surendra Singh said, claiming that his party "approved of his stand".

He claimed that he met senior BJP leaders in the past few days and all have said that he was right. He stressed that the other party should get justice. When asked why he has been issued a show-cause notice if the BJP approved of his action, he said this was a tradition.

"Dhirendra Pratap Singh has made a mistake but he is not a criminal. I can even give up my life for the honour of party workers," he said.

The Bairia MLA was issued the show-cause notice by state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh on Monday and given a week's time to respond to it. On Wednesday, Surendra Singh had said that he was yet to receive the notice -- PTI

Chirag Paswan today used his birthday wishes for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to demonstrate his loyalty to the BJP while steadily sharpening his attacks on its ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The Lok Janshakti Party leader called Amit Shah his "guardian" in a tweet crafted as a message to Nitish Kumar at the peak of the campaign for the Bihar polls starting next week.

"Best wishes to the country's Home Minister, guardian Amit Shah on his birthday. Sir you inspire lakhs of youth like me to do something for the country. May god always keep you healthy," Chirag Paswan tweeted on the senior BJP leader's 56th birthday.

The 37-year-old LJP MP, who is fighting separately from the National Democratic Alliance in the October-November Bihar election, also spoke to Amit Shah on the phone.

Shortly before the birthday greetings, Chirag Paswan had, in three tweets, targeted Nitish Kumar over what he alleged were "five years of scams" and added that if he came to power, he would have all those responsible jailed.

14:10 Shivraj to move SC over ban on rallies in MP

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj S Chouhan to move the Supreme Court: "We'll be going to Supreme Court against the order of Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh HC that restricts political rallies in the state. Political rallies being held in Bihar every day, there can't be such contradicting legislation in one country."

The Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday had restrained district magistrates in 9 districts from giving permission to any political party or its candidate for any physical public meeting irrespective of its size if there is a possibility of a virtual election campaign.

The court which had been displeased by the conduct of political parties and candidates for assembly bypoll campaign, observed that right to health and life of a common man is comparatively more exalted, sacred and precious compared to the right to canvassing and campaigning for a candidate.

The government on Thursday decided to restore with immediate effect all existing visas, except electronic, tourist and medical categories, almost eight months after their suspension following the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent imposition of a nationwide lockdown.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also announced giving permission to all Overseas Citizen of India and Person of Indian Origin card holders and all other foreign nationals to visit India for any purpose, except on a tourist visa.

The ministry said in a statement that in view of the situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government had taken a series of steps to curtail the inward and outward movement of international passengers since February, 2020. The government has now decided to make a graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions for more categories of foreign nationals and Indian nationals who wish to enter or leave India.

Under this graded relaxation, the government has decided to restore with immediate effect all existing visas, except electronic visa, tourist visa and medical visa, the statement said.

If the validity of such visas has expired, fresh visas of appropriate categories can be obtained from Indian mission or post concerned. Foreign nationals intending to visit India for medical treatment can apply afresh for a medical visa, including for their medical attendants. Therefore, this decision will enable foreign nationals to come to India for various purposes such as business, conferences, employment, studies, research, medical purposes etc.

The government has also decided to permit all OCI and PIO card holders and all other foreign nationals intending to visit India for any purpose, except on a tourist visa, to enter by air or water routes through authorised airports and seaport immigration check posts.

This includes flights operated under 'Vande Bharat' mission, air transport bubble arrangements or by any non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

All such travellers will, however, have to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding quarantine and other health/Covid-19 matters. While the restrictions on visas were imposed following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in February, commercial flight operations were suspended when the nationwide lockdown came into effect on March 25.

However, the government has been allowing limited operations of Air India flights under the 'Vande Bharat' mission for certain categories OCI and PIO card holders and those Indians who were stuck due to COVID-19 outbreak since June. -- PTI

Ma Durga as the Covid slayer at a pandal in Kolkata

13:31 India's active Covid cases fall below 10%: Govt

Active cases of COVID-19 in India have fallen below 10 per cent while the positivity rate of the disease was reported below 5 per cent in the last three days, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said today.

"Presently the active cases comprise merely 9.29 per cent of the total positive cases of the country standing at 7,15,812. The daily positivity rate has also been maintained at less than 5 per cent over the past three days indicating that the spread of infection is being effectively contained through focussed strategies and actions of the Centre and the states/UTs. Today, the daily positivity rate is reported to be 3.8 per cent," the official statement said.

The decrease in the daily positivity rate is simultaneously mapped by the falling active cases, which continues to be under 7.5 lakh today (7,15,812). The total recovered cases are close to 69 lakhs (68,74,518). The difference between active cases and recovered cases is consistently increasing and stands at 61,58,706 today.

As many as 79,415 patients have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases are 55,839. The national recovery rate has progressed to 89.20 per cent.

A total of 702 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours. Of these, nearly 82 per cent are concentrated in 10 states/UTs. More than 25 per cent of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra (180 deaths).

"On a global scale, India continues to report one of the lowest cases/million population. With consistently falling case fatality rate (1.51 per cent presently), it also has one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality," the MoHFW said. -- ANI

Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed Jain temples to reopen dining halls during the nine-day fasting festival 'Ayambil Oli Tap' from October 23.According to the court ruling, temples will have to follow Standard Operating Procedures issued by the state government for restaurants amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Temples will, however, not be opened for devotees to offer prayers, the court clarified. The Jain temples will reopen their dining halls in Mumbai to serve special food or lunch for Ayambil Oli Tap, a traditional Jain festival. -- ANI

Increasing the legal age for the marriage of women has enormous benefits on social and economic fronts including lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio, improvement of nutrition levels and more opportunities for women to pursue higher education and careers, according to a research note by SBI Ecowrap released on Thursday.

It said increasing the marriage age will push the mean marriage age higher and will lead to more females doing graduation and hence improving the female labour force participation ratio. As per its estimations, the percentage of females doing graduation will increase by at least 5-7 percentage points from the current level of 9.8 per cent.

"On the social front, this will lead to social benefits like lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio as well as improvement of nutrition levels while on financial front opportunities will be opened up for women to pursue higher education and careers and become financially empowered, thus resulting in a more egalitarian society in thinking," the report said.

Highlighting that the mean marriage age in India is already at 22.3 years and any increase in marriage age will be notional in nature, the SBI Ecowrap report noted that there is a need for change in the mindset of people regarding female education and marriage.

"Still, 35 per cent of females in India are married before the age of 21 years. The situation is grave in some states. Surprisingly, the situation in West Bengal is the worst across all states with the mean marriage age only 20.9 years and almost 47 per cent of females getting married before the age of 21 years, even worse than Bihar and Rajasthan," the report said. -- ANI

The government has shot off a stern letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, conveying its strong disapproval over misrepresentation of the Indian map, and asserted that any attempt by the micro-blogging platform to disrespect the country's sovereignty and integrity is totally unacceptable.

In a strongly-worded letter, IT Secretary Ajay Sawhney has warned the platform that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raises questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.

IT Ministry sources said that Sawhney shot off a stern letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, conveying strong disapproval of the government over misrepresentation of map of India.

Earlier, Twitter had shown geo-location of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, People's Republic of China.

The IT secretary, in his letter, has reminded Twitter that Leh is the headquarter of Union Territory of Ladakh and both Ladakh as well as Jammu and Kashmir are integral and inalienable parts of India, governed by the Constitution of India.

The government had asked Twitter to respect the sensitivities of Indian citizens, and has also made it clear that any attempt by Twitter to disrespect sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable and unlawful.

Issuing a stern warning, the IT secretary has said that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raises questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.

-- PTI

"The festival of Durga Puja is a festival that reflects the unity and strength of India. It is also a reflection of the traditions and culture that comes from Bengal," PM Modi said. His speech was beamed on giant screens in at least 10 puja pandals across the state.

A cultural programme is also being organized on the sidelines of the puja at Salt Lake where singer Babul Supriyo and union environment and forest minister is expected to perform. Noted dancer Dona Ganguly and her daughter are also expected to perform along with their troupe. Dona Ganguly is the wife of former Indian skipper and current Board of Control for Cricket in India president Saurav Ganguly.

12:36 Forgive my Bengali pronunciation: Modi

Modi: "Bengali is such a sweet language, and I know my pronunciation is not up to the mark. But I could not resist trying to speak it. Forgive my mistakes. I end my speech invoking the strength and blessings of Ma Durga and Ma Kali will always be with you and the rest of India.

"We are celebrating Durga Puja in times of COVID-19, all devotees have shown exemplary restraint. The number of people might be less but the grandeur and devotion are the same. The happiness and joy are still boundless. This is the real Bengal."

Modi to Bengal: On the occasion of Durga puja, you will be celebrating a muted puja because of Covid. Don't forget to maintain social distancing. Durga is celebrated and welcomed as a daughter, as Durgati Nashani, a destroyer of poverty or evil. She epitomises Shakti, or power.

He then draws a comparison between Durga who slays poverty and epitomises women's emancipation, and the BJP with their several schemes for women. "Amar shontaan jano thake doodhe-bhaate. May my child always be fed, this is what the BJP promises to do for you," he says.

"This is the land from where Bankimchandra Chattopadhyaya and Rabindranath Tagore called for the emancipation and the economic independence of Bengal. We need to fulfil their promises. The BJP has built homes for 30 lakh poor in Bengal, and cooking gas to 90 lakh households. The Jal Jeevan Mission has ensured clean water to 4 lakh houses. In Kolkata, the east-west metro corridor has been given funds from the Centre.

Highways, broadband connectivity, is being done," he says.

12:18 Modi to Bengal: You have led India to progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the people of West Bengal on commencement of Durga Puja, virtually. He will also address the people of the state which will be telecast in every booth of the state's 294 constituencies, following social distancing norms.

The prime minister addresses West Bengal on the first day of the Durga Puja celebrations, Shashti, and invoking names of luminaries in the field of arts and culture, literature, politics, he says Bengal has always led the way for the rest of India.

The decision to withdraw the general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate cases in the state was taken because of its interference in the matters of the state already being probed by Maharashtra Police, said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

"In the case of a national issue, CBI has the authority to investigate. We had to take this decision because of its interference in the matters of the state already being probed by our police," said Raut.

"Maharashtra and Maharashtra Police have their own rights as per the Constitution and if someone tries to abuse these rights then Government has to take such decisions," he added.

The order issued on Wednesday by the Maharashtra government, however, will not affect the investigation in the ongoing cases by the Central probe agency in the state.

With this, the CBI will now have to take permission from the state government to investigate on a case-to-case basis in Maharashtra.Earlier, three non-BJP-ruled states - Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal - had already withdrawn their general consent to let the CBI probe cases in their jurisdiction. -- ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its manifesto for three-phased Bihar elections and promised that after the approval of the coronavirus vaccine from ICMR, every person in the State will get vaccinated free of cost.

"In the fight against coronavirus, the NDA government has set an example in the country. It is our resolution that as soon as the vaccine will be approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), every person in the State will be vaccinated," the manifesto said.

Union Finance Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman released the party's manifesto."As soon as COVID-19 vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale every person in Bihar will get free vaccination. This is the first promise mentioned in our poll manifesto," Sitharaman said.

The senior BJP leader said that Bihar is one state where all citizens are politically sensitive and well informed.

"They know and understand the promises a party makes. If anyone raises questions on our manifesto, we can answer them with confidence as we fulfill what we promised," she added.

Sitharaman said that the GDP in Bihar has seen a sharp rise under the NDA rule, it has grown from 3 per cent to 11.3 per cent in the State in the last 15 years of NDA govt and not during the 15 years of jungle raj.

"It was made possible because our government gave priority to good governance for people. Only 34 per cent eligible got pucca house in Lala Yadav's 15 years tenure. But in the last 15 years, 96 per cent of eligible people got the pucca house," she said.

Appealing to all voters in the State to vote for NDA and make it win, Sitharaman said, "Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Minister of Bihar for the next 5 years. Under his rule, Bihar will become a progressive and developed state of India."

The election document was unveiled by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior leaders Bhupender Yadav, Nityanand Rai, Ashwini Choubey, and Pramod Kumar. Union minister and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and other BJP leaders were also present at the event.The manifesto comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi hits the campaign trail. The BJP's manifesto speaks about the Prime Minister's vision of making 'Atmanirbhar Bihar'. -- ANI

Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette "INS Kavaratti" was commissioned into Indian Navy by Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Kavaratti has state-of-the-art weapons and sensor suite capable of detecting and prosecuting submarines. In addition to its anti-submarine warfare capability, the ship also has a credible self-defence capability and good endurance for long-range deployments.

According to the Indian Navy, touted as a potent Stealth ASW Corvette, Kavaratti is indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and portrays the growing capability of the Indian Navy, GRSE and the nation in becoming self-reliant through indigenization, thus, accentuating our national objective of "Atmanirbhar Bharat".

The ship has up to 90 per cent indigenous content and the use of carbon composites for the superstructure is a commendable feat achieved in Indian shipbuilding. The ship's weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases the nation's growing capability in this niche area.

Kavaratti takes her name from erstwhile INS Kavaratti which was an Arnala class missile corvette. The older Kavaratti distinguished herself by operating in support of was Bangladesh's liberation in 1971. -- ANI

10:50 Nitish has only spent 60% of budget: Tejashwi

Battle for Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav, RJD Leader: "The Bihar government has spent only 60 per cent of the budget. Be it floods or Corona, Nitish Kumar turned away from people of Bihar. Now during election time, on what basis is he going to them and asking for votes. All he has done is get everyone beaten with a stick."

With a week to go before the polls, images of massive crowds at the rallies of Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and the opposition mahagatbandhan's chief ministerial face, are believed to have caused some trepidation among Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's supporters.

Yadav on Tuesday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP saying that if he is inexperienced as a leader then why is the world's largest party using its full force against him.

"If I am inexperienced then why are you (BJP) deploying full force against me? This proves that they are desperate. Is Nitish Kumar's face not working? BJP is the largest party in the world but they don't have any CM candidate," said Yadav while speaking to the reporters.

"They have used full force against me and I am alone. They call me inexperienced but I have been an MLA, Leader of Opposition and also held deputy CM's post. My five years of experience is equivalent to 50 years of experience," he added.

10:32 Trump says 19 yrs in Afghanistan enough

The US has had enough of 19 years in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump has said, reiterating that American troops are coming back from the war-torn country. Trump has repeatedly said that he would bring home all the US troops from "endless wars".

It was also one of the promises he made during his 2016 Presidential campaign.

Last month, he said that the United States will reduce the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 4,000 in a very short period of time. "We never had anything like it -- and sacrificing American blood and treasure in endless foreign wars in countries that you've never even heard of. And they're all coming back. You know that, right? I hope nobody objects," Trump told his supporters on Wednesday at an election rally in Gastonia, in the battleground state of North Carolina.

"I think 19 years in Afghanistan is enough, wouldn't you say? We're like a police force over there. We have the greatest soldiers in the world, but over there we're like a police force. 19 years is enough," he said. "You think it's easy getting out with all the military-industrial complex, right? The military -- beware the military-industrial complex. They are right but we are all coming home, they are all coming home," Trump said.

As many as 24 more accused persons have been arrested in connection with the Palghar mob lynching incident, said Irfan Shaikh, Criminal Investigation Department officer on Thursday.

The accused persons will be produced before court today, Shaikh said in a statement.

Total of three FIRs have been registered and 178 persons arrested so far in connection with the Palghar lynching incident.

The public interest litigations (PILs) in the matter are seeking a CBI or a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe in the incident that took place in Palghar district on April 16 this year.

On the night of April 16, the two sadhus and their driver were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to attend a funeral in Gujarat's Surat amid the nationwide lockdown when their vehicle was stopped and they were allegedly attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village in the presence of police officers. -- ANI

09:49 55,839 fresh Covid cases; tally at 77.06 lakh

India's coronavirus count has touched 77.06 with a jump of 55,839 cases in the last 24 hours, government data shows.

702 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,16,616.

68,74,518 people in the country have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic.

The country has been reporting a steady decline in its daily coronavirus infections after reaching a peak of about 90,000 cases a day in September.

India, which reported its first case on January 30, is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States.

09:32 PM to join Durga Puja event in Bengal today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata via video conferencing today as the five-day celebrations begin in West Bengal amid the pandemic.

The BJP claims it has made elaborate arrangements for the live-viewing of PM Modi's virtual address to the people. TV screens have been put up in all the 78,000 election booth areas across the state.

The prime minister will virtually inaugurate a pandal that BJP has set up in Salt Lake in Kolkata at a cultural centre run by the central government's ministry of culture.

The prime minister tweeted last evening about joining the festivities at 10 am. He is likely to deliver his speech at noon.

Several big names are likely to stage cultural performances in the two hours before the speech, including dancer Dona Ganguly, wife of BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly.

Today is maha shashti, the first of five days of worship of goddess Durga.

09:03 PM wishes Amit Shah on his 56th birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended greetings to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his 56th birthday and appreciated his dedication and contribution towards India's progress.

"Birthday wishes to Shri @AmitShah Ji. Our nation is witnessing the dedication and excellence with which he is contributing towards India's progress. His efforts to make BJP stronger are also noteworthy. May God bless him with a long and healthy life in service of India," the PM said in a tweet.

Born in 1964 in Mumbai, Shah was involved with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from his early days.

In Gujarat, Shah served as the home minister in the BJP government, which was helmed by Modi, who was the Chief Minister of the state at that time.

Referred to as 'Chanakya' of modern-day politics for his organisational abilities, Shah brings with him a vast experience in the political arena.

Since his appointment as BJP president in 2014, Shah has been instrumental in leading the party to electoral victories in many states, particularly in the North-East.

He was party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and helped BJP and its allies win 73 out of 80 seats in the general elections.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Shah also managed BJP's election campaign and rigorously campaigned at the same time, which lead the party winning 303 seats. Hence, BJP became the first party in India, since 1971, to return with a full majority.

Shah is a first-time Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar and was inducted into the cabinet under the second tenure of the Modi government. He was given the charge of Home Affairs.

-- ANI

Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad attacked his successor Nitish Kumar on Twitter today, accusing him of betraying the people of the state who gave him multiple chances.

The attack came two days after Kumar mocked Tejashwi Yadav's promise of approving 10 lakh jobs if his party came to power, and asked will money for the purpose come from the jail or will it be done through fake notes.

He highlighted dismal track record of the RJD's past government and appealed to the people not to get "misled" by their "pralobhan" (temptation). "These days many people are saying they will give this many jobs. But from where will they bring the money for the purpose? Will they bring it from the jail or will they do it through fake notes, Kumar wryly said, taking an oblique dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad lodged in jail in Ranchi after conviction in fodder scam cases.

07:54 Brazil's COVID-19 vaccine volunteer dies

A volunteer in Brazil's clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died, the Brazilian health agency Anvisa announced, adding that the trial will continue.

While it is not clear whether the volunteer had received the vaccine or a placebo shot during the trial, Anvisa has refused to reveal any more information citing reasons of medical privacy, CNN reported.

"All significant medical incidents, whether participants are in the control group or the COVID-19 vaccine group, are independently reviewed. Following careful assessment of this case in Brazil, there have been no concerns about safety of the clinical trial and the independent review in addition to the Brazilian regulator have recommended that the trial should continue," Oxford University told CNN in an emailed statement.

CNN further reported that a spokesman for vaccine maker AstraZeneca declined to comment specifically on reports that a volunteer in its trial of a coronavirus vaccine in Brazil had died, but indicated nothing had happened to justify stopping or pausing the trial.

"We cannot comment on individual cases in an ongoing trial of the Oxford vaccine as we adhere strictly to medical confidentiality and clinical trial regulations, but we can confirm that all required review processes have been followed," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

According to the latest update by the Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has recorded as many as 52,73,954 COVID-19 cases and 1,54,837 people have died due to the virus till now.

-- ANI

00:04 TRP scam: Names of 2 more channels crop up

The names of two more TV channels have surfaced during the investigation of alleged fake Television Rating Points scam, police said on Wednesday.

While one is a news channel, the other one is an entertainment channel, the official said.

"During the investigation, it came to light that these two channels were also involved in fixing the TRP by paying money to households for watching them," he said.

"While investigating the fake TRP racket, the police have added fresh sections of IPC, including 174, 179, 201, 204," he said.

According to the official, the police had earlier registered an offence under section 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 120(B), 34 of IPC in the case, he said adding the crime branch submitted the letter to the court about adding new sections.

Earlier three channels, including Republic TV, was found allegedly involved in the TRP racket.

Meanwhile the probe team on Wednesday once again recorded statements of Republic TV CFO S Sundaram and executive editor Niranjan Narayanswami, he said.

The alleged fake TRP scam came to light when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council filed a complaint with the police through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain channels were rigging TRP numbers to lure advertisers.

It was alleged that some families at whose houses meters for collecting data of viewership were installed were being bribed to tune into a particular channel. -- PTI

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