LIVE! Hard months ahead for Germany, says Merkel

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Sat, 24 October 2020

Hard months ahead for Germany, says Merkel

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21:05 Hard months ahead for Germany, says Merkel

The COVID-19 infections in Germany are spreading more rapidly than at the beginning of the year, which indicates that the country is yet to face its most difficult months, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday during her regular television address to the nation.

"We are in a very serious phase of the COVID pandemic. The number of new cases is spiraling upwards, day by day. The pandemic is spreading again rapidly, even faster than at the start more than six months ago," Merkel said.

She added that for Germany "the comparatively relaxed summer is over" and it depends on the citizens' actions on how they would spend the winter and celebrate Christmas.

Merkel called on the Germans to refrain from traveling, outdoors meetings and activities.

"Please, do not travel unless it is absolutely essential. Please, do not celebrate unless it is absolutely essential. Please, stay at home, in your own town, wherever possible," the chancellor said.

On Saturday, Germany confirmed 14,714 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours marking the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak.

According to the World Health Organization, Germany reported 4,03,291 COVID-19 infections overall, with 9,954 deaths.

-- ANI

20:44 'I voted for a guy named Trump,' says US prez

US President Donald Trump cast his ballot in West Palm Beach, Florida, and told reporters afterward: "I voted for a guy named Trump."

West Palm Beach is near his private Mar-a-Lago club. He used to vote in New York but changed his residency to Florida last year.

There were several hundred supporters gathered with flags and signs outside the library where he voted. And there were chants of "Four more years".

The US president wore a mask while voting but he took it off as he approached reporters afterward in the building.

Democrat Joe Biden hasn't voted yet and it likely to do so in person in Delaware on Election Day, November 3. Delaware doesn't offer early, in-person voting like Florida.

Image: Tom Brenner/Reuters

The governments of Punjab and Rajasthan are not denying incidents of rapes unlike in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, hitting back at the BJP who accused the opposition leader and his family of raising issues to only settle political scores.

"Unlike in UP, the governments of Punjab and Rajasthan are NOT denying that the girl was raped, threatening her family and blocking the course of justice. If they do, I will go there to fight for justice," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Nirmala Sitharaman had lashed out at Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the alleged rape and murder of a 6-year-old Dalit girl in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district.

19:50 Article 370 won't be restored: R S Prasad

The BJP on Saturday accused PDP president Mehbooba Mufti of "disrespecting" the Indian flag and asserted that the revocation of Article 370 was done constitutionally and that it will not be restored.

Her comments that she will not hold the tricolour till the Kashmiri flag is restored is "downright denunciation" of the national flag's sanctity, senior BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had on Friday said that she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour, the national flag, till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year were rolled back.

She said she would hold the tricolour only when the separate flag of the erstwhile state is restored.

Prasad asserted that Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state a special status and was revoked last year, will not be restored.

It was removed following a proper constitutional process and both Houses of Parliament approved it with overwhelming numbers, he said.

Revoking it was our commitment to the nation and people have appreciated it, he said.

In many ways, Mufti has shown serious disrespect to the very image of India which the tricolour represents, he added.

The minister also hit out at other opposition parties, saying they have maintained a stony silence at her remarks showing serious disrespect to the national flag, even as they criticise the saffron party at the "slightest of issues".

"This is hypocrisy and double standard," Prasad said.

-- PTI

The lawyer of Raninder Singh, son of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Saturday, questioned the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate to his client in connection with an alleged illegal foreign funds case.

"My client Raninder Singh has received a summons from the Enforcement Directorate. He is a law-abiding citizen and will continue to obey and follow the due process of law. This is an old case and the timing of the summon is interesting and questionable," lawyer Jaiveer Shergill said.

Raninder Singh was summoned reportedly for recording his statement on October 27 in connection with a case related to the alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act by him.

A case was filed in the matter after the Income Tax department reportedly received intelligence that Singh was allegedly holding an offshore account in the alpine nation.

-- ANI

18:48 Schools not opening for now in Delhi: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday ruled out reopening of schools in the national capital for now.

"Schools are not reopening for now," Kejriwal told reporters on sidelines of an event.

The government had earlier announced that schools will continue to remain closed till October 31 in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16, when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of the measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25.

While several restrictions have been eased in different phases of "unlock", educational institutions continue to remain closed. However, as per "unlock" phase guidelines, states can take a call about reopening schools in phases.

Earlier, schools were allowed to call students from class 9 to 12 to school on voluntary basis from September 21. However, the Delhi government decided against it.

Talking about AAP government's decision to not pay for CBSE examination fees this year, Kejriwal cited fund crunch due to the pandemic.

-- PTI

18:18 VHP seeks reopening of temples in Maharashtra

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Saturday staged protests across Maharashtra demanding that temples be reopened.

In Nagpur, VHP workers staged demonstrations outside 11 temples, said Govind Shende, an officer bearer of the organisation.

"You have opened malls, markets and even liquor shops. What is the problem with temples?" he asked.

The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government has said that places of worship would not be reopened at present in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

-- PTI

18:09 US sets coronavirus infection record

The US coronavirus caseload has reached record heights with more than 83,000 infections reported in a single day, the latest ominous sign of the disease's grip on the nation, as states from Connecticut to the Rocky Mountain West reel under the surge.

The US death toll, meanwhile, has grown to 223,995, according to the COVID-19 Dashboard published by Johns Hopkins University. The total US caseload reported on the site Friday was 83,757, topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16.

The seven-day rolling average for new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 61,140 Thursday, compared with 44,647 two weeks ago. The record was reached July 22 when the rolling average was 67,293 in the midst of a summer outbreak driven largely by surges of the virus in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California.

The US surge mirrors a similarly widespread spike in Europe, where Rome, Paris and other major cities are reining in nightlife as part of the increasingly drastic measures undertaken to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Months after leaving the Congress for the BJP, Jyotiraditya Scindia says he wont dwell on the past and that his association with the Congress is a closed chapter. Commenting on the item remark by Kamal Nath against Imarti Devi, Scindia says it shows the former chief ministers level of arrogance.

17:09 Gupkar Declaration anti-BJP: Farooq Abdullah

Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference has been appointed the president of the Gupkar Declaration and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti its vice-president. Formed in August of last year ahead of the Abrogation of Article 370, the 'People's Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration' as it is called, is a coalition of political parties from Jammu and Kashmir.

The Gupkar Declaration alliance also adopted the flag of the erstwhile state of J&K as its symbol and appointed J&K People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone as its spokesperson. The move is being perceived as an attempt to give a formal structure to the alliance.

A former chief minister himself, Farooq Abdullah told media outlets in Srinagar on Saturday, "Those who have been spreading propaganda that Gupkar alliance is anti-national are wrong. We are anti-BJP and that does not mean being anti-national. They have harmed this country and its constitution. We want the rights of the people of J&K to be returned. That is all. Their attempts to divide us on religion will fail."

"When we talk of revival of 370, we also talk of regional autonomy of area in Jammu and Ladakh," Farooq Abdullah, who was released in March after more than seven months in detention added.

Newly-appointed spokesperson of the Gupkar Declaration alliance, Sajjad Lone said, "We have decided on a structure of the alliance today. Farooq Abdullah will be our president and Mehbooba Mufti as the vice president and I will be the spokesperson of the alliance."

"We will soon come up with a white paper on reality. We will give a research document on what we had and what they have taken away. In two weeks, we will have our next meeting in Jammu and then we will have a convention. Our erstwhile flag of the state will be the symbol of our alliance," Sajjad Lone went on to add.

16:44

Market capitalisation in BSE

16:41 'Uphill task for EC to enforce COVID-19 rules'

The Election Commission has the requisite powers to take strict measures like banning rallies and countermanding polls for violation of COVID-19 guidelines during campaigning, but it will be an uphill task to ensure compliance, according to former chief election commissioners.

Campaigning is on for Bihar assembly polls as well as for by-elections in other states, and the EC has already cautioned parties that penal provisions can be invoked against them by district authorities for violations.

While most of the former CECs said implementing health guidelines during campaigning is not easy given the number of candidates, parties and voters involved, two of them said the EC could take "demonstrative action" such as postponing polls in a few constituencies and banning rallies to show that it means business.

Responding to a question on how the EC would enforce the guidelines, a senior functionary said the Commission has all the means to ensure implementation.

"The more reports we get of violations, the more action we will take... EC has all the means," the functionary said without elaborating.

Former chief election commissioner V S Sampath said if the violation is by one party or one candidate, action can be taken.

"But if it is a universal violation, you cannot postpone elections. When you are ordering elections under such circumstances, you should anticipate this kind of a fallout also," he told PTI.

At the same time, Sampath said, it does not mean the EC should take things lying down because it is a matter of public health.

"There is no way you can implement this 100 per cent, but they (EC) will have to do their best. They have to maintain a delicate balance, which they are perhaps doing," Sampath, who was CEC between 2012 and 2015, said.

SY Quraishi, who is also a former chief election commissioner, said the EC's recent guidelines, based on experiences of various countries, are "very good".

"It was a question of enforcement. I am happy that the EC is now coming down heavily on this (violations)."

-- PTI

16:13 Ask JD-U what they did in 5 years: Chirag

LJP leader Chirag Paswan has once again hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Addressing a rally today, he urged people that whenever they see a JD-U leader, they must ask them what they have done in last five years.

The Bihar assembly polls are scheduled to be held in three phases, starting October 28.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa held an emergency meeting on Saturday with State Minister R Ashok, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad at his official residence Cauvery in Bengaluru over rainfall situation in the state.

The CM discussed necessary measures to be taken in this situation as rain is predicted for the next two days.

Yediyurappa also visited the rain-affected areas of Bengaluru's Hosakerehalli area along with R Ashok, Revenue minister, and BBMP officials

The CM announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 to the families affected due to heavy rain.

"Our ministers are looking after the situation of the areas that have been affected due to rain. We have decided to give compensation of Rs 25,000 cheque to the families whose houses are damaged due to rain," CM Yediyurappa said.

"Rescue operations are underway. Our officers are estimating the loss caused due to heavy rainfall yesterday," said R Ashok.

Normal life has been disrupted in Bengaluru as rainwater entered houses after the city received a heavy downpour on Friday night.

-- ANI

The deadline for filing returns by individual taxpayers for 2019-20 has been extended by a month till December 31.

Earlier, the Income Tax Department announced an extension in the deadline to file belated and revised returns for assessment year 2019-20 (financial year 2018-19) to November 30.

The move was in view of the "difficulties faced by the taxpayers due to COVID-19 pandemic", the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which is the top policy-making body of the Income Tax Department, said in a statement.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the COVID-19 vaccine should be made available throughout the country for free, saying all the people were troubled by the coronavirus.

A debate has started on whether the COVID-19 vaccine, which is yet to materialise, should be made available to people for free, with the Bharatiya Janata Party promising free doses of the vaccine in its manifesto for the Bihar polls.

"The whole country should get free COVID-19 vaccine. It is a right of the entire country. All the people are troubled by the coronavirus, so the vaccine should be free for the country," Kejriwal told reporters after inaugurating two flyovers in northeast Delhi.

The coronavirus vaccine, once available, will be distributed under a special COVID-19 immunisation programme with the Centre procuring the doses directly and making it available for priority groups, official sources have said.

According to them, the Centre will procure the vaccine directly to make it available to the priority groups for free through the existing network of states and districts.

-- PTI

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that he has tested positive for coronavirus and has gone into isolation. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader is under medication and treatment as per the advice of the doctors, he informed on Twitter.

I have been working every single day since the lockdown but now it seems that God wants me to stop for a while and take a break! I have tested Covid-19 positive and in isolation. Taking all medication & treatment as per the advice of the doctors, Fadnavis wrote.

Fadnavis requested those who made contact with him recently to get tested for the virus as well.

Those who have come in contact with me are advised to get covid19 tests done. Take care, everyone !, he said.

Amid the opposition's criticism of the BJP's Bihar poll promise of free COVID vaccines, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted on Saturday that the announcement was perfectly in order and a party can announce what it wants to do when it comes to power.

Sitharaman had released the Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto for the Bihar polls on Thursday.

highlight of the promises made in the document was free COVID vaccines for the state's people if the saffron party comes back to power.

Opposition parties had slammed the BJP for the promise and demanded action by the Election Commission, while alleging that the ruling party was using the pandemic for political gains.

Speaking to reporters, Sitharaman, a senior BJP leader, said, "It is a manifesto announcement. A party can announce what it wants to do when it comes to power. That is exactly what is announced. Health is a state subject. It is perfectly in order."

Every party in its manifesto states what it wants to do when it comes to power, she added.

The Bihar assembly polls are scheduled to be held in three phases, starting October 28.

-- PTI

The Shiv Sena has decided to organise its annual Dussehra rally on Sunday at an auditorium in Mumbai and not on the Shivaji Park ground, wherethe event it traditionally held.

This decision was taken in view of the COVID-19 safety protocols, as per which the Sena-led Maharashtra government has prohibited political, social and religious gatherings, party sources said on Saturday.

This is for the first time the rally will not be held at the Shivaji Park, where party workers gather in large numbers to hear the party chief address them on Dussehra evening.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is president of the Shiv Sena, will address the party workers from

Swatantryaveer Savarkar auditorium opposite the Shivaji Park ground at Dadar in central Mumbai at 7 pm, the sources said.

He and his family members will first pay their respects at the memorial of late party founder Bal Thackeray at Shivaji Park.

The party sources said that a select group of 50 people will have the access to the auditorium, including

ministers, leaders.

The event will be telecast live on all the social media accounts of the party.

-- PTI

Kapil Dev, India's first World Cup-winning cricket captain who underwent a successful emergency coronary angioplasty, is hale and hearty and already thinking of getting to the golf course for another round.

There is a WhatsApp group of the 1983 World Cup-winning India team and all the news related to the members of that wonderful bunch are shared on it. His former India teammates wished Kapil, 61, speedy recovery on this group and the legendary cricketer's reply shows he is apprently in great shape in the hospital.

"Hi everyone. I'm in good spirits and doing well. On the way to a speedy recovery. Can't wait to return to my golf game. You guys are my family. Thank you," Kapil wrote in reply to the wishes of his former India teammates.

A member of the World Cup-winning squad said: "The man with the mighty heart, Kapil, has recovered very fast. True to his character he had turned the tough times upside down."

Kapil was admitted to the Fortis-Escorts Heart Institute Hospital in south Delhi around 1 am on Friday, a statement from the hospital said. He is stable now and would be discharged in a couple of days, it added.

12:31 US doesn't want India-China row to escalate

The US is closely monitoring the border row between India and China and does not want the situation to escalate, a senior Trump administration official has said.

The official told the reporters during a conference call on Friday, ahead of the next week's 2+2 India-US Ministerial in New Delhi, that the Trump administration was providing support to India through defence sales, joint military exercises and information sharing.

"We as a government are covering the situation in the Himalayas closely, and understandably. We certainly want to ensure that the situation doesn't escalate," the official said.

"These are all areas where we cooperate with the Indians on, and not just as it relates to the tensions in the Himalayas," the official said.

India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh since early May that has significantly strained the bilateral ties.

Both sides have held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the row. However, no breakthrough has been achieved to end the standoff.

China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Lake in the last week of August.

-- PTI

12:07 Phase-3 of Oxford covid vaccine to begin soon

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has completed the second phase of clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The civic body will soon start third phase trials after the first batch of volunteers complete 28 days since their first vaccination.

With the approval, we will be able to start the third phase of the trial once the first set of volunteers complete 28 days of the first vaccination. As per Indian Council of Medical Research, the third trial can only be conducted on volunteers after a gap of 28 days, said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC.

On September 26, the first dosage of the second phase of trial was given to three volunteers between ages 20 and 45 years at KEM hospital. On October 23, they completed 28 days of their first vaccination.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India has partnered with British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to manufacture the experimental Covid-19 vaccine formulated at the University of Oxford.

11:42 Asia 2nd region to cross 10 mn Covid cases

Asia surpassed 10 million infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday, the second-heaviest regional toll in the world, according to a Reuters tally, as cases continue to mount in India despite a slowdown and sharp declines elsewhere.

Behind only Latin America, Asia accounts for about one-fourth of the global caseload of 42.1 million of the virus. With over 163,000 deaths, the region accounts for some 14 per cent of the global COVID-19 toll.

Despite the Asian spikes, the region overall has reported improvement in handling the pandemic in recent weeks, with daily caseloads slowing in places like India - a sharp contrast to the COVID-19 resurgence seen in Europe and North America.

Within the region, South Asia led by India is the worst affected, with nearly 21 per cent of the reported global coronavirus cases and 12 per cent of deaths. This contrasts with countries like China and New Zealand that have crushed infections and Japan, where COVID-19 had been stubbornly entrenched but not accelerating.

India is the worst-hit country in the world after the United States, although infections are slowing in the worlds second-most populous country. India is reporting more than 57,000 cases of the virus a day, viewed on a weekly average, with 58 new cases per 10,000 people in Asias third-largest economy, according to a Reuters analysis.

Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris have the best understanding of the Indian-American community, the diaspora leaders supporting the two Democratic candidates have said, describing US President Donald Trump as a "foe" who criticises India on the world stage.

With less than a fortnight to go for the November 3 presidential election, Indian-Americans asserted that Biden, first as a US Senator and thereafter as the vice president, has a strong track record of helping the community.

Trump, a Republican, is being challenged by Biden in the US presidential election.

"After four years of the Trump administration, we know our children and grandchildren will not have the same opportunities as we had. We need a leader who understands our community, our values, our pride and appreciates our hard work and gives equal opportunity and say in his administration," said Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur.

Bhutoria said that Biden and Harris are the leaders who will lead the country out of this mess and restore its soul, revive the middle-class economy and re-establish America's leadership on the world stage and best relationship with India.

Referring to the final presidential debate between Trump and Biden on Friday, Bhutoria said that the president criticised India on the world stage.

"The community understands who the real friend of India is, who the foe. Trump is a foe. Most recently on the debate stage saying- you cannot trust India's COVID-19 numbers and India is filthy. He has suspended the H1 Visa Programme, put trade deals with India in jeopardy, and has used (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's friendship for photo opportunities only," he alleged.

-- PTI

10:59 RJD releases manifesto for Bihar polls

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav releases party's manifesto for Bihar elections in Patna.

Delhi's air quality remained in the "very poor" category on Saturday with the Air Quality Index recorded at 346.

Government agencies said the air quality will deteriorate further in the evening and on Sunday.

Areas like Mundka, Wazirpur and Alipur recorded "severe" levels of air pollution, authorities said.

Government agencies have forecast that the air quality will deteriorate further in the next two days.

The AQI was recorded at 366 on Friday while it was 302 the previous day.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

The ministry of earth sciences' air quality monitor System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said a significant increase in the stubble-fire count was observed around Haryana, Punjab and other neighbouring regions of the national capital, which stood at 1,213 on Thursday.

Ten monitoring stations in Delhi entered the "severe" zone on Friday, according to the AQI-monitoring mobile application SAMEER, developed by the Central Pollution Control Board.

According to SAFAR, extremely calm surface wind conditions prevail over the Delhi region and are forecast to continue for two days.

"This will lead to low ventilation conditions for an extended period and accumulation of pollutants near the surface. Further deterioration of AQI is expected for two days," it said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the air quality will deteriorate further with pollutants PM10 (particles with a less-than-10-micrometre diameter) and PM2.5 increasing.

PM2.5 are tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter and can enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream.

The 24-hour average AQI of Delhi was recorded at 256 on Wednesday, 223 on Tuesday and 244 the day before.

The figures are based on data collected from 36 monitoring stations in the city. -- PTI

The Resident Doctors' Association of Delhi's LNJP Hospital on Friday wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking resumption of non-coronavirus services at the facility.

The RDA said due to the hospital being designated a dedicated COVID-19 facility, "clinical classes and elective surgeries have come to a standstill".

The Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital was one of the first in the city to be declared a coronavirus hospital. It is attached to Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC).

"The LNJP Hospital is the largest Delhi government hospital that was catering to the needs of more than 9,000 OPD patients and more than 200 surgical procedures on a daily basis in pre-COVID times. All these people are deprived of better health facilities and their sufferings have increased in the due course of time," the RDA said in its letter.

"Due to exclusive COVID designation, clinical classes and elective surgeries have come to standstill, thereby future of more than 1,250 undergraduate students, 200 interns, 600 postgraduate students, 300 senior residents doctors and several students of super-specialisation courses is at stake," it said.

The loss of quality education will also dent the public health in the long run, it added.

"The deployment of students in the periphery has reduced the workforce at the

hospital thereby, several residents are forced to do continuous repeat duties. Some of the residents have done more than six rounds of duties in the COVID wards since March," the RDA said.

A senior official of the LNJP Hospital said, "We are considering designating one part of the hospital as a separate block for non-COVID services. But it has not been finalised."

The national capital on Friday recorded 4,086 fresh cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day spike in 34 days, while the death toll due to the disease mounted to 6,189. -- PTI

10:29 36 hours on, fire continues at Mumbai mall

Fire-fighting operation is still on after over 36 hours at the City Centre Mall in Mumbai Central area, where a major blaze broke out, fire brigade officials said on Saturday morning.

As many as 18 fire engines and 10 jumbo tankers are engaged in the operation to douse the fire, an official said.

The fire had erupted on the second floor of the basement-plus-three storied mall at 8.50 pm on Thursday.

"There was no report of injury to anyone," the fire brigade official said.

Five fire brigade personnel, including a deputy fire officer sustained injuries during the fire-fighting operation, but all of them are stable and discharged from hospitals.

The fire was initially categorised as level 1 (minor), but was upgraded to level-3 at 10.45 pmand to level-4 at 2.30 am, after flames spread to other parts of the building.

Over 3,500 people from the adjacent residential high-rise had been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade had given a 'brigade call', in which fire engines are called from all agencies in the city.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray visited the site and took a stock of the fire fighting operation on Friday night. -- PTI

Devotees in a queue at a temple in Gurugram

09:53 COVID: India reports 53,370 new cases, 650 deaths

India reported 53,370 new coronavirus infections and 650 deaths in the last 24 hours, Union health ministry data showed.

With the new cases the country's caseload rises to 78,14,682 while death toll stands at 1,17,956.

There are 6,80,680 active COVID-19 cases in India while 70,16,046 people have recovered from the disease so far.

Given China's increasingly aggressive behaviour across the India-Pacific from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, it is more important than ever that we work with like-minded partners such as India, said US State Department on Friday.

Speaking at the Washington Foreign Press Center, a US administration official said that, "As the United States, Japan, Australia, and India are getting together to cooperate on one issue or another, if there are other countries that want to participate in those discussions or those activities, the door is always open."

"Secretary Pompeo and Minister Jaishankar, along with their Japanese and Australian counterparts, met in Tokyo on October 6th for the second Quad meeting of foreign ministers. Given China's increasingly aggressive behavior across the India-Pacific from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, it's more important than ever that we work with like-minded partners such as India."

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is the informal strategic dialogue between India, the US, Japan and Australia.

Earlier this week, India had announced the participation of Australia in the upcoming Malabar exercise alongside the US and Japan.

Talking to media persons, the State Department official said the foundational concept behind the Quad is one of the vibrant democracies working together towards a common vision of a free and open India-Pacific region.

The official further said that Quad is not an alliance and there's no reciprocal obligation among the countries who are involved.

"Well, on the Quad, I should tell you it's not an alliance. You mentioned that - you said it was an alliance and I want to push back on that. There's nothing about the Quad that is an alliance. It doesn't have - it is not formalized. There's no reciprocal obligation among the countries that are involved. It's not an organization that solicits membership," the official said. -- ANI

08:55 Kamala Harris calls Trump a 'racist'

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris called United States President Donald Trump a "racist" and said his racism is a "pattern", as she cited the President questioning the legitimacy of his predecessor Barack Obama.

"People have asked me, Do you think he's a racist?" Harris told a crowd at an outdoor rally at Morehouse College in the US state of Georgia. "Yeah. Yeah," she said, answering the question, according to a report in The New York Times.

"Because you see, it's not like it's some random one-off," she said. "We've seen that pattern. Going back to him questioning the legitimacy of Barack Obama. Going back to Charlottesville," she said, adding that Trump had said "there are fine people on both sides."

Harris, Joe Biden's running mate, said America needs a President who "acknowledges systemic racism, history of America and uses that bully pulpit and that microphone in a way that speaks truth with an intention to address the inequities and bring our country together."

The report said polls are showing Democratic Presidential candidate Biden tied with Trump in Georgia. With less than two weeks to go for the elections, Harris urged the crowd to honour civil rights leaders by voting.

"It has to do with those men and women who shed blood on Edmund Pettus Bridge and so many other places," she said. "We're not going to let anyone mess with our right to vote." -- PTI

Mehbooba Mufti

08:52 Mehbooba's Tricolour remark unacceptable: Cong

The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday condemned former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's statement on the Tricolour, saying it is unacceptable and has hurt sentiments of people.

"Such statements are intolerable and unacceptable in any society," JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.

Reacting to her statement, Sharma said it was highly provocative and irresponsible and has hurt sentiments of people.

He said the National flag is the symbol of honour for the country and reminds of the sacrifices of crores of Indians to achieve freedom and to protect the dignity, honour and the territorial integrity of the country.

He said such statements will defeat the democratic and constitutional struggle for achieving any just right.

"She should desist from such outrageous utterances," the JKPCC spokesperson said.

In her first media interaction after her release from 14-month detention, the PDP president said she would hold the Tricolour only when the separate flag of the erstwhile state is restored.

"As far as I am concerned, I have no interest in elections. Till the time the Constitution under which I used to contest elections is returned to us, Mehbooba Mufti has got nothing to do with elections, let me tell you that," she said.

The flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was prominently placed on a table in front of the PDP president along with the party flag during the presser.

It was for the first time that the PDP displayed the flag of the erstwhile state at a party function or a presser.

"This is my flag," Mehbooba said, pointing to the flag of the erstwhile state when a reporter asked her about her statement that if Article 370 was revoked, there will be no one left to hold India's flag.

"When this flag of ours is restored, we will hold that flag (Tricolour) also. But we will not hold any other flag till the time our flag, which was robbed from us, comes into our hold," she said. -- PTI

Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said Americans are not learning to live with COVID-19, but learning to die with it as the pandemic has dwarfed anything that the country faced in recent history and is not showing any signs of slowing down.

More than 220,000 Americans have lost their lives, which is more than one-fifth of the total global death, Biden said in a major policy speech on the coronavirus, a day after the final presidential debate he had with the Republican incumbent Donald Trump.

Biden, in his speech in his home state of Delaware, blamed the policies of Trump for the deadly spread of the virus that has had a devastating impact on the country's economy.

"President Trump said we're rounding the corner, it's going away, we're learning to live with it. They are quotes. But as I told him last night, we're not learning to live with it. We're learning to die with it. This is a dark winter ahead," Biden, 77, said.

"Already more than 220,000 people in the US have lost their lives to this virus. Worse yet, a new study from Columbia University suggests that anywhere between 130,000 and 210,000 of those deaths were avoidable," he said.

"COVID-19 dwarfs anything we've faced in recent history and it isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The virus is surging in almost every state. We passed 4.8 million cases. And when Trump was asked this week what he'd do differently to get the pandemic response right from the start his answer was and I quote, 'Not much. Not much.'," said the former vice president.

Alleging that Trump does not have a plan to fight the coronavirus, Biden said the longer he is the President, the "more reckless" he gets.

"We don't have to be held prisoner by this administration's failures. We can choose a different path. We can do what Americans have always done: come together and meet the challenge with grit, compassion, and determination," he said.

Revealing his plan, if voted to power in November, Biden said he would immediately put in place a national strategy that will position the country to finally get ahead of this virus and get back the lives.

Biden said he will ask the new Congress to put a bill on his desk by the end of January with all the resources necessary to see how both the public health and economic response can be seen through the end what is needed.

Biden said he will go to every governor and urge them to mandate wearing masks in their states. "And if they refuse, I'll go to the mayors and county executives and get local masking requirements in place nationwide," he said, adding that as President he will mandate mask wearing at all federal buildings and all interstate transportation.

"Because masks save lives," he said, adding that he will put a national testing plan in place with a goal of testing as many people each day as they are currently testing each week. The Democratic presidential candidate said the vaccine would be free and freely available to everyone. -- PTI

Ahead of the 4th anniversary of demonetisation, the Congress on Friday demanded that the government bring a white paper on the benefits of its decision to ban notes of higher denomination.

Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh asked why is the government afraid to make public the names of entities involved in scams, the details of defaulters and transaction trails, since the Income Tax Department was

probing all those with undisclosed incomes.

"In the next couple of weeks, when we will be commemorating the 4th anniversary, we demand that the government should come out with a white paper highlighting the cost and benefits of this 'Tughlaqi decree'," he said at a

press conference.

The Congress leader said the government should answer how many such alleged defaulters has the Income Tax Department probed and what is the undisclosed income unearthed.

The Income Tax Department had announced that they would initiate assessment proceedings to check black money instances after demonetisation, but till date there has been no disclosure from the department.

"Demonetisation was an organised loot and legalised plunder," he said.

"How much black money has the government recovered from such defaulters so far," he asked.

Vallabh alleged that serious charges of tax evasion have come out in the wake of demonetization against a prominent jeweller of Surat, who made sales of Rs 96.3 crore post 8.30 pm on November 8, 2016, when noteban

was imposed.

Subsequently, between November 10 and 12 the jeweller deposited close to Rs 110 crore cash in banks and the total tax paid as per allegations is only Rs 80 lakh.

He said what is surprising is that rather than acting on the complaint, the IT Department has been after the complainant itself, who is a former income tax officer.

"Why did the government decide to misuse the machinery to raid the whistleblower instead of instituting an inquiry against the alleged scam," he asked.

Vallabh also accused the Modi government of being "autocratic in the garb of a democratic one".

He said the Indian economy is still reeling with the aftershocks of this ill-advised move. -- PTI

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