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Fri, 30 October 2020

I-T dept detects Rs 75-cr after raids in Bihar

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23:55 I-T dept detects Rs 75-cr after raids in Bihar

The Income Tax Department had detected "undisclosed" income of Rs 75 crore after it raided some contractors and traders at multiple places in the poll-bound Bihar, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said on Friday.

The searches were carried out on Thursday against "four prominent" contractor groups in Patna, Bhagalpur, Hilsa and Katihar.

Also, surveys (where the taxman only searches business premises of the assessee) were carried out against some traders of mined rocks in Gaya district of the state.

"All the four groups have been found to have been evading taxes by inflating expenses for the supply of material and labour. The searches, so far, have led to unearthing of unaccounted income of about Rs 75 crore," the Central Board of Direct Taxes said in a statement.

The CBDT is the administrative authority for the Income Tax Department.

As much as Rs 3.21 crore cash has been seized during the raids, while fixed deposits of Rs 30 crore have been placed under prohibitory orders, it said.

Further, properties worth Rs 16 crore are being placed under prohibitory orders, the statement said.

Polls for the 243-member Bihar assembly are being held in three phases. The first phase was held on October 28, while the next two rounds will be held on November 3 and November 7. Counting of votes will be held on November 10.

The tax department has this month alone raided two government contractors, a silk trader, a mining businessman, a cooperative bank chairman and their linked entities in Bihar on charges of tax evasion.

The CBDT said, in one case, it found payments have been made to various parties without any evidence of having received any services or supplies.

"Payments made to bogus parties are received back as an unsecured loan or sometimes withdrawn in cash. Such loans are of about Rs 10 crore," it said.

The tax department also found that "substantial bogus purchases have been debited in the books."

"These parties do not exist, but are shown as 'creditors' in the books. Such creditors amount to about Rs 20 crore," it said.

Bank documents, accounts and other "incriminating" material of some bogus parties have been seized from the premises of the assessee, it said.

"These documents and consequential field investigations clearly show that the parties are not genuine and bank accounts have been opened and are being operated by the assessee only."

"The cash generated has been used in acquiring properties," the CBDT said.

23:40 Maha CM to decide on Urmila's nomination: Raut

Amid speculation that the Maharashtra government will recommend actor Urmila Matondkar's name for her nomination to the state Legislative Council, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said Chief Minister Uddhav

Thackeray has been authorised to take a decision on it.

His statement comes a day after the Maharashtra cabinet discussed the proposal of recommending to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari the names of 12 candidates for their nomination to the Upper House of the state legislature from his quota.

Replying to a query on the actor's name doing rounds, Raut told reporters, "I have also heard about the speculation that Matondkar will be nominated by the government to the Council. It is the prerogative of the state cabinet, which has authorised CM Uddhav Thackeray to take a decision."

When asked about the secrecy being maintained about the list of 12 nominees, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab said, "There is no secrecy. Leaders of the three MVA allies will finalise the names and submit the list to the chief minister, who will forward it to the governor."

The 12 council seats had fallen vacant in June this year.

Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the governor can nominate 12 members with special knowledge or practical experiencein the field of literature, art, science, cooperative movement and social service to the state

Legislative Council.

Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will field four members each.

Apart from Urmila Matondkar, the names of Marathi actor and Shiv Sena leader Aadesh Bandekar, singer Anand Shinde, BJP-turned-NCP leader Eknath Khadse, farmer leader Raju Shetti are also doing rounds.

Matondkar had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North constituency on Congress ticket.

However, she had later quit the party over the style of functioning in the Mumbai Congress.

Recently, she was in the news for slamming actor Kangana Ranaut over her remarks in which she had likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. -- PTI

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar called on Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Friday, sources said.

The meeting that lasted for about an hour took place at the chief minister's official bungalow 'Varsha' in south Mumbai, they said.

The meeting took place days after Pawar said that he would discuss with the chief minister the issues of soaring onion prices and flood relief package from the Centre.

It comes a day after the Maharashtra cabinet discussed the proposal of recommending to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari the names of 12 candidates for their nomination to the state Legislative Council from his quota. -- PTI

22:22 Reliance Industries Q2 net falls 15%

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday reported a 15 per cent drop in second quarter net profit after the pandemic-hit oil demand dragged down continued good showing in consumer-facing businesses such as telecom.

Consolidated net profit attributable to owners at Rs 9,567 crore in July-September compared with Rs 11,262 crore a year back, Reliance said in a stock exchange filing.

A plunge in fuel demand after the raging pandemic forced people to stay home and stifled the economy dealt a body blow to the firm's traditional cash cow oil refining and petrochemicals, even as consumer-facing businesses, which account for 35 per cent of the oil-to-telecom-to-retail conglomerate's revenues, continued to do well.

Its digital services, which includes the telecom arm Jio, saw standalone net profit swell to Rs 2,844 crore in the second quarter of current fiscal (April 2020 to March 2021) from Rs 990 crore a year back.

This after the four-year-old Jio's subscriber base grew to 406 million, the largest in India.

Net addition of 7.3 million subscribers and per-user revenue rising to Rs 145 helped the telecom business soar.

The gradually 'unlock' that has seen markets and malls reopen helped the company's retail business recover with almost flat revenue and a 14 per cent lower EBITDA of Rs 2,009 crore.

Reliance said 85 per cent of its retail stores were open as of second quarter. It added 232 stores to take the total to 11,931 stores.

Ambani raised an unprecedented Rs 2.5 lakh crore since April from sale of stake in the digital and retail units and a rights issue. Of this, over Rs 1.76 lakh crore has already flowed into the company, helping it achieve net zero debt status.

Petrochemicals revenue fell 23 per cent to Rs 29,665 crore and pre-tax profit dropped 33 per cent at Rs 5,964 crore.

Refining EBITA almost halved to Rs 3,002 crore as revenue slumped 36 per cent.

The firm's twin refineries earned USD 5.7 per barrel on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel, as compared to a gross refining margin (GRM) of USD 9.4 per barrel last year. -- PTI

The highest single-day rise of 5,891 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday took Delhi's tally of infection to over 3.81 lakh, authorities said.

This was the third consecutive day when over 5,000 cases have been reported in a day in the city.

On Thursday, Delhi had recorded 5,739 cases of coronavirus infection.

The national capital also recorded 47 new fatalities on Friday, pushing the death toll to 6,470, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

As many as 59,641 tests for detection of COVID-19 was conducted on Thursday. The number of active cases in the city has risen to 32,363 on Friday from 30,952 the previous day, it stated.

The bulletin said the total number of cases in the city has climbed to 3,81,644. -- PTI

As homemade face masks become an essential accessory around the world to protect against the spread of coronavirus infections, a new United ingdom study has found that reusable vacuum cleaner HEPA filter bags are among the most effective fabrics to use.

The University of Cambridge and Northwestern University research, reported in the journal 'BMJ Open' this week, also found that masks made of multiple layers of fabric and those which also incorporated interfacing, which is normally used to stiffen collars in shirts, also showed a significant improvement in performance.

The team tested the effectiveness of different fabrics at filtering particles between 0.02 and 0.1 micrometres -- about the size of most viruses -- at high speeds, comparable to coughing or heavy breathing. They also tested N95 and surgical masks, which are more commonly used in healthcare settings.

The research notes that N95 masks were highly effective, although a reusable HEPA vacuum bag even exceeded the N95 performance in some respects.

HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air.

"There was an initial panic around PPE [personal protective equipment] and other types of face masks, and how effective they were. As an engineer, I wanted to learn more about them, how well different materials worked under different conditions, and what made for the most effective fit," said Eugenia O'Kelly from the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering.

"A mask which blocks particles really well but restricts your breathing isn't an effective mask. Denim, for example, was quite effective at blocking particles, but it's difficult to breathe through, so it's probably not a good idea to make a mask out of an old pair of jeans. N95 masks are much easier to breathe through than any fabric combinations with similar levels of filtration," she explains.

Previous studies have mostly looked at a small selection of fabrics when the wearer is breathing normally, when particles are expelled at a lower speed. The researchers said that studying more fabrics and testing them at higher speeds provides a more robust evidence base for the effectiveness of fabric masks.

The researchers also studied the performance of different fabrics when damp, and after they had gone through a normal washing and drying cycle.

They found that the fabrics worked well while damp and worked sufficiently after one laundry cycle, however, previous studies have shown that repeated washing degrades the fabrics, and the researchers caution that masks should not be reused indefinitely.

For their study, O'Kelly and her colleagues built an apparatus consisting of sections of tubing, with a fabric sample in the middle.

Aerosolised particles were generated at one end of the apparatus, and their levels were measured before and after they passed through the fabric sample at a speed similar to coughing. The researchers also tested how well each fabric performed in terms of breathing resistance, based on qualitative feedback from users.

In preparation for the study, the researchers consulted with online sewing communities to find out what types of fabric they were using to make masks. Due to the severe shortage of N95 masks at the time, several of the sewers reported that they were experimenting with inserting vacuum bags with HEPA filters into masks.

The researchers found that single-use and reusable vacuum bags were effective at blocking particles, but caution that the single-use bags should not be used in face masks, as they fall apart when cut, and may contain component materials which are unsafe to inhale.

"It's a matter of finding the right balance -- we want the materials to be effective at filtering particles, but we also need to know they don't put users at risk of inhaling fibres or lint, which can be harmful," said O'Kelly. -- PTI

State-owned Indian Oil Corp on Friday said international oil prices have been range-bound in the last few weeks, warranting no revision in retail petrol and diesel rates.

While petrol price hasn't changed since September 22, diesel rates have been static from October 2.

"Crude oil has not seen any drastic movement," IOC Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya told reporters here. "Crude oil has traded in the USD 39 to 42 per barrel range in recent weeks."

The basket of crude oil that India buys has averaged around USD 40 per barrel in October as against USD 41.35 in the previous month.

He said this range-bound movement does not warrant a change in retail rates.

As per practice, petrol and diesel prices are revised daily on the basis of change in benchmark international oil price and foreign exchange rate.

Petrol in Delhi currently costs Rs 81.06 per litre while diesel is priced at Rs 70.46.

The retail price of diesel was cut by Rs 3.10 per litre and petrol by Rs 0.97 between September 1 and October 2, he said.

Vaidya said the cracks or difference between crude oil and product price, have been low, which is a matter of concern.

Petrol and diesel cracks are around USD 2 per barrel as against USD 7.8 and USD 13.2 a barrel respectively last year, he said.

Substantial downward revision and stability in the prices of essential petroleum products petrol, diesel, LPG cooking gas and kerosene in the recent months, have brought much-needed relief for the common man as well as the poorer sections of society.

There has been no change in the selling price of LPG for domestic use since July. -- PTI

20:26 Our fight is against BJP, not India: Omar

Making his pitch against the revocation of Article 370, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday said that "our fight is not against the country but against the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideology".

"Our fight is not against the country but against the BJP and its ideology. The BJP is not the country and vice versa. What we want back was written in the Constitution. We will not step back in our fight," Abdullah told reporters after meeting local leaders in Kargil.

A delegation of the People's Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration met leaders of the Kargil Democratic Alliance on Friday.

"A delegation of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration met leaders of the Kargil Democratic Alliance in Kargil this afternoon. All of us united that the pre-August 5th, 2019 position must be restored," Abdullah tweeted.

The delegation arrived in Kargil earlier in the day to meet local leaders.

Besides Abdullah, other leaders in the delegation were Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Nasir Aslam Wani, Muzafar Shah and Waheed Parra. -- ANI

The youth of the country should not shy away from politics and actively engage in governance, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told students during a 'masterclass on entrepreneurship in governance'.

In his address to students of Ashoka University in Haryana's Sonepat, he also said it is important for students to understand that for a successful policy, the 'public bind' is essential.

"If you want to be a part of the change, we should not shy away from joining politics. The youth of the country can impact policies and get involved in governance. The government needs skilled and knowledgeable professionals," he said.

"It is important for students to understand that for a successful policy, the 'public bind' is essential. During the Right to Information Act movement, lawmakers, and policy makers involved us. I wasn't in politics then but we mobilised enough people, and stakeholders to create a policy pressure group on the government. When the government heard us, it was a positive sign for the policy," he added.

Sisodia, who is also Delhi's education minister, emphasised that there are many ways in which young professionals can get involved with policy-making.

On being asked by one of the students about how to replicate a movement as powerful as the anti-corruption movement in India for other causes, especially pollution, he said, "The first job is to make the public understand the issue and create awareness. The information is there, but we fail in driving a collective public sentiment. Is your dream (as a policy-maker or change-maker) the same as the dream of your people?"

"That's the job of a leader, and basis for any powerful movement. Mobilise people through local interventions so they feel for the cause on a daily basis, he said.

Sisodia also asked them to use the skills of education to work in grass-roots levels, that is where the real changes happen.

"You don't have to necessarily stand in elections, but by simply becoming a member, or even a party worker, you can engage in various departments where work on research, analysis, and policy-drafts is being done regularly," he said. -- PTI

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said he received a phone call from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray, a day after the latter met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to raise the issue of inflated electricity bills and was asked to speak to him.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Pawar said, "I received a phone (call) from him (Thackeray). He said he was advised (to speak to me by the governor)."

When asked if Thackeray would be meeting him, the NCP patriarch said nothing such has been decided.

"I am going out of town. So, I will not be here for three-four days. But he (Thackeray) only said that he had been advised to speak to me," Pawar said.

The MNS chief had called on Koshyari at Raj Bhavan on Thursday to seek his intervention on the issue of consumers receiving inflated power bills, and after the meeting, he had said that the governor had asked him to speak to Pawar.

Earlier, reacting to the governor's reported advice to the MNS chief, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil had said that it was Pawar who was running the state and there was no use of meeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. -- PTI

19:03 1st phase of Malabar exercise from Nov 3-6

The first phase of the Malabar naval exercise featuring navies of India, the United States, Japan and Australia will take place from November 3 to 6 in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam coast, officials said on Friday.

The second phase of the mega exercise is scheduled to be held from November 17 to 20 in the Arabian sea, they said.

Last week, India announced that Australia will be part of the Malabar exercise which effectively makes it a drill by all four member nations of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition.

The invitation by India to the Australian Navy for the exercise came two weeks after foreign ministers of the 'Quad' member nations held extensive talks in Tokyo with a focus on enhancing their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The officials said the first phase of the drill would witness complex and advanced naval exercises, including surface, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare operations, besides cross-deck flying, seamanship evolutions and weapon firing exercises.

The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015.

The annual exercise was conducted off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea in 2018 and off the coast of Japan in 2019.

The Indian Navy will deploy a number of key platforms in the exercise which will include destroyer Ranvijay, frigate Shivalik, off-shore patrol vessel Sukanya, fleet support ship Shakti and submarine Sindhuraj.

In addition, advanced jet trainer Hawk, long-range maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, Dornier maritime patrol aircraft, and a number of helicopters will also be participating in the exercise, the officials said. -- PTI

Showcasing the central government's achievements in digital connectivity, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said that nearly 46,000 villages in Bihar will be connected with optical fibre network in the next 6-7 months.

Addressing a press conference, Prasad said that primary schools, Anganwadi centres and ASHA workers will also get free connectivity for one year.

"The Prime Minister had announced that 6 lakh villages will be connected to the optical fibre network in one year. Optical fibre will come in 45,945 villages of Bihar in 6-7 months. This network is already there in all gram panchayats. Now, we will take it to the villages. This work will be done by our youth at Common Service Centres. The survey has already been completed in 27,012 villages and the rest will be completed by November. 6,000 optical fibres have already reached villages," he said.

"There will be a Wi-Fi spot in every village which will be free for one year. Primary schools, Anganwadi centres and ASHA workers will also receive it for free for a year. People can take the connection at a nominal rate," he added.

Stressing on BJP's manifesto for Bihar polls, Prasad said: "Some only do promises to woo people, some take resolve to work and implement it on the ground. We have come with a roadmap."

Prasad said that 21.44 lakh people have been made digitally literate in Bihar.

"In the last 5.5 years, Rs 11 lakh crores in bank accounts of poor directly and Rs 1.70 lakh crores payment saved from by middlemen," he added. "There were around 6,000 Common services centres in Bihar in 2014 but now there are 34,611 CSCs," he added. He said that the number of mobile towers has doubled in Bihar in comparison to 2014. -- PTI

In an effort to boost domestic supply and check price rise, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said private traders have already imported 7,000 tonnes of onion and another 25,000 tonnes are expected to arrive before Diwali.

Cooperative Nafed will also start importing onion, he said. Besides, 30,000 tonnes potato is being imported from Bhutan in order to improve the local supply and control prices of the key commodity, he added.

"Retail onion prices are stable in last three days at Rs 65 per kg. The government has taken proactive measures to check price rise. Exports were banned timely and took steps for import," Goyal said at a digital press conference. The government relaxed fumigation norms for import of onion till December. So far, 7,000 tonnes of onion has been imported by private traders, he said.

"Another 25,000 tonnes of onion is expected to arrive before Diwali," he said, and added along with imports, the arrival of new kharif crop in mandis from next month will help improving the supply situation and ease pressure on prices.

The minister said that onion is being imported from countries like Egypt, Afghanistan and Turkey by private traders. "Even Nafed will import on its own capacity. The government has relaxed fumigation norms for import of onion and export of onion seeds have been banned," he added.

Among other measures, stock limits have been imposed on traders to curb hoarding and black marketing and Nafed, which is holding buffer stock of onion on behalf of the government, is offloading stock in the open market. So far, Nafed has offloaded 36,488 tonnes.

In case of potato, Goyal said its prices have been rising and all India average retail price has been stable at around Rs 42 per kg for last three days. However, the government has taken steps to import potato. About 30,000 tonnes of potato is arriving from Bhutan in next couple of days, the minister said. "We are going to import about 10 lakh tonnes of potato and bring prices under control," he added. Kharif onion is expected to hit mandis from next month. Onion production from kharif and later kharif season is expected to be lower by 6 lakh tonnes to 37 lakh tonnes in the current year. -- PTI

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday said 15,000 pilgrims will be allowed per day to pay obeisance at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi from November 1. Earlier, only 7,000 pilgrims were allowed to visit the shrine due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In a fresh standard operating procedure (SOP), the administration said, "As such, in exercise of powers conferred under the disaster management act, the State Executive Committee hereby orders that the guidelines and instructions shall continue to remain valid till 30.11.2020, subject to the following modifications that instead of a ceiling of 7000, the upper limit for permissible number of pilgrims to SMVD Shrine, Katra, shall be 15000, w.e.f. 01 .11 .2020".

The shrine atop the Trikuta hills was reopened on August 16 after a gap of nearly five months due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Initially, the administration imposed a cap of 2,000 pilgrims daily, including 100 from outside Jammu and Kashmir.

The board officials said the registration of pilgrims will continue to be done online to avoid people gathering at the yatra registration counters. They said accommodation facilities of the board at the bhawan, Adhkuwari, Katra and Jammu are open for the pilgrims following all prescribed SOPs.

All other supplementary facilities set up by the board such as battery-operated vehicles, passenger ropeway and helicopter services are also operating smoothly by strictly following social distancing norms and other precautionary measures, the officials said.

Free community kitchen facilities at Tarakote Marg and the Prasad Kendra at Sanjichhat, besides bhojanalayas along the track and in the bhawan, have also been operationalised for the pilgrims, they added. -- PTI

A portrait of Jindan Kaur, the wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

17:54 Jewels from Maharaja Ranjit Singh's treasury auctioned in UK

Jewels that once belonged to Maharani Jindan Kaur, the last wife of Sikh Empire ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and which were later inherited by her granddaughter, Princess Bamba Sutherland, were among the highlights of an auction in London.

A collective lot of a gem-set gold forehead pendant, or chand-tikka, a gem-set gold mirrored roundel and a pearl-mounted gold pendant went under the hammer for over 62,500 pounds and other rare artefacts dating back to the 19th century also attracted many bids at the Bonhams Islamic and Indian Art sale this week.

"As the only surviving widow of Ranjit Singh, Jindan Kaur (1817-1863) led a spirited resistance to the encroachment of the British into the Punjab, but was eventually forced to surrender. More than 600 pieces of her jewellery from the legendary treasury of Lahore were confiscated, and she was imprisoned before escaping to Nepal in 1848," notes Bonhams, in reference to the jewellery.

The auction house believes the jewellery in the sale this week was almost certainly within the casket of jewels handed back to Maharani Jindan Kaur by the British authorities when she agreed to live in London with her son, Duleep Singh, with whom she was reunited in Calcutta in 1861.

Although Prince Duleep Singh eventually returned to Lahore, his eldest daughter Princess Bamba remained in England, where she had been born and raised, and went on to attend Oxford University and medical school in the US. A frequent visitor to her ancestral home, the Princess eventually settled permanently in Lahore towards the end of her life, presenting the jewels to her companion and friend, Mrs Dora Crowe.

"These are wonderful jewels in their own right, made more special still by their rich and fascinating history the circular stoned gold and mirrored brooch was, according to Princess Bamba, formerly part of Maharajah Duleep Singh's horse harness. They represent a remarkable link back to one of the richest treasuries in the world," said Oliver White, Bonhams Head of Islamic and Indian Art. -- PTI

The Election Commission revokes the star campaigner status of Congress leader and ex-CM Kamal Nath for repeated violations of model code.

The Commission has slammed Nath for using the word 'item' for a woman candidate and said that the usage of word for a lady constitutes violation of advisory issued by the Commission. Taking another complaint in notice where the Congress leader has spoken against current state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Commission has said that its report confirms violation of model code of conduct.

If any campaign is done by Kamal Nath from now onwards, the entire expenditure will be borne by the candidate in whose constituency campaign is being undertaken, the Election Commission's order states.

A habitual road rule violator got the shock of his life when the traffic police here imposed on him a fine of Rs 42,500 on Friday. During a regular inspection, a sub-inspector stopped Arun Kumar, a resident of Madivala in the city, and found that the motorist had been involved in 77 cases of rule violation. A two-metre-long challan was generated on the spot and handed over to Kumar, the police said. Also, it came to light that he had purchased a second- hand scooter for about Rs 20,000 and the two-wheeler has been impounded. PTI

Attacking Opposition RJD, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Friday appealed to people to not "get misled" by those who "ignored" women and backward classes during their rule. Addressing an election rally at Parbatta here, he said, "They are talking today, but how was the condition of women earlier? They were ignored, nobody paid attention to their issues." Attacking his bete noire and jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, without naming him, Kumar said, "When he was sent to jail, he installed his wife (Rabri Devi) on the chair, but did nothing for the welfare of the women otherwise." Prasad, who became chief minister of Bihar in 1990, had anointed his wife on the CM chair after he was sent to jail in 1997 over multi-crore fodder scam cases. Kumar said when he got the opportunity to work, he gave reservation to women in panchayats and urban local bodies, besides providing quotas to SC, ST and backward classes. "If Bihar has progressed today, the biggest reason is womens participation. Promoting women is our commitment," the JD(U) chief said.

Talking about economic empowerment of women, he said his government started the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally known as JEEViKA, by taking loan from the World Bank and the initiative has expanded today. Trying to connect to his women voters constituency, he mentioned prohibition and asked them to cast their votes first and cook later on polling day and also encourage others in their family to vote.

Kumar declared Bihar a dry state in April 2016. On several occasions he had said he took the step on the demand of the women. He said his government has ensured just development by taking along the SC, the ST, Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes and Mahadalits "whom nobody cared about earlier".

He said, "Earlier even cities did not have electricity, but now we have ended the lantern era and every household gets power now."

Lantern is the poll symbol of the RJD. "Everybody knows who says what and indulges is what kind of misdeeds. They (the Opposition) neither have the experience to work nor do they want to work. They just indulge in useless talks," he alleged. -- PTI

16:29 OTT-addict saves 75 people from bldg collapse

Addicted to OTT web series? It just might save your life.

Young Kunal and 75 others are testimony to it. They were occupants of a two-storey building in Kopar, Dombivli, in suburban Mumbai.

It was dawn, the 29th October. Kunal (18) was glued to his phone binge watching a web series when he noticed something alarming in his kitchen.

"I saw a part of the kitchen collapsing and immediately alerted everyone to vacate the building," he said.

A short while later, the building collapsed.

Thanks to his Kunal's alacrity, not a single casualty has been reported in the building collapse.

The railway administration should cooperate with the Maharashtra government on providing suburban train services to people without bringing any politics into it, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Friday. Speaking to reporters here, Deshmukh said the government has suggested certain time slots where general commuters can board these trains.

The Maharashtra government had on Wednesday proposed to the Railways that the general public be allowed to travel on Mumbai local trains, which are currently available only for essential services employees and a select group of people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The railway authorities appeared lukewarm to the proposal and on Thursday said only a little over 25 per cent of the normal number of commuters can be carried while following social distancing.

In the pre-covid era, 80 lakh people travelled daily by Mumbai suburban local trains, called the "lifeline" of the metropolis. "The Maharashtra government has given (the Railways) timings (when one can be allowed to use train services). The railway administration should cooperate with the Maharashtra government accordingly," Deshmukh said. "People will not face inconvenience if the Railways cooperates well. Hence, the Railway administration should cooperate with the government without bringing any politics into this," he added.

The government had proposed to the Railway authorities that the general public be allowed to travel by Mumbai local trains during non-peak hours. At present, only certain categories of persons, including essential services staff and women, can travel by local trains due to the coronavirus threat. In a letter to the Railways, the state government had suggested that any person holding a valid ticket be allowed to board local trains till 7.30 in the morning, between 11 am to 4 pm and between 8 pm till the end of the day. The time between 8 am to 10:30 am and 5 pm to 7.30 pm should be reserved for essential services staff having valid QR coded identity cards, and there should be ladies special trains every hour, the government had said. -- PTI

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said steps taken by the social media giant have helped protect the integrity of more than 200 different elections around the world, including in India, and have also played an important role in stopping abuse ahead of US elections.

Noting that next week will certainly be a "test" for Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company will continue "fighting to protect the integrity of the democratic process".

"These are all changes we've made in the last four years -- and they've helped us protect the integrity of more than 200 different elections around the world, including in the EU, India and Indonesia. And they've been important for stopping abuse ahead of next week's vote in the US," Zuckerberg said during the company's earnings call and outlined some of the steps that have been taken.

He added that the company has focused on issues like voter suppression, and has worked closely with experts in the space, including civil rights leaders. Facebook's security teams were looking for traditional threats like hacking four years ago, but what it ended up seeing was something new -- coordinated interference campaigns, using fake accounts, that tried to spread misinformation and discord, he said.

"Since then, we've built the most advanced systems in the world to find and remove these threats, and it shows in the numbers. In the years since, we've taken down more than 100 networks, including from Russia, Iran, and China and we block millions of potentially abusive accounts every day," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg explained that the company has taken steps to make ads transparent and anyone who wants to run a political or social issue ad has to go through its authorisation process first.

Between March and September, the company rejected ads 2.2 million times before they could run for trying to target the US without authorisation. For political and social issue ads, Facebook allows users to see who paid for the ad and what audience the ad reached, to make political advertising on the platform more transparent.

"Our policies prohibit misrepresentations of when and how to vote and content meant to intimidate people into not showing up to polling places, like claiming ICE will be there. And we recently expanded these policies to include implicit misrepresentations, like for example, claims that you'll get COVID by voting in person," he said. From March through mid-October, Facebook removed more than 1,35,000 pieces of content in the US for breaking these rules, he added. -- PTI

15:21 New Zealand votes to legalise euthanasia

About 65.2 percent of New Zealand's population voted on Friday in favor of the End of Life Choice Act becoming law during the voluntary euthanasia referendum, national media reported. According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, once the official result is confirmed on November 6, the new law will allow terminally ill people the opportunity to receive assisted dying upon two doctors' approval.

To get access to euthanasia, terminal patients with six or fewer months to live will have to be at least 18 years old and be a permanent New Zealand resident or citizen, the daily added.

The referendum result lacks the count of some 500,000 special votes, including overseas ballots.

The End of Life Choice Act was passed on November 13, 2019, while the law is expected to come into force in November 2021.

The island nation in the Pacific will therefore join the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Western Australia, Colombia and Canada in legalising euthanasia. -- ANI

Parts of northeast Delhi gripped by a communal frenzy in February this year were reminiscent of carnage during the days of partition, a Delhi court has observed while dismissing the anticipatory bail plea of an accused in connection with a case related to the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the violence.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav, in his order on Thursday, said that the riots spread like wildfire across the smoke-grey skyline of the national capital engulfing new areas and snuffing out more and more innocent lives.

The court made the observations while dismissing the anticipatory bail plea of Muntajim alias Musa, who had moved the court for relief citing the medical ground of his wife's illness.

"I have also gone through the medical documents of the wife of the applicant filed along with the application. Most of the documents are prescription slips and one ultrasound report, all of which pertain to the year 2018 and are not recent ones. In any way, the said medical documents are of no help to the applicant, as the same do not prima facie establishes that the wife of the applicant is suffering from any serious ailment or otherwise," the order said.

".....Considering the facts and circumstances of the case in totality vis-a-vis gravity of the offence, I do not find it to be a fit case for grant of anticipatory bail to the applicant. The application for anticipatory bail is accordingly dismissed," it added.

The court also noted that the custodial interrogation of the applicant is necessary to unearth the conspiracy for planning, instigating and executing the riot action plan.

"The allegations against the applicant are grave in nature. His presence/custodial interrogation is also necessary for his identification by way of judicial Test Identification Parade from public witnesses," it noted.

Advocate Mohd Athar, representing the applicant, submitted that he has been falsely roped in the matter merely on the basis of disclosure statements made by co-accused persons and added that he has not been captured either in any CCTV footage or any viral videos.

"His call detail records location is of no help to the investigating agency as he is resident of the same locality. It is further argued that the applicant has not been identified by any of the public witnesses cited in the matter," Athar submitted.

Special Public Prosecutor Manoj Chaudhary strongly opposed the anticipatory bail and submitted that this is an unfortunate case of the brutal murder of a young officer of Intelligence Bureau by the riotous mob in the evening of February 25 and added that the applicant was an active member of the said riotous mob.

"It is emphasised that the applicant is a resident of Nand Nagri and his presence at the scene of the crime at the time of the incident was not natural. His CDR location has been found to be at the scene of the crime on both February 24 and 25, when the intensity of the communal riots was maximum," Chaudhary submitted.

Chaudhary further argued that CDR analysis qua the mobile phone of the applicant clearly establishes that he had been in regular touch with two co-accused persons, both of whom played an active role in the murder of Shri Ankit Sharma.

"Co-accused Haseen had in his disclosure statement categorically admitted to having stabbed Ankit Sharma number of times with his knife and his accomplices having hit him with 'dandas' and thereafter throwing his body in the 'nala'," he added.

At least 53 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the violence that took place in northeast Delhi between February 24 and 26 sparked by clashes between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. -- ANI

Image: People retrieve the body of 26-year-old Ankit Sharma, an IB staffer, from a riot-affected area in north-east Delhi, in February.

15:02 Kajal Agarwal leaves for her wedding ceremony

Kajal Aggarwal heads to her wedding venue at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. She was accompanied by her mother, who wore a happy yellow chudidar-kurta. The The Singham actress ties the knot with businessman Gautam Kitchlu today. It will be an intimate wedding ceremony, attended by family and close friends only, due to the pandemic.

Also see: Kajal Aggarwal's haldi ceremony

Pic: Pradeep Bandekar

14:56 Do a good deed today, help young Subhan

Former Congress MP Milind Deora lends a helping hand to a young tea seller. "Spoke to the boy and his mother, residents of a Byculla slum, and assured them of all possible assistance. 14-year old Subhan, the family's sole breadwinner, needs to focus solely on his education. If you would also like to help the family in any way, please contact 9892920886," Deora tweeted.

Subhan sells tea to support his family after his mother's earnings stopped, amid the pandemic. She worked as a school bus attendant. He says, "My father died 12 years ago. My sisters study via online classes, I'll resume mine after schools reopen."

India will pursue self reliance and give domestic entrepreneursthe best possible environment to go forward, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Friday.

Kumar while addressing a virtual event organised by industry body FICCI further said India is committed to the global economy and opening trade order.

"We will pursue self reliance, we will give our domestic entrepreneurs the best possible environment to go forward. We will, while attracting FDI, also repose our faith and trust in those who have already invested in India," he said. Kumar also noted that the government will give more space to private entrepreneurs, because without them whether domestic or foreign, India will not be able to achieve the kind of sustainable growth that the country wants.

"Yes, we will do all of this, as all other nations have done. But it will be done in the global context. It will be done in India, remaining open. "It will be done with India trying to regain its share in global and regional production chains, it will be done with the respect to multilateral trading orders, and rule bound orders" he emphasised.

Kumar also pointed out that if any support to domestic industry will be given by the government through tariffs then it would have an in-built sunset clause. "And it will not imply in any sense, any form of isolation or protectionism," he said.

Kumar also pointed out that the government has introduced production linked incentive schemes for 9-10 sectors andin case of 4 sectors, government decisions have already been taken.

"The objective of PLI schemes is to incentivise investors in this country to put up globally comparable capacity in scale and in competitiveness," he said. Noting that the government has taken COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity Kumar said, "we have rationalised the labour laws, we have liberated our farmers, we have liberalised the FDI scheme." He stressed on the need to increase the share of trade in India's GDP. -- PTI

13:58 Omar meets party workers in Drass

Former CM & National Conference leader Omar Abdullah meets local party workers in Drass. A delegation of 'People's Alliance For Gupkar Declaration' leaders is on a visit to Kargil today to meet local leaders.

13:43 Thane mayor orders audit of Covid deaths

Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske has asked the civic administration to conduct an audit of all Covid-19 deaths reported from within the civic limits of Maharashtra's Thane city, an official said on Friday. In a letter to Thane municipal commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma on Thursday, Mhaske directed that a committee be formed to undertake the task. The mayor noted that the municipal corporation and the administration have taken effective measures and strictly implemented the state government's guidelines to prevent the viral spread.

It is necessary to review the work done by the civic body to control the mortality rate, Mhaske said, adding that a detailed report can be prepared by conducting a daily audit of deaths in the civic limits.

A committee of officials from the health and administration department of the corporation, the Thane Task Force, representatives of hospitals among others, can be constituted for the purpose, he said. This audit will help in planning measures that need to be taken in the future, he added. Thane city has recorded 46,285 COVID-19 cases so far. -- PTI

As Covid-19 cases in Delhi continue to rise, Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday urged citizens to consider the face mask like a Covid-19 vaccine, especially in the upcoming festive season.

He further said that the benefits of everyone wearing masks were at par, if not better, with those of a lockdown.

"When we had imposed the lockdown, cases did not go down. If 100 per cent of people wear masks, Covid-19 infection can be controlled to a certain extent. Benefits of wearing masks are just as many as those of a lockdown, if not more. Until there is a vaccine, masks should be considered vaccines," Jain said.

He further said that wearing masks would also help protect people from air pollution.

Regarding the availability of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients, Jain said that around 35 per cent of Delhi's beds were occupied.

"Around 35 per cent of our beds are currently occupied. We wanted to increase the number of beds but the High Court did not allow it. We have asked for 80 per cent of beds in private hospitals to be reserved for Covid-19 patients. That matter is being discussed in court," he said.

The national capital on Thursday reported 27 deaths and 5,739 new Covid-19 cases, the highest number of cases reported in the metropolis in a single day. The total number of cases in Delhi now stands at 3,75,753, including 30,952 active cases and 6,423 deaths. -- ANI

13:19 Kolkata sex workers reeling under debt trap

Around 89 per cent of the sex workers of Sonagachi Asia's largest red light area - have fallen into debt trap during the Covid-19 pandemic as most of them have taken loan during the lockdown as they were out of business, a survey has revealed.

Conducted by an NGO - Anti Human Trafficking Organisation, the survey revealed that post-pandemic - 73 per cent of the sex workers want to leave the trade and look for new avenues of income but couldnt do so as they have taken loans from the informal sector, especially from money lenders, brothel owners, pimps, making themselves vulnerable to further exploitation.

"Around 89 per cent of sex workers in Sonagachi have fallen into debt bondage during the pandemic. Of these, over 81 per cent of them have taken loans from the informal sector, especially from money lenders, brothel owners, pimps, making themselves vulnerable to further exploitation. 73 per cent of the sex workers want to leave the sex trade, but are not able to do so due to the huge loans they have taken to survive the pandemic," the survey report said.

Sonagachi is home to around 7,000 residential sex workers. Since March, the sex workers have been out of business with no source of income. Since July, around 65 per cent business in Sonagachi resumed. About 98 per cent of the sex workers were contacted for the survey.

"Piled up in huge debts, the sex workers have nowhere to go. Even though the lockdown is now lifted, the women cannot carry on work due to the fear of the contagion. Now is the time for the state government to intervene and help them carve an alternative plan," says Tapan Saha, National Youth President of Anti Human Trafficking Organisation. -- PTI

13:11 Coronavirus global count surpasses 45 million

The global count of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 45 million, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. The exact number of the coronavirus cases stood at 45,018,354 as of 04:55 GMT on Friday, Sputnik reported citing the university. More than 1.18 million people have died of the disease, the university added.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. The biggest number of cases so far have been registered in the United States, India and Brazil. -- ANI

An influential Republican Senator has praised the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen strategic ties with India during the recently concluded 2+2 ministerial dialogue, saying that bolstering the bond between the two countries will send a clear message to "adversaries" like China and Russia.

During the third edition of the Indo-US 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi on Tuesday, the two countries vowed to ramp up their overall security ties, and inked a total of five pacts, including the strategic Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) that will allow sharing of high-end military technology, classified satellite data and critical information.

The other pacts will facilitate cooperation in areas of nuclear energy, earth sciences and Ayurveda.

The talks were led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from the Indian side and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper from the US side. Bolstering the bond between the United States and India makes both of our countries safer and sends a clear message to adversaries like China and Russia.

"I am encouraged by the progress President (Donald) Trump's foreign policy team is making to strengthen this strategic partnership," said Senator Kevin Cramer.

The relations between China and the US have in recent months worsened over a range of issues like the coronavirus pandemic, trade, Beijing's increasing grip on Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses against minorities in the Xinjiang province. India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh since early May that has significantly strained the bilateral ties.

A stronger relationship with India also opens the door for further economic opportunities, Cramer said. Cramer had met high-ranking Indian officials last year to discuss strengthening ties between the two countries and the issues that impact North Dakota, like agriculture, energy, and immigration, the senator's office said. -- PTI

Image: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from the Indian side and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper from the US side at the recently concluded 2+2 defence talks in Delhi.

The levels of viral genetic material, or viral load, detected in Covid-19 patients at the time of admission can be a predictor of poor outcomes "above and beyond age, other medical problems, and severity of illness on presentation," according to a new study which says the measure can be used to risk-stratify those infected with the novel coronavirus.

The researchers, including those from New York University (NYU) Langone Health in the US, looked at the medical records of 314 patients who came to the emergency room between March 31 and April 10, 2020, diagnosed with Covid-19 on a molecular diagnostic (RT-PCR) test, who also had viral pneumonia serious enough to require hospitalisation.

In the study, published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, they examined whether the amount of RNA, or genomic load, of the coronavirus detected in swab tests of patients being admitted to the hospital with viral pneumonia is associated with more severe COVID-19.

"We demonstrated that for patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 load, as reflected by the cycle threshold (Ct) value of the PCR, should be looked at as a predictor of adverse outcomes," said study co-author Ioannis M. Zacharioudakis from NYU.

The scientists explained that the cycle threshold Ct value is one of the results that the PCR technique gives that can be used as a surrogate of the amount of virus that is detected on nasopharyngeal swabs.

"High viral load was shown to be a predictor of poor outcomes above and beyond age, other medical problems and severity of illness on presentation, indicating that it can be used to risk-stratify, or triage, patients," Zacharioudakis said. -- PTI

12:07 Modi in Gujarat

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Kevadia, Narmada district. He will be inaugurating the Sardar Patel Zoological Park, popularly known as Jungle Safari.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on Friday said that the Centre should first release a statement on India's position in connection with the incident involving Abhinandan Varthaman before the political parties can react on it.Yechury's statement comes after a Pakistani lawmaker Ayaz Sadiq of Pakistan Muslim League-N, recounting the events of February 2019 meeting during which the Imran Khan government decided to release Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan, said that Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa's "legs were shaking" while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the meeting of parliamentary leaders that India was about to attack their country.

"India and Pakistan are trading charges. First of all, what is the authoritative statement by the government of India? Only when it comes, then only the political parties can react," Yechury told ANI.

Earlier, in a speech in the National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq had said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had in an important meeting pointed out that if Pakistan did not release Abhinandan Varthaman, India would attack Pakistan "that night by 9 pm."

The PML-N leader told opposition leaders that Qureshi in a meeting with the parliamentary leaders, including PPP and PML-N and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had asked for Abhinandan to be let free.

Later on, former Air Force chief BS Dhanoa on Thursday said that India was ready to wipe out Pakistan's forward brigades had Islamabad's "military adventure" been successful in response to the Balakot aerial strikes and added that "our military posture was very offensive". -- ANI

11:58 Munger firing attack on Hindutva: Sena

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that the Munger firing incident is an attack on Hindutva and asked why the BJP Governor in Bihar is not raising questions about it.

Speaking to the media, Raut said, "During the procession of immersion of Goddess Durga idol, violence erupted in Munger. After that, the police opened fire in which one person died and many others were injured. It is an attack on Hindutva."

The Shiv Sena MP further said, "If such an incident were to happen in Maharashtra or West Bengal then the Governors and BJP leaders would have demanded President's rule. So, why is Bihar Governor and BJP leaders not raising questions on the incident?"

The Election Commission of India has ordered the immediate removal of Superintendent of Police and District Magistrate of Munger over arson in the district of poll-bound Bihar.

An inquiry has been ordered into the incident by Asangba Chuba AO, Divisional Commissioner, Magadh that has to be completed with seven days. The new District Magistrate and the SP will be posted in Munger today itself.

Unidentified persons caused arson at Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) and SP office in Munger, setting several vehicles on fire and damaging the office on Thursday.

The mob was protesting against a man's death during a firing incident on October 26 at the time of Goddess Durga idol immersion and demanding action against Munger SP and the SDO. -- ANI

11:38 Farooq Abdullah stopped from leaving home: NC

The National Conference on Friday claimed that authorities in Jammu and Kashmir prevented its president Farooq Abdullah from leaving his residence to offer prayers at the Hazratbal shrine here on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi. No official from the administration was available for comments on the issue.

"J&K administration has blocked the residence of Party President Dr Farooq Abdullah and stopped him from offering prayers at Dargah Hazratbal. JKNC condemns this infringement of fundamental right to pray, especially on the auspicious occasion of Milad Un Nabi SAW," the NC said on its Twitter handle.

Farooq Abdullah, who represents Srinagar in the Lok Sabha, was supposed to visit the Hazratbal shrine, on the banks of the Dal Lake, to pray there on the occasion. Milad-un-Nabi marks the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and it is observed in the month of Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. -- PTI

11:29 No more tears

Trading resumes at the onion wholesale market in Lasalgaon, Nashik after 4 days. Traders were protesting against the stock limit imposed by the central government.

11:19 Modi meets Keshubhai's family in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tributes to the late Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel and met his grieving family members.

Patel (92), a BJP stalwart, died on Thursday.

After his arrival in the morning at the Ahmedabad airport for a two-day Gujarat visit, Modi directly reached Patel's residence in Gandhinagar and offered tributes to the departed soul.

The PM spent some time with Patels kin and consoled them.

"Modiji recalled his long association with Keshubhai and asked us about his last moments," a family member told reporters after the PM left Patel's residence.

Modi had on Thursday paid rich tributes to Patel, saying he had mentored many BJP workers, including him.

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson wed Saturday Night Live star Colin over the weekend, it has been announced.

Breaking the news, mealsonwheelsamerica said in an Instagram post that the duo were married in an intimate ceremony with their immediate family and loved ones in attendance, and following all safety protocols.

'Their wedding wish is to help make a difference for vulnerable older adults during this difficult time by supporting @mealsonwheelsamerica. Please consider donating to celebrate the happy couple by clicking the link in our bio,' the post said.

Johansson was previously married to actor Ryan Reynolds. She and Jost got engaged in 2019.

10:48 Delhi air quality continues to be 'severe'

Air quality in Delhi continued to be severely polluted with parts of the city recording Air Quality Index (AQI) in the 'severe' category on Friday.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 408, while Bawana, Patparganj and Wazirpur recorded AQIs of 447, 404 and 411 respectively, all four in the 'severe' category.

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

To tackle the rising air pollution, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday launched the 'Green Delhi' app, which would enable people to register complaints about violation of anti-pollution norms.

"Today we are launching the Green Delhi app to involve every citizen. You can file any kind of complaint regarding pollution via this app, which is available on the Play Store. If you witness industrial pollution or dust, you can upload its video, picture, or audio. Automatically the location will be sent to us," said Kejriwal. -- ANI

09:54 48,648 new Covid cases, 563 deaths in 24 hrs

With 48,648 new COVID-19 infections, India's total cases surge to 80,88,851.

With 563 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,21,090.

Total active cases are 5,94,386 after a decrease of 9,301 in last 24 hours.

Total cured cases are 73,73,375 with 57,386 new discharges in last 24 hours. -- ANI

United States' top infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci on Thursday said that even though COVID-19 vaccine is expected in the next few months, life is likely to get back to normal in the world by the end of next year.

"If we get a vaccination campaign, and by the second or third quarter of 2021 we have vaccinated a substantial proportion of the people, I think it will be easily by the end of 2021, and perhaps even into the next year, before we start having some semblances of normality," Fauci was quoted as saying by CNN during a University of Melbourne panel discussion.

Talking about the ongoing situation in the US ahead of the presidential polls, Fauci said that wearing a mask in the US has become a political statement, adding that the politicization of masks should stop.

"Masks in the United States have almost become a political statement, and I know that was carried in the news globally, it was really ... very, very difficult.

"In fact, people were ridiculed for their mask, depending upon which side of a particular political spectrum you were at," Fauci said.

"I was very much involved with Dr Deborah Birx and putting together these guidelines, which were a gateway of Phase 1, Phase 2 - to tell you how you can gradually safely and prudently open up the country." Fauci said.

"If everybody had done that uniformly, I don't think we would be in the position we're in right now."

According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States continues worst affected by the pandemic with 8,937,926 cases and 228,625 deaths.

Meanwhile, there over 44,871,314 cases and 1,178,751 deaths globally. -- ANI

08:25 France under attack: Macron on Church killings

After increasing France's security status to the highest level, President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that the country is under attack following the incident of stabbing in the city of Nice that left at least three people dead and several injured.

'It is France which is under attack. I have therefore decided that our soldiers will be more mobilized in the coming hours. As part of Operation Sentinel, we will go from 3,000 to 7,000 soldiers,' Macron tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, he added, 'You have the support of the whole Nation. Our country is our values, that everyone can believe or not believe, that each religion can be exercised. Our determination is absolute. Actions will follow to protect all of our fellow citizens.'

Macron's comment came after a knife-wielding man killed two women and a man at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice and injured several others on Thursday.

The police detained the attacker and launched an investigation.

The attack in Nice was followed by a knife-stabbing attempt at the southeastern French city of Avignon and another one at the French Consulate in Saudi Arabia.Soon after the attacks were reported, several world leaders came out in support of France.

While condemning the attacks, President Donald Trump said that the United States is standing with its oldest ally in this fight.

'Our hearts are with the people of France. America stands with our oldest ally in this fight. These radical Islamic terrorist attacks must stop immediately. No country, France or otherwise can long put up with it!' Trump tweeted.

Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack that occurred near the Notre Dame church in Nice.

'We strongly condemn and denounce the terrorist attack that occurred near the Notre Dame church in Nice, France, which resulted in the death and injury of several people,' Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia tweeted.

'We reiterate the Kingdom's utter rejection of such extremist acts that are inconsistent with all religions, human beliefs and common sense. We affirm the importance of rejecting practices that generate hatred, violence and extremism,' MOFA Saudi Arabia added.

Amid the ongoing killings in France, several videos surfaced on the internet showing how a crowd gathered in Berlin and shouted 'Allahu Akbar' to protest against French President Macron.

Meanwhile, Macron has called for unity in the country, "I call for the unity of all." He said in a tweet earlier today that "Whatever your religion, believer or not, we must unite at these times. Do not give in to the spirit of division.

"This killings in France come days after Samuel Paty, a school teacher, was beheaded by an 18-year-old teenager on the outskirts of Paris after he showed cartoons depicting the Prophet during a lesson.

Paty was posthumously granted France's highest award, the Legion d'Honneur, and commemorated in the national ceremony at the Sorbonne University in Paris. -- ANI

Taiwan has reached a record 200 days without any domestically transmitted cases of Covid-19, underlining its success in keeping the virus under control as cases rise across much of the world.

Taiwanese authorities acted early to halt the spread of the disease, brought in strict control measures, including two weeks of quarantine for anyone flying into the island, and poured resources into testing and tracing.

Checks on travellers arriving from Wuhan, where the epidemic started, were brought in on December 31, as soon as health authorities there told the World Health Organization they were treating cases of viral pneumonia of unknown origin.

The islands previous exposure to the Sars epidemic meant that preparations were extensive and up to date, and the governments response was helped by having an epidemiologist as vice-president and an excellent public health system.

Although Taiwan appears to have stopped domestic transmission, it continues to record new cases in people arriving from abroad. Questions also remain as to whether it is truly free of coronavirus. Local media have been paying close attention to reports of people who tested positive after leaving the country.

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