Breaking news on February 9

Two persons arrested by Kerala police for spreading misinformation on Coronavirus. Arrested persons have been identified as Bipesh and Pradosh, hailing from the city. Case registered, investigation underway. 

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary in Goa Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said: Hindu community does not mean Bharatiya Janata Party, and opposing BJP does not amount to opposing Hindus. The political fight will continue but it should not be linked to Hindus.

After addressing a press conference on assembly polls, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer said, "We have set up 21 centers for counting of votes, wherein there will be a dedicated hall for every constituency. The counting will start at 8 am on February 11."

Supreme Court to hear tomorrow pleas seeking removal of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters from Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area.

Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh on Sunday addressed the media on Delhi Assembly polls held on February 8. Here are the highlights from his address:

• 62.59 pc voter turnout in Delhi election
• It is about 2% more than the last Lok Sabha elections.
• Balli Maran recorded the highest voter turnout with 71 per cent.
• Delhi Cantt recorded the lowest voter turnout with only 44.5 percent 
• Police investigated the death of an on-duty polling officer in Babarpur area. 
• Voter turnout data is submitted by returning officers who were busy throughout the night, then they became busy in scrutiny. It has taken a little bit of time but, in data entry, it is very important to ensure accuracy.

Laid foundation for a USD 5 trillion economy in budget, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Kolkata.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offers prayers at Sarnath Buddhist temple.

Delhi's Chief Election Officer to release a press release shortly. 

Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress in Bengaluru said: "SC ruled that reservation in jobs & promotion is not a fundamental right. It has worried marginalized communities. We'll protest against it in&outside Parliament. BJP & RSS have been trying to get reservations scrapped for a long time."

Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Mumbai said: "I don't understand why the Muslims who were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, were doing so. CAA is not for the Muslims who were born here. To whom are you showing your strength?"

PM Modi has expressed solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people of China over the outbreak of CoronaVirus. In a letter written to Chinese President, PM offered India's assistance to face the challenge and offered condolences at the unfortunate loss of lives. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed appreciation for the facilitation provided by the Government of China for the evacuation of Indian citizens from the Hubei province of China.

Tamil Nadu CM, Edappadi K Palaniswami said, "We declare Cauvery delta as a protected agricultural zone. We will talk to legal experts to bring a special law. Even though I am the CM, I am looking at this problem as a farmer. We will not allow the hydrocarbon project."

BJP leader Kameshwar Choupal, who will be one of the fifteen members of the 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' Trust, has said, " The first meeting of the 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' Trust (set up for the construction of Ram Temple) will be held on 19th February."

Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 7th standard student of Navy Children School in Mumbai, became the youngest girl in the world to summit Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America and outside of Asia. She summited the 6962 meters tall mountain peak on February 1, 2020.

Mahatama Gandhi's statue in Hazaribagh found damaged. Police say, "We are investigating to ascertain whether the statue fell itself or was vandalized. We are also checking CCTV footage and questioning some people".

The government has removed surgical masks and gloves from the list of banned export items, according to a notification.

Two new cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in the UAE, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the deadly disease to seven, the country's health ministry has said.

Chhattisgarh Police have registered an FIR against the chairman of a state-run communication research centre and a BJP spokesperson for
allegedly threatening a woman police officer in Raipur, an official said on Sunday.

India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is banking on introduction of petrol variants of existing models such as Vitara Brezza besides exploring more CNG options to make up for lost numbers as it discontinues diesel options while moving to BS-VI emission norms.

Former West Bengal Power Minister and former Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University Sankar Sen died at a south Kolkata nursing home on Saturday following old age problems, family sources said on Sunday.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from Bihar's Maoist-hit Munger district during a police raid, a senior officer said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that the government wants continuous engagement with industries and businesses and will act as a facilitator for hassle-free payments of taxes.

Sampling of 406 people at ITBP Chhawla Camp in Delhi has been done&sent for lab tests. Samples of all 406 people were found negative earlier. No fresh symptoms are seen today. 4 isolation beds kept ready. 4 Critical Care Life Support Ambulances are also available at the camp. 

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar unveils first look poster of biopic on former President APJ Abdul Kalam; says, "It's story of how a dedicated person can rise to the top. Movie is co-produced by Jagadeesh Daneti, Suvarna Pappu & John Martin&will be in theatres by year-end.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Sunday, arrived in Varanasi and offered prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Noted writer Manoj Das, who had recently received Padma Bhushan for his contribution to English and Odia literature, has been honoured with the Mystic Kalinga Literary Award-Indian and Global Languages.

Pakistan violates ceasefire in Balakot and Mendhar of Jammu and Kashmir at about 12:50 pm. Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with Mortars along LoC. Indian Army is retaliating befittingly.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa reached Varanasi on Sunday, where he will visit Kashi Vishwanath temple and Kalbhairav. He will also visit Sarnath where the remains of Lord Buddha are kept and pay tributes.

 Seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in Jhansi's Babina area of the district as they did not have any valid documents, police said on Sunday.

A 49-year-old police constable was killed after a truck hit his motorcycle in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai township, police said on Sunday.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress on Delhi Elections 2020 said, " We fought this election with all our strength. In this election, BJP put forth all the communal agendas, and Arvind Kejriwal Ji put forth developmental agendas. If Kejriwal wins, then it will be a victory of the developmental agendas".

The Centre will soon release another Rs 35,000 crore to states to compensate for the revenue loss on account of GST rollout, an official said.

Distraught over repeated bullying at school, a nine-year-old girl in Shillong has developed a mobile application which would enable a person to
anonymously report such incidents to the authorities.

Meaidaibahun Majaw, a Class 4 student, said she had taken it upon herself to find a solution to the menace, after it started taking a toll on her well-being.

Women hold protest at Tannery Road against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. 

The 2G mobile internet services which were restored in Kashmir last month, have been suspended again on Sunday, on the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condoled the death of RSS veteran P Parameswaran, describing him as a towering  intellectual who nurtured institutions of eminence.

A house gutted in fire due to an electrical short circuit, in Kullu district early morning today. No loss of life and injury have been reported in the incident.

Cocking a snook at the law against triple talaq, a tailor announced divorce to his wife inside a family court here by uttering 'talaq' thrice.

Bareilly has finally got its much-awaited "jhumka" when Union Minister and local MP Santosh Gangwar unveiled a 14-feet high replica at the zero point on national highway 24.

The jhumka that weighs over 200 kilograms was installed on Saturday in the Parsakhera area and is embedded with colourful stones and decorated by the city's famous ‘zari' embroidery.

India and South American nation Chile have started negotiations for further expansion of a trade agreement with a view to boost two-way commerce and economic ties, an official said.

Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, has urged the central government to "immediately and unconditionally revoke the Citizenship Amendment Act" and stop quashing the "right to dissent".

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a ban on the movie `Shooter’, which is based on the life and crimes of gangster Sukha Kahlwan and "promotes violence, heinous crimes, extortion, threats and criminal intimidation".

Two people killed, 4 injured after two cars collided with each other in Birbhum, early morning today.

Foreigners who have been to China on or after Jan 15, 2020, are not allowed to enter India from any air, land or seaport including Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan, Indo-Bangladesh or Indo-Myanmar land borders, Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

A fire broke out in a scrap godown near Sassoon Dock in south Mumbai in the wee hours of Sunday, a fire brigade official said.

Devotees on Sunday takes holy dip at Sangam on Maghi Purnima

The top three political parties in Ireland, namely Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, were tied in the general elections, according to an exit poll.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has constituted a new two-member bench to hear former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz petition seeking her removal from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Thaipoosam festival was celebrated at Lakshmana Theertham in Rameswaram last night on the occasion of Maghi Purnima.

Visibility at 900m due to fog; One Delhi-Raipur flight diverted to Nagpur. No flight has landed till now, Raipur Airport Director, Rakesh Ranjan Sahay said.

The gunman who killed at least 21 people in Thailand, was killed by the security forces on Sunday, Reuters reported citing police sources.

Major pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 at 203 & 214 respectively, both in 'poor' category, in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data.

Maharashtra Police International Marathon, from Bandra–Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India, was flagged off this morning. Actors Farhan Akhtar, Suniel Shetty, and Minister Anil Deshmukh also flagged off the marathon.

Devotees on Sunday take holy dip in river Ganga on Maghi Purnima.

The death toll in China due to novel coronavirus epidemic rose to 811, while the confirmed cases jumped to over 37,000, the National Health Commission announced on Sunday.

The Mahavir temple in Patna will donate Rs 10 crore for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute killed two people and then went on a far bloodier rampage Saturday in northeastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror.