Breaking news on February 26

As many as 50 security personnel, including those from paramilitary forces, committed suicide in in Chhattisgarh in the last two years, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

A man, who recently returned from South Korea, was admitted to a hospital in Odisha's Sambalpur with suspected novel coronavirus symptoms after he
was found suffering from prolonged cold, fever and cough, a bulletin issued by the health department said.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said Guru Nanak Dev does not belong only to Sikhs, but he belongs to the world and the entire human race.

He was speaking at an event of 'Sikh heritage of Nepal' in New Delhi where he lauded former Nepal ambassador Manjeev Puri for bringing out a book linking the Sikh heritage to Nepal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of at least 24 people in a road accident in Rajasthan.

Five people were also injured after a private bus carrying a wedding party fell into a river on the Kota-Dausa highway in Bundi district this morning.

An associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim has been arrested in Maharashtra's Palghar district, the police said on Wednesday.

A tiger and a tigress will be brought to Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district, an
official said on Wednesday.

Congress leaders to meet President Ram Nath Kovind  in New Delhi tomorrow.

No new taxes were proposed in the Gujarat budget for 2020-21, presented by the BJP government on Wednesday, which saw a healthy allocation of Rs 31,955 crore for education, Rs 11,243 crore for health and Rs 7,423 crore for the agriculture sector.

Flipkart-owned digital payments company PhonePe has received about Rs 427.25 crore from its parent firm in another round of funding, according to regulatory filings.

There is an urgent need to finalise various modalities for operationalising free trade agreement among BIMSTEC nations, said a senior official of the seven-member economic bloc that includes India.

 The Indian government on Wednesday said it will host an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-focused summit here on April 11-12 with the aim of providing a platform for a "global meeting of minds" to exchange ideas.

One person was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman in broad daylight in a moving private bus in South Kolkata on Wednesday. The incident happened when the bus was going towards Jadavpur police station after crossing Gariahat. A young woman passenger accused the man of molesting her and later dialled emergency number 100 and lodged a complaint of abuse and uncivil behaviour against the person.

The police reached the spot and arrested the man, an officer at Lake police station said.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India is expected to add around 10-12 lakh new subscribers to its two pension schemes in the current fiscal ending March, newly-appointed Chairman Supratim Bandhopadhyay said on Wednesday.

The Centre has decided to include non-scheduled urban and district central cooperative banks in three big ticket schemes to facilitate access to finance for the MSME sector.

We have issued an advisory on law and order situation across the state especially for the districts adjoining Delhi in the wake of the recent violence that has taken place in the national capital during CAA/NRC protest, Haryana Police said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sushmita Dev, KC Venugopal and other Congress leaders join the 'peace march' in New Delhi.

Former Congress legislator Bijaya Kumar Nayak died at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday due to geriatric ailments, family sources said. He was 70.

Congress leaders and workers take out 'peace march' over violence in Delhi. They are heading towards Gandhi Smriti.

 The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for adoption of central laws in Concurrent List for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan, his legislator wife Tanzin Fatima and MLA son Abdullah Azam were on Wednesday sent to judicial custody for allegedly faking Abdullah’s birth certificate.

Cabinet on Wednesday approves Rs 1,480 crore National Technical Textiles Mission.

AK Patnaik, Group Captain, Delhi said: "The C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force is presently on medical mission to Wuhan, China. We are carrying about 15 tonnes of medical equipment. On our way back, we shall be carrying Indians&citizens of friendly neighborhood countries."

One Special Task Force (STF) jawan has sustained bullet injury during an exchange of fire with Naxals in the forest area near Puspal village under Chhote Dongar police station limits in Narayanpur

Fire broke out at a building on Infantry Road today; No injuries reported, 2 fire tenders present at the spot

Bundi District Magistrate Antar Singh Nehra said: "This is an unfortunate incident. 24 people have lost their lives. Compensation of Rs 2 lakhs will be given to families of victims from the Chief Minister's relief fund."

Special NIA court today gave the last extension to all the absent accused in connection with 2008 Malegaon Blast. The court said that from now onwards all the accused have to follow the earlier orders of the court of remaining present in the court at least once a week.

Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday slammed CM Kejriwal and stated he should have come forth with his concerns when Home Minister Amit Shah had called an all-party meeting yesterday and he should not create confusion over CAA. 

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker rejects discussion on demand to bring a resolution to honour Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary today.

Bharatiya Janata Party demands to introduce a resolution in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly to honour Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said: "The message is clear that it will no longer be a status quo, if there is an attack orchestrated from across the border there will be a response and it will be a robust response."

"Rafale is a total game-changer. When we will use it along with the other aircraft we have in our inventory then we would be a different air force.51 Squadron and Abhinandan demonstrated the spirit of the Air Force. They had no hesitation in engaging vastly superior aircraft in terms of technology&weapons, they did the right thing. Air Force is proud of them," he added. 

It was a pleasant day in the national capital on Wednesday with the minimum temperature settling at 12.7 degrees Celsius. The weatherman has forecast moderate fog later in the day.

The city recorded a low of 12.7 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 27 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological (MeT) Department official said. 

Anti Corruption Bureau is conducting raids at Ranchi Municipal Corp office, Dhanbad Municipal Corp office, Ranchi Registry office&Doranda police station. ACB is acting after receiving complaints regarding these departments involved in alleged corruption.

Encounter between police and naxals occurred in Kanker's Koyalibeda area earlier today, arms and other paraphernalia recovered; Naxals managed to escape from the site of the encounter

Supreme Court issues notice to Jammu and Kashmir administration on the plea filed by former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija, challenging her mother’s detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978.

Supreme Court adjourns Shaheen Bagh matter until next month

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik elected as the President of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the 8th time

Seasoned diplomat Jawed Ashraf appointed India's next Ambassador to France 

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria to take off for a mission in a MiG-21 of 51 Squadron Commanding Officer Group Captain Nazeer with two each Mirage-2000 & Sukhoi-30MKI at Srinagar airbase today.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducting raids in Karimabad, Pulwama in connection with a terror funding case. More details awaited.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of Jaitpur in Ambedkar Nagar, Babboo Mishra, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his house on Wednesday morning, police said. Senior police officials, who reached the spot, said that Mishra had committed suicide.

The reasons behind the suicide were not yet known. Mishra has not left behind any suicide note. The body has been sent for the post-mortem.

Mishra, a resident of Gonda district, was posted in Ambedkar Nagar about nine months ago.

A moderate intensity earthquake of magnitude 3.6 shook Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district on Wednesday, an official said. However, there was no report of immediate loss of life or property.

"The earthquake was recorded at 7.58 am. The epicentre was at a depth of 5 km, northeast of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu-Kashmir's border region of Chamba district, mild tremors were felt in the adjoining areas," the official of the Seismology Department said. Most parts of Himachal Pradesh, including Chamba, fall in the seismic sensitive zone. 

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P Chidambaram, Jyotiraditya Scindia and other party leaders at Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting underway at AICC headquarters.

Rupee rises 11 paise to 71.74 against US dollar in early trade.

Senior Congress leader and former State Minister P. Sankaran passed away on Tuesday midnight, said party sources here on Wednesday. He was unwell for a while and breathed his last at a private hospital.

Sankaran, 72, was best known as the closest aide of Congress veteran K. Karunakaran, who handpicked him to contest the Kozhikode seat at the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, which he won defeating media baron M.P. Veerendra Kumar.

However, in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls, Sankaran made way for Karunakaran's son-K. Muraleedharan and for that, he was rewarded with a State Minister's post in the A.K. Antony cabinet in 2001.

When Karunakaran decided to leave the Congress in 2005, Sankaran quit as legislator and when the veteran returned back, Sankaran rejoined the Congress. Known for his polite dealings, Sankaran was liked by everyone. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Sankaran and said he was one leader who always maintained a connect with the common man. Sankaran is survived by his wife and three children.

Sensex tanks 393.03 pts to 39,888.17 in opening session, Nifty tumbles 118.35 pts to 11,679.55

 A student of Class 8 attempted suicide yesterday in Betul, by pouring kerosene on herself and setting herself ablaze, allegedly after she was raped by three men. The victim is under treatment at a hospital.

Five dead in a collision between a car and a bus in Shahabad in Rampur. 

Former Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa on one year of Balakot Airstrike said: "One year has gone past and we look back with satisfaction. We have learnt a lot of lessons, a lot of things have been implemented after Balakot operations."

"After Balakot airstrike, there was no major terrorist attack throughout the Indian elections because they were scared that we will respond again in the same manner or even more devastatingly. Basically, it's a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our operations. The other side never believed that we could carry out a strike inside Pakistan to take out a terror training camp that we successfully carried out," he added. 

US forces in South Korea report first Coronavirus case

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

China quarantines 94 people on Seoul flight after three show fever

Case registered against poet Imran Pratapgarhi for his provocative statement 'why there is no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad' at an event yesterday. Further investigation underway.

People in Madurai's Nelpettai area held a protest on Tuesday against the CAA violence in Delhi. 

Union Cabinet meeting to take place today in New Delhi

GSLV-F10 is scheduled to launch Geo Imaging Satellite, GISAT-1 on 5th March 2020 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota: ISRO