Modi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expunged the word used by Modi on Thursday during his reply to the discussion on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament at the start of the budget session.

Beijing: An ophthalmologist who first blew the whistle on the coronavirus, and was punished for doing so, died from the virus on Friday. The death triggered an outpouring of grief and anger at the authorities in China. The coronavirus outbreak has now killed more than 630 people and infected at least 31,000 people worldwide.The endangered pangolin may be the link that facilitated the spread of the novel coronavirus across China, Chinese scientists said Friday.

Gandhi in Kerala: The remarkable thing about Kerala’s annual budget, presented in the Assembly by finance minister T M Thomas Isaac on Friday, was that the booklet featured a cover picture of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Counter Terrorism: US president Donald Trump has confirmed that in a major counter-terrorism operation in Yemen the US forces have killed Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the jihadist group that claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at an American naval base.

Religious Freedom Alliance: In a development that the BJP government in New Delhi will watch warily, the U.S. has announced the launch of an International Religious Freedom Alliance, which will purportedly try to adopt a collective approach in protecting and preserving religious freedom across the world.Twenty seven countries are partners in this alliance, including Israel. Some of the other members are Austria, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Israel, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Greece.

Kerala opposition: The Congress-led UDF in Kerala has stepped up pressure on the CPM-led LDF government to put Census operations on hold at least temporarily till the air is cleared on the NRC and the NPR.The Opposition raised the demand in the Assembly and staged a walk out after failing to get any assurance from the government.

WhatsApp Pay: In a major development, WhatsApp will be able to roll out its digital payment platform, WhatsApp Pay, across India after securing a key regulatory approval on Thursday. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has granted WhatsApp permission to operate its digital payment service in a phased manner.

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Friday, Feb 07, 2020
New Delhi 14 °C