Live update: Congress denounces PM Modi over grand welcome to Saudi crown prince

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case and is launching a fresh probe into the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in which 40 troopers were killed on February 14.

The move comes five days after the worst-ever terror attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy since militancy erupted in 1989 in the state.

A soldier, who was injured during an encounter last week at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, has succumbed to injuries, a defence official said on Wednesday.

Naik Sandeep Kumar, who was injured in an anti-militancy operation on February 12 in Pulwama, succumbed at 92 Base Hospital here on Tuesday, the official said.

Army paid tributes to Naik Kumar at a solemn ceremony at Badami Bagh on Wednesday.

The mortal remains of the soldier were then sent to his native place in Haryana's Faridabad, where his final rites will be performed, the official said.

SHO Ambegaon Police Station said that, a 6-year-old boy is trapped in a borewell at about 10 feet depth at a village in Ambegaon, Pune. Total depth of borewell is about 200 feet, one team moved towards the site of incident

MEA on the visit of Saudi Crown Prince: Saudi Crown Prince appreciated the consistent efforts made by PM Modi since May 2014, including his personal initiatives to have friendly relations with Pakistan. Both sides agreed on the need for creation of conditions necessary for resumption of the comprehensive dialogue.

Sixty five people succumbed to H1N1 virus in the country last week, pushing the death toll due to swine flu this year to 377, according to the Union Health Ministry, while the number of those infected by it has crossed 12,000.

The data showed 12,191 people tested positive for H1N1 virus in the country this year till Sunday. Last year, 14,992 cases and 1,103 deaths due to the swine flu were reported.

With swine flu cases rising alarmingly, the Health Ministry has asked state governments to bolster their surveillance for early detection of the disease and keep beds reserved in hospitals to deal with acute cases, which require ventilator facility.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused certain political parties and people holding constitutional positions in the country of rumour-mongering and spreading hatred in the society, and termed it "shameless politics".

"One section of political parties/groups along with people holding constitutional positions are indulging in rumour-mongering, spreading hatred with dangerous statements. Even journalists are not spared. This is shameless politics. What levels of polluted politics have we descended to?" she wrote on Twitter without naming any particular political outfit.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the family of CRPF jawan VV Vasanth Kumar, who was killed in the recent Pulwama terror attack, in Wayanad district on Wednesday and assured them of all support from the government.

The chief minister spoke to Kumar's wife, Sheena, two children son Amandeep (5) and daughter Anamika (8) and mother.

Vijayan told the family that if Sheena was not interested in continuing working as an assistant at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, she would be appointed as a sub-inspector in the police department.

The state government had announced on Tuesday that steps would be taken to make Sheena, who is at present a temporary employee, a permanent staff member at the university.

A Pakistani national lodged in the central jail was allegedly murdered following a quarrel with other prisoners, officials said Wednesday. Senior administrative and police officials have rushed to the jail after learning about the incident.

"A Pakistani prisoner has allegedly been murdered in the central jail," IG (Jail)Rupinder Singh said. More details are awaited.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati claimed on Wednesday that the BJP was afraid of its tie-up with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and was now desperate to forge an alliance of its own.

"Does the BJP's move to forge alliances in Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, in absolute helplessness and on its knees, show its strong leadership? In fact, the BJP is so afraid of the SP-BSP alliance that it is now running from pillar to post to forge an alliance of its own," Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

She said, "No matter how much efforts the BJP makes during the election period, people of the country are fed up with its anti-people policies and will not forgive it. The public will shatter its arrogance in the elections and their government will go."

Two Kashmiri shawl vendors have claimed they were beaten up and called "stone pelters" by unidentified men on a train, forcing them to cut short their business trip to Rohtak, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident comes amid reports of some Kashmiri people claiming they were being targeted in many parts of the country in the aftermath of the February 14 terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left over 40 personnel dead.

Thereafter, the three Kashmiri men de-boarded at Nangloi station, leaving their bags containing shawls and suits worth around ₹2 lakh in the train, Gupta added.

A case has been registered and the matter is being probed, he said.

Saudi Arabia Prince Crown on terrorism said, "We are with India on their concern and will work to cooperate and intelligence sharing and other field. Terrorism and extremism are a common concern."

"We would like to tell our friend India that we'll cooperate on all fronts, be it intelligence sharing. We'll work with everyone to ensure a brighter future for our upcoming generations."

Barbaric terrorist attack in Pulwama was symbol of anti-humanitarian threat world is facing. Destroying terror infrastructure and punishing terrorists as well as their their supporters is very important says PM Modi.

Time has come to transform our energy cooperation into strategic partnership. We held extensive and successful talks, vowed to take our economic ties to new level. We agreed that pressure has to be put on countries supporting terror, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi after talks with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

SAD-BJP MLAs on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Punjab Assembly after their resolution condemning Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his remarks against India was not taken up by the Speaker.

After the Question Hour, Akali and BJP MLAs led by Parminder Singh Dhindsa sought to bring a resolution condemning Khan for his remarks that "Pakistan would retaliate if India carried out an attack" in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.  "Pakistan PM has tried to threaten India," said Dhindsa, demanding Khan's statement should be condemned in the strongest possible words.

Akalis and BJP members then stormed into the Well of the House and raised slogans. They later staged a walkout.

A delegation of Peoples Democratic Party from Jammu and Kashmir visited Uttarakhand for a first-hand assessment of the situation following alleged harassment of Kashmiri students after the recent terror attack in Pulwama.

The delegation consisting of Rajya Sabha member Faiyaz Ahmed Mir, former MLA Aijaz Ahmed Mir and other party leaders reached on Tuesday to assess the situation, said Inspector General of Police (Garhwal)  Ajay Rautela.

The proposed visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Congress bastion of Amethi on February 27 has been cancelled, officials said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a BJP leader said the Prime Minister was likely to visit the ordnance factory in Munshiganj here and later address a public meeting on February 27.

However, according to District Magistrate RM Mishra, the proposed visit has now been cancelled. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Amethi which was proposed on February 27 has been cancelled," the DM said.

The Bihar assembly was adjourned till 2pm on Wednesday, the last day of the Budget session, as opposition RJD members stalled the proceedings, demanding resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the wake of an order by a special POCSO court on Muzaffarpur sex scandal.

As the House assembled at 11 am, the RJD MLAs, led by its chief spokesman Bhai Virendra, were on their feet demanding that Kumar explain "18 questions" raised by Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in connection with the court order at Muzaffarpur last week. As the commotion continued for some time, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm.

Seven Kashmiri students have been suspended by Roorkee-based Quantum Global University for their alleged anti-national posts on social media, a university official said.

The action was taken on Tuesday after around 450 students gathered on the campus demanding their expulsion for allegedly posting anti-national slogans on Facebook and Instagram, Registrar of the University RK Khare said.

The protesting students threatened to leave the institute if the Kashmiri students were not expelled, he said.

The Delhi High Court has sought response of the Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) on a plea challenging the appointment of its vice chancellor, terming it "illegal", "arbitrary" and contrary to UGC guidelines.

Justices GS Sistani and Jyoti Singh issued notice to NSUT, Vice Chancellor (VC) J P Saini, University Grant Commission (UGC) and the department of training and technical education of the Delhi government, asking them to file their replies on the petition within four weeks.

The plea, filed by a professor of NSUT, Sachin Maheshwari, alleged that the appointment of Saini as the university's first vice chancellor was "illegal", "arbitrary", "malafide" and contrary to UGC guidelines.

New Zealand Parliament unanimously passed a motion moved by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters condemning the terror attack on India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu & Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of betraying farmers despite "signing letters of promises" and said their agitation across the country would continue.

About 50,000 farmers from 23 districts are expected to participate in a long march that starts from Nashik on Wednesday. It will culminate in Mumbai on February 27.

The farmers have been demanding farm loan waiver, minimum support price, irrigation facilities and pension.

Last year, nearly 30,000 farmers had taken out a march from Nashik to Mumbai.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant full statehood status to Delhi, an issue that the ruling AAP is expected to raise in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in an emphatic manner.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said it will hold a door-to-door campaign to tell people how the BJP had done them "injustice" on the issue.

The BJP's Delhi unit, however, said the campaign was a "new drama" by the AAP and its chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Recently, in a major setback to the AAP government in Delhi, two judges of the Supreme Court agreed that the Centre should have the final word on posting and transfer of bureaucrats in the national capital administration, but their disagreement on finer details resulted in a split verdict and the matter got referred to a larger bench.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for de-escalating the tense situation in the subcontinent following the terrorist attack in Pulwama that killed 40 Indian security personnel.

His spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday: "We are deeply concerned at the increase in tensions between the two countries in the wake of the attack on Indian security personnel on February 14 in Pulwama."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi met Guterres and Security Council President Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea separately to appraise them of the "dangerous situation".

SC says any unconditional apology given by Reliance needs to be rejected as they have breached the undertaking and order. From undertakings given by Reliance Group's top brass, it appears they have wilfully not paid the amount to Ericsson despite orders. SC directs that ₹180 crore already deposited by Reliance Group in apex court registry be disbursed to Ericsson.

SC Judge, Justice L Nageswara Rao recuses himself from hearing contempt petition filed by CBI against WB Chief Secy, DGP and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for alleged non-cooperation in connection with Saradha chit fund scam. The case is now listed on February 26.

Supreme Court orders Anil Ambani and 2 directors to pay ₹453 Cr to Ericsson India within 4 weeks and if they fail to pay the amount, three months' of jail term will follow. SC has also imposed a fine of ₹1 cr each on them, if not deposited within a month, a month long jail time will be awarded.

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi said, “Today we want to be sure that this relation is maintained and improved for the sake of both countries. With the leadership of the President and the PM, I am sure we can create good things for Saudi Arabia and India.”

A cross-border motor rally to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi has arrived from Dhaka via the Akhaura International Checkpost (ICP).

The tri-nation rally, which commenced from Rajghat in Delhi on February 4, will culminate at Yangon in Myanmar on February 24, covering 7,250km, an official release said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has made arrangements to support the itinerary of the motorists, who were received Tuesday by Tripura Minister for Social Welfare and Social Education Shantana Chakma at the international check post.

The rally, comprising ten vehicles and 33 participants, will cover places that are historically associated with Gandhi, and generate awareness about road safety on its way, the release said.

The BSE benchmark Sensex rallied over 250 points in early trade on Wednesday as metal, banking and realty stocks soared amid sustained buying by domestic institutional investors. Positive cues from other Asian markets too buoyed mood on Dalal Street.

The 30-share index was trading 269.24 points, or 0.76 per cent, at 35,621.85. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty rose 74.40 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 10,678.75.

The Sensex had settled 145.83 points lower at 35,352.61 in the previous session, while the Nifty had fallen 36.60 points to 10,604.35.

Authorities have temporarily relaxed the ongoing curfew in Jammu for a few hours on Wednesday, police said.

The Inspector General of Police, Jammu said that the curfew, which was imposed on February 15, has been relaxed in all parts of the district from 8 am to 12 noon. The order is only for Wednesday. However, all educational institutes will remain shut and the exams scheduled for Wednesday have been postpones. New dates will be announced soon, the authorities said.

Mobile Internet services also remained suspended for the sixth consecutive day.

US President Donald Trump Tuesday described as a "horrible situation" the Pulwama terrorist attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed, in which 40 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed, and said he was getting reports on it and would issue a statement.

"I have watched. I have got a lot of reports on it. We will have comment (on it) at an appropriate time. It would be wonderful if they (India and Pakistan) get along," he said in response to a question.

"That (the terrorist attack) was a horrible situation. We are getting reports. We will have a statement to put out," Trump said.

The top United Nations human rights official has strongly condemned last week's suicide bomb attack against Indian security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir calling on authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Michelle Bachelet is also saddened by the further loss of life from subsequent gun battles in the same area Monday, the spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Rupert Colville said in Geneva on Tuesday.

The rupee inched up 3 paise to 71.31 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday even as foreign fund outflows continued amid firming oil prices.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex) market, the domestic unit opened strong at 71.29 but gave up the gains to trade at 71.31.

A mild 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck western Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat on Wednesday morning, according to the National Centre for Seismology. The quake, epicentre in Baghpat in north of Delhi, occurred at 7:59 am.

Tremors were felt in the neighbouring region, including the national capital. No loss of life or damage to property has been reported.