A look at the headlines today:
1. Evacuation of Indians from coronavirus-hit China to start today
The government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to ascertain their willingness to be brought back to India. India has already approached Chinese authorities to allow it to send two flights to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to bring back Indian nationals, and the evacuation process may start from today. The Indian embassy in Beijing also said India was preparing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan today. "We have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. Our Mission in Beijing is working round-the-clock on the ground to work out the necessary logistics," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing. Kumar said there is no report of any Indian being affected by the coronavirus in either Hubei province or in any other country. The MEA spokesperson also said that India has not put any restriction on the movement of people from China to India in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. He said the government has been conducting a regular review of the situation arising out of the outbreak of coronavirus in China.
2. Congress to begin budget session with protest outside Gandhi's statue in Parliament
Congress parliamentarians, led by the party's top leadership, will stage a protest outside Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex ahead of the start of the budget session today in solidarity with people who are protesting against the CAA and the NRC. According to sources, Congress MPs will assemble outside Gandhi's statue around 10.30am and lodge their protest over the government's "arrogance" of not hearing out those protesting on the roads against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. The protest will be lodged ahead of the president's address to the joint sitting of Parliament in the Central Hall, heralding the start of the budget session, they said. Meanwhile, the Congress has convened a meeting of all its general secretaries, in-charges of various states and all MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on February 4. The party is seeking to evolve its strategy over the National Population Register (NPR), which the NDA government seeks to roll out across the country.
3. Militants open fire at police team in Jammu, one cop injured
A group of 3-4 militants, travelling in a truck, opened fire at a police team at a toll plaza on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway today, injuring a policeman. One of the militants was killed in the ensuing gunfight while the rest managed to escape to the adjacent forest area, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said. The firing took place around 5am when the police team stopped a Srinagar-bound truck for checking near the toll plaza in the Ban area of Nagrota. The group of 3-4 terrorists was on their way to Srinagar when they were intercepted by the police team at the toll plaza, the DGP said. A massive search operation has been launched to track down the terrorists. Senior police officials were at the spot to oversee the combing operations.
4. Death toll in China's coronavirus soars to 213, confirmed cases reach 9692
The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 213 with the number of confirmed cases totalling to 9,692, China's national authorities announced today. Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 5,806 confirmed cases, including 204 deaths, official media reported. A total of 213 people have died of the disease as of Thursday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chinese health authorities announced that 9,692 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. About 20 countries, including India, have reported confirmed cases of the virus in travellers coming from China. China said it has full confidence and capability to win the fight against the epidemic. The WHO has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. The UN health agency declared an international emergency over the deadly novel coronavirus from China—a rarely used designation that could lead to improved international co-ordination in tackling the disease. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems," World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, as he announced the virus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
5. India vs New Zealand 4th T20I: Series sealed, India look for experimentation (starts at 12:30pm)
An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India's intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T20 International today. Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma combined to pull off a thrilling win via a Super Over in the third game for a 3-0 lead and a maiden T20I series win on New Zealand soil. There is only a short turnaround time for the last two matches, back-to-back in Wellington and Mt. Maunganui on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both teams spent Thursday travelling from Hamilton to Wellington, and with a similar tight schedule for the final game of the series as well, there seems to be little chance of nets for either match. While a five-match T20I series is a rarity, India's early victory means both sides can contemplate various permutations in light of the T20 World Cup later in the year. From an Indian perspective, need of the hour is to find a balance between experimentation and the winning desire. Both skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri pride themselves on a win-at-all-times mentality, and they have a rare chance to blank out a 5-0 sweep in this T20I series, thus etching out a slice of history.
6. 'No secrets' - Thiem and Zverev battle for first Australian Open final today (starts at 2:30pm)
Dominic Thiem says there are "no secrets" between him Alexander Zverev as they prepare for a battle of "small margins" to make an Australian Open final for the first time. The fifth seed faces his good friend today after stunning world number one Rafael Nadal in the last eight, with a crack at seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the decider at stake. Thiem and Zverev have played each other eight times, with the Austrian holding a 6-2 advantage, including their last two encounters. They have never been forced into a five-setter. "We have no secrets from each other. I mean, we played so many times, also on very special occasions already, at the ATP Finals, semis, French Open quarters," said the 26-year-old. "It's a nice rivalry we have. It's great that we add an Australian Open semi-finals to this one. Going to be a close match again." "Same if two top-10 players play each other (in the) semis of a Slam. The deciding moments are very small, small margins. I'm looking forward to it," he added. Thiem is better known as a clay-court specialist and has experience of the big time, making the French Open final over the past two years, beaten each time by Nadal.
-Inputs from PTI
