A look at the headlines today:
1. HC to hear plea seeking FIR against Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for hate speech
The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear today a plea seeking lodging of an FIR against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, ex-president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Vadra and others for allegedly giving hate speeches. The petition by Lawyers Voice was on Thursday mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C. Hari Shankar which allowed it to be listed today. The plea has also sought registration of an FIR against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) former legislator from Mumbai Waris Pathan and AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. Apart from registration of FIRs, the petition also seeks setting up of a Special Investigation Team to look into the alleged hate speeches. On Thursday, several pleas relating to hate speeches by certain political leaders were moved in the high court.
2. Shah, Mamata to meet the first time since CAA was enacted
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Bhubaneswar today for the first time after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was enacted. Banerjee, who has been a bitter critic of the CAA- NPR-NRC issues, already reached the Odisha capital where the EZC meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Shah. State government officials and TMC leadership remained tightlipped whether the two leaders will hold any one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of the meeting. Banerjee did not attend meetings of the Niti Aayog and several others convened by the BJP-led Union government and now her decision to take part in the meeting chaired by Shah has raised eyebrows in the political circles here. CPI(M) legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty wondered why Banerjee is silent on ongoing violence over CAA in Delhi and hinted that it is part of a "tacit understanding between the BJP and the TMC". "Delhi is burning as @RSSorg & its minions are creating havoc in the capital. But @MamataOfficial is unusually silent! Another message to @AmitShah before the Bhubaneswar meet? Another exposure of the under the table agreement between @BJP4India & @AITCofficial on the offing?" he tweeted.
3. Delhi HC to hear today Kejriwal's plea against summons in defamation case
The Delhi High Court Monday said it will hear today Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders' plea against an order summoning them in a defamation case for their remarks over alleged deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls in the city. The matter came up before Justice Anu Malhotra and it was listed for February 28. Kejriwal and three others have challenged a sessions court order which upheld a magisterial court's decision to summon them as accused in the defamation complaint. They have challenged the magisterial court's March 15, 2019 and sessions court's January 28 this year orders summoning Kejriwal, AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta, the then MLA Manoj Kumar and party leader Atishi Marlena. They have sought to quash the trial court's orders and also called for records of the case. The case was filed by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who had moved the petition on behalf of the party's Delhi unit, seeking proceedings against them for "harming" the reputation of BJP by blaming it for the deletion of the names of voters from electoral rolls here.
4. South Korea coronavirus cases pass 2,000: authorities
South Korea reported 256 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking its total—the highest in the world outside China—to 2,022, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. More than 90 per cent of the new cases were in Daegu—the city at the epicentre of the outbreak in South Korea—and the neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, it added, with no further deaths keeping the toll at 13. South Korea's total is expected to increase further after checks began on more than 2,10,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of the country's cases. A 61-year-old female member developed a fever on February 10, but attended at least four church services in Daegu before being diagnosed. Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin said the city's total could reach as many as 3,000 in the coming days as more test results on Shincheonji members come through, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
5. 29 Turkish soldiers killed after air strike in Syria's Idlib
The number of Turkish soldiers killed after an air strike blamed on Damascus in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib rose to 29, a local official said Friday. "After the air strike, 29 of our soldiers were martyred," Rahmi Dogan, governor of the Turkish border province of Hatay, said in televised remarks. He added that 36 soldiers were injured and currently in hospital in Turkey.
6. KL Rahul remains number two batsman in T20s, Kohli static at ninth spot
India opener K.L. Rahul retained his second position while captain Virat Kohli remained static at the ninth place in the latest ICC T20 Rankings. Pakistan's Babar Azam maintained the pole position with 879 points, while Rahul, who scored 224 runs, including two fifties and a 40 plus score in the five-match series against New Zealand, has 823 points. Australia captain Aaron Finch (820) remained the top-ranked batsman from the country, bridging the gap between him and Rahul. New Zealand's Colin Munro (785) and Australian Glenn Maxwell (721) round up the top five. There was no change in Kohli's rankings as the Indian skipper continued to be ninth (673) while India vice captain Rohit Sharma, who is nursing a calf injury, was also steady at the 11th spot with 662 points in the batting list. David Warner, who finished with 128 runs from three innings, including two fifties, continued his rise up the batting rankings to occupy the 18th spot while compatriot Steve Smith climbed 25 spots to be placed 53rd. India pacer Jasprit Bumrah jumped to the 12th spot in the bowling chart led by Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.
Australia's left-arm spinner Ashton Agar shot up six places to the fourth place. He was in splendid form against South Africa, picking up five wickets in the first game, including a hat-trick. He followed that up with three scalps in the third and final T20I as Australia secured a series victory.
Wrist-spinner Adam Zampa too jumped a spot to third spot after finishing with five scalps for the series. Trailing closely at their heels was South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi at no.5 position after a three-spot rise. PTI AT APA SSC SSC 02272106
