China is delaying grant of clearance to India's proposal to send an Indian Air Force flight to carry relief material for people affected by coronavirus in the neighbouring country and bring back Indians from its city of Wuhan, official sources said Saturday.

South Korea reported 142 more coronavirus cases Saturday, the sharpest spike in infections yet, with more than half of the new cases linked to a hospital in a southern city.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus climbed to 2,345 with 109 more deaths reported, while the confirmed cases rose to 76,288 as a team of WHO experts, currently in the country to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak, is expected to visit the worst-affected Wuhan city on Saturday, Chinese health officials said.

US President Donald Trump is encouraging a cooling of tension between India and Pakistan, the White House said on Friday, pointing out that successful dialogue between the two nations would be possible if Pakistan cracks down on terrorists and extremists on its territory.

For the first time in the state, a mass marriage of 101 Hindu-Muslim couples took place at Madarasa-E-Arabiya Anwarul Uloom near Bailawada Cross in Bailhongal Taluk in the district.

Additional changes have been made in train services due to doubling works which is in process in between Mangaluru Junction and Padil Railway Station in Panambur Division. This has resulted in the cancellation of two trains on February 22, and it could cause delays in few other trains as well.

Pro-Pakistan slogans raised by a woman Amulya is condemnable. Organizers should be cautious about people belonging to that category, suggested JDS legislative party leader HD Kumaraswamy. 

The Railway Ministry has agreed to launch a Tejas Express train equipped with modern onboard facilities between Delhi and Dehradun via Haridwar.