Top news of the day, February 16, 2020

Here's a roundup of top stories from the world of politics, sports, and entertainment, which grabbed the spotlight and trended the most on various social media platforms on February 16.

1. Election Commission, IIT-M join hands to develop new technology for voting

Explaining the 'blockchain' technology involved in the project, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said the concept is a "two-way electronic voting system, in a controlled environment, on white-listed IP devices on dedicated internet lines, enabled with biometric devices and a web camera". Read more here


2. Coronavirus: Samples of 406 people at ITBP quarantine facility in Delhi found negative

All of them had travelled back to India in the first week of February from Wuhan (China), the epicentre of the epidemic that has killed over 1665 people to date. Read more here

3. Jamia committee releases video of December 15 police brutality on students at campus library

The Jamia Coordination Committee on Sunday (February 16) released a video that shows paramilitary and police personnel entering the University library and beating up the students. The video has drawn sharp reactions from several political leaders, who have condemned the severe police action on students. Read more here



4. Threat of third world war looming as violence, dissatisfaction rising in society, says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday (February 15) said that the threat of a third World War is looming because 'violence and dissatisfaction' is rising in society. Read more here



5. Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Tata Teleservices likely to pay AGR dues on Monday: DoT sources

Telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices are likely to make payment for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues on Monday to avoid stringent punitive action from the Telecom Department, according to official sources. Read more here



6. Varanasi rickshaw puller invites PM Modi to daughter’s wedding, receives congratulatory letter from him

When Mangal Kewat, a resident of Domri village in Ramnagar at Varanasi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting him to his daughter's wedding, never would he have imagined that he would get a reply. Read more here



7. Hope my biopic inspires young girls to join cricket, says Mithali Raj

Mithali Raj, captain of the Indian women's national cricket team in Tests and ODIs, hopes her biopic "Shabaash Mithu" inspires young girls to join the sport. Read more here



8. NBA All-Star game MVP award named after Kobe Bryant

Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26. Read more here



9. Bigg Boss 13's Sidharth Shukla on being called 'fixed winner': Really sad, feel sorry for people who have such thoughts

After Sidharth Shukla won 'Bigg Boss 13', reports of him being a 'fixed winner' swiftly made headlines. A section of the internet slammed the makers for being biased towards Sidharth, but the actor said that he 'feels sad' that people have such thoughts despite his 'grueling journey'. Read more here



10. Filmfare Awards 2020: Ranveer Singh celebrates Gully Boy's big win with director Zoya Akhtar, Deepika Padukone calls it 'historic'

'Gully Boy' swept 13 trophies at Saturday's Filmfare Awards, including Best Actor (Ranveer Singh), Best Actress (Alia Bhatt), Best Film and Best Director (Zoya Akhtar) trophies. Read more here