LIVE: Delhi, Mumbai report sharp uptick in daily Covid cases

Delhi sees 50% jump in cases from yesterday, while Mumbai reports nearly 70% rise

12:10 AM

BJP will return to power in UP with more than 300 seats: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said the BJP will return to power in Uttar Pradesh with more than 300 seats on the back of a positive public mood due to action against "gundaraj", "unprecedented" development and public welfare schemes under the Yogi Adityanath government.

 

Thakur, who was the chief guest at the first edition of the Kashi Film Festival here, said people migrated from Uttar Pradesh due to rampant "gundaraj and mafiaraj" in the state during the tenure of the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government.

 

He alleged that development work took a hit under the SP government as it was busy protecting goons.

 

Women in Uttar Pradesh can now step out of their house in the dark and businessmen have developed confidence due to the Adityanath government's action against "gundaraj and mafiaraj", he told reporters.

 

"We will return to power with more than 300 seats due to a positive public... we brought development to every nook and corner of the state even after Covid-induced problems in the last two years," Thakur said.

10:45 PM

ISL 2021-22: Hyderabad FC thrash Odisha FC 6-1

Hyderabad FC recorded an emphatic 6-1 win over Odisha FC in the Hero Indian Super League at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Tuesday.

 

Hyderabad FC striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored in the 39th and 60th minute. Edu Garcia (54th), Javier Siverio (72nd), and Joao Victor (86 P) too got on the scoresheet for Hyderabad in a mind-blowing second-half display.

 

For Odisha, Juanan scored an own goal in the 16th minute to make it 1-1, but after that, it was one-way traffic till the final whistle.

 

The result means Hyderabad remain second in the points table with 15 points from eight games while Odisha are seventh in the table having 10 points from eight matches. Ogbeche is now the top scorer with eight goals to his name.

 

The game got off to an eventful start as Hyderabad FC went ahead in the ninth minute. Edu Garcia swung in a delightful free-kick at the near post with Joao Victor flicking it on as the ball took a deflection off Hector Rodas and went in.

10:20 PM

Govt unveils 27 border infrastructure projects

The possibility of any kind of conflict cannot be ruled out in today's uncertain environment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday as he listed the development of critical border infrastructure as a key priority to boost India's overall military preparedness to confront any security challenge.

 

The defence minister was speaking after virtually dedicating to the nation 24 bridges and three roads, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in four states and two union territories.

 

Of the 24 bridges, nine are in Jammu and Kashmir, five each in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand and one each in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

 

Of the three roads, two are in Ladakh and one is in West Bengal. In his address, Singh said strong infrastructure in border areas is essential in today's uncertain times as it strengthens strategic capabilities.

9:53 PM

Only fully vaccinated to be allowed at markets, other public places in Punjab from January 15

Only fully vaccinated people will be permitted at public places such as markets, malls, hotels and cinema halls in Punjab with effect from January 15, according to a state government order.

 

The government ordered private and public sector banks, hotels, bars, restaurants, malls, shopping complexes, cinema halls, gyms and fitness centres to allow only fully vaccinated adults.

 

All government, board and corporation offices located in Chandigarh will allow only fully vaccinated people, according to the order issued by the state's home affairs and justice department.

9:23 PM

Telangana logs 7 more Omicron cases, 3 have no travel history

Telangana has reported seven more Omicron cases including three who have no travel history, Health Minister T. Harish Rao said on Tuesday.

 

The fresh cases pushed the tally of Omicron infections in the state to 62. Those who tested positive on Tuesday included three individuals in Hyderabad who have no travel history. They include a dialysis technician, a pregnant mother and a software engineer.

 

The minister told reporters that of the 62 cases reported so far, 46 had come from various countries including other than "at risk" countries.

 

Omicron positive cases, who are under isolation at Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS), are all asymptomatic and safe, he said quoting the TIMS Director.
 

9:05 PM

Gujarat sees 394 Covid cases, highest daily addition since June 14

Gujarat reported 394 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, its highest single-day addition since June 14 when the figure was 405, raising the state's tally to 8,29,957, an official said.

 

The last time the number of cases crossed 300 was on June 15, when 352 people were detected with the infection, he pointed out.

 

So far 8,18,422 people have been discharged post recovery, including 59 during the day, leaving the state with 1,420 active cases, of which 16 patients are critical, he said. One death took the toll in the state to 10,115, he added.

8:43 PM

PM Modi to visit Uttarakhand on Dec 30

8:14 PM

Maharashtra reports 2,172 new cases in 24 hrs

8:11 PM

Punjab bans entry of not fully vaccinated people from Jan 15 in public places

7:55 PM

1,377 new Covid cases in Mumbai today

7:53 PM

Night curfew imposed at Jawaharlal Nehru University

7:40 PM

496 new Covid cases in Delhi today

7:33 PM

All services to be continued as normal, says AIIMS Delhi RDA

7:11 PM

Nirmala Sitharaman to meet state finance minister for budget consultation

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will on Thursday meet with state finance ministers, continuing to seek opinion as she prepares the union budget for next year.

7:01 PM

Omicron estimated to be 58.6% of coronavirus variants in US

The Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States for the week ending December 25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The fast-spreading variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, with the first known case in the United States identified on December 1 in a fully vaccinated person who had travelled to South Africa, said Reuters.

6:32 PM

Delhi Metro trains to halve seating capacity

Delhi Metro says it will keep half of seats unoccupied and won’t allow standing passengers on its to prevent Covid-19 infections. Entry to Metro stations will be regulated by restricting the number of gates.

6:26 PM

India must go for basic model for central bank digital currency: RBI

India must first take up a basic model of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and use the payment system architecture as a backbone, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday. In its basic form, a CBDC provides a safe, robust, and convenient alternative to physical cash. Depending on various design choices, it can also assume the complex form of a financial instrument.

6:13 PM

Dr Reddy's names Covid-19 drug as Molflu

Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Tuesday said it will soon introduce antiviral drug Molnupiravir capsules (200mg) for the treatment of adult patients with Covid-19 across the country. The Hyderabad-based will introduce the drug under the brand name Molflu in India, PTI reported.

5:43 PM

Bumrah sprains ankle, leaves field

An ankle sprain forced India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah off the field on the third day of the first Test against South Africa, here on Tuesday. Bumrah, whose 14-run cameo helped India get past the 325-run mark, dismissed skipper Dean Elgar before walking off the field, PTI reported.

5:17 PM

Haryana CM inducts 2 new ministers

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday inducted an MLA each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to his ministry, marking the second cabinet expansion in two years. The new ministers are BJP's Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and JJP MLA Devender Singh Babli, who represents Tohana.

5:06 PM

Health Minister Mandaviya meets resident doctors

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday urged resident doctors to call off their strike-work protests over delay in NEET PG counselling. After meeting with a delegation of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), he said the government is working to speed up a report before Supreme Court hears the matter on January 6.

4:39 PM

Sebi board meeting clears new listing norms

Sebi approves amendments to regulations governing Alternate Investment Funds, Foreign Portfolio Investors. It approves amendments to regulations governing Alternate Investment Funds, Foreign Portfolio Investors, says PTI.

4:05 PM

Swadeshi Jagran Manch accuses Amazon, Flipkart of flouting rules

The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has demanded that the government should immediately withdraw permissions given to e-commerce companies Amazon and Flipkart-Walmart to operate in India as they are "blatantly contravening rules". SJM, in a resolution passed at its national conclave recently,  demanded for a CBI probe into the operations of Amazon, Flipkart-Walmart and other multinational e-commerce companies, alleging that they are doing business in India "blatantly" violating the FDI (foreign direct investment) regulations.

3:34 PM

Delhi closes schools, colleges

Delhi closed schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms effect and announced other restrictions as it scaled up an action plan to contain coronavirus cases. The city’s 'yellow' alert stipulates that shops and businesses for non-essential goods and services and malls will open based on odd-even formula from 10am to 8pm.

3:29 PM

SA study suggests Omicron could displace Delta

Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron could displace the Delta variant of the coronavirus because infection with the new variant boosts immunity to the older one. The study only covered a small group of people and has not been peer-reviewed, but it found that people who were infected with Omicron, especially those who were vaccinated, developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant, Reuters reported.

3:25 PM

Previous govts looted UP, says Modi in Kanpur

Previous governments in Uttar Pradesh acted as if they had won lottery to loot the state for five years: PM Narendra Modi at public rally in Kanpur.

2:52 PM

EVRE partners with Zyngo for parking, charging infra

Electric vehicle charging service provider EVRE on Tuesday said it has partnered with EV logistics platform Zyngo for parking and charging infrastructure solutions.

EVRE will offer 5,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across India within the next 24 months, which will be utilised by Zyngo and other EV fleet owners, the company said in a statement.

2:33 PM

I-T dept accuses 2 Rajasthan groups of hiding income

The Income Tax Department has detected unaccounted income totalling Rs 300 crore after it searched two Rajasthan-based groups engaged in the business of electrical goods manufacture and money lending respectively, the CBDT said on Tuesday. The raids were carried out on December 22 and about 50 premises of the two unidentified groups located in Jaipur, Mumbai and Haridwar were covered, PTI reported.

2:04 PM

Kirloskar Auto Parts appoints new MD

K N Prasad will take over as the managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts, said the company Tuesday. Prasad is now the senior vice president of the company. He will take charge from K G Mohan Kumar.

1:28 PM

Global remittances to rebound as economies recover from Covid impact: ADB

Global remittances will likely grow by $34 billion this year and about $31 billion in 2022, reversing last year’s decline, as economies recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Asian Development Bank.
 

Estimated remittance growth of 4.8% globally this year reflects a comparison to last year’s low base, as well as migrant workers’ desire to send money home to make up for foregone remittances in 2020, the ADB said in an update to publications released since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. Growth in the money repatriated by migrant workers will slow to 4.2% in 2022 as base effects fade. READ ON...