LIVE: FASTag mandatory for all vehicles in India from Jan 1, says Gadkari

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3:13 AM

In midst of holiday season, Dubai flights hit by seat allocation dispute

Indian carriers are being forced to cancel flights to Dubai or consider flights to other destinations in the United Arab Emirates following a seat allocation dispute between the two countries.

 

The dispute required the intervention of external affairs ministry post which Dubai has agreed to allow Indian airlines to operate 4,800 seats daily.

 

 

This works to around 26 daily flights with an 180 seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Currently, Indian carriers were utilising around 6,800 seats to Dubai, it is learnt. The seat allocation will come into effect from Monday.

 

The development, which comes close on the heels of the suspension of air service to the UK, will spoil travel plans during Christmas holidays. Dubai, along with Maldives, has been a popular holiday destination for Indians in recent months. Read more

3:11 AM

Bollywood, reeling from coronavirus pandemic, shifts to streaming

“Coolie No. 1” has all the hallmarks of a big Bollywood film: colorful costumes, larger-than-life sets, foot-tapping music and a melodramatic story about a man who pretends he has a twin to woo the woman of his dreams.
 

After shooting wrapped in February, the film was set for a May theatrical release. But when “Coolie No. 1” finally reaches screens on Christmas Day, it will not show up in one of India’s 3,000 theaters. Instead, it will debut on Amazon’s streaming service.

 

“I make films for the theater, but this time there was no way we could do that,” said David Dhawan, the director. After the coronavirus pandemic barreled in and shut down movie theaters, the wait for a theatrical debut became excruciating, he said. So a deal to send the film to Amazon after its release shifted to a direct streaming plan.

 

“It’s a compromise, definitely,” said Mr. Dhawan, whose movie is a remake of a 1995 blockbuster of the same name that he also directed. “But at least my film is releasing.” Read more

3:09 AM

New I-League team RoundGlass Punjab FC looks to build fanbase

RoundGlass Punjab FC will be embarking on their maiden season in the I-League starting January this year and coach Curtis Fleming said that they will be looking to maintain a brand of football that will help keep the old fans of the erstwhile Minerva Punjab while attracting new ones.

 

"We are a new entity and we have to start somewhere. No club ever starts with 100,000 fans. It is something that we have to work on every season, even the big clubs in these Covid times because of the financial expectations. How you sell a new entity is by bringing in a style of football and building trust with our Punjab fan base," said Fleming in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

 

Minerva had a topsy-turvy time in their four years in the I-League, finishing ninth on two occasions but also finishing third last year and even winning the title in 2017/18, just a year after they had been promoted to the league. Read more

3:08 AM

Stimulus hopes, Brexit deal lift benchmarks; Axis Bank rises over 3%

The benchmark indices gained on Thursday amid positive global cues, ahead of the announcement of a post-Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union. Announced late on Thursday, the deal brought months of negotiations to an end.

 

The Sensex ended the session at 46,973, a gain of 529 points or 1.14 per cent. The Nifty ended the session at 13,749, or up 148 points or 1.09 per cent. The announcement was delayed amid last-minute issues over fishing rights. “We have got Brexit done, and can now take full advantage of the fantastic opportunities available to us,” said a statement from Downing Street.

 

With Thursday’s close, the benchmark indices clocked their longest stretch of weekly gains since January 2018. The indices are within striking distance of fresh peaks. Investors are betting on countries ramping up vaccination programmes, and hope a stimulus package will eventually get done despite President Donald Trump’s objections. Read more

3:06 AM

DoT asks e-commerce sites to pull down listings of mobile signal boosters

With mobile network boosters becoming a major reason for poor service quality, the Department of Telecom has asked online sellers to pull down listings of such equipment, an official statement said on Thursday.

 

The DoT has also carried out raids across multiple locations in South Mumbai over the last two days which led to the removal of 68 illegal boosters (or repeaters), it added. The action comes amid frequent complaints of poor network quality in various parts of the country.

9:09 PM

India's largest hockey stadium planned in Rourkela, to host 2023 World Cup

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced that India's biggest hockey stadium will come up at Rourkela and the 20,000-capacity facility will host matches of FIH men's World Cup in 2023. Spread over 15 acres of land, the stadium will be constructed in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus.

 

Announcing this in a video message, Patnaik said, "As we have announced earlier, Odisha will once again be the proud host of the prestigious men's hockey World Cup in 2023."

 

The tournament will be organised both in capital city Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in Sundargarh district. Many renowned players from the district, such as Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra, have represented the country at the international level. Popularity of hockey can be seen across the district. READ ON...

 

8:56 PM

Pak court sentences Hafiz Saeed to over 15 years in jail in one more terror financing case

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on Thursday sentenced to 15 and a half years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in one more terror financing case. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore also imposed a 200,000 Pakistani rupees (PKR) fine on Saeed.

 

The 70-year-old radical cleric has already been convicted for 21 years imprisonment in four terror financing cases of late. On Thursday an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore sentenced five leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, in another terror financing case...for 15 and a half years," a court official told PTI.

 

Now, Saeed will have to undergo collective imprisonment of over 36 years in five terror financing cases at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. His punishment will run concurrently in these cases. There are reports that he is given "VIP protocol" in jail. Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases.

8:48 PM

ED files charge sheet against suspended IAS officer Sivasankar in gold smuggling case

Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar "knowingly assisted" other key accused in the gold smuggling through diplomatic channel in Kerala, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the money trail in the racket, alleged in a supplementary charge sheet filed in a special court on Thursday. The agency said its investigation so far revealed Sivasankar, the fifth accused in the case, indulged in criminal activities and committed scheduled offences.

 

The ED filed the partial charge sheet in the court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases here, days before the 60-day limit for filing the charge sheet was to end.

 

In the absence of a charge sheet before 60 days from arrest, an accused is entitled for statutory bail. Sivasankar was arrested by the ED on October 28 and is under judicial custody. The agency had in October filed an interim charge-sheet against three key accused Sarith P S, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair.

8:40 PM

The United Kingdom says Brexit trade deal is done, reports Reuters

8:38 PM

Uttarakhand govt issues notification cancelling winter vacation for Classes 10th and 12th

8:09 PM

PM Modi to flag off country's first driverless metro train on Dec 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the country's first fully automated driveless metro train on December 28, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said on Thursday. The train will run on the 37 km Magenta line from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden, Anuj Dayal, DMRC's Executive Director of Corporate Communications, in a statement.

 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also launch the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for travel on the 23 km Airport Express line (New Delhi to Dwarka Sector 21) on December 28," the statement said.

 

The DMRC had opened its first corridor between Shahdara and Tis Hazari on December 25, 2002. It is going to complete 18 years of service on Friday.

 

Presently, the Delhi Metro network stretches to about 389 km with 285 stations. The network has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh in Haryana.

7:42 PM

PM Modi to flag off India's first-ever fully automated driverless train service on Magenta Line on Dec 28

7:41 PM

PM Modi to flag off India's first-ever fully automated driverless train service on Magenta Line on Dec 28

7:24 PM

Jharkhand govt waives farm loans of up to Rs 50,000; 9 lakh to benefit

The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand waived farm loans of up to Rs 50,000, benefitting around 9 lakh farmers of the state. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, partly fulfilling the promise made by the ruling coalition ahead of the 2019 assembly elections.

 

The government said that an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore has been made in the current financial year for the waiver.

 

The ruling coalition had promised to waive farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, ahead of the assembly elections last year, if voted to power. Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon of Congress told PTI that his government has decided to give the benefit of loan waiver to marginal farmers at first, and in the second and third phases, the government will try to waive loans up to Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively.

7:10 PM

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir

6:37 PM

PM Modi to launch Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme to cover all residents of J&K on Dec 26

6:16 PM

Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stone of Rs 8,341-crore road projects in Rajasthan

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of Rs 8,341-crore highway projects in Rajasthan. Addressing a virtual event on the occasion, the road transport, highways and MSMEs minister also said highway works worth Rs 1 lakh crore are either ongoing or at the DPR (detailed project report) stage.

 

"Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 18 highway projects in Rajasthan today (Thursday). "These projects carry a road length of nearly 1,127 kilometres, involving a construction value of Rs 8,341 crore," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presided over the virtual function. Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, V K Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kailash Choudhary and former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore as well as several ministers of the state also attended the event. READ ON...

5:53 PM

FASTag mandatory for all vehicles in India from Jan 1, 2021: Nitin Gadkari

5:44 PM

Earthquake of magnitude 4.6 hits Nagaland's Mokokchung district

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale hit Mokokchung in Nagaland on Thursday, said National Center for Seismology.

 

"Earthquake of Magnitude:4.6, Occurred on 24-12-2020, 13:39:52 IST, Lat: 25.58 and Long: 96.53, Depth: 100 Km , Location: 217km ESE of Mokokchung, Nagaland, India," said National Center for Seismology.

 

No damage to life and property has been reported so far.

 

5:12 PM

Kerala gold smuggling case: ED attaches FDs worth Rs 1.85 crore

In a major action in the Kerala gold smuggling case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday that it has attached fixed deposits (FDs) and cash to the tune of Rs 1.85 crore, a significant portion of which belong to M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The ED said in a statement that it has attached FDs along with seized cash recovered from bank lockers totalling to Rs 1.85 crore in the Kerala gold smuggling case.

 

Amon the attached assets, Rs 1 crore belongs to Sivasankar, a senior IAS officer and former Principal Secretary to Vijayan who is one of the prime accused in the case. The ED has registered a case of money laundering on the basis of an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency before the special NIA court in Kochi against Sarith P.S., Swapna Suresh, Faisal Fareed and Sandeep Nair.

4:51 PM

BCCI AGM: New IPL teams from 2022, board to discuss tax exemption for ICC events with govt

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held its 89th Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad on Thursday. While Rajeev Shukla officially took over as the vice president of the board, the members also deliberated on the introduction of the two new Indian Premier League teams and the all-important tax issues that the board needs to sort with an eye on the two ICC events - 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 50-over World Cup.

 

Speaking to ANI, a board member who attended the meeting said that the secretary and treasurer will speak to the government and look at a way to get tax exemption for the two showpiece events that India is to hold.

 

"We are set to host the 2021 T20 World Cup as well as the 50-over World Cup in 2023. We need to speak to the government to see if we can get tax exemption and for this we have decided that our secretary Jay Shah and treasurer Arun Dhumal will speak to the government. If the government doesn't agree, we will then decide on how to go about it. We also have the 2016 World T20 matter pending, so that will also have to be worked out," the member said.

 

4:28 PM

BCCI AGM approves 10 teams for 2022 IPL

The BCCI's governing body on Thursday ratified the entry of two new franchises in the IPL to make it a 10-team affair from 2022 during its Annual General Meeting (AGM). In another major development, the Board, in principle, decided to back the ICC's bid for inclusion of cricket, in the T20 format, in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics "after getting some clarifications from the International Olympic Committee".

 

"Two new teams will be introduced in the 2022 IPL," a Board source told PTI.

 

Also, it was decided that all first-class players, both men and women, will be suitably compensated for the curtailed domestic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BCCI plans to get the domestic season underway, after several months' delay, in January with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 championship.

 

In other decisions, veteran Congress leader Rajiv Shukla was officially anointed the Board's vice president in place of his protege Mahim Verma from Uttarakhand. It was also learnt that the general body decided in favour of Sourav Ganguly continuing as a director in the ICC Board. Secretary Jay Shah will be the alternate director as well as India's representative at the Chief Executive Committee meets of the global body.

4:03 PM

BCCI approves 10-team IPL from 2022 in its annual general meeting (AGM) today

3:56 PM

Indian economy recovering fast, growth to turn positive in Q3: RBI article

The economy is coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic's deep abyss faster than most of the predictions, and the growth will enter positive zone in the third quarter of the current financial year, said an article on the 'state of economy' in the RBI Bulletin.

 

"...more evidence has been turned in to show that the Indian economy is pulling out of COVID-19's deep abyss and is breaking out amidst winter's lengthening shadows towards a place in the sunlight...it is reflating at a pace that beats most prediction," said the article written by the officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

 

Impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian economy dipped by a historic 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year. The contraction narrowed down to 7.5 per cent in the second quarter. READ MORE...
 

3:27 PM

Man arrested in Delhi for allegedly forcing woman to convert after marriage

3:14 PM

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan announces slew of welfare schemes

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced a slew of welfare measures to herald the second 100-day programme. He said that all the welfare pensions will be hiked by Rs 100 a month and with this increase the social welfare pension will rise to Rs 1,500 per month.

 

He said that since the Left government came to power the social welfare pension has been raised step by step and from the Rs 600 per month it has now increased to Rs 1,500 per month.

 

The Chief Minister also said that the free provision kits which were distributed through public distribution schemes will continue for four more months. Vijayan also announced that 50,000 more jobs will be created and added that there will be more job openings through 'Kudumbasree Social security Mission'. READ MORE...

2:01 PM

Madan Lal-led cricket advisory panel to get extension in today's BCCI AGM

The BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), tasked to pick the three national selectors ahead of the England series, is set to get an extension at the board's 89th Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

 

According to BCCI sources, the CAC, headed by former World Cup-winning seamer Lal and comprising RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik, will continue to perform their duties as usual. The trio's extension is set to be ratified at the AGM.

 

Lal, Singh and Naik met once earlier when Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh became national selectors. International cricket is set to return to India with England's full tour in February for four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. The tour starts from February 5 in Chennai and Ahmedabad will host a day-night Test from February 24. READ MORE...

 

11:18 AM

PM Narendra Modi attends centenary celebrations of Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, West Bengal

11:07 AM

Air Quality Commission directs enforcement of dust control measure in Delhi

The Commission of Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR reviewed the deteriorating air quality situation and has directed strict enforcement of dust control measures to curb air pollution in the region.

 

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, commission's direction came after it reviewed dust control measures for National Capital Region including NCT of Delhi. The body also issued statutory directions to Central Pollution Control Board and Pollution Control Boards and Delhi Pollution Control Committee to constitute teams for inspection and strict enforcement of dust control measures. Read on...

10:55 AM

Palghar mob lynching case: 24 more people including at least four minors arrested earlier this week

Palghar mob lynching case: 24 more people including at least four minors arrested earlier this week, adult accused sent to judicial custody, says Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Maharashtra