LIVE: RT-PCR to be mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, S Korea, HK

Live news updates: Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya said

3:03 PM

Access to fundamental rights 'far cry' for Tibetans in Tibet under CCP's authoritarian rule

The situation of Tibetan people in Tibet continues to deteriorate under the authoritarian rule of China as there has been no end to the ongoing political and religious persecution.

Above everything else, religion has been more suppressed throughout time, and China's more significant objective to entirely sinicize Tibet continues to involve this ongoing assault on Tibetan Buddhism and its practices, according to TibetPress.

Under strict policies, monks and nuns in Tibet are forced to remove their robes and live as commoners, ultimately denying them the freedom to practice or study their religion.

3:00 PM

Over 50,000 int'l tourists visit Sri Lanka in Dec

Sri Lanka recorded over 50,000 international tourist arrivals in December so far, a significant improvement compared to previous months, according to latest data released by the tourism authority.

The daily average of arrivals in December is over 2,500 and in the first 11 months of this year, the figure was around 1,900, data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.

The total number of international tourist arrivals for the year to December 20 was 678,392, Xinhua news agency quoted the SLTDA as saying.

2:59 PM

Mathura court orders survey of Shahi Idgah from Jan 2

A Mathura district court on Saturday, ordered the survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque, which is said to be built on the birthplace of Lord Krishna, by the Archaeological Survey of India from January 2.

The court passed the order on a lawsuit filed by Vishnu Gupta of the Hindu Sena.

The report will be submitted on January 20.

The lawsuit is one of the many by Hindu outfits demanding the removal of the 17th century Shahi Idgah Masjid from the Katra Keshav Dev temple, claiming that the mosque has been built on the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

2:57 PM

Revision of pension of armed forces personnel commendable move: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday termed the revision of the pension of armed forces personnel under the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme by the Union Cabinet a "commendable move".

According to the defence ministry, the decision taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Friday presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will result in an additional annual expenditure of Rs 8,450 crore.

It said Rs 23,638 crore will be paid as arrears to the pensioners from July 2019 to June 2022.

2:55 PM

COVID-19: K'taka CM says no need to panic, but follow safety norms

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday appealed to the people not to panic but exercise caution, amid rise in COVID-19 cases in certain countries and said his government has taken adequate measures to manage the situation.

 

Speaking to reporters here, Bommai said, We will continuously monitor the situation, but there is no need to panic. Only thing is that people should be cautious. The government, people, organisations and the society have to face COVID together.

 

The CM said he recently held a meeting to review the COVID situation and gave directions to officials concerned to implement the decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state as well. 

2:51 PM

Centre should issue mandatory Covid protocols, all must follow: AAP over 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

The Centre should issue "mandatory" protocols to prevent spread of COVID-19 and everyone, be it a political party or someone taking out a march, must follow them, the AAP said on Saturday in a veiled reference to Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a press conference, the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the Centre should issue mandatory protocols to avoid the situation that the country witnessed during the first and second wave of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The country witnessed a major crisis during the last two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the Centre's failure in understanding the "seriousness" of the initial scientific indications about the spread of the virus, he also charged.

2:44 PM

Pak central bank criticises Shehbaz Sharif govt's policy of prioritising growth over price, fin stability

Pakistan's central bank has criticised the cash-strapped Shehbaz Sharif government for prioritising growth at the expense of price and financial stability.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its annual report issued recently said international experience has repeatedly shown the countries that prioritise growth at the expense of price and financial stability are not able to sustain growth and face repeated boom-bust cycles, rapid economic growth followed by a financial crisis, the Dawn News reported.

The present government led by Prime Minister Sharif avoided focusing on growth for the fiscal year FY23 with the result that a steep fall in the growth is expected. But, even then it has failed to bring price stability along with financial stability.

2:41 PM

Covid fears: K'taka CM says guidelines soon for New Year celebration

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated on Saturday that guidelines will be announced soon for celebration of New Year in the state in the backdrop of fresh Covid-19 scare.

Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Bommai said Health Minister K. Sudhakar and Revenue Minister R. Ashoka will be holding a meeting on Sunday regarding the handling of Covid situation in the state.

"To administer booster doses, camps would be organised on a large scale at taluk and district levels. The actions will be taken to ensure wearing of masks, maintaining distance and other protocols," he further stated.

The directions have been given to stock medicines, vaccines and other health infrastructure. The directions have also been given to ensure that oxygen plants are in good and working condition, Bommai stated. They have been told to conduct dry runs, he added.

2:40 PM

Centre asks states to ensure availability of oxygen, functional life support equipment at hospitals

With some countries witnessing a surge in Covid cases, the Centre on Saturday urged states and union territories to ensure the availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen, adequate inventory of cylinders and functional life support equipment such as ventilators at hospitals to face any challenge.

The health ministry asked them to ensure Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants are kept fully functional and regular mock drills are conducted to check them.

In a letter to all states and UTs, Health Ministry Additional Secretary Manohar Agnani said the operationalisation and maintenance of these medical infrastructure is of utmost importance to meet any eventuality even though the number of cases in the country is low now.

2:39 PM

COVID-19: Arunachal gears up operational readiness

With sudden spurt of COVID-19 cases in several countries, the Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to gear up operational readiness in the state and maintain strict vigil by enhancing surveillance activities including, early detection, isolation, testing and timely management of suspected and confirmed cases.

Chief Secretary Dharmendra in a notification has directed all districts to prioritize detection and containment of outbreaks of new SARs-CoV-2 variant and micro containment measures as and where needed.

The district health authorities were directed to review preparedness in terms of incident command centres, Covid health facilities, oxygen beds, ICUs including paediatric care units, oxygen concentrators, ventilators, testing kits, rapid response teams, access to ambulances and stock of essential medicines.

2:39 PM

Yogi, PM meet in Delhi, discuss UP Global Investor Summit

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday during which they discussed the UP Global Investor Summit slated to be held in Lucknow from February 10-12, 2023.

A BJP source said: "As the summit is nearing, multiple meetings are taking in Uttar Pradesh as well as with Central leadership. The Chief Minister extended an invitation to the Prime Minister for the summit and shared the updates on the preparations so far."

The source added that Adityanath and Modi was spoke about the MLC elections in Uttar Pradesh.

2:03 PM

Gurukuls responsibly incorporating India's ancient "vaibhav" in the education system: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday virtually addressed the Amrut Mahotsav of Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul in Rajkot of Gujarat on the completion of 75 years and said that the organization is doing an excellent job in reviving India's glorious past and incorporating it in the Education system.

Taking a jibe at the Congress governments of the past, Modi said, "When India became independent it became our responsibility to incorporate the ancient 'vaibhav' (splendor) of India in her educational system and revive our glorious past. However, owing to the mentality of slavery the governments did not move in that direction."

"Now, once again the saints and acharyas have taken up this painful responsibility towards the nation," he added and said that Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul is a perfect example of this work.

1:12 PM

With $30 billion bilateral trade turnover in sight, India and Russia plan big for 2023

Riding on large oil shipments and fertiliser purchases, the volume of trade between India and Russia is set to cross $30 billion before 2022 ends next week.

While the 2021 mutual trade turnover between both countries reached 13 billion US dollars, there has been consistent growth of bilateral commerce despite the energy and food security crisis in the world due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

'Already now we can say that we will fulfil the task set by the leaders of our countries to bring the volume of trade to $30 billion ahead of the schedule. This goal was set to be achieved in 2025, but we will reach it by the end of this year,' Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov told the 13th Annual Russia-India Business Dialogue Forum.

12:55 PM

RT-PCR to be mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, S Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand: Mandaviya

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said RT-PCR test for the detection of COVID-19 would be made mandatory for international passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya said.

He also said filling up of the 'Air Suvidha' form to declare the health status will be made mandatory for passengers coming from these countries.

12:46 PM

Uttarkhand governor approves 'anti-conversion' Bill

Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh on Friday approved the Anti-Conversion Amendment Bill passed by the state Legislative Assembly in November this year, said Mahesh Chand Koshiwa, the additional secretary of the state Law department.

 

The approval of the Bill by the Governor has cleared the way for strict action against forced conversions in the state.

 

The Bill, titled, Religion Freedom (Amendment) Bill 2022, was passed by the Assembly during the Winter session.

12:46 PM

Ludhiana's hosiery sector stares at losses due to lower offtake of winter wear

Ludhiana's famous hosiery cluster in Punjab is staring at losses on account of lower offtake of garments because of the delayed winter as it finds repeat orders hard to come by with retailers having already been left with a heavy stock of winter wear.

The weak demand for clothes for the cold weather has forced the hosiery industry to offer discounts in early December to attract customers at retail counters and clear the stock.

Otherwise, big brands in the hosiery sector start offering discounts in the last week of December or first week of January, say the industry.

October, November and December are considered the key months for Ludhiana's hosiery sector which is one of the oldest clusters in the country.

The key markets for the hosiery industry are Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and some north eastern states.

 

12:27 PM

Forward-looking, futuristic education system being created in country through NEP: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that through the new National Education Policy (NEP), a forward-looking and futuristic education system is being created in the country for the first time.

Modi, who was addressing the 75th 'Amrut Mahotsav' of Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul at Rajkot via video-link, also said the number of IITs, IIMs and medical colleges in the country have increased substantially after 2014, the year when his government came to power for the first time.

"You know very well that for the bright future of India, our existing education policy and institutes have a big role to play. Therefore, in this 'amrit kaal' of independence, whether it is educational infrastructure or education policy, we remain involved with greater speed and expansion," he said. "In the country today, the number of larger educational institutions like IIT, IIIT, IIM and AIIMS are increasing. After 2014, the number of medical colleges has seen more than 65 per cent increase. Through the new education policy, the country is for the first time preparing an education system which is forward-looking and futuristic," he said.

12:15 PM

Chinese cities reveal Covid cases that far exceed national tally

Two Chinese cities reported daily Covid cases that far surpassed the official national tally, in another illustration of the unreliability of data in a country grappling with infections after abruptly ending Covid Zero.

 

The city of Dongguan in the southern province of Guangdong has 250,000 to 300,000 people being infected on a daily basis, the city’s health commission said on its WeChat account Friday, citing model-based estimates and expert assessments. The manufacturing hub had a population of about 10.5 million as of 2021.

 

Qingdao city in the eastern province of Shandong is seeing 490,000 to 530,000 daily cases based on data projections, according to a local newspaper report on Friday, citing the head of the city’s health commission. Covid cases have yet to peak in the city of some 10.3 million residents, the official said.

 

11:54 AM

Delhi Metro completes 20 years of operations

From its humble beginning in December 2002 with a corridor of just 8.2 km spanning six stations on the Red Line, the Delhi Metro has grown into a network of over 390 km in 2022, completing an eventful journey of 20 years of operations.

 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation today operates multiple corridors in the national capital and neighbouring cities.

 

Delhi Metro had begun its commercial operations on December 25, 2002, a day after then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had inaugurated DMRC's first stretch, spanning 8.2 kilometre from Shahdara to Tis Hazari, with just six stations.

 

To mark the two decades of operations, Delhi Metro is slated to run a special train on Saturday that was flagged off by Vajpayee on December 24, 2002.

 

"It is an exciting milestone for the DMRC, and the special run of the six-coach train will take place today from Kashmere Gate station to Welcome station on the Red Line," a senior official said.

11:54 AM

More initiatives on anvil to boost steel sector in 2023

With increasing steel production in the country, the focus in 2023 will be on boosting raw material supplies and producing more special grade steel, according to Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste.

India produced 113.43 million tonne of crude steel in January-November 2022, which is 10 per cent higher compared to the year-ago period. The government aims to double the country's annual crude steel making capacity to 300 MT from 150 MT at present.

In an interview to PTI, Kulaste, the Minister of State for Steel, said more initiatives for the sector will be taken in 2023.

11:26 AM

Ben Stokes can replace M.S. Dhoni as captain at CSK, says Scott Styris

Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris sees the Chennai Super Kings' decision to buy England Test skipper and allrounder Ben Stokes in the Mini-Auction for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an attempt to find a successor to skipper MS Dhoni.

Dhoni, who had relinquished captaincy in the 2022 edition but was forced to take back the reins as the team fared miserably under Ravindra Jadeja, will probably be leading the CSK for the last time this season as he wants to bid farewell in front of home fans at Chennai.

With the 41-year-old four-time IPL-winning skipper set to retire for the final time soon, CSK are desperately looking for someone to take charge of the team and Styris believes Stokes is that man.

11:11 AM

Congress to start 'Haat se Haat Jodo' campaign to spread Rahul's message of 'Love' : Digvijaya Singh

As the Bharat Jodo Yatra reached the national capital on Saturday with Rahul Gandhi leading from the front, the exuberance among the Congress workers multiplied. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh informed that the party will be starting the "Haat se Haat Jodo" campaign soon.

"All planning and preparations have been made for the Haat se Haat Jodo campaign. The door-to-door campaign will start after 30 January. We will spread the message of Rahul Gandhi and his yatra among everyone," said Singh while speaking to ANI.

On being asked whether Congress will be able to join the opposition parties together, Singh said that everyone is welcome to this Yatra. "From the first day of the Yatra, Congress has stated that those who want to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra can join it. Everybody is welcome here, " he said.

11:08 AM

Trump should never hold public office again: Jan 6 Committee

US former President Donald Trump should not be allowed to run for public office ever, the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection recommended in their final report, The New York Times reported.

 

In the 800-page final report, late Thursday, the committee came up with 11 recommendations to prevent any future attacks like the US Capitol attack of January 6, 2021.

 

Among the recommendations listed, the reform of the Electoral Count Act to clarify that a vice president has no authority to reject electoral slates submitted by the states; wholesale expansion of federal law enforcement agencies' scrutiny of extremist groups, including white nationalists and violent anti-government groups; and designation of the counting of electoral votes by Congress every four years as a "National Special Security Event," like inaugurals and State of the Union addresses.

10:44 AM

Sonia Gandhi joins Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi on Saturday and walked with Rahul Gandhi for a short distance.

This is the second time the former Congress president has joined the yatra that began in September last year from Kanyakumari.

She had earlier taken part in the march in October when it was in Karnataka.

Sonia Gandhi, wearing a face mask, walked with her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a few minutes before the yatra reached the Ashram Chowk here for the morning halt.

10:21 AM

India records 201 new COVID-19 infections; active cases rise to 3,397

 India reported 201 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 44.6 million, while the active cases increased to 3,397, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The death toll stands at 530,691 with one fatality reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am by the ministry stated.

The daily positivity was recorded at 0.15 per cent and the weekly positivity at 0.14 per cent.

A total of 90.97 crore tests for detection of COVID-19 have been conducted so far, with 136,315 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, it said.

An increase of 17 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said.

9:59 AM

Tamil Nadu: Sasikala Pushpa's house vandlised, BJP blames DMK

BJP leader Sasikala Pushpa on Friday accused the ruling DMK of vandalising her house and damaging her car a day after she spoke against DMK leader Geetha jevan.

 

Speaking to ANI,Sasikala said, "Like Mamata Banerjee's govt in West Bengal, DMK ministers have started attacking Opposition leaders. DMK minister Geetha Jeevan sent some rowdies and 2 councillors and they vandalised my house and car. After vandalising my house, they filed a case against me".

 

According to reports, a gang of around 15 men riding bikes and auto Rickshaw allegedly entered her house in Thoothukudi, B & T colony, around 1.30 pm on December 22 and resorted to vandalism, damaging her car in the parking area while smashing windows, flowers and chairs in the house.

 

9:46 AM

Assam CM lays foundation of projects worth Rs 1220.21 crore in Dhemaji

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 1220.21 crore in Dhemaji district.

He said the state government is working to transform the image of Dhemaji district from a flood-ravaged district to a developed and progressive one.

Sarma laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects in Dhemaji district under the initiative "Bikakhor Babe Eta Pokhek" (A fortnight for development initiatives) at Dhemaji on Friday to bring about a paradigm shift to the development narrative of the district.

9:34 AM

RSS/BJP policies aimed at spreading fear, converting it to hatred: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the RSS/BJP of spreading fear in the country and said they convert this fear into hatred but the Congress will not allow that to happen.

 

Addressing a gathering at the Delhi border as the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Gandhi entered Delhi, he said, "They spread hatred, we spread love and embrace all Indians".

 

"There is Hindustan and 'Mohabbat' (love) in this Bharat Jodo yatra, which does not see any caste, creed, religion, rich or poor and all embrace each other," he told a large gathering here.

 

"RSS/BJP's all policies are to spread fear. They want that everyone should have fear in them and they convert this 'dar' into 'nafrat' (fear into hatred). If there is no 'dar', it will not be converted into 'nafrat'. We say 'daro mat'. We spread Mohabbat. We embrace all Indians," he said.

9:30 AM

Enormous storm batters US, Canada with blackouts and travel chaos

An enormous storm is battering a vast swath of the US and Canada, knocking out power to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses, grounding thousands of flights and dashing hopes for delivery of last-minute holiday gifts.

 

Power outages span more 25 states, from Maine to Texas. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity to several states, ordered rolling blackouts to cope with overwhelming demand as millions of people turned up heaters amid the cold. US flight cancellations over the past two days reached 7,000 Friday afternoon as disruptions pile up from the Pacific Northwest to East Coast hubs, according to tracking site FlightAware.

 

While it’s packing plenty of snow and frigid temperatures, the storm is mostly noteworthy for its size and speed. Snow, blizzard, freezes and flood warnings and advisories stretch across central and eastern US, its northern fringe and the Deep South, as well as into Canada. Its speedy march across the continent is causing violent temperature swings. New York City was 55F (13C) at dawn. By 10 p.m., it’s forecast to be around 10.

9:30 AM

US records over 12,000 deaths from flu this season, CDC estimates show

There have been at least 18 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalisations, and 12,000 deaths from flu so far this season in the US, according to the latest estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

Seasonal influenza activity remains high but is declining in most areas, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the CDC.

 

Over 20,700 people were hospitalised due to flu in the US in the latest week ending December 17, CDC data showed.