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A selected group of cities and harbors have been asked to send test samples of infected travelers for genome sequencing at the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention
 "Air India peeing case LIVE: Court sends accused to 14-day judicial custody")
2 min read Last Updated : Jan 07 2023 | 4:06 PM IST
4:04 PM
3:07 PM
The Union Environment Ministry on Saturday rebutted the claims made by activists that statutory regulations were violated during the appraisal and approval of GM mustard in India, saying the product was conditionally cleared only after stakeholder consultation.
The Coalition of GM-free India, a group of NGOs opposing genetically modified crops, had on Friday released a report alleging that no (independent) health expert ever participated in GM mustard appraisal.
In a response issued on Saturday, the ministry said: "The Assessment of Food and Environmental Safety (AFES) report prepared by the sub-committee in 2016 with regard to the biosafety dossier of GM mustard was uploaded on the ministry's website for inviting comments by the public for a period of 30 days (from September 5 to October 5, 2016).
"Further, the entire dossier was also made available for review by the public in the ministry's office for the same duration," it said.
3:06 PM
The Trinamool Congress and BJP mourned the 2007 killing of 14 persons protesting a planned chemical hub here on Saturday by holding rival functions, exchanging political barbs.
Interestingly both programmes, held at a distance of barely 100 meters were held under the banner of Bhumi Uchhed Protirodh Committee (BUPC or Land Disposition Protest Committee), which supported by Mamata Banerjee had put up a stiff resistance to the government's plans to acquire fertile land near the sea for a proposed chemical hub by MNCs.
TMC state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh chose to attack opposition BJP and its Nandigram lawmaker Suvendu Adhikari, an erstwhile TMC leader who defected to the saffron party ahead of the 2021 state election, while paying floral tributes at a memorial there.
3:04 PM
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was not an exercise to project Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 general elections.
"This Bharat Jodo Yatra is not to project Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate. It is an ideological yatra of which the main face is Rahul Gandhi. It is not one individual's yatra," Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said in response to a question here.
He asserted that the 'Kanyakumari to Kashmir' foot march, which is currently passing through Karnal in Haryana, is not an election yatra.
2:49 PM
Reduced working hours and more flexible working time arrangements, such as those used during the Covid-19 crisis, can bring benefits for economies, businesses and workers, such as greater productivity and improved work-life balance, a new report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) released.
The report, titled 'Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World', is the first of its kind. It provides a comprehensive review of both main aspects of working time -- working hours and working time arrangements -- and their effects on workers' work-life balance, reports Xinhua news agency.
According to the report, a substantial portion of the global workforce is now working either long or short hours when compared to a standard eight-hour day or 40-hour working week.
2:33 PM
2:29 PM
The Andaman and Nicobar unit of the BJP requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to set up a training centre in Great Nicobar island for 'Agniveers' under the new recruitment scheme in the armed forces, a party functionary said on Saturday.
A delegation of leaders of the saffron party led by its Andaman unit vice president Sanjay Kumar Singh met the defence minister during his two-day visit to the archipelago from January 5, and requested him for a training unit for 'Agniveers' in the southernmost island of the union territory.
The BJP team apprised the minister of difficulties being faced by 'Agniveer' aspirants for travelling from remote islands to Port Blair to participate in the armed forces recruitment scheme due to non-availability of a regular sea transport system.
2:29 PM
Negotiations for bilateral free trade agreements with several countries are "well on track" and India is also looking at some multilateral pacts that are fair and equitable for all the member countries, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.
India has recently implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UAE in May 2022 and on December 29, 2022 with Australia to boost bilateral trade and investments.
The country is negotiating FTAs with countries including Canada, European Union and the UK.
2:24 PM
Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari resigned from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's Cabinet on Saturday, months after an audio clip surfaced in which he was purportedly heard "fixing a deal to extort money".
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh said Sarari has resigned citing personal reasons.
Opposition parties in Punjab had been demanding that Sarari be sacked and arrested over the audio clip. Sarari, however, has rubbished allegations against him.
2:20 PM
Veteran Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has decided to draw curtains on her illustrious career at next month's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.
The former doubles no.1 has made this announcement to WTA.
Sania initially intended to hang up her racquet at the end of last season, but an elbow injury ruled her out of the US Open and forced her to stop playing in 2022 as early as August.
The 36-year-old Sania, who is married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, has been living in Dubai for more than a decade, and will look to bid adieu to the game at her home base.
2:14 PM
The tech giants in China have been facing massive crackdown under the garb of transformation by the Chinese Communist Party of China (CCP) and its authoritarian rule in the form of a 'common prosperity' campaign emphasizes which not only imposes heavy restrictions on them but also impose fines to regulate 'excess' wealth, The European Times reported.
The "Red New Deal" agenda, which justifies the need for a crackdown, is discussed throughout the campaign. The idea of "red" emphasizes the actions of old-fashioned communist logic, i.e., businesses that get in the way of the government will suffer.
Although the government has received genuine support from the people for its pledge to reduce inequality and provide equal opportunity to ordinary people, the concept of "red" emphasizes the actions of old-fashioned communist logic.
2:12 PM
After proving its poweress in the field of software, India should strive to become a hub for software products, President Droupadi Murmu said on Saturday.
While speaking at the 7th edition of Digital India Awards, Murmu said that there should focus on democratising government data to help technology enthusiasts in the country develop localised digital solutions.
"We should leverage the prevailing policies and avail the ecosystem to position the country as a global powerhouse of software and hardware products by building made in India technology," Murmu said.
She said India has emerged as an important country for use of technology for people-centric governance, especially during the pandemic, which has benefitted the rest of the world as well.
"Digital India is also playing an important role in enhancing the country's profile on the world stage. This becomes all the more relevant as India takes over the presidency of G20 which is a milestone event," Murmu said.
2:11 PM
For the first time, an Indian Air Force woman fighter pilot would be part of the Indian contingent for the aerial wargames to be held with outside the country.
The women officers have been participating in wargames with the foreign contingents coming to India including the French Air Force where two of the lady fighter pilots took part but this would be the first time they would be representing the country on foreign land.
India's one of the first three lady fighter pilots Squadron Squadron Leader Avni Chaturvedi will be leaving for Japan shortly for participating in the exercise. Squadron Leader Chaturvedi is a Su-30MKI pilot.
1:29 PM
Acting on the urination incident onboard an Air India New York-Delhi flight last November, the flag carrier on Saturday issued show cause notices and de-rostered four cabin crew and a pilot pending investigation.
Air India has also initiated internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff on other aspects, including the service of alcohol on flight, incident handling, complaint registration and grievance handling.
In a statement, Campbell Wilson, the CEO and Managing Director of Air India, said: "Air India is deeply concerned about the in-flight instances where customers have suffered due to the condemnable acts of their co-passengers on our aircraft. We regret and are pained about these experiences.
1:28 PM
Tech giant Samsung's Colombia website has revealed that the Galaxy S23 series will be launched on February 1 this year.
The website posted a page of the Unpacked event a bit early, confirming the Galaxy S23 launch date, reports 9To5Google.
Moreover, the teaser revealed the new camera design with pictures of leaves and lilacs in the corner, indicating at the names of the rumoured colours that recently leaked.
It is likely to come in three colours-- Cotton Flower, Mistly Lilac, Botanic Green, and Phantom Black, the report said.
1:28 PM
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday arrived in the Joshimath town of the state's Chamoli district to conduct a survey of the land subsidence-affected areas and meet the affected families.
The chief minister had before arriving in the town conducted an aerial survey of Joshimath.
In Joshimath town, huge cracks have been seen in houses, roads and fields and many houses have suffered subsidence. Cracks have been found at several places on the Joshimath-Malari border road, which connects the India-China border, due to landslides in Joshimath. A large part of Badrinath National Highway is also in the grip of landslides.
1:27 PM
Three Air India pilots on Saturday reached the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport police station here to join the probe in connection with the urination incident by a man on a elderly woman during a New York-Delhi flight, sources said.
The accused, identified as Shankar Mishra, was arrested from Bengaluru on Friday night and after being brought to the national capital by the Delhi Police team, he is being questioned by the investigators at IGI Airport police station.
"Four crew members' statements have been recorded. The three pilots will also record their statement and the entire timeline of the incident will be made," said the sources.
On Friday, the Delhi Police had summoned the pilots and crew members of Air India flight 201 to join the probe and record their statements.
1:16 PM
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski has announced that layoffs are coming by April, as the global fast food chain aims to reduce costs and "free up resources to invest in growth."
Kempczinski told The Wall Street Journal that "some jobs that are existing today are either going to get moved or those jobs may go away."
McDonald's plans to communicate its decision around layoffs by April 3.
1:09 PM
London Deputy Mayor (trade) Rajesh Agrawal has said the UK and India possess a strong will to give the final shape to the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Speaking to PTI ahead of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention beginning here on Sunday, Agrawal also said both countries have many opportunities to increase their partnerships in Information Technology, defence, professional services, and other sectors.
"Several rounds of talks have been held between the UK and India to enhance the bilateral partnership for finalising the FTA. The willpower of both sides is very strong regarding the FTA," Agrawal said.
1:05 PM
Networking giant Cisco has laid off nearly 700 positions in the Bay Area -- including 80 at its San Francisco offices.
According to SFGATE, the tech company has laid off a total of 673 workers as part of a "limited business restructuring" announced in November last year.
"At its headquarters, 371 workers were affected, including two Cisco vice presidents," the report said late on Friday.
At the Milpitas office, 222 workers were asked to go, primarily engineers and technical employees.
It is, however, unclear whether Cisco will conduct more layoff rounds.
The networking major is reportedly laying off 5 per cent of its workforce, or more than 4,000 employees.
12:29 PM
When 2023 dawned, Sri Lanka breathed a sigh of relief as it marked the end of the most turbulent year since the island nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1948.
What started with street fights and long queues for fuel and cooking gas in March, the tiny Indian Ocean island witnessed three Prime Ministers changing in a span of less than four months.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the most powerful President elected with a landslide 5/6 majority in 2019, was forced to flee from the very people who chose him to be their leader.
12:26 PM
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who miraculously survived a horrific car accident on December 30, was operated for a ligament tear on his right knee.
A report by mid-day newspaper states that Pant was operated by Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, the head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital in Andheri West, here on Friday.
"On Friday morning at around 10.30 am Dr Pardiwala and his team conducted ligament tear surgery on his right knee, the surgery was performed for around 2 to 3 hours. The surgery went smoothly," said the report.
The report added that the hospital didn't confirm the development, saying they would not comment on the matter due to the privacy of the patient and that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would release the statement.
12:25 PM
The US House of Representatives elected Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy as Speaker on Saturday after a historic and embarrassing deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened earlier this week.
McCarthy from California who has been the House Republican leader since 2019, will finally take the gavel after 15 rounds of voting since the 118th Congress convened on Tuesday, despite his party holding a majority in the chamber, reports the BBC.
The development came after a dramatic pressure campaign played out live on the House floor as Republican rebel Matt Gaetz was urged to vote for Mr McCarthy.
The Florida Congressman was among six holdouts who relented late on Friday.
12:06 PM
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed another FIR in the cash-for-job scam of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and will formally take over the case, a senior police officer said here on Saturday.
The CBI filed the FIR on Friday against a case pertaining to all irregularities committed in the examinations conducted by the APPSC since 2014, Special Investigation Cell (SIC) SP Anant Mittal said.
The SIC has been investigating the case and arrested 46 persons so far including 39 government officials.
11:51 AM
Over 96 per cent of income of the Trinamool Congress in 2021-22 came from electoral bonds, according to the party's annual audit report, which also showed that its income from these bonds rose from Rs 42 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 528.14 crore in 2021-22.
An electoral bond is a financial tool for enabling donations to political parties.
The report, which was released on Friday, stated that out of a total income of Rs 545.74 crore of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021-22, as much as Rs 528.14 crore came from electoral bonds.
11:37 AM
India may be among countries that can have a role in diplomacy to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine even though New Delhi and Washington may not see eye-to-eye on policy issues, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
"We do believe that countries like India, countries that have a relationship with Russia and with Ukraine may be in a position to help bring about dialogue and diplomacy that could one day put an end to this war," Price said on Friday while briefing foreign correspondents.
"We have been in regular, close contact with India regarding what we can do to hold Russia accountable and to impose additional costs on Russia for its war."
11:32 AM
11:29 AM
Around 34 domestic departure flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), Delhi were delayed due to bad weather and other related issues on Saturday, according to the airport authorities.
Cold wave conditions and a dense fog is being witnessed all over North India, including the national capital, which disrupted flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport with over 12 arrival flights delayed at the airport from different destinations.
Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi has issued an advisory and launched procedures in view of low visibility conditions caused due to fog.
Airport authorities in an advisory to the passengers on Saturday said that several procedures have been undertaken at the airport to counter the menace of low visibility at the airport.
They said that all flight operations are presently normal.
11:13 AM
Strong resentment prevails among people here against the government for the indifference with which it treated the warnings about a dangerous situation of buildings in the Himalayan town due to heavy construction activities going on around it.
They hold the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project mainly responsible for the situation.
"We have been drawing the attention of authorities for the past 14 months. But we were not heeded. Now when the situation is getting out of hand, they are sending expert teams to assess things," Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti convenor Atul Sati said.
"If attention was paid in time to what we were saying things would not have been so alarming in Joshimath," he added.
Land subsidence had made the houses of 14 families insecure in November 2021 itself, Sati recalls.
10:53 AM
Delhi on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below the average and the season's lowest so far, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Very dense fog reduced visibility at Palam to around 50 metres, affecting road and rail traffic. The visibility at the Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport was 25 metres at 5:30 am.
A Railways spokesperson said 36 trains were delayed by one to seven hours due to the foggy weather.
According to the weather office, 'very dense' fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is 'dense', 201 and 500 metres 'moderate', and 501 and 1,000 metres 'shallow'.
The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius.
Topics :Arvind KejriwalNitish KumarUnited NationsOTT servicesDoordarshan
First Published: Jan 07 2023 | 8:22 AM IST
