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8:33 PM

Digvijay terms Scindia betrayer after Union minister's maiden rally in his home turf

A war of words erupted in Madhya Pradesh after Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed a public meeting at Raghogarh, the home turf of Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who termed the former a "betrayer" for quitting Congress with MLAs and joining BJP.

Addressing his first rally in Singh's pocket-borough on Saturday, Scindia, without naming his ex-colleague in Congress, said the former was not interested in politics and had no passion for development.

During Scindia's rally, several Congress workers, including the son of a former MLA, joined BJP.

8:31 PM

Pakistan conducts successful flight test of ballistic missile: Report

Pakistan on Thursday conducted a successful flight test of surface to a surface ballistic missile.

The test flight was aimed at re-validating certain design and technical parameters of the weapon system, Express Tribune reported.

The flight test was witnessed by Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj, Director General Strategic Plans Division, Dr Raza Samar, Chairman NESCOM, Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command and the scientists and engineers of strategic organizations.

8:31 PM

Pakistan conducts successful flight test of ballistic missile: Report

Pakistan on Thursday conducted a successful flight test of surface to a surface ballistic missile.

The test flight was aimed at re-validating certain design and technical parameters of the weapon system, Express Tribune reported.

The flight test was witnessed by Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj, Director General Strategic Plans Division, Dr Raza Samar, Chairman NESCOM, Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command and the scientists and engineers of strategic organizations.

7:10 PM

AAP continues attack on Punjab CM Channi over 'sand mining' in his constituency

Keeping up the attack on the Congress-led government in Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday questioned Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi whether he visited a different mining site which has not been mentioned by Raghav Chadha.

Kejriwal tweeted on Sunday, "Is it true that Channi sahib went to a different mining site today n not the one visited by Raghav yesterday? And Channi sahib declared it as legal, whereas the one visited by Raghav is a different site and is illegal. How can a CM be sooo blatant?"

A day ago, Delhi MLA and Punjab co-incharge for AAP, Chadha had alleged that Charanjit Singh Channi is a sand mafia. He had alleged illegal sand mining is being carried out under the patronage of the Punjab CM in his own constituency Chamkaur Sahib.

5:54 PM

Odisha registers 189 new Covid cases, 2 more fatalities

Odisha on Sunday reported 189 new COVID-19 cases, four less than the previous day, with the tally rising to 10,50,249, a health department bulletin said.

Two more fatalities from Khurda and Cuttack raised the coronavirus death toll to 8,422, it said.

Fifty-three other COVID patients have so far died due to comorbidities, the bulletin said.

Twenty-five children were among new patients, and 11 of 30 districts of the state did not report any fresh case.

5:19 PM

SP to conduct caste census if voted to power in 2022 UP polls: SBSP chief

SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday said the Samajwadi Party will conduct a caste census and give representation to all sections of the society as per their numbers, if voted to power in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Rajbhar, whose party entered into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the polls, told reporters in Rasra that Akhilesh Yadav will be the chief minister if the alliance comes to power.

Asked to comment on his idea of five chief ministers and 20 deputy chief ministers on a rotational basis, he clarified that his statement was applicable in case the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha had formed the government.

5:07 PM

Iran's proposals lead to pause in Vienna nuke talks, mounting uncertainty

The talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal was adjourned in Austria's capital Vienna, after which diplomats returned to their capitals for consultations before they will reconvene next week.

Senior diplomats from the UK, France, and Germany on Friday expressed "disappointment and concern" at the latest proposals from Iran. These developments, analysts say, have led to the suspension of the meeting and mounting uncertainty for future talks, Xinhua news agency reproted.

"It was emphasised that the proposals of Iran on the removal of illegal and oppressive sanctions and the nuclear issue are on the table," Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani told Iranian media on Friday in Vienna.

5:06 PM

Centre taking measures to simplify justice delivery system: Rijiju

Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said the Centre is taking various measures to simplify the justice delivery system in the country.

Addressing a one-day legal-cum-medical literacy camp organised by the district legal services authority here, Rijiju said a large number of paralegal volunteers (PLV) has been appointed by his ministry to create necessary awareness among people so that they can take advantage of free legal camps to get speedy justice.

The Modi government is also working to ease the process of law to release those who are in jails for long due to non-hearing of their cases, he said.

3:53 PM

S African Prez says hospital admissions not rising despite spread of Omicron

Hospital admissions in South Africa are not on the rise, despite a jump in active COVID-19 cases triggered by the new Omicron coronavirus strain, the country's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, told reporters.

"Our hospital admissions are not increasing at an alarming rate meaning that people [who] may be testing positive are not in large numbers being admitted to hospitals," Ramaphosa told reporters, as quoted by South African outlet Eyewitness News.

The president, who is currently on an official visit to Ghana, has also criticized the nations that imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and a number of other African states after the detection of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country.

3:52 PM

UK adds pre-departure travel tests, bans travel from Nigeria amid Omicron fears

The UK has re-introduced compulsory pre-departure tests for all travellers entering the country and added Nigeria to its travel ban red list amid fears of the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The UK government said on Saturday that new analysis conducted by the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) indicates that the window between infection and infectiousness may be shorter for the Omicron variant, which increases the efficacy of pre-departure testing as it is more likely to identify positive cases before travel.

Therefore, starting Tuesday morning, anyone arriving in the UK is required to provide a pre-booked negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or lateral flow test taken no earlier than 48 hours before departure. This applies to vaccinated passengers and children aged 12 and above.

3:28 PM

17 Omicron cases each likely in Mumbai, rest of Maharashtra: report

While a merchant navy engineer in Dombivli, near Mumbai, is confirmed to have been infected by the omicro variant of Covid-19, the reports of several others who have undergone tests are awaited, according to a Times of India report on Sunday, December 5. 

 

The report added that Mumbai has as many as 17 people suspected of being infected by the South African variant. Of these, 13 are travellers and the other four, their contacts.

 

The report quoted a Maharashtra government official saying an equal number of people are suspected to have been infected in other parts of the state.

 

It added that an update by the BMC has a list of 3,760 travellers to Mumbai from high-risk countries and 2,794 have been traced and tested for Covid-19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3:27 PM

Delhi gets first omicron case in traveller from Tanzania, India its 5th: reports

Delhi has reported its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, according to some news reports. Quoting state health minister Satyendar Jain, The Indian Express reported that that an Indian-origin man had visited Delhi from Tanzania some few days ago and tested positive for new variant that has roots in South Africa. With this, India has five confirmed caes of Omicron, with one each in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi and two in Karnataka.

 

The country reported a single-day rise of 2,796 deaths on Sunday after Bihar reconciled its Covid data. This pushed the overall death toll to 473,326, the report added. 

 

The country also reported 8,895 new infections, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases has increased to 34.63 million, according to the data updated at 8 am.

 

In Mumbai, a 33-year-old traveller from South Africa was found to be infected on Saturday. A 72-year-old NRI who flew in from Zimbabwe on November 28 became Gujarat’s first case. The first two cases of Omicron were reported from Bengaluru, of whom one flew out of the country.

 

3:25 PM

Mamata demands thorough probe into Nagaland firing incident

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Sunday demanded a thorough investigation into the killing of at least 11 civilians by security forces in Nagaland.

At least 11 daily wage labourers were gunned down by security forces in Nagaland's Mon district while they were returning home from work at a coal mine on Saturday evening, police said, adding that it was investigating whether the incident was a case of mistaken identity.

"Worrisome news from #Nagaland. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured. We must ensure a thorough probe into the incident and ensure that all victims get justice!" Banerjee tweeted.

 

2:52 PM

Cong names Lalsawta chief of its Mizoram unit

The Congress on Sunday named Lalsawta as the chief of its Mizoram unit after Sonia Gandhi accepted the resignation of former chief minister Lal Thanhawla from the post.

The party also appointed Thanhawla a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Gandhi on Saturday accepted the resignation of Thanhawla as Mizoram Congress chief and had invited him to join the CWC as a member.

1:35 PM

Nagaland incident: What exactly is home ministry doing, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the Centre over the killing of civilians during an anti-insurgency operation in Mon district of Nagaland, saying the government must give a "real reply" as to what is the home ministry doing when "neither civilians nor security personnel are safe in our own land". Read more

 

1:33 PM

UP govt beat those seeking employment with sticks, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the reported lathi-charge by police on a group of protesters in Lucknow, saying it beat those seeking employment with sticks and asked people to remember this when the BJP comes seeking votes. Read more

1:15 PM

Cyclone Jawad: Rain lashes Kolkata, other parts of south Bengal

The West Bengal government stopped ferry services on the Hooghly River and urged tourists not to visit seaside resorts, as rain lashed Kolkata and other southern parts of the state on Sunday with cyclonic storm Jawad laying centred 180 km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Read more

 

1:07 PM

US makes it mandatory for passengers to carry negative Covid-19 test report

The US has made it mandatory for all incoming passengers, including those from India, to carry a negative COVID-19 test report or a proof of recovery from the contagion amidst rising number of cases of the new Omicron variant.

 

The new protocol comes into effect from December 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said. Read more

1:02 PM

Winter session: Rajya Sabha shows signs of return to normal functioning

After several days of the ongoing winter session of Parliament being washed away due to "disruptions and forced adjournments" amid Opposition ruckus, Rajya Sabha showed signs of a return to normal functioning as the productivity remained above 95 per cent on the last two days of the first week of the winter session. Read more

 

11:58 AM

Mamata Banerjee contemplating alliance sans Congress: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was contemplating an alliance excluding the Congress.

 

Raut in his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana also claimed Banerjee having said that her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not test political waters Maharashtra.

11:57 AM

Grieving wife of Sri Lankan national lynched in Pakistan pleads for justice

The grieving wife Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, who was lynched over allegations of blasphemy in Pakistan, has pleaded for justice from both the Pakistani and Sri Lankan governments, saying her husband was a very innocent man.

 

In a shocking incident on Friday, angry supporters of the hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) attacked a garment factory and lynched its general manager Diyawadana before setting his body on fire over allegations of blasphemy.

11:56 AM

Half of India's adult population fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Over 50 per cent of India's eligible adult population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country exceeded 127.61 crore.

 

According to Union Health Ministry officials, over 84.8 per cent of the adult population in India has been administered the first dose.

10:49 AM

Nagaland Chief minister condemns 'killing of civilians', announces SIT probe

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Sunday ordered a high-level probe into the reported killings of civilians by security forces in Oting village in the Mon district of the state.

 

In a tweet this morning, the chief minister informed about the "unfortunate incident" that led to the "killing of civilians" in the village while appealing for calm.

10:47 AM

11 civilians gunned down by security forces in Nagaland

At least 11 civilians have been gunned down by security forces in Nagaland's Mon district, police said on Sunday, adding that it is investigating whether the incident was a case of mistaken identity.

 

The exact number of fatalities, however, is yet to be ascertained as 11 people died on the spot, and several others succumbed to their injuries in hospitals in neighbouring Assam, a police officer said.

 

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio promised a high-level probe into the incident and appealed to all sections of the society to maintain peace.

10:13 AM

People in India in 'extreme pain': Abhijit Banerjee

People in India are in "extreme pain" and the economy is still below the 2019 levels, with "small aspirations" of people becoming even smaller now, Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee has said. PTI quoted him as saying this in a virtual address to students of the Ahmedabad University.

9:36 AM

India logs 8,895 new cases of Covid-19

India reports 8,895 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, says health ministry.

9:17 AM

ART bill to increase awareness on IVF, check malpractices: Experts

Fertility experts in Kolkata have welcomed the passage of the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill in Lok Sabha and said the legislation will increase awareness on IVF and other such treatments while also checking malpractices involved with these processes.

 

The bill seeks to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology in clinics and banks, prevent the misuse of technology, and promote ethical practices.

9:16 AM

Cyclone Jawad: 18 NDRF teams deployed in West Bengal, sea at Digha turns rough

Ahead of the expected landfall of cyclonic storm Jawad at the Odisha coast near Puri around noon on Sunday, 18 NDRF teams have been deployed in West Bengal as the sea at Digha has turned rough due to cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal.

 

Cyclone Jawad is likely to weaken further from deep depression into depression by Sunday morning, the India Meteorological Department said.

9:15 AM

Codeshare with IndiGo likely to be implemented by March 2022: American Airlines

American Airlines is in the process of getting requisite approvals from the US government for its codeshare agreement with IndiGo airlines and the partnership is likely to implemented by March 2022, a senior official of the Texas-based carrier has stated.

 

American Airlines and IndiGo had in September announced that they have entered into a codeshare agreement which allows the former to sell seats -- on its distribution system -- of the Indian carrier's flights operating on 29 routes.

9:13 AM

Karnataka: 29 students test Covid positive at private nursing school in Shivamogga

Twenty-nine students have been found Covid-19 positive at a private nursing school in Karnataka's Shivamogga, informed Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner KB Sivakumar.

 

He further informed that most of them are asymptomatic.