Breaking News, December 22 | LIVE UPDATES

We want to see China get this outbreak (of Covid19) under control... It's also important for all countries incl China to vaccinate their people, make testing and treatment available and share info with the world about what they're experiencing, US Secy of State, Antony J Blinken said. 

A thick fog begins to develop in Chandigarh as the minimum temperature remains below 10 degrees Celsius.

Police have busted "Messi Gang" of pick-pockets & have arrested 4 accused. Police have also recovered 56 stolen mobile phones & other things. Gang leader Messi is a footballer & involved in many other cases including murder, said Delhi Police.

A total of 95% of vaccination has been done in Maharashtra, no need to panic. Mask is not mandatory...Instructions have been given to all local authorities to conduct review meetings, said Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant.

We will reiterate 5 point programme (test, track, treat, vaccinate & ensure COVID-appropriate behaviour), random thermal screening of 2 per cent of passengers at the airport, Maharashtra HM Tanaji Sawant said.

Union minister Anurag Thakur says 104 YouTube channels, 45 videos, four Facebook accounts, three Instagram accounts, five Twitter handles and six websites blocked for spreading misinformation and threatening national security.

A Kotdwar court on Thursday deferred to January 3 the hearing of a plea seeking a narco and polygraph test of the three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The Court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Bhawana Pandey deferred the hearing after Amit Sajwan, the defence counsel, filed an affidavit saying the plea seeking a narco and polygraph test lacked clarity. The plea for a narco and polygraph test of the accused was filed by the prosecution. "The affidavit filed by the prosecution seeking narco and polygraph test of the accused lacks clarity. It says a narco and polygraph test of the accused has to be conducted.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7 of the coronavirus that is causing a surge in cases in many countries has not been detected in Delhi so far and added his government is fully geared up to tackle any eventuality. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the dominant sub-variant in Delhi is XBB which has been detected in 92 percent of the samples till now.
 

Kejriwal had convened a meeting at his residence on the Covid situation amid a surge in cases in many countries.
At the moment, 2,500 tests are being conducted and these can be increased to one lakh if there is a surge in Covid cases.

The Delhi Government has informed that all government-run schools under the Directorate of Education (DoE) will remain closed during the winter vacation —January 1 to 15, 2023. However, 'remedial classes' will be held for classes IX to XII from January 2 to January 14, 2023.

The Parliament on Thursday passed a bill which seeks to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in Tamil Nadu. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed through a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
 

The bill, which was piloted by the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, has already been passed by Lok Sabha on December 15, 2022. The bill follows the suggestion of the Tamil Nadu government that the two communities be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the state.

A division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notice on a batch of appeals challenging the orders of a single judge, which had granted permission to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to take out "route marches" and hold public meetings in auditoriums and open grounds alone. The bench of Justices R Mahadevan and J Sathyanarayana Prasad ordered the notice returnable by January 5, when the appeals from G Subramaniam of Anna Nagar and 44 others came up for further hearing today.
 

Meanwhile, the authorities concerned may consider the plea from the appellants to hold the rally and meetings on January 22 or 29, if any such plea is received, the judge said.

Angered over Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's remarks about stopping their salaries, Dogras and Kashmiri Pandits employees on Monday intensified their months-long protest demanding a transfer from the Valley in the wake of the targeted killings by terrorists here. In their response to the LG's remark, the employees made it clear to the government that they will not return to Kashmir until their demands for transfer policy and relocation are not addressed.

In the wake of surge in COVID-19 cases in many countries, India has started 2 per cent random sampling of international travellers coming to the country and may consider making it mandatory for all if necessary, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. He was responding to queries of some Opposition MPs after his suo moto statement in Rajya Sabha on the latest COVID-19 situation and India's preparedness.
 

"We are constantly monitoring the situation. There are no direct flights between China and India but people come via other routes," he said in response to a query by Raghav Chadha of AAP on whether the government would ban direct flights from China.

The surge in covid cases in China has resulted in a panic situation in neighbouring countries including India. The government of India has asked the public to follow the basic protocols to fight corona. With this, the District Health Information Officer in Agra has informed that the most popular tourist attraction in the country Taj Mahal is put on Alert. 

The official further informed that no tourist will be allowed to enter the premises of the Taj Mahal without Covid testing. Domestic and foreign tourists come every day in large numbers to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Keeping the situation in mind, they will have to undergo a Covid test before their visit as per the official sources. 

Anil Satsangi, the District Health Information Office (Agra) said, "The health department has already started the tests to prevent the spread of infection. As the alert is on, the tests have now been made mandatory for all the visitors.'

Police have booked the principal and a teacher after the local unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alleged that “madrassa-type prayers” were being recited in a government school here. The incident happened in a government higher primary school located in Faridpur, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Vinay Kumar said.
 

Some members of the local unit of VHP accused school principal Nahid Siddiqui and shiksha mitra (teacher) Waziruddin of hurting the religious sentiments of the people in the Hindu-dominated area by reciting “madrassa-type prayers” in the school, he said. The VHP members also alleged that the accused were also trying to convert the students, the BSA said.
Police said a video of the incident has also come to the fore.

From Yoga sessions and Zumba classes to 24X7 helplines and mental wellness workshops, coaching institutes in Kota say they take multiple steps to help students tackle the anxiety of preparing for competitive exams. The coaching hub is back in focus after three students died last week -- two of them were found hanging in their hostel rooms, and the third one allegedly consumed a poisonous substance.
 

Prominent coaching institute Allen, which currently has over 1.5 lakh students in its various medical (NEET) and engineering (JEE) entrance preparatory courses, runs special programs such as "Tum Hoge Kamyab" (you will succeed) and "Wings of Wisdom", besides regular yoga sessions and Zumba classes, for the mental wellbeing of its students.

The BJP has suspended its "Jan Aakrosh Yatra" in Rajasthan in view of a rising number of coronavirus cases globally, party general secretary Arun Singh said on Thursday. With an eye on the Assembly polls due next year in Rajasthan, BJP chief J P Nadda will launch the 'Jan Aakrosh Yatra' in the Congress-ruled state to corner the Ashok Gehlot government on issues related to farmers and governance on December 1. "The BJP has suspended Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajasthan in the wake of rising number of COVID-19 cases. For the BJP, people come first before politics. For us the safety of people, their health is priority," Singh said.

Ten villages around Kukkalthorai near here in Nilgiris district were cut off from main stream on Thursday, following heavy landslide on Kothagiri road, officials said. The roads connecting the 10 villages with towns were completely buried in the debris, totally paralysing the vehicular movement in the villages, coming under Udhagamandalam Panchayat, they said.
Tea gardens and agricultural lands in and around Kothagiri were also washed away due to the landslide spread over 200 metres near Uyilhatti falls, affecting 10 villages, they added.
 

Preliminary inquiry revealed that stagnation of water in farm lands, construction of water tanks and ponds, as the main reason for the landslide, the official sources said. Officials and workers from highway department, district administration, police and fire and rescue department rushed to the spot to assist the clearing of the debris. However, the operations were affected fearing possibility of landslide while removing the debris, they said.

For the Congress which had been the dominant force in Assam since Independence till it saw its base eroded over the last eight years, the “people’s response” to its Bharat Jodo Yatra in the state has given the party leadership reason to cheer. However, political analysts maintained that though the Yatra has given the state’s main Opposition party ‘visibility’, it remains to be seen whether the walkathon will translate into electoral benefits. The Assam Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra concluded last week at Sadiya in the easternmost point of the state after covering a distance of 835 km in 45 days. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, maintained that the Yatra has worked as "motivation for the party workers, especially after electoral defeats".

In the wake of a sudden spurt in Covid cases in some countries, Haryana's Health Minister Anil Vij on Thursday said there was no need to panic, but asked people to voluntarily follow precautionary measures like wearing of masks in crowded places and using hand sanitiser. Vij said if any specific guidelines or directions pertaining to Covid come from the Centre, they will be fully implemented in the state. "There is no need to panic. But people must themselves follow measures against Covid like wearing masks, using sanitisers etc. Everyone should voluntarily follow these measures," Vij said in a statement.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested a leading psychiatrist here for his alleged involvement in an illegal drug stocking and sales network, an official said on Thursday. According to the state's Drug Department, Dr Anil Tambi was found to be involved in the matter where some drugs were procured and sold without proper monitoring, Drug Controller Ajay Phatak said. A few days ago, an NCB team conducted a search operation in Jaipur to verify the inputs they had received. Following this, the authorities on Wednesday arrested Tambi to further investigate the matter. Tambi was found to be violating the rules concerning the commercial use of psychotropic medicines. Drug department had conducted searches at various drug stores on Wednesday and found that about 1400 vials of anti-allergic medicine Avil were sold without proper billing, Phatak said.

Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said on Thursday. The soldiers were travelling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated, the state Iraqi News Agency reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent days. Eight people were killed and three injured on Monday in an attack by gunmen on the village of Albu Bali northwest of Fallujah, previously held by the Islamic State extremist group.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday called a meeting of officials of the state health department to discuss the situation related to Covid amid spurt in cases in some countries. The meeting will be held at the civil secretariat here, official sources said. Earlier, Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra said there are nine active cases of coronavirus in the state presently. Punjab has till date recorded 20,513 deaths due to COVID-19 and a total of 7.85 lakh people were found positive for the infection out of total 2.10 crore samples taken for tests.

Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday asked MPs to wear masks and practice social distancing in view of the surging COVID-19 cases in the world, saying the House needs to lead the nation by example. When the House met for the day, he referred to rising Covid cases in other countries. "I urge all the members to be extra-cautious about the surging Covid cases in the world," Dhankhar said. "It is our ardent duty to set an example before our countrymen." India, he said, had overcome the challenges of COVID-19 in the past due to coordinated efforts of the administration, doctors, healthcare professionals and the sanitation workers.

Led by the Congress, the entire Opposition boycotted the Rajya Sabha proceeding for the day on Thursday after a discussion on the China border issue was disallowed in the House. They also raised an objection to certain remarks made on Bihar by the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal earlier during the session. In the morning session (Zero Hour), the Opposition stood in protest and entered the Well of the House, demanding a discussion on the issue of border conflict with China and Goyal's remark which they alleged was an "insult" to Bihar.

Senior IPS officer and former director general of Tihar Prisons Sandeep Goel has been suspended by the Union Home Ministry for alleged dereliction of duties, officials said here on Thursday. Goel, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was removed as the head of Delhi's Tihar Prisons last month and attached to the Delhi Police headquarters. He has been suspended by the home minister for "dereliction" of duties during his tenure as DG of Tihar, a ministry official said. No specific reason has been cited in the suspension order.

Mehrauli murder case: Delhi court dismisses accused Aftab Amin Poonawala's bail plea as withdrawn and not pressed.

Diesel leaked from a pipeline of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Maharashtra's Thane district on Thursday morning following which the area was cordoned off for the repair work, a civic official said. The leakage in the 18 inches high pressure diesel pipeline started at 5.21 am near a gas godown at Shil in Thane and the fuel spilled in the area, Thane Municipal Corporation's Regional Disaster Management Cell chief Avinash Sawant said. After the incident, Turbhe police from Navi Mumbai, local firemen and a BPCL team rushed to the spot and started the work to plug the leakage, the official said. Police cordoned off the area, he said.

The idea of a daring wartime trip by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington had percolated for some time before the surprise visit was revealed just hours ahead of the Ukrainian president's arrival. During an October summit in Zagreb, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed with her counterpart in the Ukrainian parliament the prospect of Zelenskyy addressing the U.S. Congress. Biden administration officials had similarly for months talked with Ukraine about a Zelenskyy visit to the White House, hoping for one before year's end to send an unmistakable signal of support ahead of a brutal winter that could deepen Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to chair a review meeting for COVID situation and preparedness in the state today afternoon before the State cabinet meeting in the evening.

Nearly 200 vintage cars will be displayed at the much awaited heritage motoring show, 21 Gun Salute Concours d'Elegance 2023, to be held next month in Gujarat's Vadodara city, its organisers have said. The show, one of the most anticipated automobile event in Asia, will be held from January 6 to 8, 2023 at the Laxmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara, Madan Mohan, chairman and managing trustee of the 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust, told reporters here on Wednesday. The spotlight of the event will be on the 1948 Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe, a single-design car specially made for Maharani Shanta Devi of Baroda and will be grandly exhibited at the show after it exited India in 1966, said a release issued by the organisers.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the surge in COVID-19 cases in China, and advised health officials to form a committee of experts to keep an eye on the emerging situation. Banerjee, during a meeting at the state secretariat on Wednesday, enquired why one of the reporters was wearing masks, which has become a rarity in the state, and cabinet minister Arup Biswas subsequently informed her that cases were on the rise in China. "Is there a new variant of coronavirus in China? But they (China) have not imposed anything (restriction). I will ask the health department to keep a tab on the situation," she said.

India, China and Russia abstained in the UN Security Council on a draft resolution that demanded an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and urged the military junta to release political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The 15-nation Security Council, under India’s Presidency this month, adopted the resolution Wednesday after 12 members voted in favour, none against and India, China and Russia abstained. This is the first Security Council resolution adopted on Myanmar in 74 years. The only other UNSC resolution on Myanmar was in 1948 after the country formerly known as Burma got independence from Britain when the Council recommended to the General Assembly “that the Union of Burma” be admitted to membership in the United Nations.

Raising concern on the rising COVID-19 cases in neighbouring China, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawala on Wednesday asked the people not to panic because of India's "excellent vaccination coverage and track record". He, also at the same time, urged the people to adhere to the guidelines set by the Government of India and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. "The news of rising COVID cases coming out of China is concerning, we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India and @MoHFW_INDIA," tweeted Adar Poonawala.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked “every American” for their support of Ukraine as he delivered an address to Congress on Wednesday aimed at sustaining U.S. and allied support for his country's defense against Russia's brutal invasion. Zelenskyy called U.S. support vital to Ukraine's efforts to beat back Russia, and thanked lawmakers and everyday citizens for tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance over the last year. The Ukrainian leader predicted that next year would be a “turning point” in the conflict, “when Ukrainian courage and American resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom — the freedom of people who stand for their values.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will convene an emergency meeting today (December 22) amid a sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in several countries, officials said. The Delhi government is keeping a watch on the COVID-19 situation and the chief minister has directed the health department to ensure genome sequencing of samples and take other steps needed to meet any eventuality, they said. "Delhi government is alert. CM Kejriwal has called an emergency meeting regarding coronavirus tomorrow," an official said on Wednesday (December 21). Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China and the US, the central government had on Tuesday urged all states and Union territories to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of emerging variants.

Police in North Macedonia said Wednesday they had arrested nine people, including a police officer, on suspicion of smuggling dozens of migrants through the country. The nine, who are all Macedonian nationals and include two minors, were arrested during raids on 11 locations in the capital, Skopje. Another two men were being sought, police said. Three men from Middle Eastern countries who have not been arrested are believed to have led the group, which is accused of having smuggled people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and other countries from Greece to North Macedonia on their way to Serbia and then wealthier European countries. The group is also accused of having transferred Indian migrants from Serbia to Greece through North Macedonia, police said.

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has been able to form the next government that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens", minutes before the midnight deadline. Netanyahu, 73, informed President Isaac Herzog late on Wednesday paving the way for the swearing-in no later than January 2, or even earlier. In November, President Herzog officially invited Netanyahu to form the new government. He has won the backing of 64 Members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, in a phone call to Herzog said that he was ready to form the next government "thanks to the enormous public support we received in the last elections" that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens".