Breaking News, December 7 | Highlights

Amarinder Singh meets BJP incharge for Punjab Gajendra Shekhawat

Punjab Lok Congress founder Capt Amarinder Singh had a luncheon meeting with Union Minister and BJP incharge for Punjab, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at Mohinder Bagh, Siswan today.

Before 2014, the country was known for importing urea, and the shortage of fertilisers used to make headlines, but the situation has improved now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday as he inaugurated a fertiliser plant here.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's home turf Gorakhpur ahead of the assembly elections in the state, Modi said his government stopped misuse of urea, and issued soil health cards to farmers so that they know which type of fertiliser is needed. The prime minister said his government also took steps to hike urea production by reviving closed fertiliser plants.

He said the amount of sugarcane dues paid by the Yogi Adityanath government in four and a half years is more than the total sum paid by the previous governments in the state in 10 years. Modi was speaking at the rally after inaugurating three mega projects, including an AIIMS and the fertiliser plant, in Gorakhpur. The other project he inaugurated is a Regional Medical Research Centre of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The three big-ticket projects are worth over Rs 9,600 crore.

Taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday equated "red cap" with "red alert" for the state. Addressing a public meeting here after dedicating to the nation three mega projects, including an AIIMS and a fertiliser plant, Modi said, "Today, the entire UP very well knows that those wearing red caps are concerned about red beacon ('laal batti') and they are not bothered about your pain and sorrows."

Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar – these are the names of residents of a non-descript rural area of an impoverished south Bihar district. If the state health department is to be believed, they are all villagers who have been "tested and vaccinated" for COVID-19 in Karpi panchayat of Arwal district.

"This embarrassing matter came to our notice about 20 days ago when the civil surgeon was inspecting the records. The two data operators concerned have been sacked and FIRs lodged against them," said Arwal's District Magistrate J Priyadarshini. "Instructions have been issued to closely examine records of other parts of the district. If more such anomalies come to the fore, more action shall follow since lapses of this kind reduce the drive against the pandemic to a farce," she added.

The latest incident has given fresh ammunition to the opposition against the Nitish Kumar government in the state.

Supreme Court dismissed the plea of National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenging the Bombay High Court order of granting default bail to advocate-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who was arrested and has been in jail for over two years in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Mumbai: Death toll in the incident of fire due to cylinder burst in Worli, on 1st Dec, rises to 3 after a 25-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries at the hospital yesterday. A 4-month old infant and a 27-year-old man had died last week.

Mob vandalised St Joseph School in Ganj Basoda of Vidisha district yesterday, claiming religious conversion of students at the school. The students were taking their class 12th CBSE board exam when the incident occurred.

In a symbolic protest against China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," the Biden administration has decided not to send an official US delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday.

US athletes will still participate in the Olympics, but the administration will not be sending government officials to the games. The same policy applies to the Paralympic Games to be held in Beijing. The move marks an escalation of pressure by the US on China over allegations of forced labour and human rights abuses in China's western region of Xinjiang, particularly against the Uyghur population and other ethnic and religious minority groups.

Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand covered under a thick blanket of snow