Breaking News, January 7 | LIVE Updates

Fair trade regulator CCI on Friday ordered a probe against Google for its alleged abuse of dominant position. "In view of the foregoing analysis, in sum, the Commission is of prima facie view that Google has violated provisions of Section 4 of the Act," according to the order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002, pertains to the abuse of the dominant position.

After the Supreme Court in an interim order, allowed resumption of medical counselling for NEET-PG admissions for the year 2021-22, official sources say that counselling may begin next week. Earlier today, the SC upheld the validity of 27 per cent OBC and 10 per cent EWS quotas.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court has sentenced six people - two candidates, impersonators, and middlemen each - to five years rigorous imprisonment in a 12-year-old case related to pre-medical test examination conducted by Madhya Pradesh's Vyapam. The six convicted are identified as impersonators Mohd. Imran, and Rajesh Prasad, candidates Deepak Prajapati, and Jetendra Kumar Rajput, and middlemen Suresh Kumar Patel and Vedratan.

Buying a bottle of 'sharbat' may involve emotions, but not to the extent hoped for by manufacturers of 'Rooh Afza', the Delhi High Court said while refusing to pass an interim order to restrain 'Dil Afza' manufactures from allegedly indulging in trademark infringement.

Hamdard Dawakhana and Hamdard National Foundation (India) filed a lawsuit before the high court seeking protection against disparagement and dilution of their trademark 'Rooh Afza' by Sadar Laboratories Pvt Ltd's 'Dil Afza'.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka and his Indian counterpart S.Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries as well as to assess the progress made in the implementation of development projects and post-earthquake reconstruction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “The two foreign ministers exchanged best wishes on the occasion of New Year 2022 and expressed the hope for a better and a prosperous year ahead. Matters related to the bilateral exchange of visits and the progress made in the implementation of development projects and post-earthquake reconstructions mainly figured during the discussion,” according to a press release issued by the ministry on Thursday.

Four people were arrested for allegedly killing a peacock on the outskirts of Jammu on Friday, official sources said. Hunting and killing of a peacock is prohibited by law and it is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. According to the Indian Forest Act, 1972, those found guilty under this law can be jailed for up to seven years. The peacock was killed during hunting and it was shot with a 12-bore gun at Karkoi village in Akhnoor Tehsil, the sources said.

In a bid to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks on January 12. This would be the first time that the Indian Army's new 14 'Fire and Fury' Corps Commander Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta would be representing the country in talks with the Chinese side. He took over formally on Tuesday.

Brookfield and Everstone-promoted NBFC IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd on Friday elevated Deep Jaggi as its chief executive officer (CEO). The NBFC's Vice Chairman R Sridhar has decided to step down on completion of his five-year term, which will end on April 17, 2022, the lender said in a release. In his current role as chief business officer (CBO) of IndoStar, Jaggi has been responsible for the overall retail business development and collections.

Most places in Kashmir on Friday witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall as authorities issued an alert for avalanche-prone areas of it, officials said. An official of the MET department said moderate snowfall was reported from most areas in south and central Kashmir.

The Indian economy is estimated to grow at 9.2 per cent in the 2021-22 fiscal, surpassing pre-Covid level in actual terms mainly on account of improved performance especially in farm, mining and manufacturing sectors. The improvement in the economy comes over a GDP contraction of 7.3 per cent during 2020-21 due to the pandemic and resultant lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

South Korea dismissed North Korea's claim to have recently launched a hypersonic missile as an exaggeration on Friday, saying it was a normal ballistic missile that could be intercepted. The assessment is certain to anger North Korea. South Korea has previously avoided publicly disputing North Korea's weapons tests, apparently so as not to aggravate relations.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb performed 'Maha Mrityunjay Yagna' at the Kasbeswari Kali temple in Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district on Friday for the long life and good health of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Deb, who had on Thursday offered puja at Meher Kalibari in Agartala, announced that religious rituals would continue till January 11 in the state for the protection of the prime minister.

India has supplied the third batch of medical assistance consisting of two tons of essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan today. The same was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul, said the Ministry of External Affairs. 

Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the best state in water conservation efforts for 2020, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced on Friday. The Ministry of Jal Shakti awarded Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu second and third ranks, respectively, for their work and efforts towards water conservation. Addressing the 2020 National Water Awards, the Minister for Jal Shakti said the country required 1,000 billion cubic metres of water per year to cater to its agriculture, irrigation, industrial and domestic requirements.

An FIR has been registered against hairstylist Jawed Habib after a video went viral showing him spitting on a woman's head while giving her a haircut. Following this, another video of the woman, Pooja Gupta, narrating the incident also went viral. The woman explained her displeasure over the incident and said she would never get a haircut from Habib again. The video was of a seminar conducted by the hairstylist on January 3. In the video, Habib is heard telling the audience: "If there is a shortage of water, use saliva." The FIR was lodged at Mansurpur police station in Muzaffarnagar on a complaint filed by Gupta. Habib has been booked under Section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation) of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the police said.

AIIMS Delhi: OPD services in AIIMS Hospital and all Centres will continue to function with restricted registrations limited to only prior appointment patients (New and follow-up). All speciality clinics to be stopped for the time being and speciality clinic follow-up.

Odisha on Friday reported 2,703 fresh Covid-19 cases, which is 42 per cent more than the infections reported the previous day. The state had registered 1,897 cases on Thursday. According to the state health department bulletin, 2,703 Covid cases including 409 children in the up to 18 years age group have been reported. Khordha district, which includes Bhubaneswar city, logged the highest 926 cases, followed by Sundergarh (454), Cuttack (191), Sambalpur (179) and Jharsuguda (106). All other districts reported less than 100 cases. The daily test positivity rate (TPR) has been increased to 3.92 per cent in the State on Friday from 2.62 per cent. Odisha now has 8,237 active cases. With the confirmation of another death due to Covid, the death toll in the state mounted to 8,468. Meanwhile, Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kisore Das has been tested positive for Covid-19. Taking to Twitter, Das said, "I was tested asymptomatic Covid positive yesterday and now in home isolation. I request all those who have come in physical contact with me in the last 3 days to get themselves tested". The state government has imposed night curfew in all urban areas from 9 p.m. Friday onwards, till January 31. The state has also reduced the staff attendance in its all offices to 50 per cent. Moreover, RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for all travellers deboarding at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here. The Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) in Sambalpur has postponed all the offline exams and classes in view of the emerging Covid-19 situation.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he has not decided about the extension of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure, Dawn news reported. "The current year has just started and November is far away. Then why is there worry about extension in the tenure of the army chief?" the Prime Minister said in an interview, adding that he enjoyed an unprecedented relationship with the military leadership. When asked, in the context of rumours of a possible deal between the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and military to send his government packing, whether he felt threatened from any quarters, the Prime Minister said he personally was not under any kind of pressure. Khan added that he enjoyed the support of government allies and expressed the confidence that his government would complete its mandated five years. Talking about his party's quest for accountability, he said major opposition figures had not yet been tried on corruption charges and still roamed free because of weak prosecution, Dawn news reported.

Jammu and Kashmir police recovered a drone from Jammu's Gujral village. Further investigation underway, says Police.

The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the decks for postgraduate medical counselling and admissions, including the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and economically weaker sections (EWS) reservations for the current academic year, 2021-22. A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna upheld the constitutional validity of 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent EWS for the NEET-UG and NEET-PG. However, the top court added that it would decide on the rationale of criteria of Rs 8 lakh income for EWS category in March this year. On Thursday, after conducting a day-long hearing on petitions challenging the validity of EWS quota in postgraduate medical admissions and the Centre's argument favouring the quota, the court said there is a situation, where in national interest, the counselling has to begin, which was also a key demand of protesting resident doctors. A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna said: "We are in a situation, where in the national interest the counselling has to begin." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, argued that all candidates eligible for the EWS quota, as per existing criteria, have got their certificates for registration and added that seats in all the government colleges have been increased to accommodate the EWS quota.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel attended convocation parade of Deputy Superintendents of Police at police academy in Raipur.

Sensex currently trading at 60,095; Nifty trades at 17,893. 

Authorities set up emergency helplines in different districts on Friday in Kashmir after the Meteorological Department (MeT) forecast heavy to very heavy rain and snow during the next 48 hours. A statement issued by the MeT department said today, "Currently it is snowing at Gulmarg, Pahalgam and light rain at scattered places. "Intensity set to increase as the day progresses with main activity tonight and tomorrow (Jan 8) leading to heavy Rain/snow in J&K." A medium level avalanche danger warning has been issued by the disaster management authority advising people living in avalanche prone areas not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

Three terrorists neutralized in an encounter that broke out at the Zolwa Kralpora Chadoora area of Budgam.  Identification & affiliation being ascertained. Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition recovered: IGP Kashmir

The Uttar Pradesh government has accepted the longstanding demand for reservation to sportspersons in the state government jobs. A proposal to this effect has been cleared by the state cabinet. Sportspersons can now be recruited directly on Group B posts, while a 2 per cent horizontal reservation in seats will also be given. As per the decision, 24 posts of Group B from various departments are being taken out of the purview of the public service commission. These seats will be offered directly to sportspersons on the basis of their performance at international level and participation in renowned sports competitions. The rules for this will be drafted separately.

Delhi: Two people died and one was injured after a house collapsed in the Begumpur area. The injured admitted to Ambedkar Hospital: Delhi Fire Service. 

The US services sector posted strong growth in December 2021 amid continued supply chain disruptions and high inflation, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported. The Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) registered 62 per cent, 7.1 percentage points below November's all-time high reading of 69.1 percent, according to the latest Services ISM Report on Business released on Thursday. Any reading above 50 per cent indicates the services sector is generally expanding, reports Xinhua news agency. The New Orders Index registered 61.5 per cent, 8.2 percentage points lower than the all-time high reading of 69.7 per cent reported in November, according to the ISM report. A business executive from the utilities industry, meanwhile, noted that "we continue to experience supply chain disruptions across the nation and around the globe, resulting in raw material and subcomponent shortages, longer manufacturer lead times, transportation resource constraints, labour pool issues and significant price increases".

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, has announced a 50 per cent reduction in power tariff on agricultural use. The move is apparently aimed at assuaging the feelings of farmers ahead of the state elections. According to the government spokesman, the decision will directly benefit over 13 lakh users in rural and semi-rural areas. The order, announced by the Chief Minister's office, divided the targeted consumers into four categories - metered, unmetered, energy efficient pumps and farmers in the urban areas receiving metered power supply. On metered connections for pumps in rural areas, farmers would be required to pay only Re 1 per unit instead of the existing Rs 2 per unit. The fixed charge of Rs 70 per horsepower (HP) too has been reduced to Rs 35 per HP.

One terrorist neutralised in an encounter that broke out at Zolwa Kralpora Chadoora area of Budgam. Operation is underway, details awaited: Kashmir Zone Police.

PM Modi to inaugurate the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) via video-conferencing today. The second campus has been built in line with the PM's vision to expand & upgrade the health facilities in all parts of the country: PMO.

The sixth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF 2022) has been rescheduled to March. It will now be held at the beaches of Calicut (Kozhikode) from March 17 to March 20, 2022. It was earlier scheduled to be held from January 20 to January 23. Organised by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation, KLF is supported by the Kerala government and the Kerala Tourism Board. "Taking in view the surge in a number of infections of Omicron variant, we have rescheduled the festival. It hasAbeen done keeping in mind the interest of our speakers, participants, audiences, the general public, and our patrons. The current discourse is that the numbers may peak between the latter part of January and fall by mid of February. We are hoping that the Pandemic will recede in time. We are determined on hosting an in-person festival with the active support of our patrons, speakers, and partners," says Ravi Deecee, Chief facilitator, Kerala Literature Festival.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on parties in Kazakhstan to refrain from violence and promote dialogue so as to address the volatile situation, said his spokesman. The world body continues to follow the situation in Kazakhstan very closely and there have been several contacts between the UN and the national authorities, including a call on Thursday morning between the secretary-general's special representative for Central Asia, Natalia Gherman, and Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin of Kazakhstan, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman. "During these exchanges, appeals to exercise restraint, refrain from violence and promote dialogue to address the situation were reiterated by Natalia Gherman on behalf of the secretary-general," Xinhua news agency quoted Dujarric as saying. On reports of casualties, he said it is hard for the UN to confirm them.

Aiming to corner the Congress over the recent "lapse" in the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab, the BJP is all set to launch a nationwide campaign. On Friday, the BJP MPs will stage a silent protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament House complex against the incident. Along with this, the party has also made a strategy to go to Raj Bhavans across the country and submit memorandum. Similarly, it has decided to hold series of protests to "expose" the Congress nationwide. Further the BJP has also devised a strategy to respond to Congress' "political card" of harassment of a Dalit Chief Minister (Charanjit Singh Channi) by it. For this, the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha and Dalit leaders will stage protest before Ambedkar statue.