LIVE! Govt making U-turn on PM's vaccine promise: Cong

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Wed, 02 December 2020

Govt making U-turn on PM's vaccine promise: Cong

Timeline Refresh

23:53 Former Pak PM Zafarullah Jamali dies at 76

Pakistan's former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali passed away at a military hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, his family has said. He was 76.

Jamali was on a ventilator in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology & National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) after suffering a heart attack a few days ago.

His relative Senator Sana Jamali told the media that the former premier died in the evening.

Jamali served as the prime minister from November 2002 until June 2004 when former military dictator Pervez Musharraf was the president of the country.

Hailing from the impoverished province of Balochistan, Jamali was a veteran politician who started political career in 1964.

He was last elected as Member of Parliament in 2013.

He resigned from the National Assembly only days before the completion of the assembly's term, citing health concerns. -- PTI

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Central government for saying that every person in the country does not need to be inoculated against COVID-19, while dubbing it a "U-turn Sarkar" and seeking clarity on who all will be administered the coronavirus vaccine.

Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition party said while he had announced that every Indian will get vaccinated against the novel contagion, the health ministry later announced that everyone in country need not be immunized.

"The Prime Minister said every Indian will get the Covid vaccine. But, the Prime Minister's statement was turned into a 'jumla' after the Health ministry said the entire country will not be inoculated," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

"Can the Indian people get some clarity? Will they be getting a vaccine or do they have to be Atmanirbhar when it comes to surviving this deadly virus," the party asked in another tweet.

The Congress accused the government of being a 'U-turn sarkar', alleging that while the Prime Minister announced that every Indian will get the COVID-19 vaccine, a few days later the Health ministry said the government never spoke about vaccinating all citizens in the country.

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had on Tuesday said at a media briefing that there may not be a need to vaccinate the country's entire population against COVID-19 if a critical mass of people are given a shot to break the chain of the virus transmission.

He made it clear that the government had not spoken about inoculating everyone in the country.

"I just want to make this clear that the government has never spoken about vaccinating the entire country. It's important that we discuss such scientific issues based on factual information only and then analyse it," Bhushan had said. -- PTI

British Sikh Opposition politicians have voiced their support for farmers agitating in India against the new farm laws and called for a "peaceful solution" as soon as possible.

India has called the remarks by foreign leaders on protests by farmers as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

"We have seen some ill-informed commentsrelating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country," external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Tuesday.

In a terse message, the ministry further added that "it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes."

A number of Opposition MPs in Britain have been speaking out over the issue on social media, with Labour Virendra Sharma calling for a "peaceful solution" as soon as possible.

"Farmers work tirelessly to earn an honest living and to feed millions of people. I find it distressing that thousands of the farmers from Punjab feel the need to march in Delhi to ask for a fair standard of living," he said, adding that he "applauds the bravery" of Home Minister Amit Shah in stepping forward and offering to negotiate.

Lord Indrajit Singh raised the issue during a debate in the House of Lords entitled "Summit of Democratic Governments" on Monday, addressing a question to Cabinet Office Minister Lord Nicholas True on why India should be among the "10 leading democracies" being considered for a summit in early 2021.

"Can the minister tell us why India, currently in the news for trying to make Punjab farmers serfs on their own land, is suggested as one of the 10 leading democracies," questioned the 88-year-old crossbench peer.

British minister Lord True responded to the query by refusing to address a "broad denunciation" of any nation. "Our values are democratic; they are very widely shared and practised across the world. We wish to sustain that," the minister said.

Labour Party's Preet Kaur Gill, the shadow international development secretary, took to Twitter over the weekend to condemn "shocking scenes" from Delhi.

"Farmers are peacefully protesting over controversial bills that will impact their livelihoods. Water cannons, and tear gas, are being used to silence them," she said.

Her party colleague, Tan Dhesi, has also been active on social media to praise scenes of protesters feeding the security personnel on guard during the demonstrations.

Among some of the other UK-based personalities speaking out over the issue, include filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and former England team cricket Monty Panesar -- both of Punjabi origin.

"India is proud of being the biggest democracy in the world, that's how it is described in the west. Let's hope that valiant title remains true today," said Chadha, alongside images of the protests in India posted on her Twitter account.

The sportsman-broadcaster also posted a video message for farmers from different states of India to join Punjabi farmers in the fight for their rights. -- PTI

The government has asked Wikipedia to remove a link from its platform that has shown an incorrect map of Jammu and Kashmir, according to sources.

The ministry of electronics and IT has issued an order under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 directing Wikipedia to remove the link, they added.

The matter had been flagged by a Twitter user, who highlighted that the Wikipedia page on India-Bhutan relationship had incorrectly depicted the map of Jammu Kashmir, and asked the government to take action.

Sources said taking cognizance of the matter, the ministry issued an order on November 27, 2020 directing Wikipedia to remove the map as it violated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.

They added that the government can take legal action against the company, including blocking access to the entire platform, in case it does not make the changes.

Last month, the government had issued a notice to microblogging platform Twitter for showing Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir instead of the Union Territory of Ladakh. -- PTI

There was no mismatch between the voter verifiable paper audit trail counts and the votes recorded by electronic voting machines in the Bihar assembly election held last month, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.

The VVPAT slips were counted in 1,215 randomly-selected polling stations of Bihar to match with the votes counted in the corresponding EVMs.

"They (VVPAT) fully matched (the) EVM count," a commission spokesperson said.

Five polling stations are randomly selected in each assembly seat for matching the VVPAT with the EVM count. The machines have been used with all EVMs since the 2017 Goa assembly polls.

The NDA won 125 seats in the 243-member assembly against 110 clinched by the opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for a fourth successive term for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in office. -- PTI

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh will meet home minister Amit Shah at his residence on Thursday, ahead of the crucial fourth round of talks between the Centre and farmer leaders over their agitation.

Sources said that Singh will hold deliberations with Shah on Thursday morning in an effort to work out an amicable solution to the deadlock.

The farmers are demanding that the government withdraw the new farm laws if it wants them to end their stir.

Agitating farmers have been sitting on national highways around Delhi for seven days and have stalled traffic.

The farmer leaders and the central government are set to hold another round of discussions on Thursday after a meeting on Tuesday was inconclusive. -- PTI

A probe initiated by the Drugs Controller General of India into an alleged "serious adverse event" reportedly suffered by an Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial participant in Chennai has found that it was not related to the shot administered to him, official sources said.

The DCGI arrived at the conclusion on Wednesday based on the recommendations of an independent expert committee which has also opined that compensation should not be paid to the volunteer, they said.

An independent expert panel comprising a doctor each from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, located in Chandigarh, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Maulana Azad Medical College was constituted by the DCGI to look into the claim of a 'serious adverse event' during the Serum Institute trial at a site in Chennai.

Last week, the 40-year-old man who was a volunteer in the third phase of the vaccine trial in Chennai claimed to have suffered serious neurological and psychological symptoms after taking the experimental shot. He has sued the SII along with others and sought compensation of Rs 5 crore, besides seeking a halt to the trial.

The SII, however, on Sunday rejected the charges as "malicious and misconceived" and said it will seek damages in excess of Rs 100 crore.

"The expert committee after due deliberation opined that the reported SAEs were not related to vaccine/clinical trial. Therefore, the committee recommends a compensation not to be paid to the subject or legal heir/ nominee of the subject," the panel said in its recommendation.

Pune-based vaccine manufacturer SII had on Tuesday said that the vaccine is safe and immunogenic.

"We would want to assure everyone that the vaccine won't be released for mass use unless it is proven immunogenic, and safe," it said in a blog.

The Union health ministry officials on Tuesday said that the adverse event will not affect the timelines of vaccine-roll out in any manner, whatsoever.

They further stated that due processes about reporting the adverse event have been followed. -- PTI

Television audiences rating body BARC on Wednesday said it is renaming the term "impressions", used to gauge viewership, to 'average minute audience' (AMA).

The body, which has been under scrutiny after allegations of fake TRPs, said the methodology for the calculation of AMA will continue to remain the same as that of impressions.

AMA is defined as the number of individuals of a target audience who viewed an "event", averaged across minutes, it explained.

The change will be reflected from the audience data for the week starting November 21 onwards.

The move to AMA is keeping in line with global television measurement standards, it said.

"It is our constant endeavor to ensure that our subscribers are provided with a currency which is true representation of What India Watches," its Chief of Measurement Science and Business Analytics, Derrick Gray, said.

He further said upgrading technology is an important agenda and BARC recently completed a transition to YUMI Analytics (an advanced software for TV viewership measurement) and will move on to using AMA across data releases. -- PTI

21:52 Putin orders mass Covid vaccinations in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday asked deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova to start mass vaccination against the coronavirus next week.

"I know that we have manufactured or will have manufactured more than 2 million doses of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in the next few days, it was the first in the world to be registered. This allows us to start large-scale vaccination, if not a mass one, and of course, as we had agreed, it would concern the two at-risk groups first of all, doctors and teachers," Putin said.

"If you think that we are ready for this step, I would ask you to organise it so that we would start mass vaccination by the end of the next week," the President added.

Golikova confirmed that it would be possible to do so and stressed that vaccination would be voluntary and free of charge.

The Indian Army has instituted an award in memory of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, a young officer from Kashmir who was abducted and killed by terrorists in Shopian district of the Valley three-and-a-half years back, officials said on Wednesday.

The award has been introduced by the Rajputana Rifles, one of the oldest rifle regiments of the Indian Army. Twenty-two-year-old Fayaz was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles in Akhnoor in Jammu region.

"The life and supreme sacrifice of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz is indeed an inspiration for today's youth especially from rural areas in the Valley for joining the Indian armed forces," said an Army official.

On May 9, 2017, Fayaz had gone to attend the wedding of the daughter of his maternal uncle at Batapura in south Kashmir from where he was abducted by the militants around 10 pm. His body was found hours later.

His killing had triggered anger among the locals.

The officials said the 'Commandant's Motivation Award' has been instituted from this year onwards in the memory of Fayaz.

The first Commandant's Motivation Award Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz Rajputana Rifles Regiment trophy and silver medal for displaying overall improvement in performance was presented to Cadet Vijay Bahadur of the 139th NDA Course at the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla near Pune, the official said. -- PTI

China on Wednesday said that its close ties with Nepal, reinforced during the recent visit of its defence minister to the Himalayan nation, will not affect "any third party".

Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe met Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and held talks with Army Chief Gen. Purna Chandra Thapa on ways to resume military cooperation and training impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during his visit on Sunday.

"We believe that our cooperation is in the benefit of both peoples and conducive to the socio-economic development in Nepal. This relationship will not affect any third party," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here on a question on Gen. Wei's visit.

During his visit, Gen Wei, also a State Councillor, lauded Nepal's leadership for resolutely pursuing the "one-China" policy and offered firm support to the Himalayan country in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, the defence ministry said here on Monday.

Under the "one-China" policy, Beijing emphasises other countries to recognise Taiwan and Tibet as part of China, it said.

As China firmed up its ties with Nepal, which shares borders with Tibet, with heavy investments besides loans and financial assistance, Beijing wants Kathmandu to stop the free-flow of Tibetans to travel to Dharamshala in India to meet Tibet's highest spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the statement said.

Nepal also has a large chunk of Tibetan population.

The 85-year-old Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile is based on Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.

China views the 14th Dalai Lama as a "separatist" working to split Tibet from China.

Asked about Nepal's assurance to China that Nepalese soil would not be used for any anti-China activities and whether Beijing perceives any threats emanating from Nepal, Hua skirted a direct response.

"China and Nepal are friendly neighbours linked by mountains and rivers. This year marks the 65th anniversary of our relations. We have been standing together in COVID-19 and we have been elevating our mutual trust and friendship. We will continue to enhance our cooperation and build BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) together and elevate relations," she said.

Gen. Wei's visit came days after India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla wrapped up his maiden two-day visit to Nepal.

In the first week of November, Indian Army Chief Gen. M M Naravane paid a three-day visit to Nepal aimed at resetting bilateral ties that came under severe strain following a bitter border row between the two countries. -- PTI

A Pakistani court on Wednesday declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender after the former premier failed to appear before it despite repeated summons served in connection with two corruption cases.

The two-member bench of the Islamabad high court comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the case about Sharif's appeals against convictions in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases.

The court said that notices would also be issued to the sureties of Sharif to show the cause for their failure to produce him as per the orders of the court.

The court was informed by officials of the Foreign Office and Interior Ministry that Sharif was duly informed about the summons of the court both in London, where he was living, and his residence in Lahore.

After failing to appear despite clear orders by the court, the bench decided to declare Sharif a proclaimed offender.

Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore high court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart ailment and an immune system disorder.

In October, the court had ordered Sharif to appear before it by November 24 to avoid being declared a proclaimed offender after he allegedly refused to receive non-bailable arrest warrants at his residence in London.

His appeals in the two cases came up for hearing in the IHC which ordered that he should first appear before any proceedings in the appeals.

When he failed to appear, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Sharif on September 15. Later, the court ordered to publish advertisements in London-based newspapers for him to appear by November 24.

Earlier, Sharif was convicted in the two cases in 2018 but subsequently got bail before going to London.

Sharif was sentenced in absentia to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by an anti-graft court in one of the three corruption cases against him in the Panama Papers scandal in July 2018.

Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal.

The National Accountability Bureau had registered three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members, and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court. -- PTI

Caste-based names of localities in the state will be changed, the Maharashtra government announced on Tuesday.

The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting, said a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office.

Names such as Mahar-wada, Bouddh-wada, Mang-wada, Dhor-vasti, Brahman-wada, Mali-galli are commonplace but they are unbecoming in a progressive state like Maharashtra, it said.

Such names generally indicate that members of a particular community live in the area.

The decision to rename these localities was taken to maintain social harmony and national unity, the CMO statement said.

These localities will be given new names such as Samata Nagar, Bhim Nagar, Jyotinagar, Shahunagar,Kranti Nagar.

Earlier, the state government had renamed the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Puraskar (award) as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samajbhushan Puraskar. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Wednesday and discussed the situation prevailing in parts of the states due to cyclone Burevi while pledging all possible support from the Centre.

The cyclone is likely to hit Tamil Nadu on December 4, the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

The IMD has issued a red alert for south Tamil Nadu and south Kerala for December 3.

Tweeting about his telephonic conversation with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, Modi said, "We discussed the conditions prevailing in parts of the state due to Cyclone Burevi. Centre will provide all possible support to TN. I pray for the well-being and safety of those living in the areas affected."

On his talks with Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he said he spoke on the conditions prevailing due to cyclonic storm Burevi in the state and assured all possible support from the Centre to help Kerala.

"Praying for the safety and well-being of those staying in the affected areas," Modi said. -- PTI

19:59 Oscars 2021 will be an 'in-person' show

The 2021 Oscars ceremony will be an "in-person telecast", a representative from the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences and its award show's broadcast partner channel ABC has said.

There is speculation that the biggest annual film awards show will be a virtual affair as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on.

But the representative told Variety, "The Oscars in-person telecast will happen."

In June, the Academy had announced that the 2021 Oscars will be held on April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the pandemic's effects on the film industry.

The eligibility window for feature films has also been pushed to February 28, 2021.

Sources inside the Oscars say that by pushing the awards ceremony back, the institution hoped that theatres would be open again in the spring, thus allowing for more movies to compete at the ceremony.

But even if movie theatres stay shut, by holding the Oscars later in spring, organisers are now focusing to ensure the event continues as it always has live.

It is still uncertain how many people will be allowed inside the 3,400-seat Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where the ceremony traditionally takes place.

"The Academy has done a walkthrough of the Dolby recently to see all the multiple options," an awards publicist familiar with the situation added.

It is also unknown what safety protocols will be introduced for the ceremony. A representative from the Dolby Theatre declined to comment.

According to another report in The Hollywood Reporter, multiple knowledgeable insiders say neither the Academy nor ABC has made any such decision.

Additionally, the Academy has not yet even confirmed producers for the telecast.

The Variety story cited "a rep from the Academy and ABC" although they are separate organizations with independent spokespeople.

The Primetime Emmy awards in September was a hybrid event that had some in-person elements with host Jimmy Kimmel and most nominees watching the show from home over Zoom.

There are still four televised awards shows that lead up to the Oscars: Golden Globes (February 28), Critics Choice (March 7), SAG (March 14) and BAFTA (April 11).

The Globes, which open the film awards season for Hollywood, said in a July 27 press release that their show would air live from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Globes, declined to comment on the development.

The Critics Choice Awards, which has traditionally been one of the first televised award shows, are open to many different options. -- PTI

19:54 Covaxin Phase-3 trials begins in Karnataka

Karnataka is fully prepared for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Wednesday, as phase-III clinical trial of "Covaxin" being developed by Bharat Biotech

began in the state.

The minister said it was a matter of pride for the state with clinical trials taking place at 25 centres of 12 states across the country.

He said 26,000 people were being administered the vaccine with 1,600-1,800 people being vaccinated on a trial bais in Karnataka.

People should be wary of rumours and misinformation during this trial period, he was quoted as saying by his office at the launch of the 3rd phase clinical trials of Covaxin at Vydehi Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa participated in the event.

Clintrac International Pvt Ltd and Vydehi Hospital have partnered to initiate the third phase of the trial, and the vaccine will be given to the volunteers in two doses, the first on Wednesday.

The second dose will be administered on December 30, officials said.

Sudhakar said there may be side effects of vaccination and experts will be observing it carefully and there was no need for panic at this stage. -- PTI

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh will take the first shot of the anti-Covid vaccine in the state after it is cleared by the Indian Council of Medical Research following which 1.25 lakh health workers would receive it.

The state government has also prioritised nearly 23 per cent of its three crore population, totalling 70 lakh, comprising healthcare workers, frontline workers, the elderly population above the age of 50 years and people with comorbidities for the first phase of vaccination, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The CM made this announcement at a virtual Cabinet meeting in New Delhi, convened to discuss the Covid situation in Punjab and the state's preparedness to roll out the vaccine, it said.

In line with the Centre's strategy for vaccination, Punjab has prioritised healthcare workers, frontline workers, the elderly population and people with comorbidities, it was decided in the meeting.

According to Punjab health secretary Hussan Lal, the state has compiled data of 1.25 lakh government and private healthcare workers to be vaccinated in the first phase.

Approximately 23 per cent of the state's population will be vaccinated in terms of the government of India guidelines on vaccine prioritisation, said Lal.

To ensure the seamless roll-out of the vaccination, the State Steering Committee is coordinating closely with the National Steering Committee, while the State Task Force will work in tandem with the district and block level task force committees for the same.

Following a review of the available facilities, the state has requested the Centre for certain additional cold chain equipment, including vaccine vans, deep freezers, ice-lined refrigerators, cold boxes, vaccine carriers, ice packs, thermometers and stabilisers, the release said. -- PTI

Protesting farmers on Wednesday demanded that the central government call a special session of Parliament to repeal the new farm laws and threatened to block other roads of the national capital if their demands are not met.

Addressing a press conference, farmer leader Darshan Pal accused the Centre of dividing farmer organisations, but it will not happen.

He said that protesting farmers will continue their agitation till the three farm laws are repealed.

"Centre should call a special session of Parliament to repeal the three farm laws," Singh said.

Another farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chadoni said that if the Centre does not withdraw the new laws, more steps will be taken in the coming days to press their demands.

Before the press conference, leaders of around 32 farmer organisations held a meeting which was also attended by Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait at the Singhu border. -- PTI

Ahead of the second round of talks between the Centre and the representatives of protesting farmers, Union home minister Amit Shah held deliberations with agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and railway minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Wednesday on ways to dispel concerns over the new farm laws.

Tomar, Goyal along with Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash had represented the Union government on Tuesday during the talks with farmer leaders, who have been demanding a repeal of the newly enacted laws.

During the deliberations on Wednesday, the ministers are believed to have discussed the issues raised by farmers, and how the Union government can constructively respond to dispel concerns expressed by them over the farm laws.

Over 35 farmer leaders had held a three-hour meeting on Tuesday at Vigyan Bhavan with the ministerial delegation.

Though, their first round of talks on Tuesday did not yield a breakthrough but both sides agreed to hold the next round of talks on Thursday.

In a statement, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an umbrella outfit of the farmer unions, said the talks remained inconclusive.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for seven consecutive days at the borders of the national capital against three farm laws.

The farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre's farm laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers. -- PTI

18:11 Cyclone Burevi: NDRF gets ready in TN, Kerala

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is well prepared ahead of Cyclone Burevi striking the coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha tomorrow, the NDRF officials said on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department tweeted, "The cyclonic storm 'Burevi' over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph during past six hours and lay centered at 0830 hours IST of today, the 2nd December, 2020 over Southwest Bay of Bengal near Lat. 8.6N and Long. 83.0E, about 200 km east of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 420 km east-southeast of Pamban (India) and 600 km nearly east-northeast of Kanyakumari (India). It is very likely to intensify further during the next 12 hours."

"It would then move nearly west-southwestwards very close to coast slowly and cross south Tamil Nadu coast between Kanniyakumari and Pamban during 3rd December night and 4th December early morning as a Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph", the tweet added.

"Two teams of NDRF are deployed at Thoothukudi, in view of Cyclone Burevi. Burevi is expected to cross South Tamil Nadu between Kanniyakumari and Pamban on the morning of December 4," as per IMD. NDRF teams were also deployed in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram and Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari.

17:43 Women tend to fields in farmers' absence

Female members of farmers' families seen carrying agricultural activities in fields since male members have joined Farmers' protest in Delhi. "Since men of our family are away at protest sites, so we've to take care of crops," says Nishu Chaudhary, daughter of a farmer.

17:35 Boris Johnson likely to be R-Day chief guest

Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom is likely to be the chief guest for the 2021 Republic Day celebrations.

With the Narendra Modi government keen to have him grace the annual event which is used to showcase those who matter for India, diplomatic channels are busy finalising the tentative schedule once an acceptance is indicated.

The coronavirus pandemic has not spared even the R-Day celebrations, with the military parade reduced by 50 per cent. The colourful pageant of state tableaux too has been reduced to five, according to sources in the defence ministry which is the nodal agency for the Republic Day celebrations. There will also be no flypast by the Indian Air Force.

There may, however, be one consolation: a model of the recently-acquired French Rafale fighter jet, which it is hoped would be a key attraction.

-- R Rajagopalan in New Delhi

Farmers dry their clothes at the Nirankari ground in Delhi

17:30 We feel for them: School kids feed farmers camped at Singhu

With bags full of food and beverages, around 20 teenagers from Haryana's Sonipat district on Wednesday reached Singhu border, where thousands of farmers have been agitating against the Centre's new farm laws. The group mostly had school students. Rohit Dhandi (14), a student of Class 10, said he attended two classes online and then proceeded for Singhu border to provide food to the protesting farmers.

"We also come from farmers family and can understand their feelings. We have come here with food to distribute among the protesters," he said. "We have lassi, chapati, sabzi, sweets, puri, fruits, water etc. This is the first day we have come here and we are looking forward to coming here," Ankush Saroha, 14, said.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are camping at various gateways into the city for seven days on the trot. Sandeep Dahiya, 20, who runs a medical shop with his father, said their families are also supporting the protestors.

"We took permission from our families and they were also very supportive. They did not ask us why, in fact they helped in preparing and packing food for the protesters here. We have all the necessary items to distribute here," Dahiya said. PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday claimed that the BJP-ruled Centre was angry with him for not permitting stadiums to be used as temporary jails for farmers protesting against the farm laws.

In a press briefing, Kejriwal also hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh saying that he was speaking "BJP's language" by accusing him of "passing" three farm laws in Delhi. Last week, the AAP government had denied permission to the Delhi Police to convert the city's stadiums into temporary jails.

"The BJP-ruled Centre is angry with me for this," the Delhi chief minister said. He also accused the Punjab CM of doing "dirty politics" and levelling false allegations on him. "Captain saheb you are levelling allegations against me and speaking BJP's language. Is it the pressure of ED cases on your family members and the notices being sent?" Kejriwal asked.

The three farm laws were implemented across the country with the signature of the president and no state can stop them, he said about the three farm laws being stiffly opposed by farmers. The Delhi government has notified one of the three laws.

"The Punjab CM accused me of passing the three black laws. How can he do such lowly politics at such a crucial time," Kejriwal said. "Amarinder Singh had several chances to stop farm bills but did not do so," he added. Kejriwal appealed to the Centre to immediately fulfil all the demands of the farmers and guarantee the minimum support price for their crops. PTI

17:12 MP farmers head to Delhi

Madhya Pradesh: Farmers from Gwalior leave for Delhi to join the protest against the farm laws.

The Oxford Union Debating Society, citing unforeseen "circumstances", on Wednesday sought to postpone a scheduled virtual address by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the last moment, drawing flak from the ruling TMC, which sniffed "political pressure from the highest level" in the matter.

Banerjee was set to become the first Indian woman chief minister to address the 'The Oxford Union Debate' around 2:30 pm, but the organisers around 1.50 pm requested that the programme be rescheduled, stating that "nothing prevails over circumstances sometimes".

Taking to Twitter, the state home department said, "Today afternoon, the organisers have suddenly sought postponement and rescheduling of the programme at the last moment!"

"The request has been made telephonically from the organisers' end, citing some unforeseen problems, a brief while ago. The programme with Oxford Union today stands cancelled."

The TMC leadership, infuriated over the development, claimed that "political pressure" might have forced the organisers to take such a call. "This is unprecedented... A programme planned months ahead was cancelled a few minutes before the event was scheduled to start. This is not the first time that such a thing has happened.

Earlier, too, her programmes at international fora and foreign visits have been cancelled at the eleventh hour. "All sorts of pressure were applied from the highest level to stop Mamata Banerjee's address. We condemn such politics," a senior TMC parliamentarian told PTI on condition of anonymity.

In 2018, Banerjee's programme at Chicago to mark Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary, scheduled visit to China and her address at St Stephen's college in New Delhi were cancelled, one after another. Offering its "sincerest apologies", The Oxford Union Debating Society said in a mail to the government, "Our audience sent a great many questions, and we were all working hard to pull a number of elements together. However, nothing prevails over circumstances sometimes; it seems." -- PTI

16:55 Economy to see +ve growth in Q4: Niti Aayog

The Indian economy is coming out of the pandemic-induced degrowth and GDP growth will enter the positive territory in the fourth quarter of this fiscal, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday. In an interview to PTI, Kumar also said the Centre's new agriculture reform laws are aimed at increasing the income of farmers and the present agitation was a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication which need to be removed.

"The second quarter GDP figure (contraction of 7.5 per cent) reflects that the economy is coming out of this pandemic-induced degrowth phase and my expectation is that in the third quarter, we will achieve the same level of economic activity as the year-ago period.

"And the fourth quarter will show a small but positive growth over the previous year because the government has... ushered in many structural reforms and some more are in the pipeline," he said.

Stating that all those reforms will provide a very strong foundation for accelerating the economic growth in the fiscal year 2021-22 and beyond, Kumar said, "we have now shrugged off the negative impact of the pandemic and are moving towards a sustained high growth trajectory in the coming years".

About India's growth figure in the current fiscal year, he said it will be better than negative 9 or 10 per cent, as has been forecast by many, including the RBI. Kumar noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented negative impact on economic activities but this was completely in the nature of a natural disaster and not related to the regular economic cycle.

"Therefore, it is quite irrelevant to talk about the economy being in a technical recession," he emphasised. On better than expected manufacturing growth of 0.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2020-21, Kumar said this has come as a pleasant surprise.

UK's medicine regulator MHRA chief Dr June Raine on the vaccine rollout:

"This vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) has only been approved because those strict tests have been done and complied with. Everyone can be absolutely confident that no corners whatsoever have been cut.

"Safety of the vaccine has been scrutinised independently by our Commission on Human Medicines and no stone has been left unturned so absolute confidence in safety, effectiveness and quality of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine."

"Residents in care homes for older adults and care home workers are the highest priority," Prof Wei Shen Lim, Chair of UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the administration of COVID-19 vaccine.

"Data show that this vaccine was 95% effective. The safety of the vaccine is similar to other vaccines. Most of the side effects are very mild and usually last for a day or so," Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of UK's Commission on Human Medicine Expert Working Group.

"This vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) has only been approved because those strict tests have been done and complied with. Everyone can be absolutely confident that no corners whatsoever have been cut."

Amid the raging "outsider versus insider" debate in West Bengal, BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday claimed people from other states played a bigger role than Bengalis in bring about development in the state. His remarks drew sharp reactions from the ruling TMC, which accused Ghosh of playing "divisive" politics without knowing anything about the state's history and culture.

"Since the pre-Independence era, people who had come from other states played a crucial role in Bengal's development. Most of those who worked at mills and factories here were from other states. So those from outside played a bigger role than the Bengalis in developing the state," Ghosh said at a programme. The ruling party is now tagging people who worked for the welfare of Bengal as "outsiders", the saffron party leader alleged.

"Shah Rukh Khan (state's ambassador) and Prashant Kishor( TMC's poll strategist) have become insiders now. This is the irony," he said. Reacting to his comments, TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said the BJP's intent to "humiliate and undermine" Bengalis now stands exposed.

"I think Dilip Ghosh is not aware of the role Bengalis had played in the nation's overall development and freedom struggle," he said. -- PTI

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday demanded that the Centre take steps to stop the use of loudspeakers on mosques to curb noise pollution. An editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said the issue is of noise pollution and environment protection.

"The Centre should promulgate an ordinance to stop loudspeakers on mosques to prevent noise pollution," it said. The comments came amid a row over Shiv Sena's Mumbai- South vibhag pramukh (division head) Pandurang Sakpal's suggestion of holding an 'Azaan' recital competition for Muslim children.

The editorial said BJP's criticism of the Sena leader praising 'Azaan' was similar to describing farmers agitating (against new farm laws) on the Delhi borders as "Pakistani terrorists". It said most of the agitating farmers are former soldiers or those whose children are defending the country's borders now.

"What to expect from these people who call the farmers terrorists. Trolls say the Shiv Sena has given up Hindutva, but pictures of them (BJP leaders) eating Eid delicacies are published," the Marathi publication said. "We don't want to politicise this because the country's 22 crore Muslims are Indian citizens," it added. It also said even though a law has been passed against cow slaughter, its sale, purchase and consumption is legal in the BJP-ruled states of Goa and North East. -- PTI

15:21 Rhea's brother gets bail in drugs case

Special NDPS Court grants bail to Showik Chakraborty (Rhea Chakraborty's brother) in a drugs case registered by Narcotics Control Bureau. A special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances court last month had directed the Taloja jail authorities to allow Showik the use of a sweater in prison. Lodged in Taloja jail since September, his bail pleas have been rejected by both the special court and the Bombay High Court.

Rhea Chakraborty was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on 7 October.

Justice Sarang Kotwal had held that Showik "was not only knowing many drug dealers, but, he was in touch with them and was actually transacting with them. Thus, he is part of chain of drug dealers. At this stage, the investigating agency has sufficient material to show that he is a part of a chain of drug dealers engaged in illicit traffic of drugs."

15:09 Coal India posts 8 pc offtake growth in Nov

State-owned CIL on Wednesday said overall offtake of coal increased by 8 per cent to 51.3 million tonnes last month, spurred by increased demand for the dry fuel from non-power sectors. The supply by Coal India to non-power sectors was up by a robust 46 per cent during the month, the PSU said in a statement.

"CIL's off-take was 51.3 million tonnes (MTs) in November of the ongoing fiscal, an increase of 3.8 MT compared to 47.5 MTs of same month last year," it said. Sectors other than power accounted for the entire increase. Coal production at 51.7 MT in November clocked a growth of 3.3 per cent, with 1.7 MT uptick in absolute terms. CIL had produced 50 MT of coal in November 2019.

Amid the ongoing farmer protests in and around the national capital, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday claimed that the country was on the path to extreme hunger and famine, and lamented on the unequal distribution of wealth in the country.

Taking to Twitter, Sidhu said, "India's richest 1 per cent hold more wealth than the bottom 70 per cent. Poor toil, while rich consolidate wealth, farmers labour, but capitalist earn. Ambani added 90 Crore every hour to his wealth in the last six months, while Adani's wealth increased by 61 per cent."

He also pointed out India's poor rank in the Global Hunger Index."Meanwhile, India ranks 94th among 107 Nations in Global Hunger Index. We are on path to extreme hunger/ famine. Famines are not caused by non-existence of food, food is there, but is stored in Cold Storages and warehouses of Capitalist, beyond the purchasing capacity of Poor," he added.

This comes amid as the farmers' protest against the three agricultural sector laws passed by the Central government in the last monsoon session enters its seventh day, with demonstrations at the borders of the national capital and on the Sant Nirankari Samagam ground in Burari.

Yesterday, the Union government held a meeting with the representatives of the protesting farmers and offered to set up a committee to look into their demands, which they rejected.

14:33 China imports rice from India after 30 years

China has started importing Indian rice for the first time in at least three decades due to tightening supplies and an offer from India of sharply discounted prices, Indian industry officials said.

India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and China is the biggest importer. Beijing imports around 4 million tonnes of rice annually but has avoided purchases from India, citing quality issues.

The breakthrough comes at a time when political tensions between the two countries are high because of a border dispute in the Himalayas.

"For the first time China has made rice purchases. They may increase buying next year after seeing the quality of Indian crop," said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association.

UK-based global Sikh charity body Khalsa Aid on Wednesday said it has volunteered to offer free food and essential supplies to farmers agitating at Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital. The organization has been a partner of farmers in the 'Dilli Chalo' movement for the last two months.

Volunteers are providing langar, tea and refreshments and even medical help around the clock to the protesting farmers who at present are stationed at Singhu and Tikri border, Khalsa Aid Director Amarpreet Singh said in a statement.

Since women were facing hardships, Khalsa Aid has ordered 50 portable washrooms as well, he added.

Farmers from about 35 farm organizations, mostly from Punjab, are protesting at Delhi borders since last week seeking repeal of the three new farm laws enacted by the central government.

The Centre has held several rounds of meetings to address concerns of the protesting farmer and end the deadlock at the earliest. The next round of talks with them will be on December 3. Khalsa Aid provides support around the world to victims of natural and human-made disasters such as floods, earthquakes, famine and war. PTI

14:07 Cong workers gherao Haryana CM's residence

Chandigarh police use water cannon on Punjab Youth Congress workers who have gheraoed Haryana CM ML Khattar's residence, demanding an apology from him for alleged use of force against protesting farmers.

A waterlogged street in Chennai in the aftermath of Cyclone Nivar

14:01 Cyclone Burevi hurtles towards Kerala, TN

Parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are likely to receive very heavy rainfall as the cyclonic storm 'Burevi', which originated in the southwest Bay of Bengal is moving west-northwestwards direction and is excepted to intensify further during next 12 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Wednesday.

The Cyclone Burevi is excepted to cross south Tamil Nadu between Kanniyakumari and Pamban on the morning of December 4 with the wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph. A yellow alert has been issued to these regions, according to the IMD.

Two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu and Alappuzha, Kerala in view of cyclone, NDRF informed.

"NDRF teams have reached most of the locations and ready (to) serve and save people in Tamil Nadu and Kerala," Satya Pradhan, Director General of NDRF tweeted.

As of today, the cyclone is moving west-northwest direction in the southwest Bay of Bengal with a speed of 15 kmph.

The cyclonic storm is about 240 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 470 km east-southeast of Pamban (India) and 650 km away from east-northeast of Kanniyakumari (India).

Meanwhile, IMD has advised fisherfolks not to venture out in the sea and suspended fishing operations during December 2 to 5 over southwest Bay of Bengal and along the coast of east Sri Lanka. -- ANI

13:52 No mask? Serve at Covid centres, orders Guj HC

The Gujarat high court on Wednesday directed the state government to come up with a notification, making it mandatory for those violating the face mask rule to do community service at COVID-19 centres as a punishment in addition to the fine imposed on them.

A division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala in its order said the community service at COVID-19 centres shall be non-medical in nature and shall be for four-six hours for 5 to 15 days, as authorities deem fit.

The order came on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the court's direction to make community service at COVID-19 centres mandatory for face mask rule violators.

The PIL said many people were found violating the rule, resulting in a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The court in its order said, 'Any person found not wearing or using face mask cover in a public place and/or violating the COVID protocol of social distance shall be mandated to do community service at any COVID centre run by local authorities.'

'Such mandate of community service to be implemented for all violators without any discrimination. These duties shall be non-medical in nature, such as cleaning, housekeeping, cooking...,' it said.

The nature of duty shall be appropriately decided by the authorities considering age, qualification and gender of rule violators, it said. -- PTI

Just in: UK authorises Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, to be made available across the country from next week. Britain has ordered 40m doses, of which 10m are expected to be available this year.

Meanwhile the European regulator suggested on Tuesday that it might not reach a decision until the end of December, which would make the start of vaccination programmes across Europe unlikely before 2021.

Pakistani Rangers opened fire at border outposts along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, drawing retaliation from the Border Security Force, officials said on Wednesday.

The firing from across the border in Karol Krishna, Pansar and Gurnam border outposts started around 9.50 pm on Tuesday and the cross-border firing between the two sides continued till 4 am Wednesday, the officials said.

There was no report of any damage on the Indian side. -- PTI

13:17 Teen held for killing friend over Rs 2500

A 17-year-old boy was apprehended for allegedly murdering another juvenile in the forest area near Maidan Garhi in Delhi over returning Rs 2,500, the police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, both the minor victim and minor accused were intoxicated at the time of the incident which took place on November 9.

The 17-year-old boy was apprehended on Tuesday by a team of the Delhi Police from Maidan Garhi, after which the boy confessed to killing his friend with a stone over a dispute over returning Rs 2,500 in the jungle of Maidan Garhi after getting intoxicated, the police said.

The father of the boy had informed the police regarding the incident after the boy confessed the same to him, it added.

The police had, on November 9, received a PCR call at Maidan Garhi police station that a body was lying in the jungle near Shamshan Ghat of Maidan Garhi. A team reached the spot and found the corpse which had been partially eaten by animals.

The body was identified by the parents of the victim from its clothes and tattoo marks, the police said.

The body was shifted to AIIMS hospital and after the post-mortem report confirmed a head injury as the cause of death, a case was registered under Section 302 (murder) at Maidan Garhi police station, and an investigation was taken up in the matter. --ANI

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that it is not easy to shift Mumbai's film city to another place. Speaking to media on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath meeting Bollywood actors, Raut said, "I have seen Yogiji sitting in a suite of a big five-star hotel with Akshay Kumar. It is not easy to shift Mumbai's film city to another place. It has a long history and it is developed with a lot of hard work over the years."

"The film industry in south India is also big, there're film cities in West Bengal and Punjab too. Will Yogi Ji also visit these places and talk to directors/artists there or is he going to do so only in Mumbai?" Raut questioned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

"If there is any big project coming in the country related to the film industry, My best wishes for that," he added.

Adityanath on Wednesday rang the bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai at the listing of bonds of Lucknow Municipal Corporation.

Yesterday, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar called on the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister at a city hotel to discuss the immense possibilities of film shoots in the northern state.

According to the release issued by the UP's Information and Public Relations Department, the Chief Minister spoke at length to the 'Kesari' actor about the innumerable possibilities for film shoots in Uttar Pradesh.

12:59 Yediyurappa inaugurates Phase 3 Covaxin trial

And in Karnataka, India, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa virtually inaugurates Phase 3 of clinical trial of Covaxin being developed by Bharat Biotech.

"The trials will be conducted at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre in Bengaluru. I think they're doing clinical trial on about 1600-1800 people in Karnataka. CM has officially announced and given first dose today through Vydehi institution. I hope 3rd phase will be very successful and will be devoid of adverse effects on any individual," Health Minister K Sudhakar, said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said Ghaziabad will be the next local body in the state which will be raising money through the issuance of municipal bonds.

Lucknow has become the first city in Uttar Pradesh and seventh nationally to raise money through this route. The Chief Minister was speaking at the listing ceremony of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) bonds.

LMC had raised Rs 200 crore through the bond issue last month. Adityanath called the listing a historic moment and added that other cities including Ghaziabad, Agra, Kanpur, Prayagraj and Varanasi will be using this route for raising resources.

"I am confident that very soon, we will be present here with Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation's bonds," he said, speaking at Asia's oldest stock bourse BSE.

Adityanath said raising resources through the bond issue improves the accounting practices and other systems at a municipal body, and also helps deliver services for the citizens of the city as the required resources get raised.

The Chief Minister also said that the 10-year issue, which happens when borrowing rates are the lowest in over a decade, comes at the second lowest coupon ever of 8.5 per cent. The 4.5x subscription to the bond issue is representative of investors' desire to participate in Uttar Pradesh's growth, he said.

A Delhi court Wednesday expressed displeasure over delay in completion of probe in the Aircel-Maxis matter against former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti while granting two more months to the CBI, ED to do so.

Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar allowed both the agencies plea seeking more time to obtain report on Letters Rogatory (LRs) form the United Kingdom and Singapore in relation to their ongoing probe in the matter and said it is lingering on unnecessarily".

The court adjourned the matter, which is at the stage of taking cognizance, for February 1. The case relates to alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal. PTI

The counsel for the Indian High Commission in Pakistan has informed the Islamabad High Court that Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia wants to explain India's stance over appointment of a lawyer for death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Appearing before the IHC larger bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, the counsel for the Indian High Commission, Barrister Shahnawaz Noon, on Tuesday said the matter related to the appointment of a lawyer for Jadhav had been discussed in detail and Ahluwalia could explain the stance of the Indian government before the court, the Dawn News reported.

Justice Minallah said in order to implement the ICJ judgement that, "the IHC had been waiting for a response from the Indian government since it is our duty to ensure fair trial. If the diplomat wanted to appear before the court," he is always welcome, he added. The Attorney General, Khalid Jawed Khan, suggested to the court that the Indian deputy high commissioner could come but India should engage a counsel first for the case.

In Punjab's Zirakpur, a lawyer has sent a legal notice to actor Kangana Ranaut demanding an apology over her tweet identifying an old woman at the farmers' protests as 'Bilkis Dadi'.

'Bilkis Dadi' was a prominent protester at the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA demonstrations in Delhi last winter.

"I sent a legal notice for a tweet misidentifying Ms Mohinder Kaur as Bilkis Bano with an insinuation that she (Ms Kaur) was available as a hired protestor for Rs100. The notice gives Ranaut 7 days to issue an apology failing which a defamation case will be pursued," advocate Hakam Singh, said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Centre over its claim of doubling farmers' income and alleged that their income has in fact "halved" under the 'suit-boot sarkar', while that of its crony friends has grown four times.

His remarks come at a time when farmers from Punjab and Haryana are protesting at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders of the national capital against the Centre's new agriculture reform laws.

"They said farmers income will be doubled. What they did was increase incomes of 'friends' four times and those of farmers will be halved. This suit-boot government is of lies and loot," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress leader also shared a video of the atrocities and use of force against the protesting farmers with a voice-over of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech saying his government was taking steps to resolve the problems faced by farmers and double their income.

The Congress has been attacking the government over the use of force against the protesting farmers, and has urged the dispensation to withdraw the new farm laws and redresses the grievances of the protestors. PTI

Budget carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday said it is gearing up to provide logistics support for Covid-19 vaccination with its dedicated freighter division SpiceXpress having capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40c to +25c.

After playing a critical role in transporting essentials and medical supplies during the lockdown, SpiceXpress, has come forth to take up the responsibility of seamlessly transporting the vaccine through a specialised service called Spice Pharma Pro, SpiceJet said in a release.

The temperature sensitivity to maintain efficacy of the vaccine calls for reliable, fast and secure logistics partners who understand the importance of cold chain, and to this end the company has partnered with global leaders in the segment, it said.

"Since the lockdown began, SpiceJet and its cargo arm, SpiceXpress, have worked relentlessly to ensure the transport of vital goods and medical supplies to all corners of India and the world. We have been preparing for the humongous task of transporting medicines, vaccines, blood samples and temperature-sensitive cargo by developing end-to-end cold chain logistics solutions," said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.

With a dedicated fleet of 17 cargo aircraft, SpiceXpress is capable of flying cargo to both domestic as well as international destinations.

The Chinese government had "planned" the June Galwan incident even as Beijing ramped up its multiyear coercion campaign against its neighbors, provoking military or paramilitary standoffs with countries from Japan to India, the United States top panel said in its report released on Wednesday.

Months after the Galwan clashes that resulted in the brutal death of 20 Indian soldiers, United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in its report '2020 Report To Congress of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission" said, "Some evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident (Galwan), potentially including the possibility for fatalities.

"The report read, "In June 2020, the PLA and Indian troops engaged in a massive physical brawl in the Galwan Valley, located in the far-western Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating the two countries. The clash, which followed a series of standoffs beginning in early May along multiple sectors of the LAC, led to at least 20 Indian deaths and an unconfirmed number of Chinese casualties, the first time since 1975 that lives were lost in fighting between the two sides."

Beijing ramped up its multiyear coercion campaign against its neighbors, provoking military or paramilitary standoffs with countries from Japan to India and much of Southeast Asia.

Shortly after China's defense minister urged Beijing to use military force to stabilize its periphery, a violent clash on the China-India border in June led to the first loss of life between the two countries since 1975," it said.

Quoting Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the report said, "According to Dr Madan, if China's goal from its actions was "to acquire territory... [the Chinese government] might deem the moves a success". If Beijing intended to dissuade India from building infrastructure on its side of the LAC or warn it against aligning with the United States, however, "then the Chinese moves have been ineffective, if not counterproductive."

"Some evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident, potentially including the possibility for fatalities. For instance, several weeks prior to the clash Defense Minister Wei made his statement encouraging Beijing to "use fighting to promote stability," the report said. -- PTI

12:07 Farmers protest: Mega traffic jams continue

There is no relief in sight for commuters, especially office goers, from long traffic snarls on Wednesday as thousands of farmers blocked key entrances to the national capital for the seventh day on the trot. While the police has kept the Haryana-Delhi border at Singhu and Tikri closed for traffic, the protest at Ghazipur, the city's border with Uttar Pradesh, has also intensified.

The protest at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border led to the closure of a key route connecting the national capital with the state. The Chilla border on Noida link road is closed for traffic due to farmers' protests near Gautam Budh Dwar.

People are advised to avoid Noida link road for going to Noida and use NH 24 and DND instead, the traffic police tweeted. Two more border points connecting the national capital with Gurgaon and Jhajjar-Bahadurgarh were also closed as precautionary measures. The traffic police said the borders at Tikri, Jharoda and Jhatikra are closed for all kinds of traffic movement. The Badusarai border is open only for two wheelers. Available open borders to Haryana are Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera, it said.

As traffic spilled over to alternate routes, it led to long jams there as well. The protest against the new farm laws is set to continue as talks between three Union ministers and farmer groups ended in a stalemate on Tuesday after they rejected the government's suggestion of a new committee to look into issues raised by agitating farmers. The two sides, however, decided to meet again on Thursday.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday rang the bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange at the listing of bonds of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC).

Earlier in the day, Yogi Adityanath's office in a tweet said, 'A new chapter will be written in the development history of UP, CM Shri @myogiadityanath Ji to ring the bell at @BSEIndia in Mumbai today for listing of bond of Lucknow Municipal Corporation. LMC's bonds have witnessed an astounding oversubscription since its launch.'

Uttar Pradesh ministers Siddarth Nath Singh, Ashutosh Tandon, and Additional Chief Secretary (information department) Navneet Sehgal visited the BSE on Tuesday to oversee the preparations for the listing ceremony.

On Tuesday, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar called on Yogi Adityanath in a Mumbai hotel to discuss the immense possibilities of film shoots in the northern state.

According to the release issued by UP's information and public relations department, the chief minister spoke at length to the Kesari actor about the innumerable possibilities for film shoots in Uttar Pradesh.

-- ANI

10:50 Commuters' protest hits Mumbai local services

Train movement on the Western Railway's suburban network in Mumbai was disrupted for over an hour on Wednesday after commuters sat on tracks at some stations in neighbouring Palghar district to protest against the change in schedule of an early morning local train, GRP officials said.

The Western Railway (WR) on Tuesday announced to restore from December 3 the timings of four special suburban locals, that are currently being run for emergency services staff, to their original schedules which were effective before the coronavirus-induced lockdown came into force in March.

Currently, the first local train from Dahanu in Palghar district is departing at 4.40 am and reaching Churchgate in south Mumbai at 7.04 am.

As per the restored timings to come in effect from Thursday, the train will leave from Dahanu at 5.40 am and reach Andheri in western suburbs at 7.34 am.

Upset over the change in timings, some commuters started a 'rail roko' agitation at Palghar station and sat on tracks there around 5.15 am on Wednesday, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said.

A number of commuters also staged similar protests at Kelve and Safale stations in Palghar district around 5.30 am, the official said.

Train movement later resumed after the GRP and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel RPF removed the agitating commuters from the tracks, he said.

The agitation at Palghar station ended around 5.45 am and at the other two stations it ended at 6.30 am, he added.

WR's chief public relations officer Sumit Thakur said train services on the suburban network are normal now.

He said the Western Railway has just decided to restore the special suburban services to their original timings which were effective before the COVID-19 lockdown.

"We are reviewing the demand of passengers, but we have just restored the original timetable of Dahanu locals and haven't made any change in the timetable," he said. -- PTI

Farmers protesting against the new farm laws continued their sit-in at the Noida-Delhi border for the second day on Wednesday, leading to closure of a key route that connects Uttar Pradesh with the national capital. The Noida Traffic Police has advised commuters travelling to Delhi to avoid using the Chilla route and instead take the DND or Kalindi Kunj route.

The farmers at the Delhi-Noida border belong to various districts of western Uttar Pradesh and want to reach the national capital to join the bigger stir launched by farmers of Punjab and Haryana against the Centre's agriculture reform laws.

"The Chilla route is obstructed due to the farmers' sit-in demonstration at the Noida-Delhi border. Kindly use alternative routes (DND or Kalindi Kunj) to reach your destination," the Noida Traffic Police tweeted. Hundreds of farmers affiliated to the Bharatiya Kisan Union and other groups had gathered at the border Tuesday evening where heavy security has been deployed on both Noida and Delhi sides which has prevented them from proceeding further. -- PTI

With 36,604 new COVID-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 94,99,414 With 501 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,38,122. Total active cases at 4,28,644 Total discharged cases at 89,32,647 with 43,062 new discharges in last 24 hours.

09:19 Cyclone Burevi: NRDF teams deployed in TN, Ker

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu and Alappuzha, Kerala, in view of Cyclone 'Burevi'.

Cyclonic Storm 'Burevi' is most likely to emerge into the Gulf of Mannar in the morning of December 3, and cross south Tamil Nadu between Kanyakumari and Pamban on the early morning of December 4, said India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday morning.

In view of the approaching cyclonic storm, a cyclone warning cage has been mounted on the Pamban bridge in Tamil Nadu.

'Cyclone Storm 'Burevi' lay cantered about 330 kilometres East-Southeast of Trincomalee. To cross Sri Lanka coast close to Trincomalee on December 2 evening or night. To emerge into Gulf of Mannar on December 3, morning and cross south Tamil Nadu between Kanyakumari and Pamban on the early morning of December 4,' tweeted IMD.

Last week Cyclone Nivar had hit Tamil Nadu. -- ANI

09:07 Yogi to launch 200 cr LMC bond at BSE shortly

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will ring the bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai shortly for the listing of the bond of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC).

'A new chapter will be written in the development history of UP, CM Shri @myogiadityanath Ji to ring the bell at @BSEIndia in Mumbai today for listing of bond of Lucknow Municipal Corporation. LMC's bonds have witnessed an astounding oversubscription since it's launch,' said Yogi Adityanath Office in a tweet.

The UP CM is in Mumbai to launch a Rs 200 crores Lucknow Municipal bond at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Wednesday and meet several industrialists.

Uttar Pradesh cabinet ministers Siddarth Nath Singh, Ashutosh Tandon, and Additional Chief Secretary (Information Department) Navneet Sehgal visited BSE on Tuesday to oversee the preparations for the listing ceremony.

On Tuesday, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar called on Yogi Adityanath at a city hotel to discuss the immense possibilities of film shoots in the northern state.

According to the release issued by the UP's Information and Public Relations Department, the Chief Minister spoke at length to the Kesari actor about the innumerable possibilities for film shoots in Uttar Pradesh. -- ANI

A woman media professional on Tuesday accused Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of passing off on Twitter a poem written by her as one written by his wife Sadhna Singh after the death of his father-in-law.

While the state Congress leaders slammed Chouhan for alleged plagiarism, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party refused to comment.

In a tweet on November 22, Chouhan shared a few lines of a poem titled 'Bauji' (father) on his Twitter handle, stating that it was written by his wife to express her feelings after the last rites of his father-in-law.

Bhumika Birthare, who claims to be a TV anchor/reporter, took to Twitter on Monday to assert that it was her poem.

'I am like your niece, what will you get by stealing my poem. This poem was written by me. Hope you will not violate my rights as 'Mama' is known for protecting the rights,' she said, tagging the chief minister.

Chouhan is popularly known as 'Mama-ji'.

According to Birthare, she had posted the same poem on social media with a title 'Daddy' on November 20.

Besides Chouhan, she also tagged Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath.

In a Facebook post she also claimed that she was getting calls from police who wanted to know her location, and demanded security.

Congress leader Arun Yadav shared Birthare's tweets and said the BJP was expert in changing names.

'Earlier they used to change the name of the schemes introduced by the Congress regime, but now the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is showing off a poem written by somebody else as that of his wife's,' said Yadav, a former Union minister.

K K Mishra, another Congress leader, also shared Birthare's post.

State BJP spokespersons refused to comment on the issue when contacted. -- PTI

08:17 Farmers' stir: Northern Railway cancels trains

New Delhi [India], December 2 (ANI): Due to agitation being conducted by farmers of Punjab, some trains run by Northern Railway have been cancelled/short terminated/short-originated/diverted.

The 09613 Ajmer-Amritsar express special train journey commencing on December 2 will remain cancelled.

Consequently, the 09612 Amritsar - Ajmer special train commencing on December 3 will also remain cancelled.

The 05211 Dibrugarh- Amritsar express special train commencing on December 3 will remain cancelled. Consequently, the 05212 Amritsar - Dibrugarh special train commencing on December 3 will also remain cancelled.

The 04998/04997 Bhatinda - Varanasi- Bhatinda express special train will remain cancelled till further order.

The 02715 Nanded - Amritsar express commencing on December 2 will be short terminated at New Delhi.

The 02925 Bandra Terminus - Amritsar express commencing on December 2 will be short terminated at Chandigarh.

The 04650/74 Amritsar - Jaynagar express commencing on December 2 will be diverted to run via Amritsar - Tarntaran - Beas.

The 08215 Durg - Jammu Tawi express commencing on December 2 will be diverted to run via Ludhiana Jallandhar Cantt- Pathankot Cantonment.

The 08216 Jammu Tawi - Durg express commencing on December 4 will be diverted to run via Pathankot Cantt - Jalandhar Cantt - Ludhiana. -- ANI

United States President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, alleging massive election fraud and major absentee ballot abuse, in a longshot attempt to overturn his Democratic rival Joe Biden's win in the battleground state.

Biden was confirmed on Monday as winner in Wisconsin following a partial recount.

The lawsuit includes four cases with "clear evidence of unlawfulness", such as illegally altering absentee ballot envelopes, counting ballots that had no required application, overlooking unlawful claims of indefinite confinement, and holding illegal voting events called Democracy in the Park, the Trump Campaign said.

"These unlawful actions affected no less than approximately 221,000 ballots out of over the three million ballots cast in Wisconsin," it said in a statement.

"As we have said from the very beginning of this process, we want all legal votes and only legal votes to be counted. Americans must be able to trust in our election results, and we not stop until we can ensure voters once again have faith in our electoral process," said Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor and personal attorney to President Trump.

The people of Wisconsin deserve election processes with uniform enforcement of the law, plain and simple, said Jim Troupis, counsel to the campaign.

"During the recount in Dane and Milwaukee counties, we know with absolute certainty illegal ballots have unduly influenced the state's election results. Wisconsin cannot allow the over three million legal ballots to be eroded by even a single illegal ballot, he said.

"We will continue fighting on behalf of the American people to defend their right to a free and fair election by helping to restore integrity and transparency in our elections," Troupis said.

The lawsuit alleges that the Wisconsin Elections Commission directed municipal clerks to illegally alter incomplete absentee ballot envelopes contrary to Wisconsin law.

Clerks were instructed that they could rely on their own "personal knowledge," or unspecified "lists or databases at his or her disposal" to add in missing information on returned absentee ballots. Under Wisconsin law, incomplete absentee ballots must be corrected by the voter, and only the voter or they may not be counted, it alleged.

In another example, municipal clerks issued absentee ballots to voters without requiring the mandatory application, in direct conflict with Wisconsin's absentee voting safeguards.

Wisconsin law expressly requires that absentee ballots may not be issued without receiving a written application requesting the ballot. Despite clear statute, clerks in Madison and Milwaukee issued thousands of absentee ballots without collecting a written application during the two-week in-person absentee voting period that ran from October 20, 2020, through November 1, 2020, the lawsuit alleged.

Voter identification is an essential requirement in Wisconsin to ensure only eligible voters cast ballots.

In Madison and Milwaukee, voters were fraudulently permitted by election officials to circumvent voter ID laws and claim an absentee voting status that is only to be used for voters who are indefinitely confined under the circumstances that they are physically ill, infirm, elderly, or disabled, it said. -- PTI

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