LIVE! Protesting farmer dies of heart attack

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Fri, 01 January 2021

Protesting farmer dies of heart attack

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22:46 Protesting farmer dies of heart attack

A 57-year-old farmer died of heart attack while protesting against the Centre's farm laws at the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad on Friday.

Mohar Singh, a resident of Bhagwanpur Nangal village in Baghpat district, was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead, an official said.

Indirapuram DSP Anshu Jain told PTI that as per medical information, the farmer died of a heart attack.

Commenting on the incident, the state president of the BKU, Rajbir Singh, said all those farmers who died during the protest against the farm laws must get the status of a martyr.

The body was wrapped in a BKU flag. BKU leader Rakesh Tikait paid homage to him.

On the eve of the New Year, a tribute was paid to all farmers who died during the protest.

A candlelight march was also brought out. -- PTI

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) expert panel recommends grant of permission for restricted emergency use of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield in India, sources said.

The panel has asked Bharat Biotech to expedite volunteer recruitment, recommends interim efficacy analysis for Covaxin, they said. -- PTI

20:13 Soldier killed in Pak firing, shelling in J-K

An army man was killed as Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled forward posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Friday, officials said.

Firing and mortar shelling from across the LoC was reported in the Nowshera sector of the district around 3.30 pm and at 5.30 pm, they said.

Indian troops are retaliating to the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the officials said.

"At about 1530 hours today, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in the Nowshera sector in district Rajouri," a defence spokesman said.

Indian army retaliates befittingly, he said.

Pakistan again shelled the Nowshera sector at 5.30 pm, the officials said.

Naib Subedar Ravinder was critically injured in the 5.30 pm incident and he later succumbed, the spokesman said.

He was a brave, highly motivated and a sincere soldier.

The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty, the spokesman said.

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 5,100 instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in 2020, the highest in the past 18 years with an average of 14 cases daily, according to official sources.

In these ceasefire violations, 36 people, including 24 security personnel, were killed and over 130 injured, as per data.

Security officials said that shelling and firing by Pakistani troops was 'very heavy' in 2020, virtually making the 2003 India-Pakistan border truce 'redundant'.

"Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted forwards posts and villages along the LoC and the International Border to create a fear psychosis among the people and destabilise peace along the borders," a senior police officer said. -- PTI

Resolute in their demands for the repeal of three new farm laws and a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops, protesting farmer unions on Friday said they will have to take firm steps if the government does not take a decision in their favour in the next meeting scheduled for January 4.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, farmer leaders warned of multiple actions if their main demands are not met.

They said that only five per cent of the issues raised by them have so far been discussed in meetings with the government.

"If the January 4 meeting with the government fails to end the deadlock, we will announce dates for shutting all malls, petrol pumps in Haryana," farmer leader Vikas told reporters.

Farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur on the Haryana-Rajasthan border will also move towards the national capital, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav said.

Another leader Yudhveer Singh said that a tractor march will be held on January 6 if no concrete decision is taken in the next round of talks.

After the sixth round of formal negotiations on Wednesday, the government and farm unions reached some common ground to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

After the talks between three union ministers and a 41-member representative group of thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi borders, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said at least 50 per cent resolution has been reached with mutual agreement on two out of four items on the agenda and discussions would continue on the remaining two on January 4 at 2 pm.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against these three new laws.

The government has presented these laws as major agriculture reforms aimed at helping farmers and increasing their income, but the protesting unions fear that the new legislations have left them at the mercy of big corporates by weakening the MSP and mandi systems.

19:19 ITBP chief tours LAC posts in Uttarakhand

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief S S Deswal is touring frontier areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Uttarakhand as part of a move to review security preparedness and boost the morale of troops deployed there, a senior official said on Friday.

The director general of the border guarding force visited the Mana post located at a height of 11,000 feet and the ITBP base in Joshimath in the border district of Chamoli as part of a four-day tour that began on Tuesday, he said.

Addressing his men at 'sainik sammelans (meeting with troops)' held in Mana and Joshimath, Deswal said the 'nation was grateful to them for their commitment and dedication towards duty and safeguarding the borders in the tough climatic conditions' of the Himalayan region.

"The DG stressed on the need to focus on health and urged all personnel to keep fitness as their top priority. He also told jawans to ensure that they undertake 2-3 hours of exercise daily for leading a healthy life in the tough mountainous terrain," a force spokesperson quoted him as saying.

The troops also interacted with the DG and shared with him the problems they face, including deployment of at least one helicopter sortie per month for their high-altitude posts so that fresh rations can be brought in and sick troops sent down for treatment.

Deswal also visited Badrinath and Auli located in the same region, and he led a 20-km-long trek with his skiers and personnel to the Gurson top located at a height of 12,460 feet, the spokesperson added.

Auli in Joshimath is also the base for the forces' Mountaineering and Skiing Institute.

The 90,000-strong force is primarily tasked with guarding the nearly 3,488-km-long LAC with China, that runs from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh on India's eastern flank, apart from rendering a variety of internal security duties.

The paramilitary force along with the Army is engaged in an standoff with the Chinese military in the Ladakh region at present. -- PTI

18:53 Pak temple destruction: India lodges protest

India has lodged a protest with Pakistan over the vandalisation of a Hindu temple in Karak district in the northwest Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said on Friday.

The protest was conveyed to Pakistan through diplomatic channels, they said.

On Wednesday, the temple was vandalised by a mob, protesting against its expansion work.

Over 30 people, mostly members of a radical Islamist party, were arrested over the attack, Pakistani officials said on Thursday.

The attack on the temple in Terri village of Karak district drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and Hindu community leaders.

On Thursday, the provincial government ordered authorities to reconstruct the damaged temple as it vowed to bring the culprits to justice.

According to the local police, they arrested more than 30 people, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Rehmat Salam Khattak, in overnight raids.

Over 350 people have been named in the FIR, Provincial Police Chief KPK Sanaullah Abbasi has said.

Abbasi said all the sections of law relating to terrorism have been included in the FIR against the accused.

Pakistan's Supreme Court took note of the attack on Thursday and ordered the local authorities to appear before the court on January 5. -- PTI

Ahead of the dry-run for COVID-19 vaccine in the national capital, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday held a review meeting with the Delhi government officials for the preparations of the mock drill, which is scheduled for January 2.

The minister was speaking to the Delhi government officials via video-conference.

He said the procedure of the vaccination drive is similar to the election preparations.

"The procedure of the vaccination drive is the same as the election. In any election, we train people at the booth the same way. We need more manpower so we have to train the people here who can look after the proposed beneficiaries," Vardhan said.

"Over 2,000 master trainers at the national level have been trained. Training at state and district level is underway in over 700 districts," the minister added.

Regarding the target of the vaccination drive, Vardhan said, in this mock drill every detail will be covered.

"Aim of this exercise is to ensure that the minute details are thoroughly researched. Cold storage, temperature, electricity and arrangement of the injections, staff and the challenges, which will come forward during the drive will be studied in the drill," he said.

Vardhan said at least two vaccine makers have sent their applications to Drug Controller and experts for approval and the details are being studied thoroughly. Simultaneously, we are preparing the medical staff for the drive.

"Doctors, medical staff, frontline workers who will be working under this drive are listed up and the list will be uploaded on COVID-19 platform," he said.

"The dry-run for coronavirus vaccine will be held at Daryaganj, GTB Hospital and one private hospital in Delhi," he said.

Vardhan hoped that 2021 will be better than 2020. -- ANI

The Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex, which was closed for public viewing since March 13 last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, will reopen from January 5, an official statement said on Friday.

It will be open on all days except Monday and government holidays.

However, visitors will not be able to make bookings on the spot.

They will have to book their slots in advance.

'On the spot booking facility, which was previously available, is temporarily suspended,' the statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

To maintain the social distancing norms, four time slots have been fixed between 9.30 am and 11 am, 11.30 am and 1.00 pm, 1.30 pm and 3 pm, and 3.30 pm and 5 pm with a maximum limit of 25 visitors, it said.

As earlier, nominal registration charges of Rs 50 per visitor will be levied, it added. Visitors can book their slots online by visiting https://presidentofindia.nic.in or https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in/ or https://rbmuseum.gov.in/.

During the tour, visitors have to follow COVID protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

They will also be required to have the Aarogya Setu app installed on their mobile phones, the statement said.

'People vulnerable to COVID-19 are discouraged for the tour,' it added.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex is an event-based storytelling museum that showcases the exquisite and invaluable artefacts symbolising art, culture, heritage and history, the statement said. -- PTI

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) expert panel is set to recommend approving Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield for emergency use in India, PTI reports citing sources.

More details awaited.

16:27 Exit gates at 4 Delhi metro stations shut

Anticipating large gatherings on New Year's Day, exit gates at four metro stations in central Delhi were closed on Friday afternoon by authorities.

Every year, revellers gather at Connaught Place, Khan Market and other prominent places, which are adjacent to metro station, to ring in the new year, by shopping and dining out.

However, due to COVID-19 situation, authorities have urged people to not crowd around and avoid public gatherings, especially in view of the new strain of coronavirus which was detected recently.

'Exit gates of Khan Market, Supreme Court, Central Secretariat and Mandi House are closed. Entry and interchange is permitted at these stations,' the DMRC tweeted.

COVID-19 safety norms like wearing mask and maintaining social distancing are in place in view of the pandemic, so the crowd should not get too big, a senior official said.

The Delhi government has also imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on December 31 and January 1 to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations due to COVID-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain.

The DMRC's current operational network spans about 390 km with 285 stations across 11 corridors (including NOIDA Greater NOIDA line).

On regular days, the average daily ridership of the Delhi Metro is over 26 lakh. -- PTI

15:22 MP cabinet to be expanded for 3rd time in 1 yr

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh cabinet will be expanded on January 3, an official said on Friday.

This is the third expansion of the state cabinet after Chouhan took over as the chief minister for the fourth term in March 2020.

The cabinet expansion is expected to take place around 12.30 pm on Sunday, the official said.

After that, the newly-appointed Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Mohammad Rafiq, will take oath around 3 pm, he added.

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel, who is holding the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh will administer the oath of office to the new ministers and the chief justice.

Rafiq is currently the chief justice of Orissa high court and was transferred in the same capacity to the MP high court on December 31.

The talks of the cabinet expansion started gaining ground soon after the results of the bypolls to 28 Assembly seats held on November 3.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party had won 19 of those seats, the opposition Congress had bagged nine.

This increased the BJP's strength in the 230-member House to 126, while the Congress's tally became 96.

Out of the 19 winners of the ruling BJP, 15 were those who had quit the Congress following a similar move by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later joined the saffron party.

Two Scindia loyalists Tulsiram Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput, who were in the cabinet and were forced to resign on technical grounds in the run-up to the by-polls as the mandatory six months period to get elected to the state assembly got over for them after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the elections.

Both of them are likely to make a comeback to the cabinet.

Three incumbent ministers -- Aidal Singh Kansana, Imarti Devi and Girraj Dandotiya -- had lost the bypolls, due to which they have to quit the cabinet. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said his disgruntled brother and Trinamool Congress leader Soumendu -- recently removed from the post of administrator at Contai Municipality -- will join the saffron camp along with a host of other members from the state's ruling party.

Asserting that the TMC, of which he was a part till about a month ago, will disintegrate soon, Adhikari, during a meeting here in Purba Medinipur, claimed that Soumendu, together with a few councillors and 5,000 TMC workers, will switch over to the saffron party later in the day.

"My younger brother Soumendu will join the BJP in Contai today. He will be accompanied by several councillors and 5,000 TMC grassroot workers. The TMC will steadily disintegrate," Adhikari said in Nandigram on the occasion of the Mamata Banerjee-led party's Foundation Day.

Soumendu had on Thursday said lotus will bloom in every home, hinting that he would join the saffron party, following in his brother's footsteps.

The Adhikari household has two other members in the TMC camp -- MPs Dibyendu and Sisir. -- PTI

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti sought on Friday an impartial investigation into the killing of three youths in an alleged fake encounter in Srinagar two days ago and demanded that the bodies be returned to their families.

In a letter to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Mufti said such incidents brought 'disrepute' to the armed forces and are 'a grave violation' of human rights.

'I am sure you are aware of the unfortunate incident at Parimpora on 30th December. Three boys, the youngest being all of 17 years old, were killed in what the family has alleged to be a staged gunfight,' she said.

'Questions are also looming over this encounter & there are conflicting versions & reports from police & the army. Justice can be served only if its swift & therefore I request you to initiate an impartial investigation into the matter immediately,' the former chief minister said.

Police had claimed on Wednesday to have killed three militants in an overnight encounter in Parimpora area of Srinagar, but families of the slain youths said they had no connection with militancy and that two of them were students.

Mufti said the incident comes close on the heels of police filing a charge sheet against an Army officer and two others in connection with the killing of three men from Rajouri district in an alleged fake encounter at Amshipora in Shopian last July.

The PDP leader said she and the lieutenant governor might not be on the same page on most political matters, 'but I am certain we agree that such incidents bring disrepute to the armed forces and are a grave violation of human rights'.

Mufti said while she was aware that the administration was apprehensive about returning the bodies of the three youths killed in Srinagar to their families, 'this callous decision will only exacerbate their sense of loss and pain'.

'One hopes that you will rethink this decision and allow them to get closure. A mother who grieves the sudden & tragic death of her beloved son shouldn't be deprived of the last chance to see his face. Nor does she deserve to have to beg for his dead body. This is simply inhuman & unacceptable,' she said in the letter.

Mufti urged Sinha to intervene and ensure that the families get a chance to perform the last rites as per their wishes.

Meanwhile, Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi spoke to Sinha on Thursday evening over the issue, the National Conference said, adding that the Lt Governor has assured an impartial inquiry into the incident. -- PTI

13:41 Govt frees Covid vaccine import/export of caps

The government has allowed import and export of COVID-19 vaccines without any value limitation, in order to ensure speedy clearance and distribution.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has amended the regulations to facilitate the import/export of COVID-19 vaccines through courier, at locations where the Express Cargo Clearance System (ECCS) is operational.

'Imports of and exports of vaccines in relation to COVID-19 has been allowed without any value limitation,' said the amended Courier Imports and Exports (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Amendment Regulations, 2020.

The CBIC said that COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to Customs and other administrations the world over and efficient clearance and distribution of vaccines would be a critical requirement in the collective fight against the pandemic.

'The challenges in doing so is heightened by the fact that the vaccines need to be stored and transported under controlled temperatures and there are multiple stakeholders involved in this process. This necessitates putting in place efficient cross-border procedures for speedy evacuation of the vaccines,' the CBIC said.

The regulation further states that since the vaccines will be imported in durable containers equipped with the requisite temperature monitoring and tracking devices, the export of the durable container including accessories thereof, imported in relation to COVID-19 vaccines has also been permitted.

'Importers may be advised to indicate the unique identifier of the container and the accessories during import in the Courier Bill of Entry (CBE-V) and also at the time of re-export in the Courier Shipping Bill (CSB IV) for facilitating clearance,' it added.

The CBIC, in a letter to field offices, said since multiple stakeholders will be involved in the process of clearance of the vaccines, effective coordination among the stakeholders would be necessary.

It also asked for setting up of a task force, headed by a Joint/ Additional Commissioner of Customs rank officer and comprising relevant stakeholders, for a coordinated approach for efficient clearance of vaccines relating to COVID-19.

AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said global pharmaceutical companies are in advanced stages of bulk deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

'Eyeing global logistics and custom clearance challenges, the government has made some changes in Courier Imports and Exports Regulations, which includes permission to import and export of COVID-19 vaccines without any value limitation,' Mohan added. -- PTI

12:37 PM lays foundation for Light House Projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone of Light House Projects (LHPs) under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) via video conferencing.

Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh also took part in the ceremony.

As per an earlier statement, LHPs will be constructed at Indore, Rajkot, Chennai, Ranchi, Agartala and Lucknow, comprising about 1,000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities.

'The LHPs showcase the best of new-age alternate global technologies, materials and processes in the construction sector for the first time in the country at such a large scale.

'They are being constructed under GHTC-India which envisages to provide an eco system for the adoption of innovative technologies in the housing construction sector in a holistic manner,' the statement said.

The Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators - India (ASHA-India) initiative aims to promote domestic research and entrepreneurship by providing incubation and acceleration support to potential future technologies.

Under the initiative, five ASHA-India Centers have been set up for providing incubation and acceleration support.

The PMAY-U Mission was been designed to achieve the vision of 'Housing For All by 2022'.

In order to recognise the outstanding contribution by States, UTs, Urban Local Bodies and beneficiaries, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has introduced annual awards for excellence in implementation of PMAY-Urban.

The winners of PMAY(Urban) Awards-2019 will be felicitated during the event. -- ANI

Thousands of farmers stayed put at their protest venues near Delhi's border on Friday, braving a severe chill as the mercury dipped to 1.1 degrees Celsius on the New Year's Day, the lowest in 15 years, as talks with the government made little headway.

The government and the farm unions had reached some common ground on Wednesday to resolve the protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

After the sixth round of negotiations between three union ministers and a 41-member representative group of thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi borders, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said at least 50 per cent resolution has been reached with mutual agreement on two out of four items on the agenda and discussions would continue on the remaining two on January 4.

Security remained tight at the national capital's borders with hundreds of personnel deployed at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri border points, where the farmers have been camping for more than a month now.

The protests have also led to traffic congestions, forcing the police to divert vehicular movement.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, the Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters about the routes that remained closed owing to the agitation and suggested them to take alternative roads.

'Tikri, Dhansa Borders are closed for any Traffic Movement. Jhatikara Borders is open only for LMV (Cars/ Light Motor Vehicles), two wheelers and pedestrian movement,' it tweeted.

'The Chilla and Ghazipur Borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara, Bhopra & Loni Borders.

'Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli & Mangesh borders closed. Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders.

'Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44,' it said in a series of tweets.

'Available Open Borders to Haryana are Jharoda (Only Single Carriageway/Road), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera Borders,' the Delhi Traffic Police said in another tweet.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middleman and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has repeatedly asserted that the MSP and mandi systems will stay and has accused the Opposition of misleading the farmers. -- PTI

A severe cold wave swept Delhi on New Year's Day as the mercury plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years, and "very dense" fog lowered visibility to "zero" metres, affecting traffic movement.

On January 8, 2006, the city had recorded a minimum of 0.2 degree Celsius.

The lowest minimum temperature recorded in January last year was 2.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, said "very dense" fog lowered visibility to "zero" metres at Safdarjung and Palam at 6 am.

According to the IMD, "very dense" fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres. In case of "dense" fog, visibility is between 51 and 200 metres, "moderate" 201 and 500 metres, and "shallow" 501 and 1,000 metres.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in January in 14 years.

Delhi recorded a minimum of 3.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday. At 15.2 degrees Celsius, the city recorded the season's lowest maximum temperature on December 18.

Srivastava said the minimum temperature will start rising under the influence of an "intense" western disturbance which will affect northwest India from January 2 to January 6.

The minimum temperature is predicted to rise to 8 degrees Celsius by January 4-5.

Light rain is also expected in the national capital under the influence of the western disturbance from January 3 to January 5.

The western disturbance will lead to moderate snowfall in the western Himalayan region, the IMD said.

In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave is when the minimum is 2 degrees Celsius or less.

A cold wave is also declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal.

A "severe" cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure is more than 6.4 degrees. -- PTI

The daily new coronavirus infections in India remained below 30,000 for the 19th consecutive day taking the COVID-19 caseload to 1,02,86,709, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 98.83 lakh, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday.

A total of 20,035 new infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,48,994 with 256 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 98,83,461 pushing the national recovery rate to 96.08 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the 11th consecutive day.

There are 2,54,254 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 2.47 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 17,31,11,694 samples have been tested up to December 31 with 10,62,420 samples being tested on Thursday. -- PTI

10:09 Trump extends freeze on H-1B, other work visas

United States President Donald Trump has extended the freeze on the most sought-after H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas by three months to protect American workers, saying while therapeutics and COVID-19 vaccines are recently available, their effect on the labour market and community health has not yet been fully realised.

The decision will impact a large number of Indian IT professionals and several American and Indian companies who were issued H-1B visas by the US government for the fiscal year 2021 beginning October 1.

The freeze on various categories of work visas was ordered by Trump through two proclamations on April 22 and June 22 last year.

Hours before the freeze was set to expire on December 31, Trump issued another proclamation on Thursday to extend it until March 30.

He said that the reasons for which he had issued such a restriction has not changed.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

They would now have to wait at least till the end of March before approaching the US diplomatic missions to get stamping. It would also impact a large number of Indian IT professionals who are seeking renewal of their H-1B visas.

President Trump said that the effects of COVID-19 on the US labour market and the health of American communities is a matter of ongoing national concern, and the considerations present in the two previous proclamations have not been eliminated.

"The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to significantly disrupt Americans' livelihoods. While the November overall unemployment rate in the United States of 6.7 per cent reflects a marked decline from its April high, there were still 9,834,000 fewer seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in November than in February of 2020," Trump said in his proclamation.

The current number of new daily cases worldwide reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), for example, is higher than the comparable number present during June, and while therapeutics and vaccines are recently available for an increasing number of Americans, their effect on the labour market and community health has not yet been fully realised, he said.

"Moreover, actions such as States' continued imposition of restrictions on businesses still affect the number of workers that can be hired as compared with February of 2020," Trump said, adding that his latest proclamation may be extended if necessary. -- PTI

09:52 Stock markets open New Year on high note

Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty opened the New Year on a positive note with investors betting on IT, auto and select banking and financial stocks.

The benchmark BSE Sensex rose by 119.98 points or 0.25 per cent to 47,871.31 in early trade.

The broad-based NSE Nifty breached the 14,000 level by rising 38.60 points or 0.28 per cent to 14,020.35 in opening trade.

Led by Mahindra & Mahindra, auto stocks gained ahead of their monthly sales data. M&M rose the most among Sensex stocks by 2.3 per cent.

SBI, TCS, Infosys, Reliance, Larsen & Toubro and Bajaj Finance were among the major gainers.

Titan, ICICI bank and Sun Pharma dropped due to profit booking.

FPIs have been a major driver of the rally in Indian stock markets. According to exchange data, FPIs bought shares worth Rs 1,135.59 crore on a net basis on Thursday.

The indices finished the year 2020 with overall gains of around 15 per cent. The Sensex gained 15.7 per cent while the Nifty jumped 14.9 per cent in the year.

US markets also closed the COVID-19 pandemic-hit year with record highs on Thursday.

The S&P 500 index finished with a gain of 16.3 per cent for the year, the Nasdaq composite soared 43.6 per cent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 7.2 per cent. -- PTI

08:50 PM Modi greets nation on new year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the nation on the first day of the new year on Friday.

May the spirit of hope and wellness prevail, he wished.

"Wishing you a happy 2021! May this year bring good health, joy and prosperity. May the spirit of hope and wellness prevail," the prime minister tweeted.

08:10 WHO approves Pfizer vaccine for emergency use

The World Health Organization on Thursday granted emergency validation to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, paving the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve its import and distribution.

The global body said late Thursday that the decision to issue its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine "opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine."

The UN health agency said its review found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has already received clearance in the United States, Britain, the European Union and a dozen other countries, "met the must-have criteria for safety and efficacy set out by WHO."

The BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures, a big hurdle for developing countries where the required freezers and reliable electricity supply may not be available.

00:09 See in the New Year safely at home: British PM

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to mark New Year's Eve on Thursday from the safety of their homes as Britain's COVID-19 lockdown was expanded to place millions more under tougher restrictions amid a continuing spike in infection rates across the country.

While he welcomed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine's regulatory approval joining Pfizer/BioNTech jabs against the deadly virus from next week, Johnson said the new strain of the virus is spreading much faster and "surging" across the country resulting in a 40 per cent increase in cases in England in the last week alone.

"I must ask you to follow the rules where you live and see in the New Year safely at home. That means not meeting up with friends or family indoors, unless they are in the same household or support bubble, and avoiding large gatherings of any kind," said Johnson.

"We are still in the tunnel of this pandemic, the light however is not merely visible; thanks to an extraordinary feat of British engineering, if you like, the tunnel has been shortened and we are moving faster through it, and that gives me great confidence about the future in the spring, he said.

"So for now let's double our efforts, let's follow the rules, protect our NHS and together make 2021 the year we leave this tunnel behind us, he added.

"See in the New Year safely at home" messages are running across radio, print media and other advertising to remind people that one in three who have COVID-19 have no symptoms and as such the public should act like they have the virus to avoid spreading it without realising.

"I know how much we have all sacrificed this year and we cannot let up. Over 600,000 people have now been vaccinated and we are close to beating this virus," said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

"Now more than ever, we need to pull together to save lives and protect our NHS [National Health Service]. If we continue to do our bit by staying at home, we can get through this together, he said.

The minister laid out details of 23 further regions that have been brought under the tougher Tier 4 lockdown measures after a record 53,135 daily cases were registered on Wednesday, the majority of which are believed to be the new variant. It means a further 20 million people are under tighter restrictions, which involve a shutdown of hospitality venues, non-essential retail and indoor gatherings.

Some of the areas in lower tiers have also been bumped up to Tier 3, which also involves strict restrictions on mixing between different households.

UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced that the return of many schools will be delayed beyond the expected reopening from next week. Exam year students will return on January 11, with other secondary school students to follow a week later on January 18, to enable preparations for the testing of pupils and staff to take place. The minister, however, stressed that more than 85 per cent of primary schools will reopen as planned next Monday and that he wanted any closures to be "short".

Meanwhile, NHS England released latest figures to show that 786,000 people have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine between December 8 and 27. General Practitioners are to be offered 10 pounds for every care home resident vaccinated and frontline NHS staff will also be prioritised now that the Oxford jab has been approved for rollout from Monday.

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