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Fri, 04 December 2020
Withdraw cases against farmers: JJP to Anil Vij
Timeline Refresh
23:29 AP Legislature passes Disha Bill
The Andhra Pradesh Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill 2020, was passed in the State Legislature on Friday.
Though party chief Chandrababu Naidu called the Disha Bill a 'fake', the Telugu Desam supported it in the Legislative Council where it is in a majority.
The AP Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill 2020 did not contain any of the proposed clauses under which up to death penalty was sought to be made the punishment for sexual offenders.
During the five-day winter session, which ended on Friday, the government withdrew the AP Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill 2019and introduced a new Bill in its place. Home Minister M Sucharita had moved the Bill and the assembly hurriedly passed it by by voice vote on Thursday amid protest by the TDP and the Council completed the formality today.
The earlier Bill was sent to the Centre for approval.
The AP Government proposed drastic changes in theIndian Penal Code and also the Code of Criminal Procedure, pushing for completion of investigation in sexual assault cases in seven working days and trial within 14 working days from the date of filing the charge-sheet.
Official sources said the Centre, when the Bill was sent to it for the Presidents assent, did not approve the amendments and returned the Bill to the state. -- PTI
22:26 Withdraw cases against farmers: JJP to Anil Vij
Jannayak Janta Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party's coalition partner in Haryana, met Home Minister Anil Vij in Chandigarh on Friday and sought withdrawal of cases registered in the state against farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' march against the Centre's farm laws.
A three-member JJP delegation led by the party's state unit chief Nishan Singh met the state home minister. Senior party leader Digvijay Singh Chautala was also part of the delegation.
"We have requested the minister that the cases filed against the farmers during their movement to the national capital must be taken back immediately," Chautala said after the meeting.
He told reporters that the minister assured him of taking up the matter with Chief Minister M L Khattar.
The JJP is party of the farmers, Chautala said. "We all are connected with the ideology of Chaudhary Devi Lal, and it is our moral duty to stand with the farmers."
He added the party was hopeful of positive results from the talks being held between the Centre and the protesting farmers in Delhi.
Chautala had on Thursday said cases against farmers registered by the Haryana Police must be withdrawn to ensure that the situation does not worsen and no mistrust is created between the farmers and the government.
The JJP has been facing the opposition's ire for 'clinging to power' and not walking out of the alliance over the farmers' issues.
Haryana Police has booked state Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and several farmers on attempt to murder and rioting charges in Ambala.
Hundreds of farmers were booked on charges of rioting, participating in unlawful assembly, obstructing public servants from discharging their duty, damaging public property and violating various provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in Ambala, Panipat, Rohtak, Kaithal, Sirsa and other districts of the state a week ago.
The Congress has claimed that over 20,000 farmers in Haryana have been booked by the police for various violations during the 'Delhi Chalo' march.
Delhi's border points remained choked as thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab and other states held demonstrations for the ninth consecutive day, after Thursday's talks with the government failed to yield any resolution.
The farmer community has expressed apprehension that the new laws are 'anti-farmer', and would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the 'mercy' of big corporations.
However, the government maintains that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. -- PTI
A three-member JJP delegation led by the party's state unit chief Nishan Singh met the state home minister. Senior party leader Digvijay Singh Chautala was also part of the delegation.
"We have requested the minister that the cases filed against the farmers during their movement to the national capital must be taken back immediately," Chautala said after the meeting.
He told reporters that the minister assured him of taking up the matter with Chief Minister M L Khattar.
The JJP is party of the farmers, Chautala said. "We all are connected with the ideology of Chaudhary Devi Lal, and it is our moral duty to stand with the farmers."
He added the party was hopeful of positive results from the talks being held between the Centre and the protesting farmers in Delhi.
Chautala had on Thursday said cases against farmers registered by the Haryana Police must be withdrawn to ensure that the situation does not worsen and no mistrust is created between the farmers and the government.
The JJP has been facing the opposition's ire for 'clinging to power' and not walking out of the alliance over the farmers' issues.
Haryana Police has booked state Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and several farmers on attempt to murder and rioting charges in Ambala.
Hundreds of farmers were booked on charges of rioting, participating in unlawful assembly, obstructing public servants from discharging their duty, damaging public property and violating various provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in Ambala, Panipat, Rohtak, Kaithal, Sirsa and other districts of the state a week ago.
The Congress has claimed that over 20,000 farmers in Haryana have been booked by the police for various violations during the 'Delhi Chalo' march.
Delhi's border points remained choked as thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab and other states held demonstrations for the ninth consecutive day, after Thursday's talks with the government failed to yield any resolution.
The farmer community has expressed apprehension that the new laws are 'anti-farmer', and would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the 'mercy' of big corporations.
However, the government maintains that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. -- PTI
21:49 PTI photographer wins first prize at PII ICRC Annual Awards
Press Trust of India's Manvender Vashist has won the first prize in the best photograph' category in the PII ICRC Annual Awards for his picture capturing the dedication and courage of crematorium staff' during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Press Institute of India (PII), Chennai, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New Delhi, announced the winners of the annual awards for Best Article and Best Photograph at a virtual programme on Friday.
Vashist's evocative photograph, taken in June when New Delhi was under lockdown and people were fearful of stepping out of their homes, shows three people in PPE suits and a man in a mask while a COVID-19 patient, the body encased in plastic, is on the rails at a CNG crematorium in Nigambodh Ghat.
The man in the mask is crematorium staffer, 55-year-old Harinder Prashad, who is helping three relatives of the patient with the last rites, said Vashist, among those who overcame his fears to step out with his camera to document history as it unfolded in a city coming to terms with the unprecedented health crisis.
'In the Best Photograph category, Manvender Vashist of the Press Trust of India and Ashwin Prasath of The New Indian Express won the first and second prizes for their pictures... ,' PII-ICRC said in a statement.
The third prize went to Rinku Raj of Malayala Manorama.
The theme of the 14th edition of the awards was Superheroes: Battling at the Frontline in the Time of Crisis'.
The first prize in the Best Article category was awarded to Maitri Porecha for her article, Caught in crossfire: Martyred foot soldiers of India's War against TB.
The first, second and third place winners received Rs 100,000, Rs 70,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively.
This year, the awards hold special significance as we salute and pay our deepest regards to the hundreds of thousands of healthcare personnel, Red Cross volunteers, and first responders who continue to make extraordinary sacrifices in these unprecedented times as they step out of their homes every day to save people's lives and bring critical relief to those affected by the COVID-19 crisis, said Yahia Alibi, head of the regional delegation, ICRC, New Delhi, who was the chief guest.
PII director Sashi Nair noted that despite all odds, journalists are doing a great job in bringing stories to the fore.
There are also feel-good stories being reported.
But underlying all that is the passion to pursue good journalism, which indeed is heartening, he said. -- PTI
IMAGE: PTI photographer Manvender Vashist has won the first prize in the best photograph category in the PII ICRC Annual Awards for his picture capturing the dedication and courage of crematorium staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, in New Delhi. Vashists evocative photograph, taken on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, when the city was under lockdown and people were fearful of stepping out of their homes, shows three people in PPE suits and a man in a mask while a COVID-19 patient, the body encased in plastic, is on the rails at a CNG crematorium in Nigambodh Ghat. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo
21:41 Don't call farmers Khalistanis: EGI to media
The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Friday expressed concerns over the news coverage of the farmers' protests in Delhi, saying certain sections of the media were delegitimising the stir by labelling them 'Khalistanis' and 'anti-nationals' without any evidence.
This goes against the tenets of responsible and ethical journalism, and such actions compromise the credibility of the media, it said in a statement.
'The Editors Guild of India is concerned about the news coverage of the farmers' protest in the national capital, wherein certain sections of the media have been labelling them as 'Khalistanis', 'anti-nationals', and other such terms to delegitimise the protests without any evidence or proof,' the EGI said.
The body also advised media organisations to be fair and balanced in reporting the protests.
'EGI advises media organisations to display fairness, objectivity and balance in reporting farmers' protests, without displaying partisanship against those who are exercising their constitutional rights to express themselves. Media should not be complicit to any narrative that derogates dissent stereotypes protestors based on their attire and ethnicity,' the statement issued by EGI president Seema Mustafa said. -- PTI
21:38 Terrorists attack DDC poll candidate in J-K
In the first attack on a District Development Council (DDC) election contestant in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists shot at and injured an Apni Party candidate in Anantnag district on Friday, police said.
Aneesul Islam Ganaie was shot at by the terrorists in Sagam area of Kokernag in the south Kashmir district, a police official said.
Ganaie, who is contesting the ongoing DDC polls on an Apni Party ticket, sustained minor injuries to his hand and leg.
"Today at about 1200 hours Anantnag police received information about a terror crime incident at Sagam Kokernag area of District Anantnag, where terrorists had fired upon a DDC candidate. Senior police officers immediately reached the terror crime spot," a police spokesperson said.
This was the first attack on a candidate contesting the eight-phase DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir being held from November 28 to December 19.
The spokesperson said Ganaie was allocated cluster accommodation in Khanabal.
"After the end of the scrutiny period, Ganaie was instructed to get escort personnel for campaigning purposes which he did not take," he added.
The police spokesperson said all the candidates have already been instructed to inform the police before going out for campaigning.
"The information regarding Ganaie's movement was neither conveyed to PCR nor to concerned police station," he added.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar has requested all the candidates and vulnerable people to inform concerned PCRs or police stations as and when they are desirous of going for poll campaign or other such movements so that appropriate security arrangements are accordingly provided to them, he said.
Meanwhile, several political parties including the Apni Party and Communist Party of India-Marxist leader M Y Tarigami condemned the attack. -- PTI
20:55 Farm reforms not done in a jiffy: FM
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the farm reform legislations were brought in after elaborate stakeholder consultations and a lot of homework, and will benefit farmers.
Asserting that the reforms were not done in a jiffy, she said the agriculture minister is meeting farmers with an open mind and hoped that a solution will be found soon.
"Between 2014-2020, we have proven that we take MSP (Minimum Support Price) seriously," she said.
Sitharaman said that the agriculture ministry has gone through the process of talking to stakeholders and these are the things that have been in discussions for very long time.
She also said that national parties, state level parties have all mentioned it at different times that these are reforms which were long awaited.
"Many Parliamentary committees have also discussed some aspects... it is not something which is just done in a jiffy. They have gone through the grind for sometime," she said.
Sitharaman said that if there are farmers who have some doubt, "I am glad the agriculture minister is engaging in a meaningful conversation with them with an open mind. I am sure something will come out of it."
On MSP, she said that between 2014 and 2020, compared to similar numbers of years previously, the government has proven that it takes MSP 'seriously'.
"We procure under MSP much more than what the earlier governments' have done. We have allotted and also directly given the farmers a lot more money under MSP than what was done before," she noted.
"More money, more crops being procured only proves that the intention of the government has been that MSP continues, APMCs continue. So doubts on those need not be there," the minister said.
The government and the agitating farmer unions have so far failed to end the standoff over the new farm laws as the protestors have refused to budge on their demands.
Another round of discussions is scheduled to be held on Saturday in a bid for a resolution.
Enacted in September, the laws have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehensions that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and scrap the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain. -- PTI
20:19 Those in touch with Oppn free to leave: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday issued a stern warning against 'anti-party activities' and said Trinamool Congress leaders in touch with the opposition are free to quit the ruling party in the state.
Although the TMC supremo did not take any name, party sources said that her jibe was at disgruntled leader Suvendu Adhikari, who has recently resigned from her cabinet, and a few other MLAs who have spoken out against the party top brass.
"At a party meeting held during the day, Banerjee said that if one leader quits the party, she can create a lakh more such leaders," a senior TMC leader said on condition of anonymity.
She also spoke with Suvendu Adhikari's father and Purba Medinipur TMC chief and Kanthi MP Sisir Adhikari and asked him to rein in anti-party activities and sack the 'traitors' from the party's district unit.
"Sisir da said he will look into it," the TMC leader said.
Banerjee extended her support to the farmers' agitation in north India against the new farm laws and asked the TMC's farmers' wing to stage a three-day sit-in demonstration in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in central Kolkata from December 8.
"She said that anti-party activities will not be tolerated and those in touch with the opposition camp are free to leave the party.
"Banerjee said those in the TMC have to abide by the norms and rules laid down in the party constitution and no one is above the party," the TMC leader said.
Sending a strong message to a section of the party leaders who have been vocal against the leadership and the government, Banerjee said during the video conference with the TMC leaders that those speaking against the party are free to leave rather than 'weakening it from inside'.
The rift between the TMC and Suvendu Adhikari widened on Thursday, with the party describing the rapprochement efforts as a 'closed chapter' and the disgruntled leader taking potshots at its top brass.
During the four-hour-long party meeting which began at 2 pm on Friday, Banerjee spoke about how the TMC was built from scratch in 1998 and narrated the initial days of struggle.
She also unveiled a new outreach programme 'Bangodhwani' (voice of West Bengal) to inform people about the development work undertaken by the TMC government during the 10 years of its rule in the state, sources said.
During the outreach programme, which will be conducted from December 11 to 24, party leaders and cadre will reach out to the people in every nook and corner of the state.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are due in April-May next year. -- PTI
19:44 Chargesheet filed against Arnab in suicide case
The police on Friday filed a chargesheet against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and two others in a 2018 abetment of suicide case.
The chargesheet was filed before a court in Alibaug in Raigad district, where the case for alleged abetment of suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud has been registered.
Besides Goswami, the other two accused named in the chargesheet are Firoze Sheikh and Nitish Sarda, said special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat.
As many as 65 persons are named as witnesses, he added.
Incidentally, Goswami had moved the Bombay high court on Thursday seeking a stay on the filing of the chargesheet, but the petition is yet to be heard.
Goswami, Sheikh and Sarda were arrested by the Alibaug police on November 4 in the case, but they got bail from the Supreme Court on November 11.
Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud committed suicide in 2018, allegedly because of non-payment of dues by firms of Goswami and the other two accused.
The case, closed for want of evidence in 2019, was reopened in May this year, with Goswami alleging that the Maharashtra government was pursuing a vendetta against him for his work as a TV journalist.
-- PTI
19:14 Mallya's assets in France worth Rs 14 cr seized
Businessman Vijay Mallya's property worth Rs 14 crore located in France has been seized under the anti-money laundering law, the Enforcement Directorate said on Friday.
It said the action was undertaken by French authorities 'on the request of the Enforcement Directorate' and the property is located at 32 Avenue FOCH in France.
The value of the seized asset is Euro 1.6 million that is worth about Rs 14 crore, the central probe agency said in a statement. Investigations conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act revealed that a large amount was remitted abroad from the bank account of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. (KAL) for creation of the asset, it said.
Mallya, an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, is in the UK since March 2016.
He is on bail on an extradition warrant executed three years ago by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017.
The Centre had on October 5 told the apex court that Mallya cannot be extradited to India until a separate secret legal process in the UK, which is judicial and confidential in nature, is resolved. -- PTI
19:10 Former J-K interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma passes away
Administrator of Lakshadweep Dineshwar Sharma passed away on Friday due to lung-related complications, officials said. He was 66.
Sharma, a former director of the Intelligence Bureau, was appointed as the administrator of Lakshadweep in October 2019.
Prior to this, he was an interlocutor for the Centre to Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the death of Sharma.
'Administrator of Lakshadweep Shri Dineshwar Sharma Ji made long lasting contributions to India's policing and security apparatus. He handled many sensitive counter terror and insurgency ops during his policing career. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family. Om Shanti,' Modi tweeted.
In his tweet, Shah said: 'Deeply anguished to learn about the passing away of Administrator of Lakshadweep Shri Dineshwar Sharma ji. He served the nation with utmost devotion as a dedicated officer of the Indian Police Service. My heartfelt condolences to his family in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.'
Sharma was a 1976-batch IPS officer and belonged to the Kerala cadre. -- PTI
K Chandrasekhar Rao
18:34 TRS looks set to win Hyderabad civic poll
The ruling TRS looked all set to retain control of the city civic body, winning 41 of the 150 seats so far, while the BJP's high profile campaign appeared to have paid off, with the party winning 22.
The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM continued its dominance in its traditional stronghold of the old city of Hyderabad, winning 34, as per the latest trends following the counting of votes, polled on December 1.
The Congress was a distant third, winning just two seats.
The TRS was leading in at least 15 other wards, while the BJP was ahead in about 25 seats.
The BJP's performance, if the present trend holds, leading to the saffron party possibly netting a significant number of seats, will be seen as a massive improvement against its 2016 show of winning just four seats, in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) then.
The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti swept the elections four years ago, winning 99 of the 150 wards.
The BJP's impressive show is a huge morale booster for the saffron party as it comes soon after its victory in last month's bypoll to the Dubbak assembly constituency.
-- PTI
17:59 Farmer leader calls for Bharat bandh on Dec 8
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikat gives a call of one-day Bharat bandh on December 8.
"One-day Bharat bandh has been called on December 8 to protest against the three farm laws.
"Tomorrow, we will attend the meeting called by the government," Tikait said at Ghazipur (Delhi)-Ghaziabad (UP) border.
More details awaited. -- ANI
17:31 Why Dharmendra deleted tweet on farmers' protest
Veteran actor Dharmendra on Friday urged the central government to find a solution to farmers' protests over the farm laws, a day after he deleted a similar post on Twitter. On Thursday, the 84-year-old actor had urged the government to resolve the protests soon, citing the growing number of coronavirus cases in Delhi.
"I request the government... please quickly find a solution the farmers' problems... the number of corona cases are on a rise in Delhi... it is painful," Dharmendra had written in a post.
However, the veteran actor soon deleted the post, without any explanation. On Friday morning, a user posted the screenshot of the tweet, wondering what prompted the actor to delete the tweet. Dharmendra said, "I deleted the tweet because I felt saddened by comments like these. You can abuse me to your heart's content, I am happy that you are happy. Yes, I am sad for my farmer brothers."
The "Apne" actor further said, "The government should find a solution fast, nobody is listening to us." When another user claimed that he must have deleted the post on the insistence of his son, actor and BJP MP from Gurdaspur Sunny Deol, Dharmendra replied, "I won't say anything about your mentality. -- PTI
17:16 Plea in SC to remove protesting farmers over Covid fears
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking its directions for immediate removal of the protesting farmers from the borders of the national capital in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, advocate on record Om Prakash Parihar said on Friday.
Advocate Om Prakash Parihar, the advocate on record for the petitioner, said that the petition has been filed in view of the fact that the protests may pose a risk of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic in the national capital and across the country.
This comes as thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at the gates of the national capital against the recent farm laws passed by the Central government.
Meanwhile, farmer leaders and the Centre are engaged in talks to resolve their differences.
The farmers are protesting against The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. -- PTI
17:13 US 1 step away from delisting Chinese firms
The US government is just one step away from enacting a law that could 'kick' several Chinese firms off Wall Street, which can further escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a Bill that would prevent companies that refuse to open their books to US accounting regulators from trading on US Stock exchanges, which only needs President Donald Trump's signature to become law, reported CNN.
The Bill states that the companies would be removed from the US exchanges after three years if they did not provide US regulators access to their audit information.
Though the Bill would apply to any foreign country, the focus on China is obvious, as Beijing has resisted such scrutiny. All US-listed public companies would also be required to disclose whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government, including China's Communist Party.
According to CNN, the bipartisan co-sponsors of the legislation said earlier this year that their goal was to 'kick deceitful Chinese companies off US exchanges'.
The US scrutiny intensified following a scandal involving Luckin Coffee, the Chinese coffee firm that disclosed massive accounting irregularities this spring. It was kicked off at the NASDAQ in June.
Politicians from both parties in the US have criticised China's lack of transparency in its financial system, saying it could be putting American investors at risk of fraud.
This legislation would give Trump yet another way to put pressure on China before he leaves office in January.
The Trump administration has targeted companies like TikTok and forced Huawei into a fight for survival and banned Americans from investing in some Chinese firms, while several Chinese companies have been preparing contingency plans in light of the heightened scrutiny from the United States, reported CNN.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, tensions have been rising between the two countries over the issue of trade, Hong Kong legislation, origins' of the virus and Beijing's rising military aggression.
Amid the escalation, the State Department under Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pursued staunch policy measures against the Chinese government, CNN reported.
On Thursday, the Trump administration has reduced the US visitor visas validity period for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and their family members from 10 years to one month.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) on the same day blacklisted four more Chinese firms from accessing military tech, labelling them as being controlled by the communist nation's military.
These moves are among the series of actions taken by the Trump administration, setting a tone for the US President-elect Joe Biden taking office in the month of January. -- ANI
17:01 MLC results show picture in Maha changed: Pawar
The results of biennial polls to the Legislative Council show that the political situation in Maharashtra has changed, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here on Friday.
As of Friday afternoon, candidates of the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress `Maha Vikas Aghadi' (MVA) had won three out of five constituencies while in one place its candidate was leading. Pawar said the result of the byelection to Dhule-Nandurbar seat, where the BJP's Amrish Patel won, was expected.
"He resigned (from the Congress) and contested. He had support from one big section which continued to support him in the election, so it can not be a real victory," Pawar said. But the results of the remaining constituencies where the MVA won was a reflection of the MVA government's performance, he said.
"The picture has changed in the state," he added. Asked about state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil's statement that the outcome would have been different had the MVA constituents contested separately, Pawar said he was known for making comic statements. "We know how he won the (MLC) election last time," he said.
Senior NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the victory of MVA candidates reflected the unity among its constituents and people's faith in the government. The BJP's monopoly in Nagpur and Pune was broken, he said, adding that the results were a tight slap for some "loquacious" leaders .
Minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil said the poll outcome showed that besides farmers, workers and the middle class, highly-educated voters also supported the MVA government. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh thanked voters, saying they "bent the lofty necks" of rival parties.
Deshmukh also said that the opposition party should now support the government for the state's development. "If it cannot do so, it should at least stop anti- Maharashtra activities #BJP," the minister said. PTI
16:31 'Ahmed Bhai was less of a Muslim and more of a Gujarati'
"He always avoided eating non-vegetarian food in presence of his deputies if they were fasting for the month of Shravan.'
"There were no Hindu, Jain, Parsi and Swaminarayan festivals he would forget.
''He was a conservative Muslim and therefore could get along well with conservative Hindus."
Read Rediff.com senior journalist Sheela Bhatt's interview with Vaihayasi Pande Daniel here.
16:23 Narottam Mishra declared unfit to take part in Covid vaccine trial
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday said that he was declared unfit to participate in the trial for the COVID-19 vaccine and added that he is pained by the development.
"I was eager to participate in the vaccine trial and through that do something for the society. I was declared unfit as per the ICMR eligibility criteria of the COVID-19 vaccine trial. It is an extremely painful development," Mishra told reporters here.
Earlier, Narottam Mishra had said he is ready to volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccine trial.
Mishra had consulted a doctor to participate in the vaccine trials. However, according to sources, he was declared unfit for participating in the trials as some of his family members have tested positive for COVID-19. -- ANI
16:09 Hyd polls: TRS leads, AIMIM, BJP follow
The opposition BJP in Telangana on Friday seemed unable to build on its initial leads in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls, with the ruling TRS putting up a quick catch-up act to possibly upset the saffron party's dreams of capturing the civic body.
Ruling TRS and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM bagged seven wards each while the TRS was leading in about 50 seats and BJP in around 40, as per the latest trends following the counting of votes, polled on December 1.
The SEC said Congress bagged one ward. AIMIM was leading in another 25 seats. The BJP's performance, if the present trend holds, leading to the saffron party possibly netting a significant number of seats, will be seen as a massive improvement against its 2016 show of winning just four seats, in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) then.
The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti swept the elections four years ago, winning 99 of the 150 wards. Ballot papers were used in the election to the 150- ward GHMC polls on Tuesday. -- PTI
India's ears are ringing over Canada's remarks
15:59 India issues demarche to Canadian High Commissioner on farmers' protest
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday issued a demarche to Canadian High Commissioner, saying that the remarks made by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on Indian farmers' protest will have "seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada".
According to an official statement issued by the MEA, "The Canadian High Commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and informed that comments by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs.
"Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada, the Ministry further said.
"These comments have encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada that raise issues of safety and security. We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism," the statement added.
On December 1, India reacted sharply to the "ill-informed" comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on farmers' protests in India and said the remarks are "unwarranted" especially when pertaining to internal affairs of a democratic country.In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes. -- ANI
Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari
15:50 Cong wins BJP's 58-yr stronghold in MLC polls
Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari on Friday won the Nagpur division graduates' constituency election of the Maharashtra Legislative Council by defeating BJP's Sandip Joshi by a margin of 18,910 votes. This is a big setback to the BJP, as it had held the seat for the last 58 years.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari had also represented it for several years in the past. Wanjari defeated his nearest rival Joshi by securing 61,701 votes, while the latter bagged 42,791 votes. The counting for the votes had begun on Thursday and continued till Friday afternoon.
15:45 TRS winning on most seats: K Kavitha
TRS is winning in most seats. As voting was by paper ballot we have to wait 3-4 hours to get exact numbers. I believe BJP numbers will further decline & heavy support for TRS will surface. We'll have our mayor & do public works uninterrupted: TRS leader K Kavitha on GHMC Election.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien meets farmers
15:40 Farmers know what they want, TMC pledges support
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday spoke to various farmers' groups protesting at Delhi's Singhu border against the Centre's agriculture reform laws and assured them that the TMC stands by them, party leader Derek O'Brien said.
O' Brien, who spent almost four hours with the agitating farmers, facilitated the interactions over the phone. Enacted in September, the three farm laws are anticipated to bring "reforms" in the agriculture sector by removing middlemen and allowing farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country. Farmers worry these laws will eliminate the safety net of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with mandis that ensure earning. But the government says the MSP system will continue and the new laws will give farmers more options to sell their crop.
"The CM spoke to the farmers. Four telephone calls to different groups from Haryana and Punjab, they shared their demands and they were clear that they wanted the farm bills (laws) repealed," O'Brien said.
"They also thanked the CM for her show of solidarity. They also expressed their gratitude for all her support to farmers and land movements in the past," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said Banerjee told the farmers that she and the Trinamool Congress will stand by them in this movement demanding a repeal of the "anti-farmer" laws. It was a very emotional meeting.
"The farmers' groups were aware of the laws and knew exactly what they wanted -- the repeal of these laws," O'Brien said. "In fact, today, 14 years ago, Banerjee began her hunger strike for the farmers in Singur," he noted. Since the protesting farmers landed at the gateways of Delhi last week, the government has held two rounds of talks with their leaders to resolve the deadlock. The next round of talks is scheduled to be held on Saturday. PTI
15:27 Budget 2021 will be growth oriented: RBI chief
With the Budget-making exercise in full swing, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said Budget 2021-22 is expected to be prudent and growth oriented. Das before donning the hat of RBI Governor was a career bureaucrat and was directly involved in crafting of about 10 Budgets for the country including one in the aftermath of global financial meltdown in different capacities at the Finance Ministry. In view of unprecedented pandemic and its impact on the economy, he said the government has maintained fiscal prudence in the response to deal with the crisis.
"Naturally when we are recovering from a massive damage which pandemic has brought on the Indian economic, the budget has to be growth oriented. And also, let us keep in mind that during this year also, all the fiscal measures which the government has announced, I think has been very well calibrated very well targeted, and they have been very prudently drawn out," he said during interaction with the media after the policy announcement. "In fact, at the beginning of the pandemic, there was worry that the government's fiscal deficit will go haywire," he said, adding it has not gone beyond control.
"I think the response of the government (so far) has been very calibrated and prudent. So, the budget next year also I expect to be very prudent but naturally, it has to be a growth oriented budget. That is something which is bound to happen. It's a no-brainer. It has to be a good supporting budget," he said. While unveiling fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review, Das said the economy is recuperating faster than anticipated and growth rate is likely to turn positive in the second half of the current financial year. In the year as whole, the economy is likely to contract by 7.5 per cent, which is an improvement over Reserve Bank's previous projection of 9.5 per cent contraction, the Governor said.
15:25 Former AAP Goa convenor resigns from party
Former convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party's Goa unit Elvis Gomes on Friday resigned from the party alleging that the local unit is being controlled by the Delhi lobby. Addressing a press conference, Gomes said he decided to quit the party after the Delhi unit started controlling the affairs of the party in Goa, which local leaders had nurtured over the last several years.
The former bureaucrat, who was the AAP's chief ministerial face during the 2017 state Assembly elections, said the party has deviated from its ideology in recent times. He further alleged that the party is not working in the interest of Goans, but instead decisions are taken by people sitting in Delhi. "We don't want to be controlled by the Delhi lobby," he said.
15:16 Why this writer is returning his award
Novelist Dr Jaswinder Singh, on returning his Bhartiya Sahitya Akademi Award: "If a writer can't present people's voice then what's the point? I didn't start writing for awards. It's disheartening to see Central govt dealing mercilessly with farmers and violating basic human rights."
15:03 Remarks on Indian farmers' protest to have damaging impact on India-Canada ties: MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday summoned Canadian High Commissioner and said that the remarks made by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on Indian farmers' protest will have "seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada".
According to an official statement issued by the MEA, "The Canadian High Commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and informed that comments by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs.
"Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada," the Ministry further said.
"These comments have encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada that raise issues of safety and security. We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism," the statement added.
On December 1, India reacted sharply to the "ill-informed" comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on farmers' protests in India and said the remarks are "unwarranted" especially when pertaining to internal affairs of a democratic country.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes.
Farmers groups break barricades at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border yesterday
14:45 Farmers have brought Modi govt to its knees: Sena
The Shiv Sena on Friday said that the farmers from Punjab have brought the Modi government to its knees through their protest against the new farm laws and the world has taken note of the unity shown by them. The party also urged the Centre to hear out the demands of the protesting farmers.
"Despite the winter chill, the farmers from Punjab have made the Modi government sweat. The protesters seem to be getting aggressive. The Modi government had not faced this kind of a challenge earlier. The government's usual weapons of CBI, Income Tax, ED and NCB are of no use in this case. The farmers have brought the government to its knees," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
"They are firm on their demand that the three controversial farm laws must be repealed. They even declined food and water provided by the government during a round of talks," it said.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party hit out at the Modi government saying that it carried out "unjust" demonetisation, rolled out "devastating" GST. It also alleged that in order to hide the issues of unemployment and inflation, the govenment made use of issues like India-Pakistan conflict.
"It offered Ram temple to the people troubled by the lockdown. However, no lollipop worked before the farmers from Punjab. This is the success of Punjab's unity. All attempts were made by the BJP's IT cell to discredit the protest," the party said.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya called Rahul Gandhi the most discredited opposition leader in the country when the former Congress president posted a picture of an old farmer being beaten by the police, the Sena said. "But Twitter made Malviya aware of the reality," it said.
14:45 IKEA to open second Indian store in Navi Mumbai on Dec 18
World's leading home furnishings retailer IKEA will open its second store in the country at Navi Mumbai on December 18. The over five lakh sq ft store would be the second store for IKEA in India after Hyderabad, where it had opened its first store in August 2018. In a bid to provide a safe shopping experience during COVID times, the Swedish retailer is taking extra precautions for its new store located on the Thane-Belapur Road, a company statement said. IKEA said it is taking a number of extra precautions from its global best practices and relevant learnings from its Hyderabad operations.
Moreover, to ensure good social distancing, IKEA will initially have a cap on the number of visitors to the store through prior registration on its website, by which customers will be allotted a day and time slot to visit the store.
"We are very excited, as Mumbai is one of our priority markets in India. We have been present online in Mumbai since early 2019 and soon the many people of Mumbai will be able to shop at our fantastic IKEA store," IKEA India CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer Peter Betzel said.
The store in Navi Mumbai will be employing close to 1,200 coworkers out of which 50 per cent are women. 40 per cent of its staff are from the Navi Mumbai area and 70 per cent of its support staff mainly housekeeping and security are from in and around Turbhe and Ghansoli, the statement added. "With our long-term commitment to Maharashtra we will create 6000+ jobs by 2030 of which 50 per cent will be women," Betzel said. -- PTI
Farmers' leaders after meeting the govt yesterday
14:40 Former boxing coach to return award over farmers protests
Former national boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu, during whose tenure India secured its maiden Olympic medal in the sport, on Friday said he will return his Dronacharya award if demands of the farmers protesting against new agriculture laws are not addressed.
Sandhu, who served as India's national men's coach for over two decades before guiding women boxers for a couple of years, said it is his way of showing support to the farmers, who are protesting in "bitter cold without any consideration for their own well-being".
"By doing this, I feel a huge morale pressure is off me. I come from a family of farmers, their fears need to be addressed. If the ongoing talks do not yield a result satisfactory to the farmers, I will return the award," Sandhu told PTI from his home in Patiala.
14:36 Miscalculated combined power: BJP on MVA win
"The results of Maharashtra Legislative Council polls are not as per our expectations. We were expecting more seats but won only one. We miscalculated the combined power of the three parties (Maha Vikas Aghadi)," Devendra Fadnavis, BJP leader and former Maharashtra CM, reacts to the MVA's wins.
Of the six seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council where polling was held earlier this week, the BJP has won only one. The ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition has won four seats and an independent member has taken the remaining seat.
The Shiv Sena did not win a single seat even though its alliance partners bagged four. The Sena's lone candidate lost in Amravati.
The BJP only won by-polls to the Dhule-Nandurbar local body seat, the results for which were declared earlier.
14:20 Groom rides tractor to wedding in solidarity with farmers
A groom in Karnal leaves his luxury car behind and rides a tractor to his wedding venue in solidarity with farmers. "We might be moving to city but our roots are farming. Farmers should be priority. We want to send message that farmers have public support," he says
14:16 Uyghurs forced to eat pork in China's concentration camps
The Uyghur Muslims in Chinese "re-education" camps are forced to eat pork every Friday, confirmed Sayragul Sautbay, who was one of the victims of the atrocities being committed by the Chinese government.
Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Sayragul said, "Every Friday, we were forced to eat pork meat...They have intentionally chosen a day that is holy for the Muslims. And if you reject it, you would get a harsh punishment."
She is a medical physician and an educator living in Sweden. Recently, she published a book giving insight into her ordeal, including witnessing beatings.
"I was feeling like I was a different person. All around me got dark. It was really difficult to accept," Sautbay said.
Another such victim is Uyghur businesswoman Zumret Dawut, who was picked up in March 2018 in Urumqi.
For two months, Dawut said authorities questioned her links to Pakistan, her husband's homeland. They questioned her as well about how many children she had, and whether or not they had studied religion and read the Quran, said Al Jazeera.
She further said that once she had to beg the camp's male officers to allow her to go to the washroom. She was allowed to go while being handcuffed and the male officers followed her into the washroom.
Speaking on pork being served to the Uyghur Muslims in the camps, she said, "When you sit in a concentration camp, you do not decide whether to eat, or not to eat. To be alive, we had to eat the meat served to us."
As per the documents available to Al Jazeera, agricultural development has also become a part of what German anthropologist and Uyghur scholar, Adrian Zenz, says is a policy of "secularisation".
Citing documents and state-approved news articles, Zenz has reported that there is an "active" effort in the region to promote and expand pig farming.
In 2019, Xinjiang's top administrator, Shohrat Zakir, had said that the Xinjiang region will be turned into a "pig-raising hub".
14:11 Waiting for scientists' nod on vaccine rollout: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India's vaccination programme against Covid-19 would begin as soon as a go-ahead from scientists is given, and asserted that healthcare workers involved in treating coronavirus patients, frontline workers and old people suffering from serious conditions would be inoculated on priority.
In his closing remarks at an all-party meeting with leaders of various political parties to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country, Modi said experts believe the wait for the COVID-19 vaccine will not be long and it may be ready in a few weeks. Nearly eight vaccines are at different stages of trial with their manufacturing assured in India, Modi said.
Three vaccines from India are also at different stages of trial, he said. Experts believe that the wait for COVID-19 vaccine will not be long and it is believed that it may be ready in the next few weeks, Modi said.
"India's vaccination drive would begin as soon as we get a go-ahead from scientists. The Centre is working on the basis of suggestions from state governments about who will be inoculated in the first phase of the vaccination drive," he said.
"Priority in this (vaccination) will be given to the healthcare workers involved in treating COVID-19 patients, frontline workers and old people suffering from serious conditions," he said.
Central and state government teams are working in tandem for the distribution of the vaccine against COVID-19, Modi said, adding that India has expertise for vaccine distribution as well as capacity. "Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of developing a vaccine against COVID-19. There are names of vaccines from different countries doing the rounds in the market, but the world is keeping a watch on having the cheapest and safest vaccine. That is why, it is natural that the world is watching India," he said.
"Public health will be top priority as far as COVID-19 vaccine pricing is concerned and states will be fully involved in the process," he said. In his remarks, Modi also said, "We must make sure rumours are not spread during vaccination, rumours that are anti-national and anti-human. Thus, all political parties must make sure that we save all Indians from such rumours and spread awareness."
14:08 NCP celebrates definitive win
NCP) workers celebrate victory at two seats in State Legislative Council elections, at the party office in Mumbai. "People have shown their confidence, love and faith in Maha Vikash Aghadi and its government," says NCP MP Supriya Sule.
13:28 NCP beats BJP in Maha MLC polls, Pawar upbeat
The NCP, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, on Friday won Aurangabad and Pune graduates' constituencies of the state Legislative Council.
NCP's Satish Chavan won the Aurangabad division graduates' constituency, defeating BJP nominee Shirish Boralkar. Chavan polled 1,16,638 votes, while Boralkar bagged 58,743 votes, the state electoral office said. In Pune division graduates' constituency, NCP's Arun Lad defeated BJP candidate Sangram Deshmukh by a margin of 48,824 votes.
Lad polled 1,22,145 votes, while Deshmukh bagged 73,321 votes. BJP's defeat in Pune graduates' constituency is considered to be a big blow to party's state unit chief Chandrakant Patil, who along with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had campaigned extensively to retain the seat.
Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik
13:22 NCP leaders hail MVA's performance in MLC polls
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the victory of MVA candidates in the biennial state Legislative Council polls was a symbol of the unity among the alliance constituents. He said it showed that the people of the state have reposed their faith in the government.
His statement comes after the NCP, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, won the Aurangabad and Pune graduates' constituencies of the legislative council on Friday. Results of three other seats are yet to be declared, but the MVA candidates are leading in two seats.
Biennial elections to six legislative council seats - three graduates' and two teachers' as well as one local bodies seat were held on December 1.
The BJP has won only the Dhule-Nandurbar local bodies seat. In a statement, Pawar thanked voters for their mandate favouring the MVA candidates.
"The victory of the MVA candidates is a symbol of the unity among all the alliance constituents and the faith reposed in the state government by the people," he said. Maharashtra minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil said the poll outcome showed that apart from farmers, workers and middle class people, highly-educated voters also support the MVA government. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh also thanked the voters and added that they "bent lofty necks" of rival parties by backing the MVA candidates.
"We were humble before the people yesterday, are so today and will always be so. Congratulations to the #MahaVikasAghadi candidates," he tweeted in Marathi.
13:00 Journalist arrested in espionage case gets bail
Delhi High Court grants bail to freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma, arrested under Official Secret Act. He was arrested by Delhi Police in espionage case for allegedly passing sensitive information to Chinese intelligence.
HDFC Bank gained by nearly 1%
12:56 Bank, auto stocks gain after RBI policy review
Interest rate-sensitive stocks gained on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India decided to leave benchmark interest rate unchanged but maintained an accommodative stance. "It was on the expected line with the RBI keeping rates unchanged and continuing with the accommodative stance. The extension of accommodative stance has cheered the market," Deepthi Mathew, Economist at Geojit Financial Services.
Shares of RBL Bank was quoting with 2.39 per cent gains while ICICI Bank rose by 2.05 per cent and Axis Bank by 1.23 per cent. HDFC Bank, Bandhan Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were up nearly one per cent.
The scrip of SBI was marginally up by 0.35 per cent on the BSE. The BSE Bank index gained 1.06 per cent.
From the auto pack, Hero MotoCorp rose by 1.24 per cent while Bajaj Auto was quoting with 0.64 per cent gains. M&M, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki India and Ashok Leyland were also trading in the positive territory.
The BSE auto index rose 0.53 per cent. Realty counters also witnessed buying, with Godrej Properties rising 2.54 per cent and DLF jumping 2.07 per cent. Sunteck Realty gained 2.06 per cent, Sobha Ltd climbed 1.84 per cent and Prestige Estates Projects registered marginal gains. The BSE realty index jumped 0.85 per cent. -- PTI
12:46 AIMIM candidate wins in Hyderabad civic polls
Former Hyderabad Mayor and AIMIM candidate Mohammad Majid Hussain wins from Mehdipatnam. Counting of votes in the keenly-fought Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections began here at 8 AM on Friday. The Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) has set up counting centres at 30 places in the city amid tight security arrangements for the process.
Out of the total 150 wards in the GHMC, polling was held for 149 wards on December 1 and a fresh poll was conducted on Thursday in one ward (Old Malakpet). Repolling had to be conducted in the Old Malakpet ward after an error was noticed in the ballot paper during polling on December 1.
The polling on December 1 witnessed a 46.55 per cent (34.50 lakh)turnout of voters out of the total 74.67 lakh electors.
12:42 RBI asks banks not to pay dividends for FY20
In view of the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Reserve Bank of India on Friday asked scheduled commercial banks and co-operative banks not to make any dividends for the financial year ended March 2020. In view of the ongoing stress and the heightened uncertainty on account of the pandemic, RBI said it is imperative that banks continue to conserve capital to support the economy and absorb losses, if any.
The decision is based on review of the September quarter financial performance of banks. In response to the pandemic, RBI has focused on resolution of stress among borrowers, and facilitating credit flow to the economy, while ensuring financial stability, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
"In continuation of this effort and to help banks conserve capital, while creating room for fresh lending, it has been decided after a review that commercial and co-operative banks will retain the profits and not make any dividend pay-out from the profits pertaining to financial year 2019-20," he said. Guidelines on the above measure will be issued shortly. -- PTI
12:26 591 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, seven die
With the addition of 591 new coronavirus positive cases, the overall infection tally in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,30,722, an official said on Friday. These new cases were added on Thursday, he said. As the virus claimed the lives of seven patients during the day, the death toll in the district went up to 5,709, the official said. The district's recovery rate has reached 94.34 per cent and the mortalityrate 2.47 per cent. The number of active cases in the district is 7,358 at present.
12:23 25.58% voter turnout for third phase of DDC polls in J-K
25.58% voter turnout recorded for DDC Elections across Jammu and Kashmir till 11 am, according to State Election Commission. The polling for 33 DDC seats -- 16 in Kashmir and 17 in Jammu division -- began at 7 am, but little enthusiasm was seen at the polling stations in the valley, the officials said. The polling is scheduled to conclude at 2 pm.
There are a total of 305 candidates in the electoral fray including 166 from Kashmir division and 139 from Jammu division for DDC elections in phase 3. Out of 305 candidates, 252 are men whereas 53 are women candidates. -- PTI
12:19 UP constable suspended after video of him thrashing girl goes viral
UP's stellar cops: An Uttar Pradesh Police constable was suspended after a video of him allegedly beating and misbehaving with a girl who was on her way to attend coaching classes in Shahjahanpur went viral, an officer said on Friday.
An FIR was registered against Mukesh Kumar following a complaint by the girl's father, Superintendent of Police, Rural, Nipun Agarwal said. "He has been suspended and the matter is being probed," Agarwal said. PTI
12:17 Biden taps Indian-American Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General
US President-elect Joe Biden has tapped his key COVID-19 advisor Dr Vivek Murthy as the next Surgeon General, a role for which he was appointed during the Obama administration and had to leave abruptly during the current Trump administration, according to a media report.
The 43-year-old Indian-American doctor is one of the three co-chairs of the Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board. Vivek H Murthy, a former US surgeon general, has been asked to reprise the role in an expanded version in the new administration, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, quoting an individual familiar with the decision. A formal announcement in this matter is expected soon.
The surgeon general serves a four-year term and is the top government official on public health issues. Jerome Adams is the incumbent Surgeon General. Murthy is expected to be part of a team of health-care officials charged with tackling the issue Biden has said would be his top priority upon taking office, according to people with knowledge of the matter, the report said.
He was appointed as the Surgeon General on December 15, 2014, after being approved by a 5143 Senate vote. He was relieved of his duties on April 21, 2017, by President Donald Trump. -- PTI
12:12 24X7 RTGS in next few days: RBI guv
In a business friendly move, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday said that the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, used for large value transactions, will be made available round-the-clock in the next few days.
In December 2019, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system was made available on a 24x7x365 basis.
Currently, RTGS is available for customers from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm on all working days of a week, except second and fourth Saturdays of every month.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said RTGS system will soon be made available 24x7 in the next few days... "with this enablement, it is proposed to reduce settlement and default risk in the system by facilitating settlement of AePS, IMPS, NETC, NFS, RuPay, UPI transactions on all days of the week instead of five days earlier."
This will make the payment ecosystem more efficient, he added. In order to expand adoption of digital payment in a safe and secure manner, he said, it has been decided to enhance the limits for contactless card transactions and e-mandates for recurring transactions through cards and UPI from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 from January 1, 2021.
This will depend on mandate and discretion of customers, he said. Contactless card transactions and e-mandates on cards (and UPI) for recurring transactions have enhanced customer convenience in general while benefitting from increased use of technology, the statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies by the Reserve Bank of India said. -- PTI
12:05 Pak's atrocities on Bangladeshis unshakable memories: Sheikh Hasina
Pakistan's atrocities during the war of Independence in 1971 are "unshakable memories" for Bangladesh, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."Incidents of 1971 cannot be forgotten. The pain will remain forever," Hasina said while speaking with Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, the Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka, at the Ganabhaban.
Referring to the volumes of the book titled "Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman", she said that all can learn many historical facts between the years 1948 and 1971 from the books, BDNews24 said.
She further highlighted that the Urdu version of the book "Unfinished Memoirs" by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a best-seller in Pakistan.
"It's well-read in Pakistan and other countries," she said.
BDNews24 further reported Pakistan High Commissioner said that his country wants to strengthen ties with Bangladesh. He also congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister of her leadership in the international arena.
11:46 RBI projects 6.8% retail inflation in Dec quarter
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday said retail inflation is likely to remain elevated and pegged it at 6.8 per cent for the third quarter of the current fiscal.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is of the view that inflation is likely to remain elevated, barring transient relief in the winter months from prices of perishables.
However, retail inflation is projected to be 5.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020-21. CPI inflation rose sharply to 7.3 per cent in September and further to 7.6 per cent in October, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said while unveiling its bi-monthly monetary policy review. According to him, with some evidence that price pressures are spreading, the outlook for inflation has turned adverse in relation to expectation in the last two months.
"While cereal prices may continue to soften with the bumper kharif harvest arrivals and vegetable prices may ease with winter crop, other food prices are likely to persist at elevated levels. Cost push pressures continue to impinge on core inflation which could remain sticky.
"Taking into consideration all these factors, the CPI inflation is projected at 6.8 per cent for Q3 FY2020-21; 5.8 per cent for Q4 FY2020-21 and 5.2-4.6 per cent in H1 of FY2021-22 with risks broadly balanced," Das said.
The MPC has kept the key policy or the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent with an accommodative stance to support growth and rein in inflationary pressures. "Our paramount objective is to support growth while ensuring that financial stability is maintained and preserved at all times," Das said. -- PTI
11:36 PM chairs all-party meet on Covid situation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired an all-party meeting with leaders of various political outfits and top union ministers to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country, sources said. Floor leaders from all parties in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been invited to attend the virtual meeting which started around 10:30 am.
About 12 leaders from prominent political parties having five or more than five MPs, will be speaking at the meeting, the sources said.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad will speak on behalf of the Congress in the meeting. Sudip Bandyopadhyay from the TMC, Sharad Pawar of the NCP, Nama Nageswara Rao from the TRS and Vinayak Raut from the Shiv Sena among others will also speak during the meeting, they said.
Opposition leaders are also expected to question the government about the expected availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and plans for its distribution, the sources said. This will be the second all-party meeting called by the government to discuss the COVID-19 situation since the outbreak of the pandemic. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan are present in the meeting. Besides them, Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Pralhad Joshi and ministers of state in the same ministry Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan, who reached out to floor leaders for the meeting, will also be a part of it. The meeting is likely to begin with a presentation by the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
The presentation would explain India's fight against the pandemic so far. The meeting also assumes significance as it is being held after Modi's visit to pharmaceutical companies in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune to review coronavirus vaccine development work there.PTI
11:31 Farmers continue to camp at Delhi borders amid heavy police deployment
With the protesting farmers sticking to their demand for the repeal of the Centre's new farm laws, thousands remained at the national capital's border points on Friday amid heavy police deployment.
Representative groups of agitating farmers will meet later in the day to discuss the future course of action after talks between them and three union ministers failed to yield any resolution on Thursday.
Protesting farmers from Uttar Pradesh have blocked National Highway-9 near the UP Gate while those from Punjab and Haryana are staying put at other border points leading to Delhi.
Another round of discussions between the farmer unions and Centre is slated for Saturday. Security personnel at border points - Singhu, Tikri, Chilla and Ghazipur - stand guard, as the ongoing protests entered their ninth day on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police suggested alternative routes to commuters entering or exiting the city. The Delhi Traffic Police took to twitter to inform commuters about the closure of Singhu, Lampur, Auchandi, Safiabad, Piao Maniyari, and Saboli borders. They also said that National Highway-44 was closed on both sides.
They instructed commuters to take alternative routes via National Highway-8, Bhopra, Apsara border, and Peripheral expressway. "Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Avoid Outer Ring Rd , GTK road, NH 44," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted. According to the police, Tikri and Jharoda borders are closed for any traffic movement while Badusarai border is open only for light motor vehicles like cars and two wheelers.
Jhatikara border is open only for two-wheelers, it said. However, if anyone needs to commute towards Harayana, they can go via Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri National Highway-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera Borders, the police said. "The Chilla border on Noida link road is closed for traffic from Noida to Delhi due to farmers protests near Gautam Budh Dwar. People are advised to avoid Noida link road for coming to Delhi and use DND," they said in a tweet.
Since the Ghazipur border on National Highway-24 is closed for traffic due to the protests, the police advised commuters coming from Ghaziabad to Delhi to use the Apsara or Bhopra borders or the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) expressway. The protesters had on Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi in the coming days if the new agriculture laws were not scrapped soon. -- PTI
11:20 UltraTech Cement shares zoom over 6% on investment plan
Shares of UltraTech Cement on Friday jumped over 6 per cent after the firm announced an investment plan worth Rs 5,477 crore. The stock zoomed 6.21 per cent to a one-year high of Rs 5,196.30 on the BSE. At the NSE, it gained 6.24 per cent to Rs 5,199.
The country's largest cement maker on Thursday announced a Rs 5,477-crore investment to add 12.8 million tonnes (MT) capacity, taking its overall output to over 136 MT per annum.
In a statement, the company said its board in a meeting approved capacity expansion to the tune of 12.8 MT per annum with a mix of brown-field and green-field expansion. -- PTI
11:17 Cyclone Burevi weakens, red alert for Kerala withdrawn
In a relief to Kerala, the Met department has withdrawn the red alert issued for cyclone Burevi and rains in the seven southernmost districts of the state as the deep depression was likely to weaken further into a depression. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had in a late night bulletin issued on Thursday withdrawn the red alert and issued a yellow alert for 10 districts of the state.
In a bulletin released on Friday morning, the IMD said the deep depression is likely to move slowly west- southwestwards and cross Ramanathapuram and adjoining Thoothukudi districts in Tamil Nadu during the next six hours with wind speed of 50-60 gusting to 70 kmph.
"It is very likely to weaken further into a depression (wind speed 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph) during next 12 hours," IMD said. It has issued yellow alerts for the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. -- PTI
10:57 May you ever rule the waters: Prez Kovind's greeting on Navy Day
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday greeted navy personnel on Navy Day and said the nation is proud of their commitment in protecting the country's maritime frontiers, securing trade routes, and providing assistance in times of civil emergencies.
Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 every year to commemorate the Indian Navy's attack on Karachi harbour during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
"On Navy Day, my greetings to our Navy personnel, veterans and their families. Nation is proud of your commitment in protecting our maritime frontiers, securing our trade routes, and providing assistance in times of civil emergencies. May you ever rule the waters. Jai Hind!," Kovind tweeted.
10:55 When will every Indian get Covid vaccine, Rahul asks PM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will clarify at the all-party meeting by when will every Indian get free Covid-19 vaccine. His remark came ahead of the all-party meeting convened by the government to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the country, the vaccine challenges and the way forward.
"In today's all-party meeting, we hope the PM clarifies by when will every Indian get free Covid vaccine," he said on Twitter. Floor leaders of various parties in Parliament have been invited by the government at the virtual all-party meeting on Friday. -- PTI
10:48 RBI revises real GDP growth for 2020-21 to -7.5%
The Reserve Bank of India has reviseds the real GDP growth projection for 2020-21 from -9.5% to -7.5 per cent, the Governor Shaktikanta Das said in an online briefing at the end of the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
The central bank also maintained an "accommodative" stance of policy, which rules out any hikes for now and decided to continue with the current stance.
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee maintained the key lending rate unchanged at 4 per cent on Friday, holding the rates at existing levels for a third straight review. The status quo on monetary policy was as expected by most economists, amid high levels of inflation and the country's shrinking gross domestic product.
10:33 Trump alleges his votes started 'miraculously disappearing' on election night
US President Donald Trump has alleged that his votes started "miraculously disappearing" on the election night, reiterating his unsubstantiated claims about widespread voter fraud in the presidential polls.
Trump on Thursday told reporters at the White House that his team has found a large number of such votes. "We went through an election. At 10 o'clock, everybody said, 'That was an easy victory for Trump.' All of a sudden, the votes started disappearing -- miraculously disappearing. We found much of it, but we found far more votes than we need in almost all of these states. And I think I can say in all of these states, far more votes than we need to win every one of them," he said in response to a question.
Democratic leader Joe Biden won the November 3 presidential election over Trump, who is continuing his legal efforts to upend his victory. Trump, a Republican, has allowed the official start of Biden's transition to power but has not yet conceded defeat, alleging massive voter fraud and electoral malpractice. However, state election officials and the media have denied such large-scale fraud.
Election officials in key battleground states have declared Biden the winner, giving him an unofficial 306-232 edge in the Electoral College that determines the outcome of US presidential contests.
The Trump campaign has filed multiple lawsuits in several states, most of whom have been dismissed so far. -- PTI
10:19 RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 4% for 3rd time
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent, says RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. "The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate remain unchanged at 4.25%. The reverse repo rate remains unchanged at 3.35%. MPC decided to continue with accommodative stands of monetary policy as long as necessary, at least till current financial year & into next year to revive growth on a durable basis & mitigate the impact of COVID-19 while ensuring that inflation remains within target."
10:03 Sensex jumps over 200 pts ahead of RBI policy
Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points in early trade on Friday tracking gains in index majors HDFC Bank, L&T and ICICI Bank ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy outcome. The 30-share BSE index was trading 202.71 points or 0.45 per cent higher at 44,835.36.
Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty was trading 66.10 points or 0.50 per cent up at 13,200. UltraTech Cement was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4 per cent, followed by L&T, M&M, Maruti, ONGC, Bharti Airtel, PowerGrid and ITC. On the other hand, Asian Paints, Infosys, Reliance Industries and Tech Mahindra were among the laggards. In the previous session, Sensex ended 14.61 points or 0.03 per cent higher at 44,632.65, while Nifty settled 20.15 points or 0.15 per cent up at 13,133.90 -- its lifetime closing high.
Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 3,637.42 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to provisional exchange data. Domestic equities continue to look resilient and firm.
A continued foreign fund flow remains a key driver for markets, said Binod Modi Head-Strategy at Reliance Securities. "Outcome of the Reserve Bank's policy meeting would be crucial for the day. While RBI is broadly expected to maintain status quo, any sort of hawkish commentary, given the concerns over inflation due to excess liquidity, might result in hardening of bond yields and BFSI may come in pressure," he noted.
Given current valuations, a sharp up-move in broad indices looks difficult, he said, adding that midcap and smallcap outperformance should continue to persist in the near term. US markets finished mostly higher as investors continued to focus on renewed hopes on fiscal stimulus.
"However, benchmark indices came off day's highs after Pfizer announced that it will be able to ship only 50 per cent of targeted vaccines in 2020 due to supply chain issues.
"A record surge in new COVID-19 cases, which touched 2 lakh on Wednesday, is being overshadowed by increasing possibility of agreement on COVID-19 relief package in coming days. However, the quantum of fiscal aid might not excite the street," he added.
Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo were in the red in mid-session deals, while Seoul was trading with gains. Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude futures were trading 1.81 per cent higher at USD 49.59 per barrel. -- PTI
09:37 36,594 Covid cases, 540 deaths in 24 hours
The Covid tally is here. With 36,594 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 95,71,559. With 540 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,39,188. Total active cases at 4,16,082. Total discharged cases at 90,16,289 with 42,916 new discharges in the last 24 hours.
In Germany, an Analysis of public data on SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany suggests that in regions that mandated the use of face masks in public spaces had registered lower infections.
The analysis suggested that by 20 days after the implementation of such mandates had approximately 45 percent lower infections compared to other large cities that did not implement mask mandates.
The results suggest that face masks might be a cost-effective method for preventing COVID-19. Scientists used the synthetic control method to analyze the effect of face masks on the spread of COVID-19 in Germany.
09:01 Counting begins for Hyderabad civic polls
Counting of votes to determine the winner of the high-stakes Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has begun. The lead up to the GHMC polling saw a vociferous campaign. Bolstered by its victory in the bypoll to Dubbak Assembly constituency, the BJP conducted a spirited campaign.
The BJP highlighted the TRS's "alliance" with the AIMIM and sought votes to provide clean administration. The TRS denied any alliance with the AIMIM and the party has deployed several ministers and legislators for canvassing in the city. The poll in the city also assumes political significance as 24 Assembly segments fall under the GHMC limits.
08:51 PM to chair all-party meeting on Covid-19 today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to interact with leaders of various political parties from both Houses of Parliament on Friday to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country.
Floor leaders of all parties from the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha have been invited for the virtual meeting to be held from 10.30 am onwards.
This will be the second all-party meeting called by the government to discuss the Covid-19 situation since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The first meeting was held on April 20 amid a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The government is likely to brief the leaders about steps taken to deal with the pandemic and the progress made in vaccine development and distribution.
08:36 Worldwide COVID-19 cases surpass 65 million-mark
The worldwide number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has surpassed 65 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University's data.
The number of coronavirus cases stood at 65,048,192 as of 06:08 IST on Friday. Besides, over 1.5 million people have died of the virus.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. The highest number of cases so far have been registered in the United States, India, and Brazil.
The US continues to the worst affected country with 14,102,568 cases and 275,729 deaths. The top vaccine candidates in the various stage of production include Pfizer, BioNTech (BNT162); Moderna (mRNA-1273); CanSino Biologics (Ad5-nCoV) and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
-- ANI
07:59 Biden asks Dr Fauci to join his Covid team
US President-elect Joe Biden asked the top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci to join his administration and to lead his team of medical advisers to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci is a member of the US President Donald Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force, which is responsible for coordinating efforts to fight the virus.
Biden told CNN in an interview that he met with Fauci earlier and asked him to continue to hold the position of director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and to serve as his Chief Medical Adviser on the coronavirus response team.
Besides this, US President-elect Biden also plans to call on Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office. "Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction" in COVID-19 infections, Biden said.
Under the current US administration, Fauci and Donald Trump's ideas have clashed on several occasions over issues concerning the pandemic.
In October, Fauci told The Washington Post that the US needs to change to make an "abrupt change" in public health practices and behaviours, revealing that the frequency of the COVID task force's meeting has come down.
The US continues to the worst country by the pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 14,086,016 COVID-19 cases in the country and 275,550 deaths due to the virus.
-- ANI
00:05 Burevi: Kerala declares holiday in 5 districts
The Kerala government has declared a holiday in five districts for Friday as the state remains on high alert with heavy rains expected when cyclone Burevi makes landfall.
The India Meteorological Department, in its latest bulletin, has said Burevi may make landfall in Kerala on December 4 and has issued red alert and cyclone warning for south Tamil Nadu and south Kerala coasts.
A statement issued by the state government said a public holiday has been declared for the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki in the state.
Over 2,000 relief camps have been opened in Kerala, it said.
"A public holiday for all government offices including public sector undertakings has been declared for the five districts in the state," the statement said.
It, however, said the disaster management authority and concerned services, emergency services and election-related services will function normally.
The international airport here will remain shut from 10 am to 6 pm on December 4.
The IMD has predicted that the course of the storm will be through the border areas of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts and the government, along with various departments and the Army, were ready to face the contingencies, the statement said. -- PTI
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