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Wed, 06 January 2021

Pence breaks with Trump, says can't reject votes

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23:48 Pence breaks with Trump, says can't reject votes

US Vice President Mike Pence will not attempt to oppose US President-elect Joe Biden's victory, rejecting Donald Trump's attempt to pressure him into unilaterally blocking the election results.

"It is my considered judgement that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not," Pence wrote to lawmakers in a three-page letter.

23:26 EU approves Moderna Covid-19 vaccine

The European Medicines Agency has approved the Moderna vaccine, making it the second coronavirus shot to be cleared for general use across the EU, as tensions continued to rise over the slow progress of vaccination programmes in the bloc.

In a move that should ease frustrations over a shortfall in supplies of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab and the EUs longer authorisation process, the Amsterdam-based regulator said on Wednesday it had granted a conditional marketing authorisation for Modernas Covid-19 vaccine for adults.

But Europe is lagging behind the US, Britain and Israel in vaccinations, with the bloc due to hold a virtual summit on the health crisis by the end of the month and the European council president, Charles Michel, describing mass inoculation as a gigantic challenge.

The European commission has agreed to buy 160m doses of the US-made vaccine, which has been shown in clinical trials to be 94% effective and should prove easier to deliver since it does not have to be kept as cold as the Pfizer jab.

Mumbai Police on Wednesday decided against extending the night curfew in the city, which was clamped by the Maharashtra government from December 22 to January 5 between 11 pm and 6 am, a senior official said.

The night curfew was imposed in view of the threat of the new UK variant of coronavirus and in a bid to prevent crowding during Christmas and New Year celebrations in Mumbai

and other municipal areas in the state.

"The night curfew deadline ended at 12 am on Tuesday, following which the police decided not to extend the curbs on movement of the people in night," the official said.

The city police had also imposed section 144 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedur Code) during the timings of the night curfew banning assembly of more than five persons.

The official said citizens should follow guidelines issued by the state government and adhere to the pandemic protocol though the night curfew has been discontinued.

-- PTI

Parts of North India, including Delhi, are likely to be engulfed in a thick blanket of fog for the next four days as the rains will abate and temperatures will dip once again, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.

The weather department has said that the rains that have lashed North India for the past several days will abate as the western disturbances are weakening.

The cloud cover had kept the minimum temperatures high since Sunday as clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downwards, warming the ground. However, as the cloud cover will lift on Thursday morning, the temperature is also likely to dip.

On Wednesday, the minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 13 degrees Celsius, six notches more than normal. However, the Met department predicts the mercury will fall again to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius starting tomorrow.

India has agreed to give priority to Sri Lanka when supplying its COVID-19 vaccine to other countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday told Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to an official statement issued here.

The Drug Controller General of India on Sunday approved the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech, for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.

The president told the Indian minister that Sri Lanka wishes to obtain the Indian vaccine, Rajapaksa's office said in a statement.

According to the statement, Jaishankar told president Rajapaksa that India has agreed to give priority to Sri Lanka when supplying the Indian vaccine to other countries.

The two countries discussed further areas of cooperation, including the Colombo port's eastern container terminal, it said.

-- PTI

21:13 Bird flu: Govt rushes teams to Haryana, Kerala

The central government on Wednesday said it will send top virologists to Haryana and Kerala to help the states contain the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, as the infection poses a fresh challenge before the country that is already struggling to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

The health ministry said multi-disciplinary teams will be deployed to Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in Kerala, and Panchkula district in Haryana after the animal husbandry department confirmed the detection of the H5N8 variant of bird flu in samples.

While the infection has not yet been reported in humans in India, the disease is zoonotic, and the secondary spread by human handling (through fomites) cannot be ruled out, the ministry said. The government has also launched a drive to identify those with suspected flu symptoms in the affected areas.

Experts from National Centre for Disease Control, National Institute of Virology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr. RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College will be sent to the two states. A control room has also been set up in New Delhi to keep watch on the situation and take stock on a daily basis of preventive and control measures undertaken by state authorities.

The government said reports of avian influenza have also been reported from Jhalawar, Rajasthan and Bhind, Madhya Pradesh involving crows and migratory birds, and the department of animal husbandry has issued alerts to further intensify surveillance to detect any case in poultry birds.

Backing the agitating farmers who are demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said the solution has to be found at the level of the Prime Minister, adding that maintaining the law and order in the state is his government's paramount duty and he will not allow any mess in the state.

"The solution has to be found at the level of Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). He (PM Modi) must sit with his ministers and Home Minister and come to a solution. It has to be found by the Prime Minister finally," Amarinder Singh said.

"Maintaining the law and order in the state is my duty and I will not allow any mess. I have seen Operation Blue Star, time of terrorism, the assassination of the Chief Minister. Pakistan is daily sending drones - where to? They are either spotted in Punjab or Kashmir," he added on the law and order situation arising due to protests.

"It is the duty of the government to respond to the people of the country. I feel that farmers have made their stand very clear that the laws should be repealed," said Punjab CM.

Stating that "no law has that sanctity which can't be touched," Amarinder Singh said, "the Constitution has been amended over 100 times since it was introduced in 1950. So why is it that this law can't be amended and you just have to withdraw it?".

Extending his full support to the ongoing farmers' protest at the Delhi border, Punjab Singh said, "Farmers have every right to protest. My sympathy is 101 per cent with the farmers, there are old men and women sitting and protesting at the borders (Delhi border). Till last reports, 55 farmers had died -- they are sacrificing their lives."

-- ANI

20:27 PM, Merkel hold video-teleconference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video-teleconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday and briefed her on COVID-19 vaccine development in India, while also assuring her of the country's commitment to deploy its capacities for the benefit of the world.

A Prime Minister's Office statement said Modi appreciated the long-standing role of Chancellor Merkel in providing stable and strong leadership at the European and global stage, and thanked her for guiding the growth of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership.

The two leaders discussed key issues of mutual importance including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral ties, regional and global issues, particularly India-EU relations.

The prime minister briefed Chancellor Merkel on the developments in India with regard to vaccine development and assured the chancellor of India's commitment to deploy its capacities for the benefit of the world, the statement said.

"He conveyed his best wishes for early containment of the new wave of infections in Germany and other European countries," it said.

-- PTI

As the government is working to launch the Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) app, the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Wednesday warned people against sharing any personal details on some applications on app stores with the same name as that of the official one.

The health ministry said the official platform will be adequately publicised on its launch.

Some apps named CoWIN apparently created by unscrupulous elements to sound similar to upcoming official platform of Govt, are on App stores. Dont download or share personal information on these. Dept official platform will be adequately publicised on its launch, the ministry said, according to news agency ANI.

Co-WIN has been created by the Centre as a digitised platform for rolling out vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The app is in the pre-product stage and is not available for public use.

Data of healthcare and frontline workers is being registered on the app at present and more than 7.5 million beneficiaries were registered during the nationwide dry run which took place on January 2.

Covid-19 vaccine dry run will take place on January 8 in all districts of the country.

At a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had on Tuesday announced that the government was prepared to roll out the vaccine within about a week.

A dry run was conducted on Saturday in almost all states and union territories to assess their ability and readiness to administer COVID-19 shots to hundreds of millions of people. This is aimed at equipping the entire administration and management of vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management.

On December 28 and 29, the first dry run was conducted in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Rajkot and Gandhinagar district of Gujarat, Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar of Punjab and Sonitpur and Nalbari districts of Assam.

Hundred per cent occupancy in movie theatres cannot be allowed yet, the Union home ministry told Tamil Nadu today.

Tamil Nadu was the first state to allow 100 per cent occupancy in movie theatres.

The All India Farmers Association headed by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's grandson Sanjay Nath Singh on Wednesday extended support to the three new agriculture laws against which 40 farmers' unions have been protesting at various borders of the national capital for over a month now.

Singh, in a representation made to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, made some suggestions to the Centre that would be of help in negotiating with the protesting farm unions in the next round of meeting to be held on January 8.

The AIFA recommended setting up of an independent regulatory body to monitor farm contracts, a price regulatory authority to monitor purchase and sale price of farm produce, enforcement of a template of contract agreement among others, he said.

"With these suggestions, we request you Sir (Tomar) to negotiate with farmer leaders to reach an early resolution. We are hopeful of you achieving success and request that the new farm laws are not rolled back," he said.

Stating that the new legislations are a "watershed moment" for Indian agriculture, Singh said though the minimum support price and APMC mandi system are working well in Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh, farmers of these states had "apprehension" about the new laws and the Centre has done its best to "allay" their fears.

He further said "it appears that the vested interest and political opportunists are continuing to mislead them".

-- PTI

18:18 Farmers make tents waterproof at Delhi border

Though regular life in the national capital was disturbed by rains in the last few days, but it failed to dampen the spirit of the protesting farmers at the borders. To protect themselves from rains they have made tents waterproof at Singhu border.

There was heavy rainfall for the past few days in the capital city, which resulted in waterlogging and long traffic congestion in various parts of the city. The adverse effects were also witnessed at Singhu border where farmers have been protesting for over a month now.

Farmers were troubled due to constant rainfall as many of their tents collapsed while some started leaking. They made their tents waterproof by covering them with plastics to avoid any kind of inconvenience.

The farmers are continuing their protests after the talks between them and the Centre remained inconclusive on January 4. They are pushing the government to repeal the farm laws while the government is suggesting for only amendments in them.

-- ANI

18:00 '400 terrorists at LoC waiting to infiltrate'

Around 400 terrorists are currently in launching pads across the Line of Control, waiting to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir during the winters, after a tight anti-infiltration grid frustrated attempts by Pakistan to push them into the Indian side, according to security officials.

A top police official said that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir even during the winters when most of the passes and mountainous areas along the border are covered in heavy snow.

There have been reports of infiltration by 44 terrorists in 2020 as compared to 141 in 2019, they said. In 2018, 143 terrorists manage to infiltrate into J-K.

Rattled by the success of India's anti-infiltration grid with the blocking of several key routes, the Pakistan army carried out 5,100 ceasefire violations in 2020, the highest since the 2003 truce came into effect, in its attempt to push in more terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of mortar shelling and firing, the officials said.

"There are 300 to 415 terrorists in various launching pads in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir along the LoC ready to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir to disturb peace and normalcy by engineering violence," an official said.

While 175-210 terrorists are in launch pads along the LoC on the other side of the north of Pir Panjal (Kashmir valley), there are 119-216 terrorists opposite to the LoC area south of Pir Panjal (Jammu region), they said.

"Pakistani agencies are using tunnels to push in armed terrorists, weapons, ammunition and explosive material in J-K.

"They are also using drones to ferry and drop weapons and explosive material into border areas in Jammu and Kashmir along with narcotics to finance terrorism," an official said.

-- PTI

The total number of cases infected with the United Kingdom strain of the Coronavirus now stands at 73, says ministry of health.

17:17 WikiLeaks founder Assange denied bail in UK

A British judge on Wednesday denied bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been jailed in Britain since 2019 as he fights extradition to the United States.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ordered Assange to remain in prison while the courts consider an appeal by US authorities against a decision not to extradite him.

On Monday, the judge rejected an American request to send Assange to the US to face espionage charges over WikiLeaks publication of secret military documents a decade ago.

She denied extradition on health grounds, saying the 49-year-old Australian was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

The judge said Wednesday that Assange has an incentive to abscond and there is a good chance he would fail to return to court if freed.

The ruling means Assange must remain in Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison where he has been held since April 2019, when he was arrested for skipping bail during a separate legal battle seven years earlier.

Lawyers for the US government have appealed the decision not to extradite Assange, and the case will be heard by Britains high court at an unspecified date.

Amid the Income Tax Department's probe, Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said that the intelligence agencies are harassing him as no tax evasion has been done by him.

"23,000 documents were taken away from my office. They've more information about me than I have in my office today. Every question they asked was answered clearly. There is no tax evasion. They send us notices in every two to three days. I would say it is harassment because if we are to answer the same question 10 times then there is a problem," Vadra said.

While saying that he has been cooperating with the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department during questioning.

"Every question posed by Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department have been answered with evidence. I am willing to go to any agency for questioning as I haven't done any kind of tax evasions," he added.

"The agencies questioned about my business history which was answered both verbally and with documentary evidence," he said referring to the 23,000 documents taken away form the investigative agency from his office.

Pointing to the COVID-19 situation, he expressed reservations for being called by the ED in the ofice for questioning.

"It is better that a few officers come to my office with COVID report and we would sanitize the room, than me going to an Income Tax office with 50-70 people," he said.

On the contrary, he accused the "central government of using him as a political pawn."

"The government is cornered with its own issues such as farmers and people want answers. They want to divert the issue by bringing my name up because the media will get attentive and flash my name up. It has been happening for 10 years. Especially, when my family fights for farmer issues and all of this is to digress the topic and show me in a bad light," Vadra claimed.

-- ANI

The National Commission for Womens chairperson Rekha Sharma said on Wednesday they have taken the cognisance of the gang-rape and murder of a 50-year-old woman reported in the Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh, adding that a member will meet the victims relatives and police. We have taken cognisance of the matter.

One NCW member is going to the spot to investigate the matter to meet the family and the police and take an exact stock of the situation, Sharma said.

The 50-year-old Anganwadi worker was gang-raped and brutally murdered allegedly by a priest and his two aides in the Budaun district, according to police.

They said two of the accused were arrested on Tuesday, while the priest was on the run and four teams had been formed to nab him. The post-mortem report confirms rape and there are injuries in her private parts and a fracture in the leg, senior superintendent of police Sankalp Sharma said.

SSP Sharma also said that the station house officer of the Ughaiti police station was suspended for laxity in the case. The woman, who had gone to a temple on Sunday, was found dead under mysterious circumstances, Sharma said adding that the victims family accused the temple priest and his aides of raping and murdering her and that a case was registered against them. The victims son said his mother had gone to offer prayers at the temple on Sunday but she did not return. However, around 11pm, the temple priest and two of his aides came to his house and handed over his mothers body, he said.

The rape, which comes months after the Hathras gang-rape case, has led to strong criticism of the BJP-led government in UP by opposition parties. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged there was something wrong in Uttar Pradeshs administration when it comes to women security. Tagging a media report, she tweeted, In Budaun, the police station officer did not listen to the one pleading and did not even examine the place of the incident. There is something wrong in the UP governments intentions on womens security."

A total of 460 Left Wing Extremists, also called Naxals, have been killed by security forces in the country since 2018, an RTI response has revealed.

During the same period, 161 security force personnel laid down their lives in the line of duty, the Left Wing Extremism Division, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated in the reply.

Noida-based lawyer and RTI activist Ranjan Tomar had sought the data on deaths of security personnel and killing of LWEs from the MHA between 2018 and 2020.

The official response, however, had figures updated till November 2020.

In its reply, the division stated that 460 Left Wing Extremists have been killed and 161 security force personnel died in LWE violence from 2018 to November 2020.

The Union ministry of home affairs in September 2020 said the LWE or Naxal violence had reduced considerably in the country with the menace being prevalent in just 46 districts.

-- PTI

15:51 Mumbai mayor gets death threat, FIR filed

An FIR has been registered against an unidentified caller for threatening to kill Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena leader Kishori Pednekar, a police official said on Wednesday.

The mayor had received the threat call on her mobile phone on December 21 last year, he said, adding that the caller was speaking in Hindi and also abused her.

Pednekar recently filed a complaint at the Azad Maidan police station in South Mumbai, he told reporters. A case has been registered under section 506- II (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

When asked about the possible context in which the threat call was made, the official said that further investigation is underway.

The elections to Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are slated to be held next year. Pednekar, who is a Shiv Sena corporator from a municipal ward in Mumbai, was elected as mayor in November, 2019.

-- PTI

15:17 ED summons Sanjay Raut's wife again

The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons against Varsha Raut, wife of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, for a second round of questioning on January 11 in connection with the Rs 4,300 crore PMC Bank money laundering case, official sources said.

Varsha Raut was grilled and her statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the central probe agency for the first time on January 4 at its office in Mumbai.

The agency wants to question her further and hence she has been summoned to appear on January 11, the sources said.

The agency is probing her role in the alleged bank loan scam with regard to transfer of Rs 55 lakh funds by the wife of an accused in the case, Pravin Raut, apart from some other transactions.

Pravin Raut has been a director in a infrastructure company called Guruashish constructions and is stated to be a subsidiary of the HDIL (Housing Development Infrastructure Limited), an accused firm in this case.

Pravin Raut was arrested in the past by the state police economic offences wing.

The ED had recently attached Pravin Raut's assets worth Rs 72 crore in this case and has questioned him and his wife Madhuri Raut in the past.

The agency had alleged that Pravin Raut had 'siphoned off' Rs 95 crore worth funds from the scam-hit bank in the garb of loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Raut who subsequently transferred Rs 55 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, as 'interest free loan'.

"The amount was further utilised for purchase of flat in Dadar East, Mumbai," the ED had said.

Probe found that Varsha Raut and Pravin Raut 'are partners in Avani Construction and Varsha Raut has received Rs 12 lakh from this entity (as overdrawn capital converted to loan) on a contribution of mere Rs 5,625'.

"The loan amount of Rs 12 lakh still remains outstanding," it had said.

Sanjay Raut, 59, is a Rajya Sabha MP and also a spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, which is in power in Maharashtra and is a former ally of the BJP.

The MP, while holding a press conference here sometime back, had denied any wrongdoing on the part of his wife and said they have been in correspondence with the ED in connection with the case for about one-and-a-half months.

Official sources said the agency is also probing the role of a former Shiv Sena legislator with regard to a Rs 1 crore transaction between the PMC Bank and an association linked to him.

The ED had filed a criminal case of money laundering to probe the alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank in October last year against Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, his son Sarang Wadhawan, its former chairman Waryam Singh and ex-managing director Joy Thomas.

It took cognisance of a Mumbai Police economic offences wing FIR against them that charged them for causing 'wrongful loss, prima facie to the tune of Rs 4,355 crore to the PMC Bank, and corresponding gains to themselves'. -- PTI

14:40 11 Bihar Cong MLAs will resign: Party leader

Bihar Congress leader and former MLA Bharat Singh has claimed that 11 legislators of the Congress can leave the party.

Singh said that out of the 19 MLAs, there are 11 MLAs who are not originally from the Congress party.

"These people have just paid money and bought tickets and have now become MLAs," he alleged.

Congress leader Bharat Singh claimed that 11 Congress MLAs want to leave the party.

"Congress state unit president Madan Mohan Jha, Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh and senior Congress leader Sadanand Singh may also exit," he added.

"I have always been against the Congress alliance with the RJD," Singh said adding that the alliance could be self-destructive to the party.

"The Congress party high-command has always been given a wrong picture of the situation of the party in Bihar," Singh claimed.

He also accused Congress Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha and senior Congress leader Sadanand Singh of being involved in anti-party activities. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with leading economists and sectoral experts on Friday to deliberate on measures that may be included in the upcoming budget for promoting growth, amid uncertainty on multiple fronts caused by COVID-19.

The meeting, being organised by the government think tank Niti Aayog will be held virtually and will also be attended by Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

"The prime minister will meet economists on Friday to seek their inputs for the next budget," said a government official on condition of anonymity.

The meeting assumes significance as according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's economy is projected to contract 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2021, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank estimates the contraction at 10.3 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.

India's economy recovered faster than expected in the September quarter as a pick-up in manufacturing helped GDP clock a lower contraction of 7.5 per cent and held out hopes for further improvement on better consumer demand.

India's economic growth stood at an estimated 4.2 per cent in 2019-20.

The upcoming Union Budget is likely to be presented on February 1, 2021. -- PTI

A Central Reserve Police Force officer and a 74-year-old woman died on Wednesday in separate incidents triggered by heavy snowfall in Kashmir, police said.

Sub Inspector H C Murmur of the 115 battalion the CRPF, who was guard in-charge, sustained injuries due to collapse of the guard room at the residence of National Conference leader Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon due to snowfall, a police official said.

He said the injured CRPF personnel was rushed to SKIMS hospital where he succumbed.

In another incident,a woman identified as Rahmi Begum died on the spot after she came under snow in Kupwara district, the official said.

Dozens of structures have collapsed or suffered damage due to the heavy snowfall in Kashmir since Sunday.

As the snowfall continued in many places of the valley especially in south Kashmir, authorities have evacuated many families from avalanche prone areas to safer areas. -- PTI

Representative image

13:06 India detects total 71 cases of new Covid strain

The number of people who have tested positive for the new United Kingdom variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 71, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

These 71 cases include the 58 which were announced by the ministry till Tuesday.

"The total number of cases infected with the new strain of the novel coronavirus first reported in the UK now stands at 71," the ministry said.

All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective state governments, the ministry had said on Tuesday.

Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine.

Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.

Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said.

The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs.

The presence of the new UKvariant has already been reported by several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

The government of India took cognizance of the reports of virus reported from the UKand put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant, it said.

This strategy includes temporary suspension of all flights coming from theUKwitheffectfromthemidnightofDecember23 till January 7 and mandatory testing of all UK-returned air passengers through RT-PCR test.

The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test will be genome sequenced by a consortium of 10 government labs i.e. INSACOG.

All the international passengers who have arrived in India between December 9 and 22, if symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19 will be subjected to genome sequencing as part of the Centre's strategy to detect the mutated UKvariant in them.

Others will be followed up by the respective state and district surveillance officers and will be tested as per ICMR guidelines (even if asymptomatic) between 5th and 10th day, according to the Union Health Ministry's guidance document on genomic sequencing.

Epidemiological surveillance of the passengers, who have arrived in India since November 23 will be conducted in the community through active follow up.

Besides, standard operating protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 was issued on December 22. -- PTI

UP CM Yogi Adityanath

12:36 SC to examine validity of UP's 'love jihad' law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine the controversial laws framed by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on religious conversions due to interfaith marriage.

The SC, however, refused to stay the controversial provisions of the laws enacted by the states.

12:10 SC to hear pleas against farm laws on Jan 11

The Supreme Court will hear on January 11 pleas challenging the new farms laws and issues related to the ongoing farmers' protest at Delhi borders.

We encourage consultation, says the SC after the Centre conveys that "healthy discussions" are going on with farmers over the agriculture laws.

12:03 Kashmir snowfall: No flights, highway closed

Kashmir remained cut off from rest of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway and the Mughal road remained closed, while air traffic was suspended due to heavy snowfall across the valley.

The snowfall began on Sunday and continued in many areas when last reports came in, even as the MET Office said the weather is likely to improve later in the day.

"No traffic was allowed on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway due to accumulation of snow and landslides at many places," an official of the traffic control room said.

He said the highway was blocked due to snow accumulation at Jawahar Tunnel and landslides/mudslides/shooting stones at Samroli, Magarkot, Panthyal, Marog, Cafeteria Mor, Dhalwas and Nashri.

The snow clearance operations were in full swing and efforts were on to restore movement of stranded vehicles along the 260 kilometre road, the official said.

Mughal Road, which connects the valley to Jammu division through Shopian-Rajouri axis, has been closed for several days due to heavy snowfall in the region, officials said.

The officials said south Kashmir's Kulgam district received highest snowfall with five to six feet of snow accumulated at some places.

Anantnag district has also received heavy snowfall, they said.

The areas in south Kashmir, followed by central, received heavy snowfall compared to the areas in the north of the valley, the officials said.

Srinagar city has witnessed heavy snowfall for the past three days, even as the snow clearance operations have been ongoing along inter-district routes as well as major roads linking tehsil headquarters to district headquarters.

While the administration has ensured that most of the essential services were least affected, the heavy snowfall has resulted in snapping of electricity in many areas across the valley, the officials said.

There was less movement of traffic due to slippery roads.

The flight operations to and from Srinagar remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day due to poor visibility and accumulation of snow, the officials said.

However, the MET Office has said the weather is likely to improve from later on Wednesday.

"Weather is improving gradually and the significant improvement is expected from today afternoon onwards," a MET official said.

He said light rain/snow may occur at scattered places of Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 hrs.

However, there was no forecast of any major snowfall from Thursday till January 14, he said.

The minimum temperature improved in most places in the valley due to the snowfall but still stayed below the freezing point, the officials said.

Srinagar city -- the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir -- recorded a low of minus 0.9 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Gulmarg tourist resort settled at minus 3.5 degrees Celsius compared to minus 4 degrees Celsius a night earlier.

Pahalgam tourist resort, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, Kupwara, in the north, minus 0.7 degrees Celsius and Kokernag, minus 1.0 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' -- the 40-day harshest winter period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies including the famous Dal Lake here as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley.

The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy snowfall.

While 'Chillai-Kalan' -- which began on December 21 -- will end on January 31, the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold). -- PTI

With UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson opting out at the last minute, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa may be drafted in as the chief guest for India's Republic Day.

This is one of the two quick options before the Modi government.

The other option is not to have any chief guest, with President Ram Nath Kovind as Supreme Commander in Chief of the armed forces taking the salute.

Interestingly, with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar currently in Colombo, there is intense speculation in South Block that the Prime Minister's Office may choose to go with the neighbourhood leader to be the chief guest.

The ministry of external affairs, however, neither confirmed nor denied the news.

R Rajagopalan in New Delhi

Republican incumbent David Perdue has taken the lead in the Georgia Senate race that will decide whether Republicans retain control of the US upper chamber, with more than 61 per cent of counties/precincts reporting, official results show.

The results showed Perdue leading Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff 50.48-49.52 per cent, with 61.01 per cent of precincts reporting.

The Georgia special Senate race showed Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler leading Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock 50.11-49.89 per cent, with 61.01 per cent of precincts reporting.

If at least one Republican candidate wins re-election, it will be enough for Republicans to retain the majority in the Senate that will allow them to block much of the Democrats' agenda in a split government situation.

If both Democratic candidates secure two seats in the Senate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be in a position to cast the tie-breaking vote when necessary.

-- ANI/Sputnik

Arjun Rampal

10:43 NCB summons Arjun Rampal's sister in drugs case

The Narcotics Control Bureau, Mumbai, has summoned actor Arjun Rampal's sister today in connection with a drugs case, an NCB officer has said, ANI reports on Twitter.

Ariana Grande performs at Grammys 2020

10:09 Grammy awards postponed amid surge in Covid cases in LA

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, set to be presented this month, have been delayed amid concerns about Covid-18, as reported by the New York Times.

The awards show will now be held on March 14, according to a statement from Grammy organisers.

"The deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do," said the statement, which was signed by executives at the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys, and CBS, its longtime broadcast partner as quoted by NYT.

"Nothing is more important," it added, "than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show."

The delay comes less than four weeks before the ceremony was to be held, on January 31, and as unions and entertainment industry groups have called to suspend in-person television and film production in Los Angeles, citing the surging Covid-19 cases.

Beyonce has the most nominations for the ceremony, with nine in eight categories. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and the rapper Roddy Ricch are among the other major contenders for awards.

"The Oscars were postponed two months from their original February 28 date to April 25, with the format of the ceremony not yet determined. A week after that delay was announced, the Golden Globes then said that it would hold its ceremony, typically scheduled for January, in-person -- as usual, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. -- on February 28 instead," the New York Times reported further.

-- ANI

09:53 India's Covid death toll tops 1.50 lakh

India reports 18,088 new COVID-19 cases, 21,314 recoveries, and 264 deaths in last 24 hours, as per Union health ministry.

Total cases: 1,03,74,932

Active cases: 2,27,546

Total recoveries: 99,97,272

Death toll: 1,50,114

India and Israel have successfully tested a Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) defence system jointly developed by the two countries in a boost to their combat capabilities aimed at providing ultimate protection from enemy aircraft.

The test was conducted last week at an Indian facility and validated all components of the weapons system, a press release by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on Tuesday said.

The MRSAM is an advanced path-breaking air and missile defence system that provides ultimate protection against a variety of aerial platforms.

Defence experts say that it can shoot down enemy aircraft at a range of 50-70 km.

Jointly developed by IAI and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in partnership with other defence companies in Israel and India, the MRSAM is being used by all the three wings of the Indian army and also Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

The system includes an advanced phased-array radar, command and control, mobile launchers and interceptors with advanced RF seeker.

"MRSAM Air & Missile Defense System is a cutting edge, innovative system that once again has proven its advanced capabilities against a variety of threats. Every trial in an air defence system is a complex operational event and the COVID-19 limitations significantly increase the complexity," Boaz Levy, IAI's President and CEO, said.

"This trial is yet another testimonial to the strong partnership between IAI and India and the two nations. IAI is proud to lead this impressive cooperation with DRDO and the Indian forces and is dedicated to its continued success," Levy said.

Israeli specialists and Indian scientists and officers participated in and witnessed the test, the leading Israeli defence industry said.

The flight test demonstrated different extreme reference scenarios, validating various system capabilities, it stressed.

'As part of the test, the MRSAM interceptor was launched from a land-based mobile launcher and successfully hit its threats. The scenario began by targeting the threat detected by the Systems digital MMR Radar and launched the MRSAM interceptor toward its operational trajectory. The interceptor acquired the target, and successfully intercepted it,' the press statement noted.

'All the weapon system's elements met the test goals successfully,' it said. --PTI

A 50-year-old Anganwadi worker was allegedly raped and murdered in the Ughaiti area of Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district, police said on Tuesday.

While talking to ANI, Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Budaun, Sankalp Sharma said that four teams have been formed to nab three accused.

"Under Ughaiti police station area of Budaun, the body of a 50-year-old lady was found in the mysterious condition.

Based on the Post mortem report and complaint by the relatives, a case has been registered against three people under Sections 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code.

"Four teams have been formed the nab the accused," Sharma said.

The police official said that the accused will be arrested soon and further investigation is underway. -- ANI

08:40 Rain, hailstorm lash parts of Delhi

Residents in parts of Delhi woke up to the sound of hailstones hitting rooftops and windows, even as sporadic rain continued in the national capital for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said parts of South Delhi reported hailstorm around 7.30 am.

More rain and hailstorms are predicted during the day, it said.

Residents in neighbouring Gurgaon shared video clips of hailstorm there.

On Tuesday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for Delhi, recorded 1.3 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm.

The weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road and Ridge recorded 5.3 mm, 0.4 mm and 4.8 mm rainfall, respectively, during the period.

The minimum temperature rose to 13.2 degrees Celsius as a result of a cloud cover.

The maximum temperature settled at 20.8 degrees Celsius.

Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downwards, warming the ground.

The rains, under the influence of a strong western disturbance, come on the back of a 'severe' cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to the New Year. On Friday, the mercury plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years for January, and very dense fog lowered visibility to 'zero' metres.

On Sunday, there was intense rainfall, thunder and lightning in the city.

The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 39.9 mm rainfall between 8.30 am on Saturday and 2.30 pm on Sunday.

The western disturbance is causing widespread snowfall in the hills too.

Once it withdraws, the mercury will fall again to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius, officials said. -- PTI

A civil court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Serum Institute of India on a suit filed by a pharmaceutical products manufacturer and seller seeking to restrain the former from using trademark 'Covishield' or any other similar names for its upcoming COVID-19 vaccine.

The Nanded-based firm, Cutis-Biotech, in its suit through advocate Aditya Soni, claimed it has been using the trademark 'Covishield' for its products like antiseptic, sanitisers, disinfectant liquid, surface de-containment spray and fruit and vegetable washing liquid since 2020.

As per the suit, the firm filed an application for registration of 'Covishield' trademark on April 29, 2020, which is pending and the firm is using the trademark since May 30, 2020, for its products.

The suit has sought an injunction against the SII from using the name 'Covishield' for its vaccine for the coronavirus.

-- PTI

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