The move was necessitated as Shripad Yesso Naik, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Goa.

Naik, 68, was admitted to the hospital on January 12 after he met with an accident while on his way back to Goa from Karnataka.

The minister's wife and his close aide had succumbed to the injuries in the accident.

'The President of India, as advised by the prime minister, has directed that during the hospitalisation and treatment of Naik, following a road accident, his portfolio related to Ministry of AYUSH be temporarily assigned to Kiren Rijiju in addition to his existing portfolios,' according to the statement.

The President has further directed that this arrangement may continue till Naik resumes his work related to Ministry of AYUSH, it said.   -- PTI

The BBC on Tuesday apologised for any offence caused and rectified what it termed as the mistaken use of an inaccurate map of India, which had the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir entirely missing, triggering a formal letter of complaint by Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma.

In a video broadcast about President-elect Joe Biden on BBC World Service entitled 'US Election 2020: What do countries around the world want from Joe Biden', the graphic depicting the map of India was incompletely highlighted in red with the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir missing.

Sharma, who is also chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), termed the action as 'deeply insulting' in a letter addressed to the Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Tim Davie, and called for an explanation of the editorial guidelines followed.

'This map shows an incomplete India, it does not highlight Jammu and Kashmir which is recognised as a core and integral part of India. To represent Jammu and Kashmir as anything less than Indian is deeply insulting to millions of Indians living here in the UK and in India,' read his letter, issued on Monday.

It called on the BBC to withdraw the graphic and republish with the correct geographical boundaries and also called for action to prevent this happening again.

'The BBC World Service is a fantastic resource, an amazing part of our soft-power and a real force for good around the world, this record is under threat if the World Service is perceived as partisan and anti-India' as is currently being asserted online.

'As a member of the International Development Select Committee, I have seen the great work the World Service can do, I do not want to see that put at risk,' added Sharma, who represents the heavily Indian diaspora constituency of Ealing-Southall in west London.

His letter followed a social media outpouring over the issue, with members of the Indian diaspora demanding immediate action.

The BBC responded with an apology and updated the online broadcast with the map of India reflecting the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir in the standard format used by the news channel in the UK.

'From London we mistakenly published a map of India online which contained inaccuracies and is not the standard map used by BBC News. It has now been corrected. We apologise for any offence caused,' a BBC spokesperson said.    -- PTI

Policemen were deployed on Tuesday to protect a Hindu temple in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, days after a leader of the minority community demanded protection for the place of worship fearing an attack by some mischievous elements who wanted to occupy its land.

The move comes after officials of the District Evacuee Property Trust Committee and District Revenue in a meeting with Deputy Commissioner, Abbotabad, on Tuesday held that Havelian temple in Abbottabad district is a historic religious structure and needs protection.

On the recommendations of the officials in the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Mughees Sanaullah directed deployment of police personnel at the temple site for its protection.

On Sunday, Hindu community leader Haroon Sarab Dayal said the temple in Havelian city is an old structure and now the land mafia is out to destroy this heritage.

"A handful of mischievous elements wanted to occupy the temple land in Havelian city to spread anarchy in the country," he said.

The officials also held that the lease owner of the temple could neither demolish nor make any alterations in it or use the structure for any commercial purpose.

The officials informed the meeting that as per District Revenue Record, the temple existed at the land which was leased out to one Sardar Ramzan in 2013.

Before that, the building was also used by other people for different purposes.

In December, a temple in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district was attacked by a mob after members of the Hindu community received permission from local authorities to renovate its decades-old building.

The mob had demolished the newly constructed work alongside the old structure.

The attack on the temple in Terri village by members of radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (Fazal ur Rehman group) drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu community leaders, prompting the Supreme Court to order its reconstruction.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan.

However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by the extremists.   -- PTI

A court in Gujarat's Mundra in Kutch district on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in a defamation suit filed by the Adani Group.

'...accused stands charged with complaint under section 500 of IPC. You are hereby directed to arrest the said accused and to produce him before me,' Judicial Magistrate Pradeep Soni said in a direction to the Nizamuddin police station in New Delhi.

The Adani Group had filed the defamation suit following his June 2017 article on a 'Rs 500 crore bonanza' the group got from the government.

Reached for comments, Thakurta said he is not aware of the court order and directed queries to his lawyer.

"We haven't received any intimation (from the court). This information (on arrest warrant) has come to us from media," his lawyer Anand Yagnik said.

He further said the Adani Group had withdrawn complaints against everybody, including the editor but not against the author.

"The magazine (which published the article) is not responsible (for criminal defamation), the case against co-author has been withdrawn but you don't withdraw the complaint against the author," he said.

"We have moved a discharge application."

With pandemic affecting court hearings last year, the case filed by Adani had come up before the court on Monday and the court had said it will pass an appropriate order, he added.

"Today they passed an appropriate order," he said, adding the matter had not progressed since 2018-19 and the Adani Group had withdrawn the complaint against everybody else.   -- PTI

The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19 has touched 6,31,417 till 6 pm today through 11,660 sessions, the Government of India (GoI) said on Sunday.

The GoI in a release said that the COVID-19 vaccination program was conducted successfully on the fourth day of the nationwide drive.

This comes after the COVID-19 vaccination exercise was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16.

'1,77,368 beneficiaries were vaccinated till 6 pm today, the fourth day of nationwide COVID19 vaccination. Final reports would be completed for the day by late tonight,' the release said citing the provisional data.

A total of only nine AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) have required hospitalisation.

In Delhi, three cases have been discharged whereas one case is under observation at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Shahdara.

'One more AEFI case from Uttarakhand has been discharged. In Karnataka, one person has been discharged and other person is stable and under observation at District Hospital, Chitradurga.

'In Chhattisgarh also, one person is discharged. In Rajasthan, one case is of suspected anaphylaxis is fine and under observation at District Hospital, Bangar,' the release said. -- ANI

The cast and crew of Amazon Prime Video series Tandav on Tuesday said they have decided to implement changes to the political drama to address concerns.

Tandav, a nine-episode political thriller starring Bollywood A-listers Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, started streaming last week but the show landed in a huge controversy over its depiction of Hindu deities.

At the centre of the row is a scene with Zeeshan Ayyub, in the role of college student Shiva, playing the Hindu god Mahadev in a theatre production.

In an official statement, the team reiterated that they had no intention to hurt anyone's sentiments.

'We have utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. We did not intend to hurt or offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead.

'The cast & crew of Tandav have made the decision to implement changes to the web series to address the concerns raised towards the same,' the statement read.

The team also thanked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the guidance and support in the matter.

'We once again apologise if the series has unintentionally hurt anybody's sentiments,' the statement said.   -- PTI

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Monday said it will contest the forthcoming Assam assembly polls in alliance with five parties to oust the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from power.

APCC president Ripun Bora said following discussions with various parties, it has been decided that the Congress will join hands with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist and the Anchalik Gana Morcha.

"Our doors are open for all anti-BJP parties and we invite the regional parties to join hands with us against our fight to remove the ruling party from power," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress has taken the lead to oust all communal forces in the best interest of the nation, he said. -- PTI

Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Ishant Sharma have made their way back into the squad. Rahul has been picked subject to fitness.  

While Kohli was set to return after missing the three Tests against Australia as he had taken paternity leave, Hardik's inclusion comes on the back of him working overtime on his fitness after returning from the Australia limited-overs series. His inability to bowl was a major concern for the team management. 

Ishant, who had missed the Tests against Australia has also made his way back into the squad on the back of some quality performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. While it is a T20 tournament, it showed that he is match-fit. 

Spinner Axar Patel has also made his way into the Test squad for the first two matches while T Natarajan who played his debut Test against Australia has not been included for the England Tests.  

The team has five stand-bys in Priyank Panchal, KS Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar. Net bowlers have also been included with an eye on the coronavirus situation and they are Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, K Gowtham and Saurabh Kumar. 

The first two games of the 4-game series are to be played in Chennai before the cricketers move to Ahmedabad for the third and fourth Test.  

India's squad for first two Tests against England: Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul (subject to fitness), Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel.

India on Tuesday announced that it will supply COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from Wednesday.

The Ministry of External Affairs said India will supply COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner keeping in view the domestic requirements.

It said India is awaiting confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius for supply of the vaccines.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said India has received several requests for the supply of Indian-manufactured vaccines from neighbouring and key partner countries.

'In response to these requests, and in keeping with India's stated commitment to use India's vaccine production and delivery capacity to help all of humanity fight the COVID pandemic, supplies under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles will begin from January 20,' it said.

'In respect of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius, we are awaiting their confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances,' it added.

India has already rolled out a massive coronavirus vaccination drive under which two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, are being administered to frontline health workers across the country.

While Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield is being manufactured by the Serum Institute, and the Covaxin is being produced by Bharat Biotech.  -- PTI

The Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said it would join farmers' tractor parade on January 26 in Delhi.

AAP state unit president Bhagwant Mann made the announcement while claiming that the ongoing farmers' protest has become the largest agitation in the world with the participation of such a large number of people in a peaceful manner.

Mann said his party volunteers from every village across the state would join the parade with tractors.

The AAP will join this agitation not as a political party but as a farmer, said the Sangrur MP in a statement while also claiming that the AAP is a party of common people who were mostly farmers and labourers.

He asserted that this fight was not only to repeal the three black laws of the Centre but also to save the constitution of the country.

He said that it was the constitutional right of farmers to take out the tractor march in a peaceful manner which the government was trying to take away.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of trying all sorts of tricks to crush farmers' movement.

Mann said the AAP had been opposing the anti-farmer laws enacted by the central government from the day one.

He said the Modi government should give up its stubborn attitude and immediately accept farmers' demands and repeal the three laws.

Various farmer bodies protesting against the Centre's farm laws had said they would go ahead with their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on the Republic Day.

They had announced to take out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi.   -- PTI

Of the total people vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, the government on Tuesday said 0.18 per cent were adverse events following immunisation, while 0.002 per cent had to be hospitalised which is fairly low.

Addressing a press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said concerns about adverse effects and serious problems post immunisation as of now seem to be unfounded, negligible, insignificant and stressed that both the vaccines are safe.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "As per the data available so far, only 0.18 per cent is the Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) and 0.002 is the percentage of the people who were hospitalised following immunisation.

"These are fairly low, in fact lowest so far as we know in the world in the first three days."

He said India recorded the highest number of first day vaccinations for COVID-19 immunisation.   -- PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday congratulated the Indian cricket team for scripting a historic triumph in a Test series in Australia, saying the nation is proud of their achievement.

India won the fourth and final Test of the series with three wickets, clinching the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 2-1.

'A historic cricketing triumph scripted in Australia! Congratulations to India's talented young cricket team for winning the hard-fought test series. The team showed exceptional skills and resilience. The nation is proud of their achievement,' Kovind tweeted.   -- PTI

Delhi Police's cyber crime cell will investigate a complaint received from senior TV journalist Nidhi Razdan who has said she was a victim of a phishing scam in which she was given a fraudulent offer of a position of associate professor at the Harvard University.

Razdan filed the complaint with the Delhi Police on Monday regarding commission of cognisable offences including forgery, cheating, identity fraud and impersonation by unknown accused against her.

Earlier, she had filed a similar complaint with the Jammu and Kashmir Police on January 16 when she was in Srinagar.

A senior Delhi Police officer said that an investigation would be undertaken on the basis of the complaint which was filed at a police station in South East district.

A series of emails exchanged with those behind the alleged scam as well as other documents connected with the matter have been enclosed with the complaint.

Her lawyer Shri Singh said Razdan had received an email in December 2019 containing a purported offer from Harvard University for teaching journalism.

Thereafter, she resigned as Executive Editor of NDTV last June.

However, she had come to know last week that a series of emails and forged documents sent over a period of one year were an elaborate scam to dishonestly and fraudulently cause loss to her, Singh said.

Razdan has urged the cyber crime cell to undertake a detailed and thorough investigation to trace the accused and register an FIR in this regard.

She has also asked Harvard University to register a complaint with the FBI or other relevant authorities to investigate this crime, according to the lawyer.   -- PTI

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday congratulated the Indian cricket team for its victory in the Brisbane Test, saying its steely determination and never-say-die attitude made the whole nation proud. India pulled off an exhilarating three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth Test in Brisbane to claim the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

'Heartiest congratulations to Indian cricket team for the splendid victory in Brisbane Test & for retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy. You have created history today. Your steely determination and never-say-die attitude has made the whole nation proud. Well done,' the Vice President Secretariat tweeted quoting Naidu.   -- PTI

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mumbai on Tuesday rejected the plea of Indrani Mukerjea, a prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, seeking exemption from wearing the uniform prescribed for convicts in prison despite she being an undertrial.

Mukerjea is lodged at the Byculla women's jail in Mumbai since her arrest in the case in 2015.

Last month, Mukerjea told the court that though she was an undertrial, jail authorities were asking her to wear a green sari, the uniform meant for convicts.

Subsequently, Mukerjea submitted an application through her lawyer seeking exemption from wearing this uniform.

However, special judge JC Jagdale rejected her plea.

Sheena Bora, 24, Mukerjea's daughter from an earlier relationship, was allegedly strangled in a car and her body was disposed of in neighbouring Raigad district in April 2012.

The murder came to light in 2015 and the Mumbai police arrested Indrani Mukerjea, her driver Shyamvar Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna.

The case was later handed over to the CBI.   -- PTI

Health Ministry press briefing on COVID19 situation"

-- 4,54,049 people have been vaccinated till now. Active cases around 2 lakh after seven months and the number is declining. Daily number of deaths less than 140 after eight months. 

-- 0.18% adverse events happened following immunization and 0.002% of people were hospitalized following immunization. These are fairly low and the lowest so far in the world in the first three days. 

-- The concerns about adverse effects and serious problems, as of now, seem to be insignificant. Data show that we are in a comfortable situation and we would like to reassure you that the two COVID-19 vaccines are safe.

-- The vaccine hesitancy should end. How will we defeat the pandemic then? We are not fulfilling our societal responsibility if a vaccine assigned to you is not being taken. The whole world is clamouring for the vaccine. I request the doctors and nurses to accept the vaccine."

The 30-share BSE index ended 834.02 points or 1.72 per cent higher at 49,398.29. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty surged 239.85 points or 1.68 per cent to 14,521.15. Bajaj Finserv was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying around 7 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, HDFC, L&T, ICICI Bank, Sun Pharma and NTPC. On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, ITC and M&M were the laggards. 

According to Binod Modi, Head-Strategy at Reliance Securities, having seen massive pullbacks in last two trading days, domestic equities witnessed sharp rebound mainly led by strong cues from global markets. "Positive statement from Janet Yellen about possibility of acting big to support economy bolstered confidence among investors globally," he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena said a "political revolution" cannot be staged in the state using the central probe agencies.

The BJP should accept the public mandate favouring the MVA, or else, people of the state will further rout that party, the Sena said. About 1.25 lakh candidates emerged victorious in the polls held for 12,711 Gram Panchayats on January 15. These polls are not fought on party symbols, but panels are fielded by political parties or local leaders. 

The ruling MVA -- comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress -- on Monday claimed a "huge win" in the Gram Panchayat elections, while the opposition BJP said it had come out stronger in the elections.

The Sena claimed the Thackeray government was addressing people's problems and the state's development has gained momentum on its watch. "All the MVA constituents have put up an emphatic show in the Gram Panchayat polls. What else is this if not a mandate favouring the Thackeray government in the state?" the Sena asked.

"The Gram Panchayat polls have conveyed the people's mandate. Accept that or the people of Maharashtra won't keep quiet till they further rout (you)," it said. -- PTI

"We have set no target. Our vaccination will continue as per registration of the beneficiaries. The Co-WIN portal is giving trouble and we are doing it manually," he said. The Co-WIN app has been created by the Centre for managing registration for the vaccination. Till Monday, 29,817 frontline workers were administered shots in West Bengal, he said.

At least 28 Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) cases were reported from different parts of the state. Asked about the health condition of the three women who have been hospitalised after receiving the vaccine, the official said, "They are under observation and responding well to the treatment. Our doctors are monitoring them". PTI 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to congratulate the team, complimenting it for its passion and energy. "We are all overjoyed at the success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia. Their remarkable energy and passion was visible throughout. So was their stellar intent, remarkable grit and determination. Congratulations to the team! Best wishes for your future endeavours," he tweeted. 

Tendulkar lauded the fact that every member of the team took responsibility to take the side across the line at some point during the series. "Every time we got hit, we stayed put & stood taller. We pushed boundaries of belief to play fearless but not careless cricket. Injuries & uncertainties were countered with poise & confidence. One of the greatest series wins! Congrats India," he said. 

Regular skipper Virat Kohli, who is on paternity leave, was delighted by the team's grit and determination after the Adelaide humiliation. he had famously asked everyone not make a mountain out of a molehill after the side was dismissed for its lowest Test score of 36 in the opening match, which it lost. "WHAT A WIN!!! Yessssss. To everyone who doubted us after Adelaide, stand up and take notice. Exemplary performance but the grit and determination was the standout for us the whole way. Well done to all the boys and the management. Enjoy this historic feat lads. @BCCI. Current and former players also praised the team for pulling off a win despite facing several adversities.

Here is a look at the reactions that followed the extraordinary triumph that wil be remembered for years to come: 

VVS Laxman:@ajinkyarahane88 led the side brilliantly, giving a lot of confidence to youngsters and Pujara exhibited his steely resolve once again. Can't forget the young bowling unit. Fantastic team AUSvsIND." 

 Virender Sehwag: Khushi ke maare pagal. This is the new India. Ghar mein ghuskar maarta hai. From what happened in Adelaide to this, these young guys have given us a joy of a lifetime. There have been World Cup wins but this is special. And yes,there is a reason Pant is extra special . Ishant Sharma: The champions & the greatest chase!Raising hands #TeamIndia has proved it again by team efforts, great character, courage & max determination! Despite the bruises, the team made it possible for our country. That's why we play for the country's flag to go high every time we perfomFlag of India#INDvAUS 

 Mohammed Shami: Congratulations Team india well done boys great effort #TeamIndia 

 Shikhar Dhawan: Congratulations #TeamIndia Flag of India Absolute superstars all of you Clapping hands signClapping hands sign A proud and historic moment for Indian cricket! Battered, bruised, but champions as well Trophy. Shreyas Iyer: WHAT A TEAM!! CHAMPIONS Trophy Historic moment, historic day, historic series! Proud of the team, proud of the effort Clapping hands sign Take a bow, #TeamIndia Flag of India @BCCI. 

 Harbhajan Singh: Well done captain @ajinkyarahane88 this this biggest series win I feel.. without many big names you guys have showed the way how it's done congratulations @BCCI 

 Stuart Broad: Test cricket's heart is beating strongly! That was an extraordinary win @BCCI & a fantastic series to watch. Aussies not lost at The Gabba since 1988. Wow 

 AB de Villiers: What a Test match! The depth of Indian Cricket is scary. @RishabhPant17 , sweet number 17. Well played young man. #testcricket at its very best 

 Kevin Pieterson: Only issue with India beating Australia in such an INCREDIBLE manner, is that the Test was played in Brisbane. A city that doesn't deserve an event so good! Rolling on the floor laughing. Pant - the boy who turned into a man today in Australia, in cricketing terms! 

 Michael Vaughan: The Greatest Test series win of all time ... Well done #India you have just shown the way for England to get back those Ashes back later in the year ... Thumbs up 

 Ian Bishop: Remarkable. Injuries galore, absent players, & beating Australia at their fortress at the Gabba. This has been the most remarkable test series victory I've watched in my experience. India's depth of talent, heart and character must forever lift an entire nation. Congratulations.

 Shane Warne: Congrats to the Indian cricket team @BCCI That's one of the best series wins I can ever remember on Aust soil & to do it after being bowled out for 36, plus a depleted squad-shows tremendous character, resilience, courage & belief. Just fantastic @RaviShastriOfc @ajinkyarahane88. 

 Mithali Raj: Speechless !!! Fortress Gabba has been breached !! What a great great game of Test match cricket . I still have goosebumps . Complete team effort . Jab hausle ho Buland toh har mushkil lage aasaan ! #TeamIndia Flag of India #Merabharatmahaan 

 Anirban Lahiri: That ..... was ...... incredible!!!!! Feel like the child I was who lived and died with every ball Cricket bat and ball #goindia Mahesh Bhupathi: Congrats Team India. This is one of the greatest upsets of all time. Winning the series at the Gabba. #goosebumps #thereisnoiinteam #fortress @ajinkyarahane88 

 Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju: Congratulations to #TeamIndia Flag of India for the historic victory and retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy Trophy We are proud of your excellent performance and the grit & determination displayed by our young players. 

 Google CEO Sundar Pichai: One of the greatest test series wins ever. Congrats India and well played Australia, what a series #INDvsAUS. PTI

"A Dalit family said that we fed them (BJP leaders arriving at their house) from our pocket, how can we pay the amount? I will tell my workers that when you see something like that, then pay them. If anyone gives you money for vote, take the money."

At a press conference, Gandhi also released a booklet highlighting the "plight" of farmers in the wake of the Centre's three farm laws. He alleged that the laws will put the entire agriculture sector in the hands of "three to four crony capitalists". 

The Centre's new farm laws are "designed to destroy" the agriculture sector, the former Congress chief said. "I support the protesting farmers 100 per cent and every single person in the country should support them as they are fighting for us," he said. There is just one solution that these three laws will have to repealed, Gandhi said when asked about the impasse in talks between the government and the protesting farmers. 

Hitting back at BJP president J P Nadda for his tweets earlier in the day criticising him, the Congress leader said it was an "attempted distraction". The farmers know that it was Rahul Gandhi who stood up in Bhatta Parsaul and over the land acquisition issue, not BJP leader Nadda, he said. 

"I am not afraid of anyone, neither of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi nor of anyone else. I am a clean person, they can't touch me. They can shoot me, but can't touch me. I am a patriot and I protect my country, and I will keep doing it," he said. 

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP) system for their crops. -- PTI

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secertary Jay Shah tweeted within minutes of each other to make the annoucement of a bonus. "Just a remarkable win...To go to Australia and win a test series in this way ..will be remembered in the history of indian cricket forever ..Bcci announces a 5 cr bonus for the team ..The value of this win is beyond any number ..well done to every member of the touring party," Ganguly tweeted.

"The @BCCI has announced INR 5 Crore as team bonus. These are special moments for India Cricket. An outstanding display of character and skill," Shah tweeted minutes ahead of him. 

In another post, Shah lauded the performances of India's young brigade in the absence of some key players due to injury. "#TeamIndia has redefined words like resilience, grit and determination this #BorderGavaskarTrophy. You have inspired the entire nation. Well done, @ajinkyarahane88 @RaviShastriOfc & the boys. Special mention to Siraj @RishabhPant17 @RealShubmanGill," read his another post. PTI

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) approved the vaccine on Monday, two days after it had approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Asim Rauf, the DRAP chief executive officer, while talking said the National Institute of Health (NIH) got the Sinopharm's vaccine registered on its name. 

The approval has been given for emergency use and it will pave the way for bringing the vaccine to Pakistan, he was quoted as saying to the Dawn newspaper. Pakistan has already pre-booked 1.1 million doses of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine and the process of its import will start soon. 

Till Tuesday, Pakistan has reported 11,055 deaths due to coronavirus, reported the ministry of National Health Services. It showed that the number of positive cases has surged to 523,011 after 1,800 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. -- PTI

A large number of resident doctors in six districts of Karnataka have voiced their objection to taking the Covaxin shot developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and have asked the government to use the Covishield vaccine instead.

India Today reports that this comes after resident doctors at Delhis RML Hospital raised similar concerns following the launch of Indias vaccine drive and said they would prefer to get the Covishield vaccine instead of Covaxin.

Several doctors in Karnataka were found avoiding taking the Covid-19 vaccine shot because they have been asked to take only Covaxin. They have demanded that the Karnataka government allows them to decide which vaccine would want to take.

The doctors have written to the Karnataka health minister with three demands:

1. The vaccine which has got results of phase III to be given (at least interim analysis)

2. Provide vaccines that have shown results with respect to safety and efficacy

3. Choice to choose a vaccine should be given in view of that both vaccines are yet to complete phase III trials

The state government has decided to provide Covishield in 237 centres across districts while Covaxin is being administered in only six centres. These are medical colleges in Ballari, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagara and Davanagere districts.

A doctor at a vaccination centre in Mumbai said the response was slow in the morning, but the process was gradually picking up. The inoculation drive resumed at nine centres in Mumbai and 28 centres in the neighbouring Pune district, officials said. 

The Maharashtra government had suspended the inoculation process on Sunday and Monday due to some problems in the Co-WIN app, created by the Centre for managing registration for the vaccination. On the first day of the vaccination on Saturday, only 1,923 out of 4,000 registered beneficiaries got the doses in Mumbai, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). 

On Tuesday, the vaccination process started around 9 am at all the centres in Mumbai, as per BMC officials. However, unlike Saturday, there was hardly any rush of registered beneficiaries at the vaccination centres. The waiting room at a vaccination centre in the civic-run KEM Hospital was almost empty at around 10.30 am. 

"Only 15 to 20 people have come since the start of the process today," a staffer at the vaccination centre said. One or two registered beneficiaries are coming at a gap of 5 to 10 minutes, he said.

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief had on Sunday said he would be undergoing a follow-up surgery on his leg. Shruti and Akshara took to Twitter on Tuesday to update followers on the veteran actor's health following the surgery, which they said was a success. 

"We would like to begin by thanking you for your overwhelming support, prayers, and genuine concern regarding our father's recent medical procedure. We are happy to inform all of you that the surgery was a success!", the statement read. The surgery was performed at Sri Ramchandra Hospital in Chennai. -- PTI

"The company was given a fresh letter of comfort recently for supplying another 45 lakh doses of Covaxin. The doses will be dispatched as when the Ministry places orders with the company," sources told PTI. 

After having received the government purchase order for 55lakh doses, BharatBiotechshipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Gannavaram (Vijayawada), Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow, it said.

Bharat Biotech said it has also donated 16.5 lakh doses to the Government of India. Sources further said the supplies from the company depend on the orders being placed by the government. -- PTI

Bharat Biotech's fact sheet on COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, has advised pregnant or breastfeeding women, besides people with high fever or bleeding disorders, not to take the antidote.

     

The vaccine maker in the fact sheet on Covaxin, posted in its website, said the clinical efficacy of the vaccine is yet to be established and is being studied in Phase 3 clinical trial and hence it is important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean other precautions related to COVID-19 need not be followed.

    

"You should not get Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin if you have any history of allergies. Have high fever. Have bleeding disorder or are a blood thinner. 

     

Immune compromised or are a medicine that affects your immune system. Are pregnant. Are breast feeding.

     

Have received another COVID-19 vaccine. Any other serious health related issues, as determined by the vaccinator/Officer supervising vaccination," the fact sheet said. 

     

 The fact sheet also asked people to inform the vaccinator or a supervising official about their medical condition before taking the vaccine.

     

Bharat Biotech said in an ongoing clinical trial Covaxin has been shown to generate immunity following two doses given four weeks apart.

     

Covaxin is a vaccine with approval for restricted use in emergency situations that may prevent COVID-19.

     

The Central Licensing Authority has granted permission for the sale or distribution of the antidote for restricted use in emergency situations in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, the fact sheet said.

     

Covaxin is a highly purified and inactivated two-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, manufactured in a Vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses, the company had said.

     

Covaxin is India's totally indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology.

     

The inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) biocontainment facility, one of its kind in the world. -- PTI

"Remember his promise -  (Will not let the country bow)," Gandhi said on Twitter as he posted a link of a news report about the alleged "Chinese village". Congress leader Randeep Surjewala also slammed the prime minister on the matter. 

"Modiji where is that 56-inch chest," he asked on Twitter.

 In a cautious reaction to the reports, India had on Monday said it keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on the country's security, and takes necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Congress leader P Chidambaram had on Monday demanded answers from the government on the issue, alleging that BJP MP Tapir Gao has claimed that China has built a 100-house village in the "disputed area" deep into Arunachal Pradesh.

He said if the allegation made out by the BJP MP is true, will the government again give a clean chit to China or will blame the previous governments for it. "Mr Tapir Gao MP, belonging to BJP, has alleged that deep into Arunachal Pradesh, in a 'disputed area' within Indian territory, the Chinese have built a 100-house village, a bazaar and a two-lane road in the last year.

"If this is true, it is clear that the Chinese have altered the status quo by converting a disputed area into a permanent settlement of Chinese nationals. What has the government to say about these startling facts," he had said on Twitter. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it. India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months. 

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in order to resolve the eastern Ladakh standoff, but no significant headway has been made for its resolution. -- PTI

"Remembering Soumitra (Da) Chattopadhyay on his birth anniversary. He was a legend, who left his mark on everything he did. We miss his glorious presence," Banerjee tweeted.

The chief minister, who had inaugurated an exhibition featuring paintings, film posters and costumes of Soumitra Chatterjee at a gallery in Kolkata, said that she was touched by the warmth of the actor's family. The iconic actor died in November last year following an over-a-month-long battle with multiple ailments after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee was often referred to as legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 'alter ego' as well as one of the first proponents of the naturalistic style of acting in Bengali cinema.

Chatterjee had acted in 14 of Ray's films besides featuring in some other iconic movies such as Mrinal Sen's 'Akash Kusum', Tapan Sinha's 'Kshudhita Pashan', 'Jhinder Bandi' and Tarun Majumdar's 'Ganadevata'. PTI

Thirty-four per cent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president, a Gallup poll on published Monday stated, as cited by The Hill. The Gallup poll results were based on telephone interviews between January 4-15, starting two days before the Capitol riot. The margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points.

The Gallup poll further reported that Trump's 41 per cent average approval rating throughout his four years in office is four points lower than for any of his predecessors in the White House.

A 34 per cent approval rating is a single point lower than his prior lowest single rating, which came on multiple occasions in 2017, as per the report.

The Hill further reported that Trump is the first president to fail to crack a 50 per cent approval rating at any point since Gallup began measuring presidential job approval in 1938.A majority of Americans said they believed that Trump should be removed from office according to a poll by ABC News/Ipsos.Trump's term ends on Wednesday at noon after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in. -- PTI

The country's death toll increased to 1,52,556 as 137 fatalities, the lowest in around eight months, were recorded in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,02,28,753 pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.66 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below three lakh.

There are 2,00,528 active COVID-19 cases in the country which comprise1.90 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed 20 lakh on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

 According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 18,78,02,827 samples have been tested up to January 18 with 7,09,791 samples being tested on Monday. PTI

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, established by WHO in May 2020, is co-chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, CNN reported. 

In a report released on January 18, the panel called for an overhaul of global health alert and response systems, saying the current system is "not fit for purpose."

"The Panel also describes additional early shortcomings at each step of the global and national response to COVID-19 which have contributed to the pandemic. These include a failure to measure preparedness in a way that predicted actual performance, and a failure of countries to prepare, despite years of warnings of the inevitability of a health threat with pandemic potential," the report read.

China was also slammed by the panel for "lost opportunities to apply basic public health measures at the earliest opportunity."

"What is clear to the Panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January," the report said as quoted by CNN.

This comes after UK's former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Ian Duncan Smith labelled Beijing as despicable for covering up vital information pertaining to COVID-19.

In an opinion article for The Sun, published on Saturday, the former UK Secretary wrote that how can the world have 'any faith' in the World Health Organisation (WHO) "whose existing investigation team hasn't even asked to inspect the Wuhan laboratory". -- PTI

The Prime Minister said Dr Shanta will be remembered for her outstanding efforts to ensure top-quality cancer care. 

"Dr. V Shanta will be remembered for her outstanding efforts to ensure top-quality cancer care. "The Cancer Institute at Adyar, Chennai is at the forefront of serving the poor and downtrodden. I recall my visit to the Institute in 2018. Saddened by Dr. V Shanta's demise. Om Shanti," Prime Minister tweeted.

The veteran oncologist was admitted to a private hospital in the city last night after she complained of chest pain.

Her body has been moved to the old Cancer Institute premises, which she helped build along with her mentor Dr. Krishnamoorthy.

The Padma Shri (1986) and Padma Bhushan (2006) awarded doctor was renowned for her efforts towards making quality and affordable cancer treatment accessible to all patients. She was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay awards. -- ANI

Thirteen migrant labourers were killed in Surat district of Gujarat on Tuesday after being crushed by a truck, police said.

The tragedy took place early in the morning near Kosamba village, around 60 km from Surat, police said, adding that all those killed hailed from Rajasthan. -- PTI

The 30-share BSE index was trading 485.97 points or 1 per cent higher at 49,050.24. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty surged 134.05 points or 0.94 per cent to 14,415.35. Bajaj Finance was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by SBI, ONGC, IndusInd Bank, Reliance Industries, HDFC and Axis Bank. 

On the other hand, ITC and HDFC Bank were the laggards. In the previous session, Sensex ended 470.40 points or 0.96 per cent lower at 48,564.27, while Nifty tumbled 152.40 points or 1.06 per cent to 14,281.30. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 650.60 crore on Monday, as per exchange data. According to Binod Modi Head-Strategy at Reliance Securities, domestic equities look to be good at the moment. 

A sharp pullback for the last two trading days clearly indicates profit booking by the investors ahead of key events including the Union Budget.

Several civil rights activists and organizations from India and the United States on Monday urged the Supreme Court to give bail to former police officer Sanjiv Bhatt.

At a virtual press conference organized by the Indian American Muslim Council and Hindus for Human Rights, the organizations and activists argued that conviction of Bhatt in a murder case was wrong and based on fraudulent evidence.

The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a bail hearing for Bhatt on January 22.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Shashi Tharoor said he was "outraged by the injustice meted out" to Bhatt, whose "conscientious service to society" and "indomitable capacity for speaking truth to power" had put him in jail.

"Sanjiv's case is a reflection of the grim times that we live in, where constitutional values and fundamental privileges that have been granted by the constitution to all Indians appear in many cases to be diluted and in many cases perhaps even supplanted by illiberal forces," Tharoor said.

"All Indians with a conscience like Sanjiv Bhatt's must stand up and fight back against such challenges that threaten to undermine the very foundation of our republic," he said.

Renowned documentary filmmaker and human rights defender Anand Patwardhan said Bhatt had been jailed for no other reason than the fact that he opposed the massacre in 2002 and spoke against it. Patwardhan said the civil society "should build a movement for Bhatt's release".

Human rights activist, classical dancer and actor Mallika Sarabhai said there was a definite agenda not only in Bhatt's case but in most cases of most critics of the Modi government.

"If anyone speaks against the government or asks a question, which is a fundamental right of our democracy, they are somehow punished. Raids are carried out against them, false cases are brought up, fraudulent charges are made, and they are made to silence," Sarabhai alleged.

Rasheed Ahmed, executive director of Indian American Muslim Council, said the Indian government must stop politically managing Sanjiv Bhatt's case and let the law take its course under the supervision of independent judges not the judges who are either scared of government or have themselves becomes political". -- PTI 

Days after the United States Capitol riots that was called against "rigged election" by President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump in her farewell speech urged the people to be "passionate in everything" but never resort to violence.

Speaking for the last time as the US First Lady, Melania in a video message said, "Be passionate in everything you do but always remember that violence is never the answer and will never be justified."

On January 6, a group of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol to protest legislators confirming electoral slates from battleground US states they thought were invalid.Trump had made a speech among thousands of supporters reiterating his claim a massive voter fraud had robbed his election victory and encouraged supporters to maintain support to "stop the steal.

"Five people died in the riot, including one police officer as well as one Air Force veteran and Trump supporter who was shot dead by police.

Showing concern for the citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed thousands of lives in the US, she urged the netizens to "use caution and common sense to protect the vulnerable as millions of vaccines are now being delivered".

She conveyed condolences to the kin of the COVID-19 victims and thanked "nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals, manufacturing workers, truck drivers, and so many others who are working to save lives".

Melania further spoke about her campaign 'BE BEST', stating that it is evolved into a platform encouraging global leaders to discuss issues impacting the lives of children and share solutions.

According to the White House, the mission of BE BEST focuses on some of the major issues being faced by children today. 

As the name suggests, the goal of the program is to encourage children to be best in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional and physical health.

United States Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead after January 20 when Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, saying it is not going to be easy.

"We're going into Wednesday knowing that we're ready to do the work, and we've got a lot of work to do. It's not going to be easy," Harris told reporters at Martha's Table in Anacostia in Washington on Monday, observing the National Day of Service.

"As we have discussed, Joe has outlined our plan for vaccinations, our plan for recovery, and in particular relief for working people, for families. And there is a lot to do. Some of them say that ours are ambitious goals, but we do believe with hard work and with the cooperation and collaboration of the members of the United States Congress that we can get it done," Harris said in response to a question.

Asked if she felt safe going to the inauguration, she said, "I am very much looking forward to be sworn in as the next vice president of the United States and I will walk there to that moment proudly with my head up and my shoulders back".

Kamala Harris and the future Second Gentleman of the US Doug Emhoff participated in a service event at Martha's Table in Anacostia on Monday, packing food into plastic bags which will be distributed. 

The couple were seen packing bags with the list laid out for them -- two potatoes, two oranges, a macaroni and cheese, etc.

"We're here at Martha's Table to support the work that is happening. Volunteers are here. There are a number of high school students from Jack and Jill who are here, in honour of the Day of Service when we recognize and pay tribute to the work of Dr. King," she said.

"I think it's so important to remember that Dr. King was killed in large part, I believe, because he was on the verge of bringing together the civil rights movement around racial justice with the fight for economic justice," she said.

"When we look at where we are as a country today, when we look at recent events, we know that the fight Dr. King was engaged in is still a fight in America, which is to recognize the connection and to recognize our collective responsibility to address these injustices," the vice president elect said.

She further said today in America, one in six families describe their household as being hungry, one in five describe an inability to pay rent, while one in three describe an inability to pay their bills. 

"So, we are here today as part of what we collectively, all of us who are volunteering, see as our responsibility as part of Dr. King's legacy. And we're here to renew the commitment that we have to service, and to serve others especially those in need," Harris said.

Thousands of volunteers across the country participated in the National Day of Service -- an opportunity for all Americans to unite and serve at a time when the global pandemic calls on us to work together and support the communities, the transition said. -- PTI

Outgoing United States President Donald Trump on Monday issued an executive order to lift travel restrictions on European countries and Brazil which his administration had imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Travel restrictions on several other countries including China and Iran remain in place.

In an executive order, Trump said he is removing the restrictions applicable to the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Brazil, while leaving in place the restrictions applicable to China and Iran.

A decision in this regard, he said, is being taken after the January 12 directive of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States.

Trump said that European Union, Britain, Ireland and Brazil will cooperate with the US in the implementation of CDC's January 12, 2021, order and that tests administered there will yield accurate results.

However, the same cannot be said of China and Iran. "Those jurisdictions' responses to the pandemic, their lack of transparency, and their lack of cooperation with the United States thus far in combatting the pandemic, cast doubt on their cooperation in implementing CDC's January 12, 2021, order," Trump said.

The previous travel restrictions were announced on March 14 and May 24 of last year. -- PTI 

Donald Trump is expected to issue more than 100 presidential pardons, during his final hours in the White House, but may not pardon himself or his immediate family, it was reported on Monday.

White House officials say Trump has privately debated with aides whether he should take the extraordinary step of pardoning himself. Some administration insiders have reportedly warned against it, arguing that it would make Trump look guilty.

On Sunday, Trump met his son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka Trump and senior advisers to thrash out a lengthy list of pardon requests, the Washington Post reported. The meeting took up much of the day. The US president was personally engaged with the details of every case, it said.