LIVE! Heavy traffic jam as Ghazipur border closed

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Thu, 28 January 2021

Heavy traffic jam as Ghazipur border closed

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23:26 Heavy traffic jam as Ghazipur border closed

Commuters faced hardship on NH-24 on Thursday evening due to massive traffic jam following the closure of the Ghazipur border, officials said.

There was heavy police presence at the Ghazipur border after the Ghaziabad administration gave an ultimatum to agitating farmers to vacate the UP Gate protest site by Thursday midnight, failing which they would be removed.

The 'verbal' communication came after three farmers union withdrew their protest against the three central farm laws over the violence in Delhi on Republic Day.

The Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter to inform about the closure of the border.

'Gazipur border closed. Traffic diverted from NH 24, NH 9, Road no 56, 57 A, Kondli, Paper market, Telco T point, EDM Mall, Akshardham & Nizammudin Khatta. Traffic is very heavy in the area & Vikas marg,' it tweeted.

Traffic was heavy on NH-24 from Ghazipur border to Akshardham.

Police advised commuters to avoid the route and take alternative roads.

Several commuters had taken to Twitter to mention that they were stuck on the stretch for the last one or two hours. -- PTI

IMAGE: Traffic jam on NH-24 near Ghazipur border, in New Delhi, on Thursday. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo

Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo

23:11 Antiquities missing from Red Fort: Union minister

Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel on Thursday said some antiquities inside the Red Fort are missing and tableaux showcased at the Republic Day parade damaged, two days after a section of protesting farmers laid siege to the iconic structure.

During the tractor parade of farmers on Republic Day, a group of farmers had entered the Red Fort premises and climbed on to the ramparts.

"All the tableaux are kept in the Red Fort premises after the Republic Day celebrations. These are viewed by the public for seven to 15 days. When I went there, I saw that these have been damaged.

"These include the culture ministry tableau and the Ram Mandir tableau. In fact, all the tableaux have been messed with," said Patel at a press briefing.

He further said that while an assessment of the monetary loss in the violence can be ascertained, he was more worried about the loss of antiquities which are priceless.

"The antiquities are priceless. While we can access the monetary loss, how can we gauge the loss of antiquities? The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (or AMASR Act) was formulated to protest the treasures of the past. This is the major loss," he said.

Earlier, Patel had ordered an enquiry into the matter and even sought a report from the ASI.

"Outside lights were destroyed, first floor information centre has been damaged. The place where the flag is permanently displayed which is the most safe and significant area there were brass antiquities, two of which are missing," he said.

He said that action will be taken under Section 30 of the AMASR Act against those found guilty of the crimes. -- PTI

Jailed self-styled godman Asaram on Thursday moved a trial court in Gujarat where he isfacing rape charges, seeking a 30-day temporary bail to attendto his ailing wife.

The temporary bail plea was filed before the court ofAdditional Sessions Judge S N Solanki in Gandhinagar.

The court fixed January 30 to hear the plea.

The 79-year-old controversial religious preacher,who is behind bars since 2013, is facing trial in a rape casebefore the sessions court in the Gujarat capital.

Currently, Asaram is lodged in a Rajasthan jail afterconviction in a separate rape case.

Asaram sought bail for a period of 30 days on theground that his 77-year-old wife, Lakshmi Devi, is severelyill and needs to undergo bypass surgery.

As per the bail application, doctors at UN Mehta Heart Hospital in Ahmedabad had asked Lakshmi Devi to get herselfadmitted for a bypass surgery when she visited the hospital afew weeks ago when her heart condition started deteriorating.

However, since there was no one to look after her, she had informed the doctors that she will get herself admitted tothe hospital on February 1, said Asaram's plea.

According to the plea, Asaram needs to be with hisailing wife during and after the heart surgery.

Two Surat-based sisters, who lived in Asarams ashramin Motera area of Ahmedabad between 1997 and 2006, lodged hadseparate complaints against him and his son Narayan Sai,accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

Asaram is in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan ever since hisarrest in 2013 after a minor girl lodged a case of rape against him.

He was convicted by a Jodhpur court in that case ofsexual assault in 2018.

The Jodhpur court had sentenced theself-styled godman to life in prison. -- PTI

Farmer union leaders took out a "Sadbhavna rally" from the Singhu border on Thursday to reinforce a sense of unity among the protestors, two days after their tractor parade turned violent, leaving 394 security personnel injured and one agitator dead.

Several farmer union leaders, including including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Daljeet Singh Dallewal, Darshan Pal and Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who led the rally said the march was organised "to counter the forces trying to divide the protesting farmers along religious lines and as per states" and to show that they respect the tricolour.

Several tractors and two-wheelers with the national flag took part in the 16 km-long rally which started from the stage at the Singhu protest site and went up to the beginning of the Kundli-Manesar Palwal highway.

"This rally was a response to the government's allegations that the farmers insulted the national flag on Republic Day. Farmers from both Punjab and Haryana participated in the rally which displayed immense unity between the two states.

"We wanted to take out this rally to show that the farmers respect the national flag more than anyone else. And this country belongs to the farmers, because it is functioning essentially because of its farmers and the labourers," said Avtar Singh Mehma of the Krantikari Kisan Union (Punjab).

He added that all the participating vehicles in the rally did not have their farmer union flags, but just the tricolour. Throughout the course of the rally, participating farmers chanted slogans of farmer unity and Punjab-Haryana brotherhood.

Himachal Pradesh's former chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday announced his exit from electoral politics.

In an informal chat with the media at Kunihar in Solan district, Singh said that he would not contest any election in future.

The six-time chief minister said: "I am a Congressi and will remain Congressi till my death."

Talking about the recent panchayat elections, the former chief minister stated that some Congress leaders worked indirectly to defeat candidates supported by the party. These leaders should be exposed, he added.

21:49 Mamata calls on Sourav post-angioplasty

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited BCCI president Sourav Ganguly at the hospital on Thursday evening after he underwent an angioplasty.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Banerjee said that she was sure that Ganguly will recover gradually.

"Sourav is okay, he is doing well. I met him and his wife Dona after he was shifted to the bed following the procedure," she said.

Banerjee also congratulated the doctors for the successful procedure.

Ganguly underwent another angioplasty during the day when two more stents were implanted to clear his clogged coronary arteries.

21:40 15 more held in connection with R Day violence

The Delhi Police on Thursday detained 15 more people for their suspected involvement in the violence during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on January 26, officials said.

Nearly 30 farmers who were camping at DDA Ground in Burari were moved towards Singhu border to clear the site, they said.

Thousands of farmers protesting against the Centre's new farm laws had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions to highlight their demand for the repeal of the legislations.

Nearly 400 police personnel were injured in the clashes with the protesters, according to officials.

"Around 15 people have been detained for their suspected involvement in the violence on Republic Day and for violating laws," Additional Delhi Police PRO Anil Mittal said.

Nearly 30 farmers who were protesting at DDA Ground in Burari have been moved towards Singhu border, he said.

The ground will be cleared soon, the police said.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police said its Special Cell will investigate the 'conspiracy' and 'criminal designs' behind the violence on Republic Day.

As of Thursday, the Delhi Police had filed 25 criminal cases, arrested 19 people and detained 200 in connection with the violence.

Many of the protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort on January 26 and entered the monument.

Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts. -- PTI

A court in New Delhi on Thursday dismissed the bail plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University student and Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal, booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a north east Delhi riots case.

Narwal was arrested in the case for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in the riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said in a case of conspiracy of such a large scale, not having a video was not so vital as generally conspiracy, by its very nature, is hatched in secrecy and not having videos of such a conspiracy was obvious rather than doubtful.

Communal violence had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 last year after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students. -- PTI

The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony on Friday will feature a special new composition, 'Swarnim Vijay', to commemorate 50 years of victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan. Indian tunes will be the flavour of this year's ceremony that brings the curtains down on the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, a statement said.

Fifteen military bands and an equal number of pipes and drums bands from regimental centres and battalions will be participating in the ceremony.

Besides, there will be one band each of the Navy, the Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces.

As many as 26 musical performances will enthrall the spectators at the historic Vijay Chowk.

"The entry band will be a massed one with 'Swarnim Vijay' theme. It will be a special new composition to commemorate 50 years of victory of India in the 1971 war against Pakistan," the statement said.

This will be followed by pipes and drums bands, and the bands of CAPF, Air Force, Navy, Army and massed bands. The ceremony will end with the ever-popular tune of 'Saare Jahan se Achcha'.

The principal conductor of the "Beating Retreat" ceremony will be Lt Col Girish Kumar U of AEC Training College and Centre.

'Beating Retreat' is a centuries old military tradition. It dates back to the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset. As soon as the buglers sounded the 'retreat', the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield.

20:41 Kisan Mahapanchayat withdraws from protest

Kisan Mahapanchayat leader Rampal Jat announced on Thursday that members of his organisation will vacate the Shahjahanpur site in Alwar on the Rajasthan-Haryana border where they were sitting in protest for nearly two months, following the Republic Day violence.

This comes a day after Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) withdrew from the agitation at the borders of Delhi.

Rampal Jat, national president, Kisan Mahapanchayat also said that they are withdrawing from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella union of over 40 farmer groups.

"The January 26 incident has given a big jolt to farmers' agitation which has been going on for around two months.

"The person who took responsibility for the Red Fort incident, has not been arrested even after 48 hours.

"This indicates that it is a government conspiracy and it should be probed... Our agitation which began on December 2 will end and we will vacate the protest site at Shahjahanpur," Jat said.

"The violence took place due to failure of the intelligence department, administration, police, along with farmers' leadership. We are hurt by this," he added.

Rampal Jat also said that Kisan Mahapanchayat will take out 'Kisan Adhikar Yatra' on farmers' issues across Rajasthan.

"Rajasthan members of the Kisan Mahapanchayat have decided that we will take out 'Kisan Adhikar Yatra' in Rajasthan and strengthen the agitation. We had disassociated ourselves from Samyukt Kisan Morcha on January 21 but were supporting the protest. Now, we will extend issue-based support to them," he said.

The Gujarat high court has suspended a non-bailable arrest warrant against senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta but asked him to appear before the designated court on the next date of hearing in a defamation suit filed by the Adani Group, his lawyer said.

The non-bailable warrant was issued on January 19 on the application of complainant Adani Power Ltd against Guha for remaining absent on the date of trial after an application for exemption on account of the pandemic moved by him was rejected, advocate Anand Yagnik said.

The high court suspended the warrant and issued notices.

It directed Guha to remain present on the next date of trial before the court in Gujarat's Mundra in Kutch district, he said, adding Guha will have to furnish an undertaking that he will be present as and when the court requires his presence.

The next date of hearing before the high court is February 20, he said.

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. -- PTI

20:01 Delhi violence: UAPA, sedition charges invoked

Delhi Police's Special Cell will investigate the 'conspiracy' and 'criminal designs' behind the violence during the farmers' tractor parade on January 26, officials said on Thursday.

The Delhi Police claimed that there was a 'pre-conceived' and 'well coordinated' plan to break the agreement arrived at with farmer leaders to bring international embarrassment for the government on Republic Day.

'The Special Cell is investigating the conspiracy and criminal designs behind these unfortunate events of January 26.

'A preliminary assessment suggests there was a pre-conceived and well coordinated plan to break the agreement reached between Delhi Police and the leaders of farmers organisations, to indulge in violent confrontation with the security forces, to breach the sanctity of iconic and historical structures and monuments and to create an international embarrassment for the government on the occasion of the Republic Day,' the police said in a statement.

It further said a criminal case has been registered and is being investigated under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of Indian Penal Code dealing with sedition.

'The role and conduct of organisations and individuals based in India as well as those out of the country is being probed. Investigation is in progress and further details will be communicated in due course,' it added.

Thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions to highlight their demand for repeal of the Centre's three farm laws.

Many of the protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.

Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day. -- PTI

WhatsApp on Thursday said it is bringing in an additional layer of protection for users linking their WhatsApp account to their computer.

The Facebook-owned company said it will use the face or fingerprint unlock, where it is available on the mobile phone operating system, to facilitate the new security feature.

"In order to link WhatsApp web or desktop to your WhatsApp account, you will now be asked to use your face or fingerprint unlock on your phone, before scanning a QR code from the phone to link your device. This will limit the chance that a housemate or officemate (when we have those again) can link devices to your WhatsApp account without you," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

This builds on the existing security measures that pop up a notice in the user's phone whenever a web/desktop login occurs.

"The face and fingerprint authentication takes place on your device in a privacy-preserving manner -- by design, WhatsApp cannot access the biometric information stored by your device's operating system," WhatsApp said.

The new security update for linking devices will be rolling out, alongside a visual redesign to the WhatsApp Web page on phones, to users with compatible devices over the coming weeks, it added.

The Ghaziabad District Administration has ordered anti-farm laws protestors at Ghazipur (Delhi-Ghaziabad border) to vacate the area by late Thursday evening, official sources said.

The administration said if protestors do not act as per order then they will be forcefully evacuated by night, they added.

The police have been deployed at the protest site.

Delhi Traffic Police informed that the Ghazipur border is closed on both sides.

'Traffic is diverted from Road no 56, Akshardham and Nizammudin Khatta. Please avoid NH 9 and NH 24 and take an alternate route via Chilla, DND, Apsara, Bhopra and Loni borders,' police said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Police personnel conducted a flag march at the Ghazipur border.

Ghazipur is one of the sites where protests against the central farm laws are going on for nearly two months.

This comes after violence broke out in the national capital on January 26 during the farmers' tractor rally.

Several public and private properties were damaged in acts of vandalism by the protestors.

A total of 394 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence and several of them are still admitted to hospitals.

Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order) said the police personnel have been deployed at UP gate to look that 'anti-national elements' do not infiltrate the protests. -- ANI

The Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile Internet services in Sonipat, Jhajjar and Palwal districts till Friday 5 pm 'to prevent disturbance of peace and public order', according to a government order issued on Thursday.

Mobile Internet services were suspended in these districts on Tuesday after a violent farmers' protest rocked the neighbouring Delhi.

'... it has been brought to my notice by ADGP, CID, Haryana that the situation is still tense and violence may simmer in the areas of National Capital Territory adjoining State of Haryana which aroused in view of law and order situation created during tractor parade on January 26 by protestors, agitators, miscreants and anti-social elements..,' stated the order by the Haryana's Home Department.

The Haryana government has extended the suspension of telecom services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), all SMS services (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services, etc. provided on mobile networks, except voice calls in the territorial jurisdiction of Sonipat, Palwal and Jhajjar for next 24 hours till 5 pm on January 29, according to the order.

'This order has been issued to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of these three districts of Haryana,' it said.

In view of the violence in Delhi, Haryana Home Secretary Rajeev Arora had on Tuesday issued the order to snap mobile Internet services in the three districts, which are in close proximity of Delhi, to 'stop the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter' for mobilisation of antisocial elements who can disturb peace, cause loss of life and damage to property.

The tractor parade on Tuesday that was held to highlight farmer unions' demand for the repeal of the Centre's three agriculture laws descended into anarchy as protesters deviated from designated routes, attacked police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag on the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort. -- PTI

The coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till February 28, aviation regulator DGCA said on Thursday.

"However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation added.

Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with selected countries since July.

India has formed air bubble pacts with around 24 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France.

Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.

The DGCA circular also said that the suspension does not affect the operation of international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by it.

18:48 UP's Ram temple gets best R-Day tableau award

Uttar Pradesh's tableau at this year's Republic Day parade was adjudged the best and awarded by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, said the Defence Ministry.

In total 32 tableaux -- 17 from state and union territories, nine from Union ministries, departments and paramilitary forces, and six from the Defence ministry -- were part of this year's parade on Rajpath.

The theme of Uttar Pradesh's tableau was 'Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh'.

The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, replica of a Ram temple, glimpse of 'Deepotsav' and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.

"The tableau of Tripura was adjudged the second best. It depicted promotion of eco-friendly tradition for achieving self-reliance (aatmanirbhar) in socio-economic parameters," the Defence ministry's statement noted.

Uttarakhand's tableau on the theme 'Dev Bhoomi -- The Land of the Gods' was adjudged third among the states and union territories, it mentioned.

The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme 'Amar Jawan', bagged a special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the armed forces, the defence ministry noted.

Rijiju gave the award of best cultural performance to the children of Mount Abu Public School and Vidya Bharti School Rohini, Delhi, it said. -- PTI

India will soon make available many more COVID-19 vaccines to other countries after two Made-In-India jabs have already been introduced to the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while emphasising the country's global responsibility in fighting the pandemic.

In a special address at the World Economic Forum's online Davos Agenda Summit, Modi also said he wants to assure the global business community that situation will now change rapidly on the economic front also and invited businesses from all over to participate in the country's growth journey.

Modi said that some had said in February-March 2020 that India would be the worst affected country by COVID-19 and would face a 'tsunami of corona infections'.

"Some had talked about 70-80 crore people expected to get infected in India, while some talked about over 20 lakh possible deaths but India did not let the disappointment get better of it," he said.

Modi said, "We transformed fight against coronavirus into a people's movement and today India is among the most successful countries in saving lives."

"We focussed on developing COVID-specific health infrastructure, we trained our human resources to fight against this pandemic and we made full use of tech for testing and tracking," he said.

Modi said India has started the world's largest coronavirus vaccination programme and its speed can be imagined from the fact that over 23 lakh health workers have been vaccinated in just 12 days.

He said India has ensured that it follows its global responsibility by sending essential medicines to over 150 countries while COVID-19 vaccines are also being sent to other countries.

"While two India-made vaccines have already been introduced to the world, many more vaccines will be made available from India," he said. -- PTI

18:00 BSE Sensex ends 536 points lower

Extending its losing streak to the fifth straight session, equity benchmark Sensex plunged 536 points on Thursday.

The 30-share BSE index ended 535.57 points or 1.13 per cent lower at 46,874.36 (graphic alongside).

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty fell 149.95 points or 1.07 per cent to 13,817.55.

17:59 Sourav Ganguly undergoes angioplasty

Doctors on Thursday performed an angioplasty on BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, said an official of a private hospital where he is admitted. Two stents are likely to be implanted to clear blocks in a coronary artery of the 48-year-old former Indian cricket captain, he said.

The decision to conduct an angioplasty was taken after noted cardiologist Devi Shetty went through reports of tests conducted on Ganguly and consulted doctors treating him at the hospital.

"After diagnosing his condition, we have decided to carry out angioplasty," a senior doctor told PTI.

17:56 Top winners and losers in Sensex fall today

As the Sensex fell 536 points today, HUL was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by Maruti, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech and Bajaj Finserv (graphic alongside).

On the other hand, Axis Bank, SBI, ONGC and ICICI Bank were among the gainers.

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu

17:49 Ahead of Parl session Naidu, MPs undergo Covid test

The budget session of Parliament begins on Friday with President Ram Nath Kovind addressing members of both the Houses seated in three different locations for the first time.

The President's address begins at 11 am and will be telecast live using a total of 30 cameras of LSTV and RSTV, with nine of them positioned in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Some 144 members of Parliament will be seated in Central Hall including the Council of Ministers, chairpersons of various committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leaders of different parties and groups in both the Houses, former prime ministers and national presidents of the BJP and Congress.

The remaining members of Parliament will be seated in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers as per the Covid induced physical distancing norms.

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has taken a Covid test ahead of the session and so have several members of the Rajya Sabha.

A total of 1,209 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha secretariat have also been administered the Covid test as part of the preparations for the budget session, which is the second to be held under Covid restrictions after the monsoon session last year.

Some 715 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha secretariat, who are not directly connected with the proceedings of the House, have been administered antigen tests while 494 associated with the proceedings of the House have been administered RT-PCR tests.

None has tested positive in the antigen tests and results of RT-PCR tests are expected today. This is in sharp contrast to 64 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha secretariat having tested positive ahead of the monsoon session last year.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu reviewed in detail on Wednesday the preparations for the budget session with the secretary general and other officials of the secretariat. He has directed that the personal staff of the ministers, members of Rajya Sabha and officers of the ministries visiting Parliament shall also be tested for Covid.

The Rajya Sabha will meet at 3 pm on Friday and one hour after the presentation of the general budget for 2021-2022 on February 1. On the remaining days, the House will meet between 9 am and 2 pm.

The business advisory committee chaired by Naidu will meet on Friday.

The budget session with 33 sittings assumes importance as the general budget for 2021-2022 is the first to be presented after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic which caused severe social and economic disruption over the last one year.

The Rajya Sabha will have both zero hour and question hour during the budget session, with question hour beginning at 9.30 am.

Zero hour and question hour were not taken up during the monsoon session last year as the House met for only four hours a day.

Delhi Police's Crime Branch will now take over the investigation of nine out of the total 25 cases registered in connection with violence during farmers' tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day, Delhi Police said.

Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava on Thursday held a meeting with the Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) and other senior police officers at the police headquarters.

According to sources, directions have been given for the immediate arrest of the accused based on CCTV footage and eyewitnesses.

Directions have also been given to nab Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and the person who hoisted the flag at Red Fort, they said.

Nineteen people have been arrested so far and over 25 criminal cases registered by Delhi Police in connection with the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor march on Tuesday, Police Commissioner (CP) S N Shrivastava had said on Wednesday adding that 394 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence and several of them are still admitted to hospitals.

Several public and private properties were damaged in acts of vandalism by the protestors.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. -- ANI

India's Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has been ranked 20th among 174 top think tanks worldwide, and eighth among non-US bodies, says a report.

The 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, ranked ORF at 20th position, up from 27th previous year.

ORF moved up from the 118th position in the 2018 ranking and got featured at the 5th position on the 'Think Tank to Watch in 2020' list.

Its curated Raisina Dialogue has been ranked 5th best conference in the report, moving up from 7th position in 2019.

The 2020 Top Think Tanks Worldwide list is topped by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace of US, followed by Belgium's Bruegel and Fudacao Geulio Varas (FGV) of Brazil. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and the UK's Chatham House were ranked 5th and 6th on the list.

Other Indian think tanks in the list include Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) at 41st rank (unchanged from last year), while Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at 83rd (unchanged). Indian Council for Research on International Economic Research (ICRIER) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) retained their 110th and 111th position, respectively. Development Alternatives (DA) was ranked 138th and Delhi Policy Group 142th, according to the report.

Hollywood actor Pamela Anderson, who recently revealed that she is quitting social media, has tied the knot with her bodyguard, a bodybuilder and fellow Canadian, Dan Hayhurst.

As per E! News, the 53-year-old actor married Hayhurst in an intimate ceremony on the grounds of her home on Vancouver Island, British Columbia on Christmas Eve. The two have been together since at least last fall.

A source close to the couple revealed to the publication that "Pamela is over the moon and feels more at home than ever before."

The source further said, "This is really such a full circle moment and return to her roots. They are actually both natives of Vancouver Island. They are splitting their time between Malibu and her family home in Vancouver. Spending time during quarantine has been cathartic for them both."

This marks the fifth marriage and ninth wedding ceremony in 25 years for Pamela. The actor was previously married to four different men, including first ex-husband and musician Tommy Lee, with whom she shares two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee.

The source told E! News that "Brandon and Dylan couldn't be happier and support their mom no matter what." The source also said that Pamela's relationship with her new husband is "really sweet," adding, "Her friends think Dan is the nicest man she's ever been with."

For their low-key wedding, Pamela wore a cream-coloured, scrunched cap-sleeve gown with a cathedral-style veil and dark Hunter rain boots. A local pastor performed the ceremony, while the couple recited traditional vows.

Pamela on Wednesday shared what she said was her final social media post on Instagram, writing, "This will be my last post on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook."

West Bengal Legislative Assembly passes the resolution against three central farm laws.

The resolution demands withdrawal of the farm laws.

More details awaited. -- ANI/PTI

The Congress and the Left Front on Thursday finalised the poll deal on sharing of 193 seats of the total of 294 of West Bengal assembly, state Congress president Adir Chowdhury said on Thursday.

The decision on the remaining 101 seats will be taken later, he told reporters in Kolkata after a joint meeting of the two sides.

The meeting was held at Bidhan Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters in the city. LF chairman Biman Bose and other senior leaders of both the parties were present at the meeting.

Of the 193 seats the LF will contest in 101 and Congress in 92 seats. The 193 seats include the 77 seats they had won in the last Assembly poll in 2016.

"Both Congress and Left Front will put up a strong fight against the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP who are promoting narrow politics in the state. We will forge the electoral alliance a peaceful manner," Chowdhury said.

The Congress had then won 44 seats and the Left 33 in the 2016 state election.

As per the decision taken on Thursday, the Congress will contest in another 48 seats and the LF in 68 seats in the coming state poll, Chowdhury added. -- PTI

Ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget in Parliament, the ruling BJP on Thursday said it will be a game changer and usher in a new era of economic growth in the country.

Citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report which projected India to grow at 11.5 per cent in 2021, BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishan Agarwal said the country's economy has witnessed a 'V' shaped recovery after being hit by the pandemic.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Agarwal along with the party's another spokesperson Zafar Islam said the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) figures and labour force participation also point that the economy is witnessing a 'V' shaped recovery.

"Good economics is good politics, that has been the motto of the Narendra Modi government. Working with the same theme, the Union Budget 2021 will be a game changer," Agarwal said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Islam said the budget will usher in a new era of economic growth in the country and will be an important step in making India self-reliant.

Both the leaders said all economic parameters are pointing that the country's economy has gained momentum and set to move to another level under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

-- PTI

Amid a noisy walkout by Bharatiya janata Party MLAs, the Trinamool Congress government on Thursday moved a resolution in the West Bengal assembly demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Centre should either withdraw the new laws or step down.

Speaking after the resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee amid vociferous protests by BJP lawmakers, Banerjee demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi convene an all-party meeting to discuss the process of withdrawal of these laws.

The assembly witnessed unruly scenes in the morning after Chatterjee moved the resolution, with BJP MLAs led by their legislative party leader Manoj Tigga rushing to the Well of the House, claiming the TMC government has launched a "misinformation campaign" against the laws.

Tigga, along with his party MLAs, subsequently walked out shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans.

"We oppose the anti-farmer laws. We demand their immediate withdrawal. Either the Centre should withdraw the laws or step down," the chief minister said.

Banerjee said the Union government, which has in the past, waived corporate loans, should also extend the same benefit to farmers.

She also claimed the Delhi police "mishandled" the tractor parade by farmers which resulted in the situation going out of hand on the Republic Day.

"Delhi police is to be blamed for that. What was the Delhi police doing? It was a complete intelligence failure. We will not tolerate farmers being branded as traitors. They are the assets of this nation," she said.

Banerjee appealed to the Congress and the Left Front to keep aside ideological differences and come together in support of the farmers. -- PTI

Pakistan will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive next week, starting with frontline healthcare workers, a top minister has said.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar who is heading National Command and Operation Center on Wednesday tweeted that "the system for vaccination is in place. Hundreds of vaccination centres in the country will be administering COVID vaccine."

"God willing, the vaccination of frontline health workers will start next week," he said.

China has promised to provide 500,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine free of cost before the end of January.

Earlier, Pakistan approved three vaccines, including Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Chinese China National Pharmaceutical Group (SinoPharm) and Russian-developed Sputnik V.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases have reached 539,387 after another 1,910 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of National Health Services.

The ministry reported that 64 more people died, taking the number of COVID-19 deaths to 11,514. -- PTI

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of British-born Al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the prime accused in the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002 in Karachi.

The apex court dismissed the Sindh provincial government's appeal against the Sindh high court's decision to overturn the conviction of Sheikh for the beheading of Pearl, the 38-year-old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal.

According to the short verdict, a three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam also directed to release the suspect. One member of the bench opposed the decision.

Pearl's murder took place three years after Sheikh, along with Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, was released by India in 1999 and given safe passage to Afghanistan in exchange for the nearly 150 passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814.

He was serving a prison term in India for kidnappings of Western tourists in the country.

Pearl was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story in 2002 on the links between the country's powerful spy agency ISI and Al Qaeda.

In April 2020, the Sindh high court had overturned the death sentence of Omer Sheikh and sentenced him to seven years in prison and acquitted three other accused -- Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib -- who were earlier sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).

After the SHC verdict, the Sindh government and family of Daniel Pearl filed petitions in the apex court. The Sindh government also immediately detained the four men under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960.

The same division bench annulled the detention order on December 24 and ordered the Sindh government to immediately release the four men. This order elicited an immediate response from the US which on December 25 expressed its "deep concerns' over the SHC order.

The US has been mounting pressure on Pakistan, demanding justice for Pearl. In December, the US has said it is ready to take custody of Sheikh, asserting that Washington will not allow him to evade justice.

14:53 Opening pant's zip not sexual assault: HC

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court has ruled that holding the hands of a minor girl and opening of the zip of pants does not fall under the purview of 'sexual assault' or 'aggravated sexual assault' of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The observation was made by a single bench of Justice Pushpa Ganediwala on January 15 while passing an order on an appeal filed by a 50-year-old man challenging a sessions court's order convicting him for sexually assaulting and molesting a five-year-old girl.

The convict, Libnus Kujur, was in October 2020 convicted under sections 354-A (1)(i) (outraging modesty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC and sections 8 (sexual assault), 10 (aggravated sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act. He was sentenced to five years in jail.

In her judgement, Justice Ganediwala noted that while the prosecution has established that the accused entered the house of the victim with an intention to outrage her modesty or sexually harass her, it has not been able to prove the charge of 'sexual assault' or 'aggravated sexual assault'.

The high court noted that the definition of "sexual assault" under the POCSO Act says that there has to be "physical contact with sexual intent without penetration".

"The acts of 'holding the hands of the prosecutrix (victim)', or 'opened zip of the pant' as has been allegedly witnessed by the prosecution witness (mother of the victim), in the opinion of this court, does not fit in the definition

of 'sexual assault'," Justice Ganediwala said.

The high court further said that the facts of the present case are not sufficient to fix the criminal liability on the accused (Kujur) for the alleged offence of aggravated sexual assault.

"At the most, the minor offence punishable under section 354-A(1)(i) of the IPC read with section 12 of the POCSO Act is proved against the appellant (Kujur)," the court said.

The prosecution's case is that Kujur had on Februar 12, 2018 entered the house of the victim when her mother had gone to work.

When the mother returned from work, she found the accused holding the hand of her daughter with the zip of his pants open.

The mother, while recording her evidence in the lower court, had said that her daughter had informed her that the accused person had removed his private part from the pant and asked the victim to come to bed for sleeping.

The high court quashed Kujur's conviction under sections 8 and 10 of POCSO Act, but upheld his conviction under the other sections.

The court, however, said it was modifying the sentence and noted that Kujur has so far undergone five months in prison.

"Considering the nature of the act, which could be established by the prosecution and considering the punishment provided for the aforesaid crimes, in the opinion of this Court, the imprisonment which he has already ndergone would serve the purpose," the court said.

The court said the accused shall be set free if he is not required in any other case. -- PTI

14:36 Airtel demos 5G service in Hyderabad

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced it has successfully demonstrated live 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad city, underlining the 5G readiness of its network across domains.

The full impact of the 5G experience, though, would be available to Airtel customers when adequate spectrum is available, and government approvals are received.

The demonstration in Hyderabad has highlighted the company's technology capabilities, Airtel said.

Bharti Airtel MD and CEO, Gopal Vittal, said: "I am very proud of our engineers who have worked tirelessly to showcase this incredible capability in Tech City, Hyderabad today. Every one of our investments is future proofed as this game changing test in Hyderabad proves".

India has the potential to become a global hub for 5G innovation, he said, adding this would require the coming together of ecosystem -- applications, devices and network innovation.

"We are more than ready to do our bit," Vittal said. The demonstration of live 5G service in Hyderabad was conducted over an existing liberalised spectrum in the 1800 MHz band.

"Using a first of its kind, dynamic spectrum sharing, Airtel seamlessly operated 5G and 4G concurrently within the same spectrum block," Airtel said.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said that 16 opposition political parties will be boycotting President Ram Nath Kovind's address that will be delivered on Friday, the first day of the budget session of Parliament.

The parties have demanded an impartial investigation into incidents of violence in Delhi during tractor rally and the Central government's role in the events.

"We are issuing a statement from 16 political parties that we are boycotting the President's address that is scheduled to be delivered in Parliament tomorrow. The major reason behind this decision is that the farm laws were passed forcibly in House, without Opposition," Azad told ANI.

The budget session of Parliament will begin on January 29 with an address by President Ram Nath Kovind. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1.

Leaders of the opposition parties have issued a joint statement demanding an impartial investigation into incidents of violence in Delhi during the tractor rally and the Centre's role in the events.

"India's farmers have been collectively fighting against the three farm laws arbitrarily imposed by the BJP government that threaten the future of Indian agriculture which sustains over 60 per cent of India's population and the livelihood of crores of farmers, sharecroppers and farm labour. Lakhs of farmers have been agitating at the gates of the national capital of Delhi braving biting cold and heavy rain for the last 64 days for their rights and justice. Over 155 farmers have lost their lives. The government remains unmoved and has responded with water cannons, tear gas and lathi charges," the statement reads.

"Every effort has been made to discredit a legitimate mass movement through a government-sponsored disinformation campaign. The protest and the agitation have been largely peaceful. Unfortunately, there were few acts of violence on January 26 , 2021, in the National Capital of Delhi which was condemned universally and unequivocally. We also express our sadness over the injuries sustained by Delhi Police personnel while handling the difficult situation. But, we believe that an impartial investigation will reveal the central government's nefarious role in orchestrating those events," the statement added.

-- ANI

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the party will contest elections in six states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

He made the announcement at the ninth National Council meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party.

"Other parties have no vision and that is why they are talking about the past. AAP is the only party talking about the future and has the vision of 21st and 22nd century," Kejriwal said.

"In next two years, AAP will be contesting elections in six states - UP, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat," the AAP national convenor said.

Kejriwal urged AAP members to strengthen the party at grassroots level.

"I urge party members to strengthen grassroots-level hold of the party across the country. The organisation has to be strengthened on a very large scale. The country is important for us and AAP is the vehicle and we need to work towards the development of the party," he added. -- PTI

One lakh National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, who are being trained by the Army, Navy and Air Force, will serve in coastal and border areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the NCC Rally at Cariappa Ground in Delhi on Thursday.

"On August 15, last year, it was announced that NCC will be given new responsibilities in around 175 districts in the coastal and border areas. For this, around one lakh NCC cadets are being trained by Army, Navy and Air Force. Out of these, one-third are girl cadets," Prime Minister Modi said.

Hailing NCC cadets for helping the government amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he said: "Be it floods or any other calamity, NCC cadets helped the people of this country last year. During the coronavirus pandemic, lakhs of cadets worked with the administration and society across the country. Their work is commendable."

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and the three armed services chiefs were also present on the occasion.

The prime minister wore an NCC cap, reviewed a marchpast by NCC contingents, and witnessed cultural performances during the event.

The opening ceremony of 'Veda Nilayam' memorial, the residence of late Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, was held in Chennai on Thursday.

In a simple function, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami unveiled a plaque that declared the Veda Nilayam residence where the late leader lived -- in the posh Poes Garden area- -- a memorial in her honour and following takeover of the residential property by the government.

Palaniswami, flanked by his cabinet colleagues, including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, paid floral tributes to a portrait of Jayalalithaa and they lit a traditional lamp symbolising the opening of the memorial.

The Madras high court on Wednesday allowed the government to go ahead with the opening ceremony but ordered that the building shall not be thrown open to the public.

Passing interim order on petitions by Deepak and Deepa, nephew and niece of the late AIADMK supremo seeking a stay on the inauguration, the court ordered that the opening ceremony alone can take place as scheduled.

The duo filed separate petitions challenging the government notification for acquisition of Veda Nilayam to convert it into a memorial and the award passed by the Land Acquisition Officer.

Palaniswami also opened a life size statue (about nine feet high) of Jayalalithaa in the premises of a state-run college on Kamarajar Salai in front of Marina beach and paid floral tributes to her.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) in New Delhi on Thursday announced it was ending its protest against the new central farm laws.

BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Sheoraj Singh made the announcement during a press conference here, a day after two other farmers' union ended their stir.

"The protest has been called off," BKU (Lok Shakti) spokesperson Shailesh Kumar Giri told PTI.

The farmers' union had been camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal since December 2, demanding withdrawal of the three new farm laws, legalisation of minimum support price for crops and implementation of the recommendation of Swaminathan Committee's report.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.

However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. -- PTI

13:19 Amit Shah meets cops injured in R-Day violence

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday visited a hospital in New Delhi to enquire about the health of policemen injured in the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day, officials said.

Nearly 400 policemen were injured during the tractor parade of the farmers who have been protesting against three central farm laws at Delhi's borders since November.

"Meeting the injured Delhi Police personnel. We are proud of their courage and bravery," Shah tweeted.

Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla and Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava accompanied the home minister.

During the visit, Shah interacted with policemen and also took stock of their health progress from doctors.

As per the plans, the home minister is visiting two hospitals -- Shushrut Trauma Centre and Teerath Ram Hospital -- where some of the policemen were admitted for treatment. -- PTI

13:16 Remembering Judge Guzman

The world is poorer with the death last Friday of Judge Juan Guzmn Tapia, who fought a relentless battle for thousands and thousands of Chileans who were murdered, tortured and oppressed by the Auguste Pinochet regime in Chile.

Undeterred by threats or intimidation, Judge Guzman became an international symbol of what good men can do to bring justice to those deprived of their rights by a brutal, heartless, regime.

Please read about Judge Guzman here, mandatory reading for everyone who is concerned about human rights and justice in this unjust world.

Image: Chilean judge Juan Guzman Tapia (centre), who investigated the disappearance of leftists during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, looks at metal rails found on the ocean floor by divers and believed to have been used to sink the bodies of victims of human rights abuses, September 22, 2004. Photograph: Reuters.

The Delhi Police has issued notices to around 20 farmer leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Balbir Singh Rajewal, over the violence during the farmers' tractor rally, asking why legal action should not be taken against them, officials said on Thursday.

Police asked them to submit their responses within three days, an official said, adding that the notices have been issued to these farmer leaders as they did not follow the conditions set for the tractor parade on Tuesday.

The action comes after Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava on Wednesday alleged that farmer leaders were involved in the January 26 violence and warned that no culprit would be spared.

"We have issued notices to around 20 farmer leaders, including Yogendra Yadav. They all have been asked to send their replies within three days," the official said.

On Wednesday, the police had issued a notice to another farmer leader Darshan Pal, noting that the vandalisation at the Red Fort on Republic Day was "the most deplorable and anti-national act".

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police will also issue look out circular against farmer leaders who have been named in the FIRs registered after the violence on Republic Day.

The officials said that farmer leaders named in the FIRs will also be asked to surrender their passports.

The decisions have been taken following a series of meetings chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah since Tuesday when the large scale violence took place in the national capital during the farmers' tractor rally, a home ministry official said.

The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agri laws turned violent as protesters deviated from routes, attacked police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag on the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday said that 25 criminal cases were registered in connection with the violence in which 394 personnel were injured and 30 police vehicles damaged. -- PTI

South star Allu Arjun's next feature film Pushpa will release on August 13 in theatres, the producers announced on Thursday.

The multilingual action thriller, written and directed by Sukumar, will be released in Telugu along with Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam languages.

Arjun shared the news of the film's release date on Twitter as he posted the first look.

"#PUSHPA loading in theatres from 13th August 2021. Excited to meet you all in cinemas this year. Hoping to create the same magic one more time with dearest @aryasukku & @ThisIsDSP," he wrote.

Producer Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar said they are hopeful the audience will enjoy the film as it has a combination of great content and actors.

"With the massive star power of Allu Arjun on our side, we are confident that the storyline will get more than its due. It is a gripping story and we've furthered our cause to bring the audiences fresh and impactful content with 'Pushpa'," the producers said in a statement.

The film chronicles the red sanders heist in the hills of Andhra and depicts the convoluted nexus that unfurls in the course of the narrative of a man who is taken by avarice.

The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Dhananjay and Sunil. It is being produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media.

Nitin Raut with Sonia Gandhi

12:28 MNS files police complaint against Maharashtra energy minister

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Thursday filed a police complaint in Mumbai against state Energy Minister Nitin Raut and two officials for not fulfilling promises regarding concessions in electricity bills, the police said on Thursday.

The complaint was filed at Shivaji Park police station on Tuesday over the electricity bills.

Under the leadership of MNS Mahim assembly division president Yashwant Killedar, MNS workers visited the Shivaji Park police station and submitted a memorandum to the senior police inspector of and lodged a complaint.

The complaint also named the state energy secretary and General Manager of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).

"The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) did not send a representative for electricity meter readings during the lockdown and later the consumer received increased electricity bills," the MNS said.

The MNS had earlier staged a postcard agitation against the rising power bill, and now it has taken up the issue again.

Events in eastern Ladakh last year have profoundly disturbed the relationship between India and China, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.

"They (events in Ladakh) not only signalled disregard for commitments on minimising troops but also showed willingness to breach peace," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said that India is yet to receive credible explanation for change in China's stance.

"We are yet to receive credible explanation for change in China's stance and massing of troops in border areas," he added.

Events in eastern Ladakh last year have profoundly disturbed the relationship between India and China, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.

"They (events in Ladakh) not only signalled disregard for commitments on minimising troops but also showed willingness to breach peace," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said that India is yet to receive credible explanation for change in China's stance.

"We are yet to receive credible explanation for change in China's stance and massing of troops in border areas," he added.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday will visit two hospitals to enquire about the health of policemen injured in the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day, officials said.

Nearly 400 policemen were injured during the tractor parade of the farmers who have been protesting against three central farm laws at Delhi's borders since November.

The home minister will visit two hospitals -- Shushrut Trauma Centre and Teerath Ram Hospital -- to enquire about the health of the injured police personnel, an official from the Home Ministry said.

Both the hospitals are located in Civil Lines.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday had alleged that farmer leaders made inflammatory speeches and were involved in the violence during the tractor parade by agitating farmers that left 394 of its personnel injured, as it warned that no culprit will be spared.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Srivastava said farmer unions did not follow conditions set for the parade that was supposed to be held from 12 pm to 5 pm with 5,000 tractors and accused them of betrayal.

Tens of thousands of farmers broke barriers to storm the national capital on Tuesday, their tractor parade to highlight their demands dissolving into unprecedented scenes of anarchy as they fought with police, overturned vehicles and delivered a national insult hoisting a religious flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a privilege reserved for India's tricolour. -- PTI

While the rest of the world bunkered down in the pandemic, for Apple it was like nothing can go wrong.

In the October-December quarter, the Cupertino based behemoth reported its best quarter earnings EVER, as it reported over $100 billion in sales. While every single product line was up, reports Kif Leswing on cnbc.com.

The iPhone, Apple's lucky mascot, accounted for nearly 59% of the quarter's revenue. iPhone sales were 17% year-on-year, amounting to a gigantic $65.6 billion.

Leswing reports that as per research firm IDC's numbers, Apple shipped out 90.1 million phones in the OND quarter, making it the largest volume in any quarter so far, as per analyst Francisco Jeronimo, here.

The Madhya Pradesh high court's Indore bench has dismissed the bail applications filed by comedian Munawar Faruqui and co- accused Nalin Yadav, who were arrested on January 2 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during their comic show, reports livelaw.in.Details soon.

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has condemned the "deplorable attack" on media persons during the coverage of the farmers' tractor rally which was taken out here on Republic Day against the newly enacted central farm laws.

In a statement on Wednesday, the NBA said both the print and electronic media have been covering the farmers' protests on the outskirts of Delhi in a fair, balanced and objective manner during the last two months.

"Media-persons who were covering the Republic Day's tractor rally were performing their professional duty of collecting information and disseminating them to the public at large, and any use of force and violence against them tantamount to throttling the voice of democracy and the freedom of media," NBA said in a statement.

The broadcasting authority also demanded the action against the persons responsible for the attack on the journalists and camerapersons.

"The persons or hooligans must be identified and booked under the law because these elements were obstructing media persons from performing their professional duties and were trampling upon their rights as enshrined in the constitution," said the NBA.

During the farmers' 'tractor rally' in the national capital on Tuesday, groups of farmers deviated from the pre-arranged route agreed between farmer leaders and Delhi police and broke barricades and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital.

Protestors also entered the Red Fort and hoisted different flags during the tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre's three new farm laws.

The Delhi police has detained 200 people in connection with the violence. A total of 22 FIRs have been registered regarding the violence, in which over 300 police personnel were injured.

-- ANI

11:16 India records 11,666 new Covid-19 cases

India's Covid-19 tally of cases crossed 1.07 crore with 11,666 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, while the national recovery rate climbed to 96.94 per cent, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Thursday.

The total infections have mounted to 1,07,01,193.

The death toll increased to 1,53,847 with 123 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,03,73,606, pushing the national Covid-19 recovery rate to 96.94 percent.

The Covid-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44per cent.

The Covid-19 active cases remained below 2 lakh for the ninth consecutive day.

There are1,73,740 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises1.62 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

-- PTI

Aishwarya Rai at Cannes film fest

11:10 Cannes film festival put off to July

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to almost everything, with top film festivals and various cultural activities facing the brunt of the health crisis.

The Cannes Film Festival, cancelled last year due to the pandemic, is postponing the 2021 edition from May to July in hopes of having an in-person festival, reported Variety.

As per the publication, a new set of dates for this year's event has been confirmed. The decision was taken following a board meeting on Tuesday.

The initial dates, which were May 11-22, did not seem feasible as France is on the verge of a new lockdown in order to combat the spread of the second wave of Covid-19.

The film festival will now run from July 6 to July 17.

Variety had revealed last week that organisers were looking at dates between July 5 and 25.

The event is expected to take place after Cannes Lions, the advertising and marketing trade show, which is still on track to run from June 21 to June 25.

Variety further reported that if the July dates do not work out, then the end of August is being considered as a back-up.

The 2020 Cannes Film Festival had unveiled an Official Selection but the festival itself was canceled due to the deadly health crisis.

Last year's event, which was cancelled, was replaced by a low-key event in October showcasing short films but without the A-list movie stars, directors and producers.

American film director Spike Lee, who was named jury president for Cannes in January 2020 but was never able to serve due to the event's cancellation, is still expected to lead the 2021 jury.

-- ANI

10:42 India's FDI inflows grew by 81 pc in Nov 2020

India's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) saw a significant jump in November 2020. FDI data released by the Commerce Ministry shows that total FDI in the month of November 2020 grew by a whopping 81 per cent to USD 10.15 billion against USD 5.6 billion in November 2019. FDI equity has also jumped to USD 8.5 billion as against USD 2.8 billion in November 2019, registering a growth of 70 per cent.

India has attracted total FDI inflow of USD 58.37 billion during April to November 2020. It is the highest ever for the first eight months of a financial year (F.Y.) and 22 per cent higher as compared to the first eight months of 2019-20 (USD 47.67 billion).

FDI equity inflow received during F.Y. 2020-21 (April to November 2020) is USD 43.85 billion. It is also the highest ever for the first eight months of a financial year and 37% more compared to the first eight months of 2019-20 (USD 32.11 billion), the data revealed.

10:40 Heavy security cover at Delhi borders

Delhi border points remained under heavy police deployment on Thursday in the aftermath of the violence that broke out during farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day, officials said. Security personnel have also been deployed at the Red Fort, they said.

The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agriculture laws turned violent as protesters deviated from routes, attacked police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag on the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday had said that 25 criminal cases were registered in connection with the violence in which 394 personnel were injured and 30 police vehicles damaged.

10:17 Chinese company sacks entire Indian staff

In July 2020, ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent, was on a hiring spree in India. Five months later, on Wednesday, January 27, ByteDance sacked its entire India staff, barring a few key positions.

The dismissals followed the Indian government's ban on Chinese apps including TikTok following the stand-off in Ladakh."Entire company sacked yesterday," a dismissed ByteDance employee stated this morning.

Read the full story here.

10:15 Nifty below 14K, Sensex drops 500 points

Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 520 points in early trade on Thursday, tracking losses in index-heavyweight stocks like HDFC twins, TCS, Infosys and ICICI Bank amid weak trend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 523.14 points or 1.10 per cent lower at 46,886.79. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty fell 167.80 points or 1.2 per cent to 13,799.70. HDFC Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2.50 per cent, followed by HDFC, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Sun Pharma, PowerGrid, Kotak Bank, SBI, and Nestle India.

On the other hand, ONGC, NTPC, Reliance Industries and HUL were among the gainers. In the previous session, the Sensex tumbled 937.66 points or 1.94 per cent to settle at 47,409.93, while the NSE Nifty plunged 271.40 points or 1.91 per cent to close the session at 13,967.50.

According to traders, recent foreign fund outflows from the domestic capital markets also had an impact on investor sentiment. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,688.22 crore on a net basis on Wednesday, according to provisional exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo were trading in the red in mid-session deals. US equities finished lower mainly due to lower earnings by tech giants and concerns over stretched valuation. Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark, Brent crude futures, were trading 0.45 per cent lower at USD 55.56 per barrel. PTI

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today demanded an international inquiry into the violence in Delhi on Republic Day.

"Only an international inquiry can expose the anti-social elements that had already been named by the independent media. Central agencies cannot do this probe as they are apparently involved in sabotaging the Kisan Andolan and ensuring that farmers and 'khet mazdoor' do not get their just dues," said Majithia, former minister, while interacting with the media.

He said that the intentions of people involved in vandalism became clear the moment they took over the stage at the Singhu border and incited people to resort to violence.

"It is surprising that law enforcement agencies did not deign it fit to act against them immediately. It is even more bizarre that the same persons were given a free run to enter the Red Fort which is otherwise impossible to even approach due to heavy security deployment. The fact that the government did not even react to the developments yesterday had made it clear that the acts of violence were part of a deep-rooted conspiracy," Majithia said.

He asserted that the SAD stands with farmers and will continue to fight for the cause of the farming community which includes ensuring the repeal of three contentious agricultural laws and implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report.

"We will ensure the sacrifice of eighty martyrs who laid down their lives in the cause of the Kisan Sangharsh does not go in vain," he added.

The SAD leader also condemned the violence in Delhi on January 26 and said that it should not be used as an excuse to scuttle the farmers' genuine demands. --ANI

The Congress and Left parties will hold a joint meeting today at 11:30 am to discuss seat-sharing for the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, the Congress said.

West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will also be present at the meeting. Earlier, Congress and the Left Front alliance on Monday announced that they will stay on the seats which they had won in the 2016 Assembly election while the sharing of the rest 217 seats will be concluded by January 31.

The tenure of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal will come to an end on May 30, 2020.

The upcoming state elections in West Bengal are slated to take place in 2021 for 294 Assembly seats. -- ANI

In order to discredit the sustained farmers' movement against the farm laws, Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government provoked the farmers to commit violence, the Shiv Sena alleged on Thursday.

This comes two days after agitating farmers broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their Kisan tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre's three new farm laws on January 26.

Through its mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena said "no one will support what happened in the national capital on Republic Day."

Thousands of farmers have been agitating on the Singhu border for the last 60 days. Farmer leaders were saying that on January 26, they would conduct a 'tractor parade' in peace. But by breaking the barricades under siege by the police, the agitating farmers on their tractors entered the Delhi border and reached the Red Fort directly. The Republic Day 'parade' took place at Delhi's Rajpath in the morning and the whole country was shaken by the farmers' parade in the afternoon. There was a sudden panic in Delhi. Law and order condition was broken. Everyone is hurt by such an incident on Republic Day, it said.

The Sena attacked BJP for the violence that broke out in various parts of Delhi during a tractor rally on January 26.

"Now, BJP has heavily come down on the agitating farmers. The programme to enter Delhi was a pre-planned program and the farmers' movement has gone into the hands of the terrorists, according to BJP's intelligence system. The crowd who stirred in the Red Fort was led by a young man named Deep Sidhu. It has been revealed that this Sidhu belongs to the camp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP's Punjab MP Sunny Deol has a close relationship with Sidhu. Farmer leaders like Rajesh Tikait say that Sidhu had been talking about revolt and separatism for the last two months by entering the crowd of farmers," it said.

"For the last 60 days, the farmers' movement has been going on in a peaceful manner, demanding the repeal of three agricultural laws that are opposed in the interests of the country's farmers. Despite this, there was no split in the farmer movement and the patience of the farmers was not broken. For this reason, the Central Government had to sit with folded hands. It was also said that the farmers' movement is Khalistani. But still, the farmers remained calm," the party added.

According to Shiv Sena, it was the "desire of the government to discredit the movement by provoking the farmers to commit violence. If it had fulfilled its desire on January 26, then it has brought the country into disrepute."

"It is not right to put the responsibility of violence on farmers only. The government has done what it wanted. Its victims are farmers, policemen and young men who shed their blood," it added.

Sena said that if Punjab becomes turbulent again, then "it will not be good for the country."

"The farmers involved in the movement are from Punjab and they do not have the support of the whole country, this claim of the government is wrong. The whole country stands with Punjab," it said.

America's new National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in his first call with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Wednesday reaffirmed the commitment of President Joe Biden to a strong and enduring bilateral strategic partnership based on shared commitment to democracy, the White House said.

"Sullivan reaffirmed President Biden's commitment to a strong and enduring US-India strategic partnership based on our shared commitment to democracy," said the National Security Council of the White House in a statement.

This was the first call between the two national security advisers.

"They discussed the importance of continuing close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, promoting regional security, and renewing efforts to collaborate on global challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change," said the statement.

Sullivan, a close confidant of Biden, has so far spoken with his counterparts from eight countries.

They are Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Adviser to the French President; Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor; Dominic Raab, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs; Shigeru Kitamura, Secretary General of Japan's National Security Secretariat.

He has also spoken with National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib of Afghanistan; National Security Adviser Suh Hoon of the Republic of Korea and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat of Israel. -- PTI

India is expected to send 5,00,000 doses of Covishield vaccine to Sri Lanka on Thursday.

It is learnt that the consignments are being sent to the island nation as a "gift" from India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a commitment to his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa during a virtual summit in September last that India will provide all possible support to the island nation to minimise the health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

So far, India has sent consignments of coronavirus vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Last week, India began commercial exports and sent two million doses each to Brazil and Morocco.

India is also sending coronavirus vaccines as commercial supplies to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

In a major announcement, India on January 19 said it would send COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles and supplies to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius will commence after confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances.

India is one of the world's biggest drugmakers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring the coronavirus vaccines.

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, Covaxin is being produced by Bharat Biotech.

India had earlier supplied hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir and paracetamol tablets, as well as diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and other medical supplies to a large number of countries to help them deal with the pandemic. -- PTI

The Delhi Police has named actor Deep Sidhu and gangster-turned-social activist Lakha Sidhana in an FIR in connection with Red Fort incidents, officials said on Wednesday.

The Delhi Police has registered the case at Kotwali police station of North district under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and other legislations, they said.

Provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act and the Arms Act have been added in the FIR.

The police has invoked IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 152 (assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), and 307 (attempt to murder), they said.

The Red Fort will remain closed for visitors from January 27 to January 31, according to an order issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

While the order does not mention the reason behind the closure, it refers to earlier orders of January 6 and January 18 whereby the iconic monument was closed from January 19 to January 22 due to a bird flu alert.

Thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with police. Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.

They also hoisted flags on the domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts of the national monument at which national tricolour is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day. -- PTI

01:40 BJP accuses Cong of inciting violence in Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday accused the Congress of inciting violence during the farmers' tractor rally on January 26 and claimed that those who have lost in elections are working to vitiate atmosphere in the country.

A day after the rally descended into chaos as a section of protesting farmers broke prior agreement with the Delhi Police and indulged in violence and hooliganism, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said India will not tolerate its flag's insult at Red Fort and alleged that the Congress has always worked to incite farmers during the ongoing agitation.

The opposition party cannot escape its responsibility as it is in power in Punjab, he said, adding that the state government should have arrested criminal elements as a preventive measure as people drove their tractors from there to the protest venue in Delhi.

He referred to tweets from some Congress handles that had lauded the rally on Wednesday and also to prior remarks of some farmer leaders to hit out at them for the violence in which, he noted, over 400 police personnel were injured.

The senior BJP leader hit out at Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he had always worked to provoke protestors and denounced violence only after it had drawn nationwide provocation.

The Congress is desperate and frustrated, he said, adding that Communist parties are also in the same state.

These parties want violence and unrest in the country at any cost so that they could exploit it, he said, claiming that the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has only been rising.

"The Congress wants to create a situation of unrest in the country. This is what is left of Congress' politics. It worried as to what will happen to its family-based politics," he said.

Farmers of other states have not supported the agitation, Javadekar said, adding that the three contentious farm laws have only given tillers more options.

The Congress knows it and does not want any resolution to be reached between protesting farmer unions and the government, he said.

Lauding the Delhi Police, he said it displayed remarkable restraint despite being attacked by swords and stones. -- PTI

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