The PM's convoy was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to road blockage by some protestors about 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala. 

The PM was scheduled to visit Ferozepur in the poll-bound state and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore. 

The home ministry has taken cognisance of the 'serious security lapse' and has sought a detailed report from the Congress government in Punjab . 

The state government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action. 

The home ministry has sought a report from the Punjab government on the security breach. -- ANI

The temple will remain closed till January 31, as per the decision taken at the meeting of Chhatisa Nijog -- the apex body of the temple's servitors, he said. 

The meeting was also attended by staff members of the Shree Jagannath temple administration and district officials. 

"In view of the health interest of devotees and servitors, it has been decided to close the shrine from January 10 to January 31. The decision was unanimously taken at a meeting of Chhatisa Nijog," Puri district magistrate Samarth Verma told reporters. 

The daily rituals at the 12th-century shrine will be carried out as per the tradition by select servitors and priests, he said. 

The decision was taken a day after several temple administration staff members, and servitors tested positive for COVID-19. -- PTI

The revelation prompted the SAI Bengaluru to set up a committee of doctors to conduct tests and ensure the standard operating procedure is followed on the campus.          

The solace for the SAI is that none of the players preparing for the international events such as Commonwealth and Asian Games have contracted the disease, they added.          

"The SAI had conducted random tests on 210 people comprising 175 athletes and 35 coaches. Of them, 35 have tested positive," a source told PTI on condition of anonymity.          

She added that among the infected persons, 31 are asymptomatic while the four had mild symptoms. 

"All of them have been isolated. However, they did not require hospitalisation," she said.          

The infected athletes were detected after a few showed mild symptoms compelling the authorities to conduct a random test.          

It was also decided by the SAI that those players who did not contract the disease will be allowed to participate in the national-level event, another source said. -- PTI

The star's death was confirmed to Fox News on Friday by the Bahamian ministry of foreign affairs office. 

In 1963, Poitier had made a film in Arizona, Lilies of the Field. The performance led to a huge milestone, making him the first Black winner of a lead-acting Oscar. 

Sidney's roles were legendary. He starred as Mark Thackeray in To Sir With Love, and Detective Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night in 1967. 

He also starred in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, also released in the same year. 

Poitier was a tireless civil rights activist. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama for his work. 

A dual citizen of the US and the Bahamas, he served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. 

As per TMZ, Poitier is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joanna and six daughters.

Goa on Friday reported 1,432 COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate (cases per 100 tests) reaching 21.72 per cent, up from 20.46 per cent a day earlier. 

The tally in the coastal state touched 1,86,198, while two deaths during the day took the toll to 3,530.         

"No gathering of over 100 people in any open space will be allowed, while for indoor functions, the number of people should not exceed 50 per cent of the venue's capacity. 

Restrictions have also been imposed on public meetings of political parties (assembly polls are due in the state shortly)," Sawant told reporters.         

He said the number of cases were rising but hospitalisation was low, which was a positive sign. -- PTI

He had been remanded in judicial custody in the case on Thursday and was then sent to jail in Raipur in neighbouring Chhattisgarh where he has been charged under various IPC provisions for abusing Mahatma Gandhi during a religious event held there on December 26.         

The court on Friday granted bail to him in the case registered in Pune for allegedly making an inflammatory speech during an event and he has been released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000, his lawyer Amol Dange said.         

Kalicharan, Hindu Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote and Captain Digendra Kumar (retired) were booked by Khadak police station in Pune for allegedly making inflammatory statements during a 'Shiv Pratap Din' event, organised on December 19 to commemorate the 1659 killing of Adilshahi commander Afzal Khan by warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. -- PTI    

They said the wooden boat was found by a BSF patrol.                 

However, nothing suspicious was recovered from the boat, the sources said. -- PTI

The metropolis, which has been seeing a surge in Covid cases over the last 10 days, also saw six Covid-related deaths. 

New Delhi, the other city that has seen an outburst of Covid cases, reported 17,335 new Covid cases on Friday, and nine Covid-related deaths. 

Its number of active cases stands at 38,873, while Mumbai has an active caseload of 91,731.

Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya on Friday asked the administration in Indore city to get outlets of popular hairstylist Jawed Habib shut in 48 hours or else he would launch an agitation.

In a purported video of an incident that took place in Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on January 3, Habib is seen spitting on a woman's head while she sits with her back to him. "If there is scarcity of water, then use saliva," he can be heard saying.

Habib, after the woman filed a complaint, has been booked under Section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person) of Indian Penal Code and Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

In a video posted on Twitter, the MLA, who is the son of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, said, This is for all responsible officers of police and district administration. They should get Habib's salons and training centres shut in 48 hours, or I am going to launch an agitation."

Stating that he opposed Habib's act from the bottom of his heart, the MLA, who in June, 2019 had hit a civic official with a bat during an anti-encroachment drive, said he had "resolved" to not allow the stylist's outlets to operate in Indore.

Meanwhile, local BJP leader Sumit Mishra said he had sent a letter to BJP national president J P Nadda to expel Habib, who claims to be a BJP member, from the party.

In a bid to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks on January 12. This would be the first time that the Indian Army's new 14 'Fire and Fury' Corps Commander Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta would be representing the country in talks with the Chinese side. He took over formally on Tuesday.

The 14th round of India-China talks are likely to be held on January 12 to mainly resolve the Hot Springs area which is the only new friction point left to be resolved between the two countries, government sources told ANI. India and China have been holding talks on the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Ladakh area to resolve the standoff and 13 rounds have been held so far.

The two sides are looking at the resolution of the Hot Springs friction point which emerged after the Chinese aggression last year. The friction points on the banks of the Pangong Lake and Gogra heights have been resolved but Hot Springs remains to be addressed, the sources said.

India has also been demanding the resolution of the DBO area and CNN junction area which have been there before the April-May timeframe last year and are considered to be legacy issues. India responded very aggressively to Chinese aggression and checked their actions at multiple locations.

The 2020 Galwan clash also took place in June there in which both sides suffered casualties. India has been working towards establishing peace in the area but has also maintained a high level of preparedness to thwart any misadventure by the enemy troops.

India has made rapid developments in terms of roads and habitats for troops and sources estimated that India can easily manage over 2 lakh soldiers in the area in extreme winters in case such a large number of troops are required to be there.

Most places in Kashmir on Friday witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall as authorities issued an alert for avalanche-prone areas of it, officials said.

An official of the MET department said moderate snowfall was reported from most areas in south and central Kashmir.

"The intensity of the snowfall is going to be heavy tonight and tomorrow. The weather is likely to improve from Sunday," the official said.

The snowfall, which began late in the afternoon, forced cancellation of several flights to Srinagar airport, they said.

Of the 37 scheduled flights, 23 had operated till the snowfall began, they said.

The authorities have issued an avalanche alert for snowbound hilly areas of Kashmir.

People living in the mountain districts of the valley and in Chenab region have been advised not to venture out unnecessarily, the official added.

The Indian rupee eked out 8 paise gains to close at 74.34 against the US dollar on Friday, helped by weaker greenback against key rivals and positive domestic equities.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 74.41 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.25 and finally ended the day at 74.34, registering a gain of 8 paise from its previous close of 74.42.

On a weekly basis, the rupee depreciated 5 paise against the American currency.

"Rupee traded strong as capital market gains, mainly financial sector performance, helped rupee appreciation. Dollar traded weak, keeping less pressure on rupee as rupee digested the strong banking rally. Range for rupee can be seen between 74.20-74.60," said Jateen Trivedi, Senior Research Analyst at LKP Securities.

According to Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities, the rupee appreciated on Friday against the US dollar tracking a rebound in regional equities.

"For the week, the rupee ended flat against the dollar as fund flows offset worries over an early interest rate lift-off by the Federal Reserve," Iyer said.

Additionally, weaker Asian and emerging market peers and stronger crude oil prices this week also kept appreciation bias limited.

On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 142.81 points or 0.24 per cent higher at 59,744.65, while the broader NSE Nifty advanced 66.80 points or 0.38 per cent to 17,812.70.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against the basket of six currencies, fell 0.21 per cent to 96.11.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.99 per cent to USD 82.80 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Thursday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,926.77 crore, as per exchange data.

A special NIA court here on Friday sentenced two Mumbai residents convicted for propagating the ideology of the Middle-Eastern terrorist group ISIS to eight years' imprisonment.

Mohsin Sayyed (32) and Rizwan Ahmed (25) had pleaded guilty to the charges of joining the ISIS and indoctrinating youngsters.

Special judge A T Wankhede had earlier this week accepted the guilty plea and convicted them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for conspiracy and being a member of/supporting a banned terrorist organisation.

They were also convicted for criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.

The court on Friday sentenced them to eight years in jail, and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on each of them.

The jail term undergone by the two since their arrest in 2016 shall be set off against their sentence, the court said.

Sayyed and Ahmed, in jail since their arrest, had approached the special court last month and sought to plead guilty.

As per the National Investigation Agency (NIA), four men from Mumbai's Malvani area had left home to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after being indoctrinated by the two accused.

Sayyed and Ahmed instigated, intimidated and influenced vulnerable Muslim men from the locality and compelled them to join the terror outfit, the NIA had alleged.

In their application filed last month, the duo claimed that they themselves had been influenced by propaganda videos. They had now realised their mistake and were remorseful, the plea added.

With this, 9,657 policemen have tested positive so far in the city. Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 20,181 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the positivity rate to 29.90 per cent, informed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday.

Maharashtra reported 36,265 new cases, 13 deaths and, 8,907 discharges on Thursday.

The State reported 79 Omicron cases today, taking the tally to 876 including 381 recoveries.

Ratan N Tata: The Authorized Biography by Dr Thomas Mathew will be published globally by HarperCollins in all formats in November 2022.

Ratan Tata turned the Tata conglomerate into a global colossus, daring to acquire the marquee brands of Tetley Tea, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus Steel, among others. Today, the group is India's most valuable brand and amongst the most respected worldwide, with a market capitalization of over $250 billion that employs over 750,000 people -- who make cars, blend tea, write software, among much else '" across 100 countries.

Dr Mathew's comprehensive account of Ratan Tata's life includes unknown details and fascinating stories from his formative years, the time he spent in America as a student, his return to India and his early tenure with the Tata Group. It leads up to the inspiring and engaging documentation of Mr Tata's business strategies, leadership vision and personal integrity that have shaped the group.

 The city police's cyber cell had arrested Singh (18) and Rawal (21) on January 5 from Uttarakhand, and they were brought to Mumbai after their transit remand was procured from a local court there. 

 Singh and Rawal were produced before the Bandra metropolitan magistrate on Friday where the police sought their custody for interrogation by telling court the two would have to be questioned along with Vishal Kumar Jha, who was arrested in the case earlier and is presently in police custody till January 10. 

 The court, after hearing the prosecution, remanded Singh and Rawal to police custody till January 10. The police had earlier claimed Singh had created a Twitter handle of the app and was the prime accused in the case.

 The Delhi police's special cell, which has also registered an FIR in the case, on January 6 arrested one Niraj Bishnoi from Assam in the case, and said he was the main creator of the app. PTI

Speaking to ANI, Dr Kataria, who has treated many COVID-19 patients said, "One cannot be complacent because the situation will worsen in the next two weeks. COVID is not just a flu that will go away. We have already seen from January 4 that the third wave has already hit the country. The number of cases has almost increased five times in the last three days."

"No doubt it is increasing because Omicron variant is spreading across the globe. Another fact is that it is less severe than the Delta variant. But it cannot be dismissed completely because every 10th person was admitted to the hospital during the second wave," the expert said.

Dr Kataria further said, "Even every 50th or 100th person was dying due to Delta variant. The number of hospitalisation is just 50 per cent less in this case. Even these numbers are good enough, large enough, worrying enough to other girls in the healthcare system, which I am seeing right now.

She also said that the people are dying because of the Omicron variant, so more precautions need to be taken as of now.

"So this may be a mild virus good for us, but we can't be complacent that it will not cause anything. Let me tell you across the globe, people have died because of Omicron. One has to be careful all the time," she said.

On testing of the Omicron variant, Dr Kataria said, "Detection of COVID infection is only through RTPCR or antigen or rapid testing. So, in today's times if anybody has upper respiratory symptoms or diarrhoea or just a body ache, it is presumed to be COVID related, isolate and test yourself. The RTPCR can tell you this is COVID or not. To know whether it is Omicron or not, then you have to do some further testing. One is called S gene drop."

Differentiating between Omicron and Delta variant symptoms, she said, "As a clinician, the difference I am observing is people have a more scratchy throat, body aches, and shivering. Fever is not a common symptom. But in younger people, sometimes people are reporting 103-104 deg F fever, and there is disproportionate tiredness and headache."

"Earlier the cough was very dry. Now people are coming with more like a bad cough but it is very clear or whitish clear. These are the main symptoms we are seeing. They're seeing less of loss of smell and taste, but to say 100 per cent that it does not happen. I need some more experience clinically and maybe some more research," she added.

The Court order stated that a three-member Committee, comprising the leader of Opposition in the State, Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission, representative of the State, is constituted to ensure compliance of measures suggested by the State on 6 January to contain Covid-19 in the Sagar island. 

The State will also take a decision to issue a notification in terms of Section 3 of the Ganga Sagar Mela Act, 1976 declaring the Sagar Island as a 'notified area' if necessary within a period of 24 hours.

 Deb, who had on Thursday offered puja at Meher Kalibari in Agartala, announced that religious rituals would continue till January 11 in the state for the protection of the prime minister. 

 The NCW also asked the Uttar Pradesh Police to probe the veracity of a purported video which shows Habib spitting on the woman's head while styling her hair.

 In a summon to Habib issued on Friday, the NCW said it has taken serious note of his action. "Therefore, you are directed to appear before the Commission in-person on 11.01.2022 at 12.30 pm for deposition of your statement," the NCW said. 

 A noted hairstylist, Habib operates more than 850 salons and around 65 hair academies across 115 cities across India. 

 Indian army sources said Chinese troops are finding it very difficult to cope with the bone-chilling winters there.

This is the second consecutive year when the Chinese soldiers have been forced by their superiors to stay put on the Indian borders where temperatures range between minus 20 to 40 degrees Celsius.

"We are yet to come across any of these robotic soldiers armed with guns. But if the Chinese Army is doing so, it would help their soldiers who are finding it difficult to survive there," sources in security forces told ANI.

The Chinese soldiers are finding it difficult to come out of their barracks as at many locations, they venture outside only for very short periods and get inside quickly, they said.

Last year also, they faced similar issues and had to bring in 90 per cent of fresh troops last summer to replace the older ones who had suffered severe cold-related injuries and trauma.

Even during the deployment in friction points in the Pangong lake area, Chinese troops were getting rotated on an almost daily basis at high altitude posts and their movement had become very restricted.

The Indian forces are physiologically acclimatized to high altitudes and mountain warfare and can tackle adverse weather conditions and rough terrain. -- ANI

 Naqvi, who offered the prayers along with many prominent people from social, religious and educational organisations, later said that what happened during the PM's recent Punjab visit is not just breach of security but also a serious case of criminal conspiracy. 

"The dynasty is trying to destruct the democracy by political hatred crimes," the minister said, without naming the Congress leadership. 

"The deliberate criminal negligence during the visit of the world's popular and admired leader Narendra Modi has made the Congress a cowardly conspiracy clan, he said. In a bid to cover-up this serious criminal conspiracy, the Congress people are shamefully counting the chairs," Naqvi said, in an obvious reference to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's claim that 70,000 chairs were put up at the Ferozepur public rally venue but only 700 people turned up.

Here's a list of new travel guidelines for international arrivals to India. 

 "As part of our ongoing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, India supplied the third batch of medical assistance consisting of two tons of essential lifesaving medicines to Afghanistan today," said the Ministry of External Affairs press release. 

 The medical assistance was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul. 

 "In this endeavour, we had recently supplied 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine and 1.6 tons of medical assistance to Afghanistan through World Health Organization (WHO)," added the MEA release. 

 India stands committed to continuing a special relationship with the people of Afghanistan and providing them humanitarian assistance.

 Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya termed it an "historic achievement" made possible because of the relentless hard work of healthcare workers. 

"When everyone makes efforts together then any goal can be achieved," Mandaviya said in a tweet in Hindi. 

 The Covid vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark on October 21, leading to celebratory events in various parts of the country. 

 According to health ministry officials, over 91 per cent of the adult population has received at least one dose while over 66 per cent have been fully vaccinated. 

Over 22 per cent of eligible adolescents have been vaccinated with the first dose since the vaccination for this age group began on January 3. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. 

The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. 

 The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from January 3 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years. PTI

About 250 authors, thinkers, politicians and popular culture icons across the world are expected to participate in the festival, which will be held in hybrid mode. It will be virtual from March 5-9, and in person from March 10-14.

 "Keeping in mind the advent of the new variant and the sharp rise in the number of cases across the country, we have thought it best to reschedule the Festival and hold it in March 2022. We remain committed to bring the Festival back to Jaipur as an on-ground, immersive experience, promoting dialogue, discussion and debate on books and ideas," festival producer Sanjoy K Roy said in a statement. 

 India recorded 1,17,100 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday as the virus continues to spread at a blistering pace, largely driven by the virulent Omicron variant. The festival this year will also witness a shift from its traditional venue Diggi Palace to Hotel Clarks Amber, Jaipur with added facilities to accommodate footfalls and follow COVID-19 safety protocols according to government guidelines. 

 Turkish bestselling novelist Elif Shafak, Hollywood actor-writer Rupert Everett, award-winning Srilankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka, eminent Jamaican poet Kei Miller, Booker Prize winner Damon Galgut, 2003 Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre British and historian-biographer Andrew Lownie are among those participating in the event. PTI

"West Bengal has received 11 crore free doses by the Central Govt. Over 1,500 ventilators and 9,000 oxygen cylinders have also been provided. 49 PSA Oxygen Plants are also functional. All of these would help the people of WB in the fight against COVID," said Prime Minister Modi. 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present at the inauguration ceremony.Prime Minister also shared that in just 5 days, over 1.5 crore kids aged between 15-18 have been given the first dose of vaccination. -- ANI

 Bishnoi, a student of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Bhopal campus, was arrested on Thursday from Jorhat in Assam. 

The 21-year-old is the "main conspirator" in the case and allegedly involved in creation of the controversial app that has listed hundreds of Muslim women for "auction", the Assam police have said. 

The VIT administration took action against Bishnoi soon after his involvement in the case came to light, the official said. 

The VIT Bhopal campus is situated about 100km away from the state capital in Sehore district. 

"Soon after we got information through the media and later through the Sehore police (about his arrest), we immediately suspended Bishnoi from the college. The management will take further action depending on what more details emerge," he said. 

Earlier, Sehore additional superintendent of police (ASP) Samir Yadav said that college authorities had informed that Bishnoi was a second year B Tech student who had only attended online classes. He was a bright student, but had never attended physical classes in the VIT campus, the police officer said, citing college authorities. -- PTI

 Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla emphasised on the need to have a "unified strategy" in Delhi-NCR region to tackle Covid-19 pandemic, especially for the Omicron variant, while chairing a meeting on Thursday.

 Union Home Secretary's concern came during nearly two hours virtual meeting he chaired to review the Covid-19 situation and preparedness in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), which includes Delhi and nine bordering districts in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

 Keeping in view the close knit urban structure of the NCR region, the Home Secretary emphasized that it is necessary for all concerned authorities in Delhi and the NCR region to come together to tackle the virus.

He said Delhi is the first to witness a surge in infections because most of the international flights come to the capital. 

"That is the reason we have implemented stricter measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 as compared to other states. Some people may say that this is not needed but it is better than repenting later," Jain told reporters.

On the World Health Organisation terming the Omicron variant of coronavirus "mild", the minister said only experts will be able to tell if it is mild or not. 

 "I can give you the data I have. Delhi has around 31,498 active cases and only 1,091 hospital beds are occupied. When we had an equal number of cases last time, around 7,000 beds were occupied," Jain said. PTI

 Taking to Instagram, Dadlani shared a picture of his Covid-19 test-strip and urged everyone who came in contact with him to get themselves tested. "This is for anyone who may have come in contact with me this last week or 10 days. My symptoms are relatively mild, but still quite debilitating. Please be careful," the 48-year-old musician wrote. Dadlani said he contracted the virus despite following necessary COVID-19 guidelines. "Sadly, despite every precaution, I've tested Covid Positive. At no point, except during weekly shoots (where all testing protocols were followed to the best of my knowledge), have I met anyone without a mask on. Nor have I touched anything unsanitised, as far as I know," he added. "Sacred Games" star Sait shared the news of her COVID-19 diagnosis on her Instagram Stories. "First and foremost #maskup. Second of first, tested positive with mild/ asymptomatic Covid-19. If you were in contact with me, please run a home test... (so that we don't burden the already testing system).

A new satellite image showing China building a bridge on its side of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh emerged on Monday amid the prolonged Sino-India military standoff in the border area.

 "These reports have a very high tendency to start a misinformation campaign in the midst of a pandemic," the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. 

 "Some media reports are suggesting that Union Ministry of Health has in a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI) yesterday suggested that the 'Covid situation in the country is nothing to be worried about' and 'there is no cause of alarm or concern in the view of very few cases of Omicron in the poll bound states'. Such reports are highly ill-informed, misleading and far from the truth," the ministry said.

 The Union Health Secretary, in his meeting with the ECI on Thursday, presented the overall global and domestic status of spread of Covid, as well as Omicron, in the country. 

 Details were also presented on status of preparedness of the public health response within the states for control and management of the increasing numbers of Covid cases, the statement said. The focus of the presentation was on poll bound states and their neighbouring states, it added. -- PTI

Update: The Supreme Court directs the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve the travel records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab forthwith.

The Apex Court directs Punjab police authorities, SPG, and other Central and State agencies to cooperate and provide necessary assistance to seal the entire record.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tells Supreme Court that this matter cannot be left to just anyone and it's a matter of cross-border terrorism thus NIA official may assist the probe.

Mehta says the incident has caused international embarrassment.

Senior advocate DS Patwalia, AG of Punjab tells Supreme Court that Punjab is taking the issue very seriously. A committee was constituted by State govt on the same day of the incident. 

Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of Omicron cases (876), followed by Delhi (465) and Karnataka (333).

The Ministry informed that India's active caseload presently is at 3,71,363. It accounts for 1.05 per cent of the country's total cases.

The weekly positivity rate is at 4.54 per cent, while the daily positivity rate is at 7.74 per cent.

There have been two deaths due to Omicron, one in Rajasthan and the other in Odisha. 

"The issue of PM's protection is a national security issue and comes under parliamentary purview. The incident needs to be professionally investigated," advocate Maninder Singh says. 

"The state is not exclusively empowered to probe (the breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security) and this is not a law and order issue. The chairman of the state-appointed Committee was a part of a huge service-related scam," Singh added. 

Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari has submitted a report to the Centre regarding the security breach that stalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Punjab visit informing that an FIR has been lodged in the incident and the state government has formed a two-member panel to investigate lapses. Tewari is learnt to have shared details pertaining to the sequence of events that unfolded during the prime minister's visit on Wednesday, official sources said on Friday. 

 On Thursday, the Punjab government had announced a two-member panel to investigate the lapses. The panel has been asked to submit its report in three days.

In a major security lapse, the prime minister's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday after which he returned from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.

A video of the incident, which took place at a workshop held here on January 3, went viral on social media on Thursday. 

 In the video, Habib is heard telling the audience, "If there is a shortage of water, use saliva". 

 The FIR was lodged at Mansurpur police station here on a complaint filed by Pooja Gupta, a resident of Baraut town, on whose hair Habib spat during the workshop, the police said. 

 Habib has been booked under Section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation) of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, they said. Meanwhile, Hindu activists held a protest against Habib. They demanded action against the hairstylist. -- PTI

 On Wednesday, the Centre requested the top court to allow commencement of the counselling for NEET-PG saying doctors' concerns for counselling are genuine.

 Resident doctors have been protesting against the delay in the NEET-PG counselling. Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre to put on hold the counselling for NEET-PG until it decides the validity of the Centre's decision to introduce OBC and EWS reservation in All India Quota (AIQ). It had said that NEET-PG counselling will not start without its approval as the court is examining a plea against the Centre's decision for medical admission.

Odisha on Friday registered its biggest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases in six months as 2,703 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. 

 The daily test positivity rate jumped to 3.92 per cent from 2.62 on the previous day. As many as 409 children are among the new patients, it said. The state's coronavirus death toll mounted to 8,468 as a 78-year-old woman succumbed to the disease in Khurda district, it added.

Earlier on Thursday, Maharashtra has reported 36,265 new COVID-19 cases, stated the health bulletin. The active cases in the state on Thursday stood at 1,14,847.Out of 36,265 new COVID-19 cases, 20,181 new infections were recorded in Mumbai. The active cases of COVID-19 in the city stood at 79,260 on Thursday.

The state also witnessed 13 COVID-related deaths yesterday.

As many as 8,907 people recovered from the infection taking the recovery tally to 65,33,154.

According to the health bulletin on yesterday, Maharashtra has reported 79 new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. The total cases of the new variant of COVID-19 stood at 876, out of which 381 patients have recovered. 

The single day rise in coronavirus infections was recorded above one lakh after 214 days, taking India's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,52,26,386 which includes 3,007 cases of Omicron reported across 27 states and UTs, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

 

Out of the total Omicron cases reported so far, 1,199 people have recovered or migrated.

Maharashtra recorded  the maximum number of 876 cases followed by Delhi  at 465, Karnataka 333, Rajasthan 291, Kerala 284 and Gujarat 204.

The country saw a single day rise of  1,17,100 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,71,363, the highest in around 120 days, according to the data updated at 8 am. 

The death toll climbed to 4,83,178 with 302 fresh fatalities, the data stated.

The country last reported over one lakh cases on June 7 last year when 1,00,636 infections were recorded.  

Three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Friday.

 

The encounter broke out in Budgam's Zolwa village late on Thursday, a police official said.

Three terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire with the security forces, the official said.

"All three slain terrorists were affiliated with JeM terror outfit. Three AK 56 rifles and other incriminating material were recovered from the site of the encounter," said Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar.

While one of the terrorists has been identified as Waseem from Srinagar, the identities of the other two are being ascertained, he said.

The security forces have eliminated 16 terrorists in the first week of this year. -- PTI 

Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai has said that time has come for his outfit and those opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party to come together for the upcoming assembly elections in the coastal state.

  

He said the GFP, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party should join hands as part of a broad coalition to take on the ruling BJP keeping aside their egos.

Sardesai's GFP has already announced a pre-poll tie-up with the Congress, while the MGP and the TMC have formed their own alliance for elections to the 40-member assembly.

Talking to reporters on Thursday in Margao city, Sardesai said the BJP might try to "play dirty" with other parties during campaigning in the name of COVID-19 restrictions.

"Considering the current coronavirus situation and rising number of positive cases, there are restrictions that will come into play. That will help the BJP to play dirty in the name of restrictions, the former deputy chief minister said.

Sardesai said if there are restrictions, the BJP gets a "distinct advantage". 

"They will stop us, they will not allow our meetings in the guise of restrictions. They will conduct their own meetings they will bring the Prime Minister to hold meetings," he added.

The GFP chief, "We should be cautious about COVID-19, but at the same time there is a need for Team Goa to liberate Goa from the present BJP virus."

Sardesai, however, did not mention the AAP, which is also in the Goa poll fray, while talking about building a broad anti-BJP bloc.

"The Congress, the Goa Forward, the TMC and the MGP should come together. Time has come to go back to drawing board...keep aside our egos and seriously think about taking on the BJP," he said. -- PTI 

Actor Swara Bhasker on Thursday night confirmed that she has tested positive for COVID-19.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Swara said,"I have tested positive for Covid. I developed symptoms on 5th January 2022 and RT-PCR test results just confirmed the same. I and my family have been isolating since 5th Jan evening.. and I'm taking all the necessary precautions. I've informed everyone I met in the week prior about my having Covid; but if anyone else did come into contact with me, please get yourself tested. Double mask up and stay safe y'all."

She also added a caption that read, "Hello Covid! Just got my RT-PCR test resulted and have tested positive. Been isolating & in quarantine. Symptoms include fever, a splitting headache and loss of taste. Double vaccinated so hope this passes soon. SO grateful for family & to be at home. Stay safe everyone," she wrote.

The National Commission for Women has asked the Uttar Pradesh police to probe the veracity of a purported video which shows popular hair stylist Jawed Habib spitting on a woman's head while styling her hair.

 

The incident took place at a workshop being conducted by Habib in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

 

"The commission has taken this incident very seriously and not only condemns this in strongest possible words, but also seeks your urgent intervention in the matter to investigate the veracity of this viral video for immediate action as per law/procedure.

 

"This incident also attracts violation of guidelines issued by the Union home ministry under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, whereby spitting in public is a punishable offence in the wake of the Covid pandemic," the NCW said in a letter to the state police.

 

"You are, therefore, required to immediately investigate the matter for appropriate action. The action taken/status report must be apprised to the commission at the earliest," it said.

 

Officials said the National Commission for Women will also sent a notice to the hairstylist for a hearing.

 

A noted hairstylist, Habib operates more than 850 salons and around 65 hair academies across 115 cities across India.

 

In the video, Habib is seen spitting on the woman's hair while she sits with her back to him and is heard saying "if there is scarcity of water, then use saliva".

 

The audience can be heard laughing and applauding in the background in the video which has now gone viral with Habib being criticised by netizens for his action.

 

The stylist, however, later apologised for the act.

 

"Some words spoken by me have hurt people. I want so say one thing that these are professional workshops and are long shows and when they are long, we have to make them humorous. What can I say? If you are truly hurt, I apologise from my heart. Please forgive me. Sorry," he said in a video message.

 

Many people on social media hit out at Habib over the incident.

 

"When hair stylist Jawed Habib spat on a woman's hair, the audience cheered Habib's action. Not a single person objected to the shameful act by Habib. The woman has been identified as Pooja Gupta and she didn't expect such a humiliating experience," Anshul Saxena said on Twitter.

 

Another video of the woman recounting the experience has also been posted on social media.

 

"Yesterday, I attended a workshop of Jawed Habib. He invited me on the stage to give me a haircut. He said if there is no water, you can use saliva. From now onwards, I will go to my streetside barber for a haircut, but will not go to Habib," said Gupta, who owns a beauty parlour.

 

Later speaking to news channels, Gupta said she attended the workshop to learn from Habib and was delighted when she was called on stage by him.

 

"He was not answering my questions. Then he pushed my head, I objected and said I have cervical issues. Then he spat twice on my hair and said that if you do not have water in your parlour, then you can spit. My husband was making the video. After I came down from the stage, Habib's assistant told me he was joking," she added. -- PTI

"We will reach door-to-door with the work done by PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments for them. The focus will be on small get togethers instead of huge gatherings in the wake of COVID-19," said Shahid Sayeed, national convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch. 

"From scrapping of instant triple talaq to the move to increase the minimum age of marriage from 18 to 21. 

PM Modi and UP CM gave them izzat ghar (toilet room), education, health, safety and besides women-oriented programmes," Sayeed said. 

Sayeed said all these measures were of particular benefit to Muslim women. 

The main minority community of the state comprises about 20 per cent of state's population and the manch is making efforts to reach maximum number of voters ahead of the forthcoming polls. -- ANI