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Thu, 27 January 2022
Delhi, Mumbai continue to see drop in Covid cases
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23:43 Delhi, Mumbai continue to see drop in Covid cases
Delhi and Mumbai continued to witness major decline in daily coronavirus cases on Thursday.
Delhi on Thursday reported 4,291 fresh COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths while the positivity rate dropped marginally to 9.56 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
Mumbai recorded 1,384 fresh cases of COVID-19, down from 1,858 a day ago, while 12 more people died due to complications related to the infection in the past 24 hours, the city civic body said.
The national capital's cumulative case count increased to 18,15,288 and the death toll reached 25,744.
Delhi had on Wednesday reported 7,498 cases with a positivity rate of 10.59 per cent and 29 deaths.
According to official data, the positivity rate was 11.88 per cent on January 5 and 8.37 per cent on January 4.
As many as 44,903 tests to detect COVID-19 were conducted on Wednesday.
The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.
The city had logged a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.
It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark.
Delhi had on Sunday reported 9,197 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 13.32 per cent and 34 deaths.
Mumbai's overall number of COVID-19 cases rose to 10,41,747, while the toll increased to 16,581, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a bulletin.
Out of the 12 coronavirus patients who died in the last 24 hours, 11 were above 60 years of age, it said.
On Wednesday, the city had recorded 1,858 coronavirus infections and 13 deaths.
The city has been reporting fewer than 2,000 cases for the last four days.
Out of the new patients, only 184 were hospitalized, the civic body said.
Also, 5,686 patients were discharged during the day following recovery, the bulletin said.
With this, the number of recovered cases crossed the 10-lakh mark to stand at 10,04,384, the BMC said.
There are now 18,040 active cases of COVID-19 in the city. -- PTI
22:49 Complaint against Mahesh Manjrekar for objectionable portrayal of women in film
A complaint was filed against filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar in a court in Mumbai on Thursday for allegedly portraying women and children in an objectionable manner his latest Marathi film.
The Kshatriya Maratha Seva Sanstha filed a complaint before the Bandra metropolitan magistrate court seeking action against Manjrekar under sections 292 (sale etc of obscene content), 295 (punishment for obscene acts or words in public), 34 (common intention) of the IPC and Indecent Representation of the Women Prohibition Act.
Apart from Manjrekar, the complainant has also named Narendra and Shreyans Hirawat and NH Studioz, who are producers of the film Nay Varan Bhat Loncha Kon Nay Koncha, as accused in the case.
The complaint, filed through advocate D V Saroj, states that the Marathi film, which was released in cinema halls and OTT platforms on January 14, shows sexually explicit content depicting women and children in highly objectionable ways.
The complainant claimed that the content had caused disharmony in the society, resulting in protests throughout Maharashtra. -- PTI
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22:08 Kerala witnessing Omicron wave: Health minister
Kerala is witnessing a wave of Omicron infections, with cases of the highly contagious variant now on the rise, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday.
"It is now clear that the third wave in Kerala is the Omicron wave," she told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The minister said that the Omicron variant was found in 94 percent of samples of COVID-19 patients tested as part of surveillance in the state.
Delta strain was detected in 6 per cent.
As Kerala recorded 51,739 coronavirus cases on Thursday, she said sequencing of the COVID-19 samples of infected persons who came to Kerala from other places has revealed that 80 per cent of them have been affected by Omicron variant while 20 per cent were infected with Delta variant of the virus.
The state logged 51,739 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday taking the caseload to 58.26 lakh.
The state on Tuesday had registered 55,475 cases, the highest ever single day spike in the infection since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
The previous highest ever in a single day was recorded on January 20- 46,387. -- PTI
21:53 Air India flyers will hear about Tata takeover onboard tomorrow
The passengers who will be travelling on Air India flights on Friday will be hearing about the Tata Group's takeover of the airline during in-flight announcements, according to an official order.
The Indian government handed over Air India to the Tata Group on Thursday afternoon, approximately 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate.
In an order, the operations department told the airline's pilots to make a specific announcement after door closure on every flight departing on Friday.
As per the order, the announcement will be as follows: "Dear Guests, This is your Captain (Name) speaking........Welcome aboard this historic flight, which marks a special event."
"Today, Air India officially becomes a part of the Tata Group again, after seven decades. We look forward to serving you on this and every Air India flight with renewed commitment and passion," the announcement will state, as per the order.
"Welcome to the future of Air India! We hope you enjoy the journey. Thank you," the announcement will further state.
After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited -- a subsidiary of the Tata Group's holding company -- for Rs 18,000 crore.
21:51 UP polls: Cong Shekhupura candidate resigns over 'sexist' remarks by local leader
Congress Shekhupura assembly candidate Farha Naeem on Thursday resigned from the party and returned her ticket accusing district president of making indecent comments against women.
Addressing a press conference in Badaun, Naeem made allegations against the character of party district president Onkar Singh and announced her resignation.
"I was impressed with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's slogan Ladki hun lad sakti hun and got the ticket as voice of girls and women but we are humiliated here. The district president makes indecent comments on character of women. Despite complaints against him in the past, he is still the district president," she said.
"He demands money from people. It's not possible to contest polls under him," she said.
When asked about allegations against him, Onkar Singh said he considers women as her mother and has never humiliated them.
"The allegations are baseless. If she has any proof she should come forward with it. She has reached an understanding with Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Muslim Khan that is why she is making such allegations," he said. -- PTI
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21:24 M'rashtra allows wine to be sold in supermarkets
The sale of wine will be allowed in supermarkets and walk-in stores in Maharashtra, the state cabinet decided on Thursday.
The decision was taken to give a boost to fruit-based wineries which provide additional income to farmers, Minister for Skill Development Nawab Malik told reporters.
A statement from the Chief Minister's Office said "shelf-in-shop" method will be adopted in supermarkets and walk-in-stores which have area of 100 sq mt or more and which are registered under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act.
But the supermarkets which are near places of worship or educational institutions cannot sell wine.
Further, wine sale will not be allowed in the districts where prohibition is in force.
Supermarkets will have to be pay a fee of Rs 5,000 for selling wine.
The Opposition BJP slammed the decision, saying that the government was promoting liquor.
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis criticised the decision, saying the government had rolled back prohibition.
"We will not allow Maharashtra to become a madya-rashtra (`liquor state')," he said.
The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government did not help people during two years of the pandemic but its "priority is promoting the sale of liquor," the former chief minister said.
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20:50 India, 5 Central Asian nations join hands for Af
India and five Central Asian countries on Thursday decided to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan at the senior officials' level, ministry of external affairs secretary (West) Reenat Sandhu said.
The first India-Central Asia Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in virtual format was attended by five presidents -- Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Kyrgyz Republic's Sadyr Japarov.
At the summit, Modi suggested preparing a roadmap for the next 30 years, Sandhu said.
She said it was decided that leaders of India and Central Asian countries would hold a summit-level meeting every two years and the next summit was expected in 2024.
At the meeting, the leaders agreed to continue close consultations on Afghanistan and decided to establish a joint working group on the country at the senior officials' level, Sandhu said.
She said that India and Central Asian countries are committed to combatting the menace of terrorism and drug trafficking. -- PTI
20:33 Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan tests Covid positive
Maharashtra minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Thursday tested positive for COVID-19 infection.
"I am tested COVID-19 positive. Those who were in contact with me should be careful," Chavan said in a tweet. -- ANI
20:08 Rupee slumps to four-week low of 75.09 against USD
Registering its third straight session of loss, the rupee on Thursday depreciated by 31 paise to close at an over four-week low of 75.09 against the US dollar, tracking the strength of the American currency after a hawkish US Fed policy stance.
Forex traders said muted domestic equities, sustained foreign fund outflows and firm crude oil prices also weighed on the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 75.18 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 75.07 and a low of 75.31 during the session.
The rupee finally settled at 75.09, down 31 paise over its previous close. -- PTI
19:42 Centre extends Covid curbs as Omicron rages
The Union home ministry on Thursday extended the existing COVID-19 containment measures till February 28 in view of the wave of infections, driven by the Omicron variant, still raging and 407 districts reporting a positivity rate of over 10 per cent.
In a communication to all states and Union territories, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla said active cases have increased to over 22 lakh even though a majority of the patients are recovering fast and a low percentage of cases are in hospitals.
"It is still a matter of concern that 407 districts in 34 states and Union Territories are reporting a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. Therefore, looking at the current trends of COVID, there is a need to exercise caution and vigilance," Bhalla said in the letter to the chief secretaries, while extending the existing restrictions till February 28.
He reiterated that given the current situation all the states and Union Territories must observe all precautions and not let their guard down.
He said based on the normative framework, mentioned in the ministry of health and family welfare in a letter on December 12, 2021, and assessment of the situation, local and district administrations should continue to take prompt and appropriate containment measures.
"Imposition and lifting of local curbs and restrictions should be dynamic, based on the case positivity and hospitalisation status at the local level," Bhalla said.
The home secretary emphasised that there should be continued focus on the five-fold strategy of test, track, treat and vaccination, and adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour. Bhalla said the state enforcement machinery should strictly enforce the COVID norms, such as wearing of face masks and maintaining social distancing in all public areas and gatherings.
Further, states and Union Territories should continue to hold regular media briefings to disseminate the right information and to discourage any misinformation on new variants of concern, he said.
"I would, therefore, urge you to issue necessary directions to the districts and all other local authorities concerned, to take necessary measures for prompt and effective management of COVID-19, strict compliance with various advisories issued by the MoHFW on the new variant of concern (Omicron) and strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour," the Union home secretary added. -- PTI
19:30 Another extortion case registered against gangster Suresh Pujari
A new case of alleged extortion has been registered against gangster Suresh Pujari on the complaint of a businessman, the Mumbai police said on Thursday.
The First Information Report was registered at the suburban Goregaon police station, an official said.
Suresh Pujari, a one-time associate of gangster Ravi Pujari, was deported to India from the Philippines last year after being on the run for several years, but the complainant approached police only recently, the official said.
As per the complaint, Pujari had called the businessman and demanded Rs 50 lakh, warning of dire consequences if the money was not coughed up.
The gangster has at least 52 FIRs of extortion registered against him at police stations in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.
He is currently in the custody of the Mumbai police's Anti Extortion Cell in another case. -- PTI
18:49 Foreign Minister Jaishankar tests Covid positive
External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
"Have tested COVID positive,' said Jaishankar in a tweet.
"Urge all those who have come in recent contact to take suitable precautions,' he said. -- ANI
18:33 Maha ACB summons Param Bir Singh for third time
Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau has sent third summon to former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, asking him to appear before it on February 2 in a corruption case. -- ANI
18:19 Plinth work begins on Ram temple
The third phase of the construction of the Ram temple began at Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya on January 24 with the laying of the granite stones for the plinth.
With a view to achieving strength, other physical and chemical features and consequent longevity, the work of plinth with granite stone has begun.
Keeping in mind the Temple life of thousand years and beyond, it was decided to use the strongest natural granite of southern India.
About 17,000 stones of size 5 feet x 2.5 feet x 3 feet are being used in the construction of the plinth of the temple.
The weight of each stone is approximately 2.50 tons.
The activity of laying of granite stone is likely to be completed by May 2022.
Digital instrumentation is being used to monitor the safety parameters of the temple.
Data of these instruments will be used to study the behaviour of the structure in respect of loading, earthquake, etc.
The master plan for the entire campus outside Parkota has been finalised and approved by statutory authorities.
It includes pilgrimage facilitation centre, museum, archives, research centre, auditorium, gaushala, yagya shala and administrative building.
Detailing of design and utility services are under progress and the construction work of buildings other than temple will also be started by April 2022. -- ANI
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
17:59 Assam cuts CM's car convoy size in Guwahati to 6
The Assam cabinet on Thursday decided to reduce the number of cars to six in the chief minister's convoy while travelling within the Guwahati metropolitan area.
While travelling in other areas or districts, the chief minister's convoy will consist of 12 cars, excluding the escort and pilot cars.
During the road travel of CM, traffic will not be disrupted beforehand and if required, may be paused for a period of not exceeding two minutes.
"To end public inconvenience, we decided at the Assam cabinet to reduce CM carcade size and stop halting traffic for long during CM's travel. We also decided to stop felicitations for CM and ministers at official meetings, besides deciding on civic polls, etc," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet.
Among other key decisions, it was decided that the movement of ambulances will get precedence over the chief minister's motorcade and will not be stopped.
17:21 India-Central Asia cooperation essential: Modi
Central Asia is central to India's vision of an integrated and stable extended neighbourhood, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday as he hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format.
In his initial remarks at the Summit, Modi said, "We all are concerned about the Afghan situation and this makes cooperation between India and Central Asia all the more important for regional stability and security."
The virtual summit saw the participation of five presidents -- Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyz Republic. The prime minister called for defining an ambitious vision for cooperation between India and Central Asia in the coming years.
Mutual cooperation between India and Central Asia is essential for regional security and prosperity, Modi said.
This is the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders.
The first India-Central Asia Summit, the MEA had said, is a reflection of the country's growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India's "extended neighbourhood".
Modi had paid a visit to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been exchanges at high levels at bilateral and multilateral forums. PTI
17:17 Sensex closes 581 points down
The Indian equities markets key indices close in the negative for the sixth time in the past seven trading sessions on Thursday with Sensex and Nifty 50 sliding by around 1 per cent.
The stock markets opened sharply down on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve gave signal on interest rate hike and reaffirmed halting the bond-buying programme.
The benchmark Sensex opened in the red at 57,317.38 points and tumbled to a low of 56,439.36 points in the intra-day.
The last hour recovery in the banking and auto stocks helped the benchmark indices recover some losses. However, it was not enough to help the index turn into positive terrain.
An 'oxygen triage facility' in Chennai
17:01 Omicron sub-variant more prevalent in India: Govt
Union Health ministry updates on Covid-19.
-- Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is more prevalent in India now.
-- All factual information based on scientific evidences will be made public: Ministry of Health over media reports on discussions in govt whether COVID19 booster dose should be given.
-- As on 27th Jan, there are 22,02,472 active cases in India. The case positivity rate is at 17.75% (in last one week). 11 States have more than 50,000 active cases. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala have more than 3 lakh active cases.
-- 95% first dose vaccination coverage and 74% second dose coverage in the country so far. 97.03 lakh eligible population has received precaution dose
--16 States/UTs with COVID19 vaccination coverage of those between 15-18 years of age more than the national average of vaccination.
- There are over 3 lakh active cases in Karnataka, Maharashtra &Kerala &over one lakh in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat & Tamil Nadu. We're in touch with the states regarding containment activities. As of Jan 26, 551 districts were reporting case positivity rate of over 5%.
-- 185 new Omicron cases are confirmed in Bengaluru today, taking the overall tally in Karnataka to 1,115
-- Overall case positivity rate across the country was nearly 17.75% during the last week. There are over 50,000 COVID active cases in 11 states, 10,000-50,000 active cases in 14 states &less than 10,000 active cases in 11 states.
-- On 7th May 2021, at peak of second wave of COVID19, there were 4,14,188 new cases & 3679 deaths; only 3% people were fully vaccinated. On 21st Jan 2022, there were 3,47,254 new cases and 435 deaths; fully vaccinated people are 75% now.
-- Overall case positivity rate across the country was nearly 17.75% during the last week. There are over 50,000 COVID active cases in 11 states, 10,000-50,000 active cases in 14 states and less than 10,000 active cases in 11 states.
16:46 Tata Group: Will make AI world-class airline
Tata Group is committed to making Air India a world-class airline, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Thursday after the conglomerate took over the ownership of the national carrier from the government.
The group also acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to reforms and faith in India's entrepreneurship spirit, which made the "historic transition" possible.
"We are excited to have Air India back in the Tata Group and are committed to making this a world-class airline. I warmly welcome all the employees of Air India to our Group, and look forward to working together," Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
The group also said it philosophically agrees with "the Prime Minister's vision for the aviation sector, of making it affordable and ensuring it contributes to boosting 'Ease of Living' for citizens". PTI
16:40 I felt a sense of belonging, Rahul says at Golden Temple
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with party candidates for the Punjab assembly polls paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Thursday.
"Today, like each time before this, I felt good paying obeisance before the Durbar Sahib. I felt a sense of belonging. Ek Onkar," Rahul tweeted along with this picture.
Gandhi said he along with the Congress candidates prayed for the future of Punjab at Harmandir Sahib. After offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, Gandhi partook 'langar' along with the party candidates.
Gandhi was flanked by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Kicking off his poll campaign in Punjab, Gandhi is scheduled to address a virtual rally at Mithapur in Jalandhar. He is visiting the poll-bound state for the first time after the election dates were announced on January 8 by the Election Commission of India.
16:29 Centre mulls staggered opening of schools
The union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools for physical classes following all COVID-19 related protocols, sources said on Thursday.
Schools have been closed in most parts of the country for physical classes after the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the virus. Students have been mostly attending online classes, barring some brief periods in between, for almost two years now due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"As parents have been demanding for the opening of schools, the union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools following all Covid related protocols," a highly-placed source said.
A delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and public policy specialist, and Centre for Policy Research president Yamini Aiyar, had met Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday to submit a memorandum signed by over 1,600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened.
Similar demands have been made in some other states as well, though another section of parents has been favouring the continuation of online classes.
The Delhi government had recommended reopening of schools in the national capital, but a decision on this was postponed till the next meeting by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday. It has become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children, Sisodia had said on Wednesday.
Asserting that online education can never replace offline education, Sisodia had said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but excessive caution is now harming students. After being briefly reopened, schools in Delhi were again closed on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant. PTI
16:23 Air India handed over to Tata Group
Tata Group gets official handover of Air India. N Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of Tata Sons called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today ahead of the official handover of Air India to Tata Group.
The government on Thursday officially handed over Air India to the Tata Group. Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan said the group is very happy to have Air India back in its fold.
Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey told reporters that Air India has been handed over to Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Tata Group's holding company, which is the successful bidder.
"Now, the new owners (of the airline) are Talace," Pandey noted. Speaking to reporters here, Chandrasekharan said, "We are totally delighted that the takeover process of Air India is complete."
"We are very happy to have Air India back in the Tata group. We look forward to working with everyone to create a world-class airline," he added. After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited for Rs 18,000 crore.
15:50 BMC polls: 27 corporators of Congress party join NCP today
As many as 27 corporators of the Congress party joined the Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday.
All the corporators joined the party in the presence of party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Malegaon Mayor Tahira Shaikh is among the 27 corporators who joined the party.
This development holds importance ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election that is scheduled to held this year.
15:17 Paraglider dies after falling from parachute in Assam
A 35-year-old tourist was killed when he fell down during paragliding at a temporary resort set up in Dibru river in Assam's Tinsukia district, officials said on Thursday. The resort was set up illegally on Dibru riverbed at Guijan as the area falls under the eco-sensitive zone of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and was offering various adventure sports like paragliding, official sources said.
The paraglider, identified as Pankaj Gogoi, fell from the parachute when the jeep pulling it got stuck in the river sand due to "some reason" on Wednesday afternoon. He was critically injured and succumbed while being taken to hospital, an official said. Locals alleged that resort was set up illegally and is owned by a businessman, who is a "BJP leader".
A Christmas tree of empty vials of Covishield vaccine
15:07 Regular market approval granted for Covishield, Covaxin for use in adult population
India's drug regulator on Thursday granted regular market approval for COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in the adult population subject to certain conditions, official sources said.
The approval was granted under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019. Under the conditions, the firms shall submit data of ongoing clinical trials and the vaccines to be supplied for programmatic setting.
Adverse event following immunisation will continue to be monitored.
The Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) approval came after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on January 19 recommended granting regular market approval to the Serum Institute of India's (SII's) Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for use in adult population subject to certain conditions.
Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, had submitted an application to the DCGI on October 25 seeking regular market authorisation for Covishield.
The DCGI had sought more data and documents from the Pune-based company following which Singh recently had submitted a response along with more data and information. "Such a large-scale vaccination with Covishield and containment of COVID-19 infection is in itself a testimony of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine," he had said.
14:55 Lata Mangeshkar better, taken off ventilator
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar is showing signs of improvement but continues to remain under observation in ICU, her family said on Thursday. The 92-year-old veteran tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai on January 8.
According to an update shared by the family, Mangeshkar is showing "signs of improvement but will remain under observation" in the ICU. "Update from doctor: Lata didi continues to be in the ICU at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai under treatment. She has been given a TRIAL of extubation (off the invasive ventilator) this morning.
"Presently, she is showing signs of improvement but will remain under observation of the team of doctors headed by Dr Pratit Samdani. We thank each one of you for your prayers and good wishes," the family said in a statement.
Her family expressed their gratitude to well-wishers of Mangeshkar for their " prayers and good wishes".
Regarded as one of Indian cinema's greatest singers, Mangeshkar started her career at the age of 13 in 1942 and has over 30,000 songs to her credit in several Indian languages.
In her over seven-decade career, she has sung various memorable tracks such as "Ajeeb dastan hai ye", "Pyar kiya to darna kya", "Neela asman so gaya", and "Tere liye", among others.
The singer -- known as Melody Queen of India -- has been lauded with numerous awards and honours including the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and multiple National Film Awards. She is also a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. PTI
14:41 And Tharoor says...
The sesquipedalian Congress leader Shashi Tharoor gets his message across with this meme.
14:22 PLA hands over Arunachal boy
China's People's Liberation Army has handed over the missing teenager from Arunachal Pradesh to the Indian Army, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday.
Read more here.
14:19 Hockey captain who won Oly gold passes away
Charanjit Singh, the hockey legend under whose captaincy the Indian hockey team won gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, passed away today.
13:55 Delhi lifts weekend curfew, night curfew stays
Weekend curfew to be lifted in Delhi, night curfew to remain, DDMA officials have said.
Odd-even opening for shops to go. Opening of schools will be discussed in the next DDMA meet.
Weddings can be held up to a maximum of 200 people or 50 per cent capacity.
Bars, restaurants and cinema halls can open with 50% capacity.
Government offices to operate with 50% capacity.
A meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority was held to review the COVID-19 situation and relaxation of restrictions in the national capital.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal was chairing the meeting being held virtually in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal participated.
Last week, the Delhi government allowed all private offices in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, outside of Containment Zones, to function with up to 50 per cent attendance.
The DDMA had, however, advised the private offices to stagger office timing, presence and quantum of staff. -- ANI
13:44 Covid figures across states
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala are the states with the highest Covid numbers.
13:41 Constitutional underpinnings of the Rule of Law
The following is the transcript of the keynote address delivered by former Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman on "Constitutional underpinnings of the Rule of Law" at the inauguration of D.M. Harish School of Law, Mumbai on January 14, 2022.
Read it here.
13:39 Doctored history: From ancient times till today
The 14 th Lecture in the Democracy Dialogues Series organised by New Socialist Initiative will be delivered by Prof Irfan Habib, Famous Historian, Public Intellectual and Marxist Thinker, on Sunday, 30th January 2022 at 6 PM (IST). Prof Habib would be speaking on 'Doctored History : From Ancient Times till Today'.
The lecture will be live on facebook.com/newsocialistinitiative.nsi.
12:41 Guinness? Kejriwal unfurls 115-ft high tricolour
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday unfurled a 115-ft high tricolour in Timarpur constituency and said such high-mast national flags were installed at 75 locations across the city to mark 75th year of India's Independence.
He said he will get it examined if this qualifies for a Guinness world record. It is a matter of pride for the country that 75 tricolours on 115-ft high flagpoles have been installed today in Delhi to mark 75th year of our independence.
The target is to install total 500 in the next few months," he said at the ceremony organised near Delhi University campus in Timarpur assembly constituency.
"I have been told that in no city, tricolours (national flags) on flagpoles of this height have been installed on such a large scale. We will get it examined if it qualifies for a Guinness world record," Kejriwal said.
Till August 15, 2021, the PWD had installed high-mast national flags at five locations in the city, that is, at East Kidwai Nagar, Rani Bagh, East Vinod Nagar, Kalkaji and Dwarka. The total number of high-mast tricolours in the city is now 80.
12:18 DCW notice over tonsure, parading of rape victim
A 20-year-old was gang-raped, tonsured, garlanded with slippers and paraded with a blackened face in the Kasturba Nagar area in the national capital, Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal alleged on Thursday.
Maliwal in a tweet stated that she was issuing a notice to the Delhi Police in connection with the gruesome crime and has demanded quick action to arrest the criminals and provision of security to the family of the survivor.
"In Kasturba Nagar, a 20-year-old girl was gang-raped by illegal liquor sellers, made her bald, wore a garland of slippers and turned her face black in the entire area. I am issuing notice to Delhi Police. All criminal men and women should be arrested and the victim and her family should be given security," the DCW chief tweeted.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Wednesday said it had arrested four people for allegedly gang-raping a woman in the Vivek Vihar area of Shahdara district in the national capital.
"An unfortunate incident of sexual assault of a woman due to personal enmity happened in Shahdara District," said R Sathiyasundaram, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara.
12:12 Taliban target LGBT Afghans, says report
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Afghanistan have faced grave threats to their safety and lives under the Taliban, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a newly released report.
A 43-page report, based on 60 interviews with LGBT Afghans, revealed how Taliban members attacked or threatened them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Many reported abuse from family members, neighbours, and romantic partners who now support the Taliban or believed they had to act against LGBT people close to them to ensure their own safety, the HRW and OutRight Action International said in its report.
\Some fled their homes from attacks by Taliban members or supporters pursuing them. Others watched lives they had carefully built over the years disappear overnight and found themselves at risk of being targeted at any time because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
"We spoke with LGBT Afghans who have survived gang rape, mob attacks, or have been hunted by their own family members who joined the Taliban, and they have no hope that state institutions will protect them," said J. Lester Feder, senior fellow for emergency research at OutRight Action International. -- ANI
11:54 Pakistan crosses 90,000 COVID-19 cases mark
Amid the spread of the Omicron variant, Pakistan's active COVID-19 case count crossed the 90,000 mark, local media reported citing National Command and Operation Center on Thursday.
The PM has maintained that Yogi has made UP crime-free
11:50 Journalist beaten to death in UP for overtaking car
Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested two people for allegedly beating a journalist to death after a road rage incident in Saharanpur.
According to the police, the journalist who was on a motorbike overtook the car in which three persons were seated. Enraged by this, the three men allegedly thrashed the journalist.
"The victim, a resident of Chilkana and a reporter, was coming towards Saharanpur on his motorcycle and overtook an Alto Car in which three persons were seated. There was a fight over overtaking. The victim was thrashed by the three men, causing serious injury," said Saharanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kumar.
"The victim was taken to the nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The occupants of the car fled from the spot. We have arrested two accused, further legal action is being ensured," added the SP.
The incident took place on Wednesday evening. The victim has been identified as Sudhir Saini while the two accused held by the police have been identified as Jahangir and Farman.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Sikri police station of Saharanpur. -- ANI
11:41 Girl dies as flagpole touches live wire after R-Day event at hostel
A 14-year-old girl died of electrocution and another one suffered burn injuries when a flagpole on which the national flag was hoisted came in contact with a live wire while they were removing the pole in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday.
The incident took place on Wednesday - when the Republic Day was celebrated - at a government-run hostel for tribal girls , following which the district administration suspended the hostel superintendent and ordered a probe into it, they said.
"It happened around 5 pm on Wednesday at Pre-matric Scheduled Tribe Girls' Hostel in Patewa village," a police official said.
"When the two inmates of the hostel, identified as Kiran Diwan and Kajal Chauhan, were removing the long iron pole on which the national flag was hoisted, it accidentally fell on a high-tension electricity line that passes through the hostel premises, causing them electric shock," he said.
While Diwan, a Class 9 student, died on the spot, Chauhan (15), who is in Class 10, sustained burns, he said. An accidental death report was registered in connection and further probe is underway, he added.
11:00 Tata Group chief, PM to meet ahead of AI handover
After a long journey of 69 years, Air India is set to be officially handed over to Tata Group on Thursday. Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekhar is in Delhi to witness the formal transfer, sources told ANI.
"Officially Air India hands over to Tata Group today in the afternoon. Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran will be in the ministries for the official handover process," a senior government official said.
Chandrasekaran is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the official handover of Air India.
A formal announcement from the Tata Group regarding the official handover process will be made today. Maharaja is the official mascot of Air India which operates globally apart from domestic operations.
According to the available data in 2020, "Air India operates around 101 destinations including 57 domestic operations including 33 countries on four continents around the world."
Aviation experts say that Air India is carrying a substantial number of latest aircraft in its fleet from both Airbus and Boeing which is Air India's strength.
Air India code share with Star Alliance and operates a total of 172 wide and narrow body aircraft with Air India Express globally including domestic operations. -- ANI
10:33 Cong's ex-U'khand chief joins BJP
Former Congress Chief of Uttarakhand, Kishore Upadhyay, joins the Bharatiya Janata Party in Dehradun, ahead of the Uttarakhand Election 2022.
Upadhyay was expelled from the Congress for six years for "anti-party activities". He was earlier removed from all posts as a disciplinary action.
10:18 Follower counts fluctuate: Twitter replies to Rahul
Twitter spox on Rahul Gandhi's letter to Twitter stating that the number of his followers are seeing a drop:
-- "Follower counts are a visible feature and we want everyone to have confidence that numbers are meaningful and accurate. Twitter has zero-tolerance approach to platform manipulation and spam.
-- We fight spam and malicious automation strategically and at scale with machine learning tools, and as part of those consistent and ongoing efforts to ensure a healthy service and credible accounts, follower counts can and do fluctuate.
-- We remove millions of accounts each week for violating our policies on platform manipulation and spam. You can take a look at latest Twitter Transparency Center update for more context.
-- While some accounts notice minor differences, in certain cases the numbers could be higher."
Twitter has been "unwittingly complicit" in curbing free speech in India, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to the company's CEO Parag Agrawal last month
In a letter dated December 27 that included an analysis of data from his Twitter account as well as comparisons with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi said that while he added an average of about 4 lakh followers for the first seven months of 2021, the growth came to an abrupt halt for several months following an eight-day suspension in August last year.
09:55 LIVE! Equity indices in red, Sensex down by 1000+ points
Equity indices opened in red on Thursday with Sensex down by 1020.11 points and Nifty down by 298 points.
The 30-scrip BSE Sensex was down by 1020.11 points or 1.76 per cent at 56838.04 at 9.20 am. Similarly, 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 16980 at 9.20 am, down by 298 points or 1.72 per cent.
On the Sensex, all the sectors were trading low. Consumer durables, tech, realty, healthcare are among those trading at the lowest.
09:52 Memories are all we have
In Chhattisgarh, the mother of a police jawan, Basil Toppo, who lost his life in a Naxal attack made a memorial in his memory at the village of Jashpur. "I feel proud of him," said his mother. "He was in the police and was killed in an attack in 2011 in Bastar," said his uncle.
A R-Day tableau on the pandemic
09:41 India's Covid tally 2.86L, deaths 573 in a day
India reports 2,86,384 new COVID-19 cases, 573 deaths and 3,06,357 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
Active case: 22,02,472 (5.46%)
Daily positivity rate: 19.59%
Total Vaccination : 1,63,84,39,207
Total Vaccination : 1,63,84,39,207
09:14 US ready either way: Blinken to Moscow as Ukraine crisis escalates
The United States is "ready either way" in handling the escalating Ukraine crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Moscow on Wednesday as the Biden administration's top envoy delivered a letter to the Russian government in this regard.
"All told, it sets out a serious diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose it," Blinken told reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department soon after US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan delivered the documents to the Russian government in Moscow.
"The document we have delivered includes concerns of the United States and our allies and partners about Russia's actions that undermine security, a principled and pragmatic evaluation of the concerns that Russia has raised, and our own proposals for areas where we may be able to find common ground," he said.
"We make clear that there are core principles that we are committed to uphold and defend -- including Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right of States to choose their own security arrangements and alliances. We have addressed the possibility of reciprocal transparency measures regarding force posture in Ukraine, as well as measures to increase confidence regarding military exercises and manoeuvres in Europe," Blinken added.
The United States, he said, is open to dialogue.
"We prefer diplomacy and we are prepared to move forward where there is the possibility of communication and cooperation if Russia de-escalates its aggression toward Ukraine, stops the inflammatory rhetoric and approaches discussions about the future of security in Europe in a spirit of reciprocity," Blinken said.
America's responses are fully coordinated with Ukraine and its European allies and partners, with whom it has been consulting continuously for weeks, he added.
"We sought their input and incorporated it into the final version delivered to Moscow," he said.
Later, Blinken briefed Congressional leaders on this. America's actions over the past week have sharpened the choice facing Russia now, he said.
"We have laid out a diplomatic path. We have lined up steep consequences should Russia choose further aggression. We have stepped forward with more support for Ukraine's security and economy. And we and our allies and partners are united across the board," the US secretary of state said.
08:52 Rahul, 117 Cong candidates to pray at Golden Temple
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be on a day-long visit to Punjab on Thursday during which he will visit religious places along with 117 candidates in an apparent show of strength ahead of assembly elections that are due next month.
During his day-long visit, Rahul Gandhi would pay obeisance at around 9 am at Sri Harmandir Sahib along with 117 candidates in Amritsar.
Thereafter, the Congress leader will pay obeisance at Durgiana Mandir at around 10 am and at around 11 am at Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal along with all his 117 candidates.
At around 12 noon, Gandhi will travel to Jalandhar by road where he would address the virtual rally "Navi Soch Nava Punjab" at around 3 pm at White Diamond, Mithapur, Jalandhar.
Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu tweeted and shared his entire schedule of the day and said that the workers of the party look forward to welcoming him in the state.
"Our Visionary leader Rahul Gandhi Ji is visiting Punjab on 27th January. Every Congress worker looks forward to welcoming him in Punjab," Sidhu tweeted on Tuesday.
Notably, this is the first visit of Rahul Gandhi since the imposition of a ban on physical rallies by the Election Commission of India at the start of the month.
Punjab will go to the assembly polls on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. -- ANI
07:54 Congress's Kishore Upadhyay likely to join BJP today
In a major setback to Congress ahead of the February 14 Uttarakhand assembly polls, former party state chief Kishore Upadhyay is likely to join the BJP today, said sources.
According to them, Upadhyay could contest the assembly polls from the Tehri constituency.
Earlier, Congress released its third list of candidates for the polls which did not mention Upadhyay. This further increased speculation of him joining the BJP.
Sources close to Upadhyay told ANI that he wanted the revocation of suspension from all party posts and had conveyed this to the Congress leadership too.
Upadhyay was removed from all the party posts recently as a disciplinary action.
07:32 Student unions call for Bihar bandh on Friday
Terming the committee formed by the Union railway ministry to look into the concerns raised by the aspirants of alleged irregularities in Railway Recruitment Board's NTPC stage 1 exam results as a "hoax", student union AISA and other youth organisations have called for "Bihar bandh" on Friday and refused to bog down despite the formation of the committee.
AISA general secretary and MLA Sandeep Saurav along with others in a press statement said that the committee formed by the ministry is a "conspiracy" to postpone the matter till the elections in Uttar Pradesh.
"There is no doubt on the questions being raised by the candidates. This massive movement of student youth, who are facing extreme unemployment, has arisen at a time when there is an election in UP. Under the pressure of this, this proposal of the Government and Railways has come and a conspiracy is being hatched to postpone the matter till the elections," they said.
Earlier, all chairpersons of RRBs were directed to receive the grievances of candidates through their existing channels, compile these grievances and send the same to the committee.
Candidates were given three weeks time up to February 16, to submit their concerns and the committee after examining these concerns will submit their recommendations by March 4.
Meanwhile, in view of the students' agitation regarding alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board exam, the railway ministry has decided to suspend both the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) and Level 1 tests scheduled to be held on February 15 and February 23.
According to a spokesperson, the ministry has constituted a committee that will listen to the views of the candidates who cleared or failed and following that the committee will submit its report to the ministry. Only after that, would the ministry take a decision regarding the exam.
The job aspirants blocked the New Delhi-Kolkata main railway tracks and some others protested in Bihar's Arrah and Sharif railway station. The protesters also allegedly set a train on fire in Arrah.
Mamata Banerjee
07:12 Suvendu alleges protocol violation by Mamata at R-Day event
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "protocol violation" as she did not receive the Governor during his arrival at the Republic Day function and said that the conduct of TMC chief goes against the culture of the state.
Sharing a video of the arrival of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the function, Adhikari tweeted, "Outrageous protocol violation by CM @MamataOfficial. She did not receive Hon'ble Governor at Republic Day function. But he showed grace by walking upto her and greeting her on this special National day. Her conduct left much to be desired and goes against the propriety and culture of WB."
The video shared by the BJP leader shows the governor arriving at the function and being received by the officials. However, the chief minister could not be seen greeting him. As the governor proceeded, he was seen walking up to Mamata to extend the greetings.
"The office of the chief minister has been disgraced like never before. This video reveals the disregard of the protocol by @MamataOfficial. An unprecedented act of impropriety. Is it because Hon'ble Governor @jdhankhar1 is asking tough questions?" Adhikari further said in his tweet.
Notably, Adhikari was not invited by the state government for the Republic Day celebrations that were held at Red Road in the capital city of Kolkata. In the list of the invitees released by the state government, Adhikari's name was dropped for the event.
It was for the first time that the Leader of Opposition was not invited to the Republic Day programme in the state.
06:55 Congress changes Harish Rawat's seat to Lalkuan, daughter gets ticket
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat will now contest the February 14 assembly elections from Lalkuan seat instead of Ramnagar, which was announced earlier.
The Congress changed Rawat's seat in the third list of 10 candidates announced late on Wednesday.
In this list, the party changed the seats of five of its previously nominated candidates.
It also nominated Rawat's daughter Anupama Rawat from the Haridwar rural assembly seat.
He had unsuccessfully contested from the Kichcha and Haridwar rural assembly seats in the last assembly polls in 2017.
Rawat replaces Sandhya Dalakoti for the Lalkuan seat, while Mahender Pal Singh will now contest in Rawat's place from Ramnagar assembly constituency.
Singh was earlier nominated by the party to contest the Kaladhungi assembly seat, from where the party has now fielded Mahesh Sharma.
The Congress also nominated Gaurav Chaudhary in place of Mohit Uniyal for the Doiwala assembly seat and Ravi Bahadur replaced Barkha Rani for the Jwalapur-SC seat.
The party has nominated Yashpal Rana from Roorkee.
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