LIVE: Indian spinner Ashwin says racial slurs must be dealt with iron fist

Taking a swipe at the TMC for accusing it of trying to "destroy the Bengali culture", BJP national President J P Nadda on Saturday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee headed Trinamool Congress never represented the Bengali culture rather symbolised "anarchy and corruption". On speculations about cricketer Sourav Ganguly joining the BJP before Bengal elections, Nadda, without naming anyone, said the "matter will be discussed once it comes before the party".

Indonesia's Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has confirmed the crash of a Boeing 737-500 plane of Indonesian airlines with 62 people on board that lost contact with the air traffic controller. The plane was believed to have crashed near the district's Laki Island and Lancang Island, part of the Thousand Islands chain.

China issued a new order prohibiting firms from complying with foreign laws that ban transactions with Chinese companies and individuals. This order comes in the backdrop of the US threatening to impose sanctions and other restrictions on any and all Hong Kong and Chinese individuals in wake of the arrests of over 50 politicians and pro-democracy advocates by Hong Kong authorities.
 

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

10:03 PM

Recognise political aspiration of J&K's people for new industrial scheme to succeed: NC MP

National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi on Sunday said the recently announced Rs 28,400 crore new industrial developmental scheme (IDS) would not fetch any result without taking into account the political aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
 

The MP from south Kashmir's Anantnag said the trade bodies must realise that peace and development go hand in hand. Peace would not be possible without the political aspirations of people being respected and addressed, he said.
 

"It is to be realised that there can be no islands of prosperity in a sea of pain and agony," Masoodi said in a statement.
 

He emphasised the recently announced industrial scheme would not fetch any result in absence of an aggressive peace initiative to address the political aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.
 

The NC leader said earlier such announcements -- Rs 6,165 crore package in 2002 by then prime minister A B Vajpayee and Rs 80,000 crore package by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 -- have not changed anything on the ground.
 

"The alienation, despite such announcements, has been ever increasing and the unconstitutional measures of August 5, 2019 was nothing less than a misadventure and have further widened the gulf," he said.
 

Provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
 

10:02 PM

IIT protest: Goa govt violating human rights, alleges Congress

Days after protesters opposing the upcoming IIT campus in Goa clashed with the police, the Congress on Sunday alleged that the state government was violating human rights by filing cases against the people who had participated in the agitation, an allegation rubbished by the ruling BJP.
 

On January 6, protesters had attacked police personnel with stones at Shel-Melaulim village in Sattari tehsil who responded with lathicharge.
 

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus is proposed on a 10 lakh square metre area in Shel-Malaulim and Guleli villages, some 50 kilometres from Panaji.

The villagers are opposing the project claiming that it would rob away their precious lands.
 

"Activist like Shailendra Velingkar was illegally arrested and assaulted in the police custody. The ruling BJP has been indulging in human right violations by filing cases against all the protesters who don't want the IIT at Sattari," alleged Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar in a press conference.
 

9:59 PM

Unlike President Trump, Vice President Pence to attend Biden's inauguration: US media

US Vice President Mike Pence will attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on January 20, an event the outgoing President Donald Trump has decided to skip.
 

According to US media outlets, word of Pence's intention to watch Biden take his oath of office in person spread after the first major break between him and Trump -- when the Vice President defied the President by performing his constitutional duty to certify the November 3 election results.
 

Trump, a Republican, announced on Twitter, before his account was suspended, that he would not be attending Biden's inauguration.
 

Pence will attend the inauguration of President-elect Biden, CNN reported, quoting a source familiar with the plans.
 

Biden, a Democrat, said on Friday that he was glad President Trump decided not to attend and that Vice President Pence is "welcome to come. I'd be honoured to have him there." "It's a good thing, him not showing up," Biden said on Friday in Wilmington, Delaware, at a news conference.
 

"He exceeded even my worst notions about him. He's been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world. He's not worthy to hold that office," Biden said.
 

The decision is Pence's second high-profile split from Trump, after standing loyally behind him for years. Despite pressure from Trump, Pence affirmed Biden's victory when the US Congress finished tallying Electoral College votes early on Thursday.
 

9:58 PM

JD(U) is firmly with NDA, says senior party leader Lalan Singh

Scotching rumours of JD(U) quitting NDA in Bihar amid talks of discomfort with the ally BJP, the ruling Janata Dal(United) on Sunday made it clear that the party is firmly with the ruling coalition in the state.
 

JD(U), one of the major constituents of Bihar NDA, is running a coalition government in the state with the help of BJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
 

"Speculations are doing the rounds in media circles with regard to our leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Some sends him somewhere while others are sending him somewhere else.
 

"But, we would like to make it clear that our party (JD-U) is firmly aligned with the NDA," senior party leader and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said.

Singh was talking to reporters at the partys state headquarters on decisions taken at the two-day meeting of its state executive and state council.
 

He was accompanied by partys newly elected state president Umesh Kushwaha and working president and minister Ashok Choudhary.
 

Singhs statement assumes significance in the backdrop of opposition leaders speaking of political instability in the state in view of alleged lack of compatibility between the two major NDA partners- BJP and JD(U).
 

Eversince en masse migration of the JD(U) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh to the BJP, speculations are rife of "differences" cropping up between the two allies even in Bihar on several issues.
 

Seeking to fish in troubled waters, the opposition RJD and the Congress have been talking of mass defection of the JD(U) MLAs and some of their leaders also suggesting Nitish Kumar to leave the saffron party once again like in 2015 and join them.
 

7:57 PM

Why is Indonesia prone to plane crashes?

Saturday's plane crash in Indonesia, in which a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 carrying 62 people plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, has once again cast the limelight on the safety of the country's aviation industry.

 

Indonesia's aviation record is one of the worst in Asia, with more civilian airliner passenger accidents since 1945 than any other country in the region. Past accidents have been attributed to poor pilot training, mechanical failures, air traffic control issues and poor aircraft maintenance.

 

While experts say there have been many improvements in recent years, the latest crash has experts questioning the true progress of Indonesia's aviation oversight and regulation.

 

7:46 PM

Security downgrade: BJP alleges political vendetta by Maha govt

The shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government's move to downgrade the security cover of former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his family, ex-UP governor Ram Naik and MNS president Raj Thackeray, and to withdraw the security cover of state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, has evoked the allegations of "political vendetta".

 

As per a government notification issued on January 8, the security covers of BJP leader and former CM Narayan Rane, Chandrakant Patil and another senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar have been withdrawn. Rane had 'Y-plus' security.

 

Reacting to the development, Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly, said he was not worried but also alleged that the government was giving security on the "basis of politics".

7:37 PM

Bird Flu: Over 200 migratory birds found dead in Himachal Pradesh

Carcasses of 215 migratory birds were found in Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Sunday, taking the total number of such birds suspected to have died of avian influenza to 4,235, officials said.

 

Each day, hundreds of migratory birds were found dead in the lake area since December 29. Last Monday, the samples tested positive for H5N1, they said.

 

Also, for the fourth day in a row, a large number of dead poultry birds were found dumped by the side of the Chandigarh-Shimla highway in Solan district. The remains of the birds were buried according to safety protocol and their samples sent to a disease diagnostic laboratory in Jalandhar.

6:46 PM

Acts of discrimination will not be tolerated: Jay Shah

BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Sunday reacted strongly to the racist slurs hurled at Indian cricketers during the third Test in Australia, saying such "acts of discrimination will not be tolerated" since racism has no place in sport and society.

 

Shah denounced the abuses that pacers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah had to endure from a few rowdy fans, who were expelled from the stadium.

 

"Racism has no place in our great sport or in any walk of society. I've spoken to @CricketAus and they have ensured strict action against the offenders. @BCCI and Cricket Australia stand together. These acts of discrimination will not be tolerated," Shah tweeted.

6:44 PM

Indian economy heading towards V-shaped recovery in 2021: Assocham

India's economy is showing decisive signs of a 'V-shaped' recovery in 2021 with the return of consumer confidence, robust financial markets, an uptick in manufacturing and exporters braving it out in the global market with never-say-die spirit, Assocham said on Sunday.

 

The industry chamber said it expects immense accruals of economic benefits from the Covid-19 vaccination programme about to be rolled out.

 

"The high-frequency data is a strong pointer to a V-shaped recovery in 2021 with the seeds bursting into green shoots over the last two months of 2020 itself," Assocham Secretary General Deepak Sood said.

6:40 PM

Manufacturing, infra push to boost logistics in India, automation to be key in 2021

The logistics sector is at the cusp of the next phase of growth on the back of the push for manufacturing and infrastructure development in the country, market players feel.

 

With the country emerging out of the pandemic, and technology taking a whole new meaning in this post-Covid world, they feel, automation will be the next big thing in logistics.

 

"Multinationals and global supply chains in the reviving times are finding India an attractive location to establish their manufacturing base which will certainly prove instrumental for our economic growth and will have direct impact on the growth of logistics industry," said Pawan Jain, Founder & Chairman, Safexpress.

 

He added that government initiatives like 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', setting up of logistics corridors, giving infrastructure status to the industry among others are driving economic growth of the country.

6:35 PM

CAIT asks govt to ban WhatsApp, Facebook over new privacy policy

Traders' body CAIT on Sunday wrote to Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad demanding that the government restrict WhatsApp from implementing its new privacy policy or impose a ban on the messaging app and its parent company Facebook.

 

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) claimed that through the new privacy policy, "all kinds of personal data, payment transactions, contacts, location and other vital information of a person who is using WhatsApp will be acquired by it and can be used for any purpose by WhatsApp".

 

In the communication to Prasad, CAIT has demanded that "government should immediately restrict WhatsApp from implementing the new policy or put a ban on WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook", the traders' body stated.

 

CAIT said Facebook has more than 200 million users in India and enabling it to access data of every user can pose serious threat to not only the economy but even to the security of the country.

6:34 PM

Air 'poor' in Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon

The average air quality was 'very poor' in Greater Noida and 'poor' in Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon on Sunday, according to a 24-hour data provided by a government agency.

 

Pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 remained prominent in the air of the five immediate neighbours of Delhi, according to the air quality index (AQI) maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

 

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

6:04 PM

Chinese state media blast latest Pompeo move on Taiwan

China's state media lashed out at the latest move on Taiwan by the departing Trump administration, accusing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of "seeking to maliciously inflict a long-lasting scar on China-US ties."

 

A writer for the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on Sunday that the lifting of longstanding restrictions on US government contacts with Taiwanese counterparts proves that Pompeo "is only interested in stoking unwarranted confrontations, and has no interest in world peace."

 

A commentary posted online by CGTN, the English-language channel of state broadcaster CCTV, called Pompeo's announcement "a cowardly act of sabotage" of the next US administration.

5:57 PM

Bird flu: Centre directs zoos to submit daily report to Central Zoo Authority

A day after over 1,200 birds were found dead in the country with seven states confirming outbreak of avian influenza, the Centre on Sunday directed zoo managements to submit daily report to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) till their area is declared free from the disease.

 

The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued an office memorandum directing management of all zoos to strengthen surveillance and aviary management.

 

"In endemic areas, entry to aviary sections may be monitored and restricted, and all vehicles entering the zoo may be sanitised. All water bodies within the zoo should be monitored and artificial water bodies may be drained.

5:56 PM

Racism has no place in our great sport: Jay Shah