Top headlines: Govt slams e-commerce leaders; Kerala opposes farm laws

This New Year's eve is unparalleled in many ways. With states announcing curbs, here's what you can and can't do

States to hold vaccine dry run

A dry run for Covid-19 vaccination will be conducted by all state and union territory administrations on January 2 to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges, the Centre said on Thursday. The activity is proposed to be conducted in all state capitals in at least 3 session sites. Read here

Chinese bottled water maker pips Ambani to become Asia's richest

Zhong Shanshan is a private billionaire who’s rarely quoted in the press. Now, after an improbable career spanning journalism, mushroom farming and health care, he’s become Asia’s richest person, eclipsing India’s Mukesh Ambani and a group of Chinese tech titans including Jack Ma. Zhong’s net worth has surged $70.9 billion this year to $77.8 billion, making him the 11th-richest person on the planet, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Read here

Govt complains against Amazon, Flipkart

In a significant development related to war between e-commerce giants and traders of India, the Union Government has directed the Enforcement Directorate and Reserve Bank of India to take necessary action against Amazon and Walmart-owned-Flipkart. Read here

Kerala passes resolution against farm laws

The Kerala Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the three contentious central farm laws, against which farmers were agitating in Delhi, saying they were 'anti-farmer' and 'pro-corporate.' Read here

On a New Year's eve like no other, here's what you can & can't do

This New Year's Eve will be celebrated like no other, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many people bidding farewell to a year they'd prefer to forget. With state governments and police announcing several restrictions, including prohibiting gathering of more than five people on the road and on events, shows or programmes, Indians will face more subdued New Year's eve celebrations this year. Read here