LIVE: 25 states/UTs reduced VAT on petrol and diesel so far, says Centre

Covaxin, a vaccine developed in India, was found to have a 77.8 per cent efficacy rate against symptomatic Covid-19, said The Lancet

9:01 PM

Amit Shah in Azamgarh tomorrow, Akhilesh to visit Gorakhpur

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah will be visiting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's Lok Sabha constituency Azamgarh on Saturday, on a day the opposition leader will be in Gorakhpur, the UP chief minister's home turf, PTI reported.

 

Akhilesh Yadav will start third leg of his "Samajwadi Vijay Yatra" from Gorakhpur.

 

Amit Shah will be in Azamgarh and Basti on Saturday, BJP's regional vice-president Dr Satyendra Sinha said.

8:35 PM

Over 1.11 billion vaccine doses administered in India so far: Health Ministry

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 111 crore (1.11 billion) on Friday, the Union Health Ministry said, according to PTI.

 

Over 52 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Friday till 7 pm. The tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it said.

 

The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

8:14 PM

Covid-19: 227 new cases, 2 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka has reported 227 fresh cases of coronavirus and 2 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,91,369 and the toll to 38,140, the health department said on Friday, PTI reported.

 

The day also saw 206 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29.45 lakh.

 

Out of 227 new cases reported, 147 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 62 discharges and 1 death.

8:14 PM

Aim to make Indian automobile sector no. 1 in world: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday said his aim was to make the Indian automobile industry number one in the world, for export of electric vehicles, in five years time, PTI reported.

 

"India's future is very bright, presently our automobile industry's turnover is Rs 7.5 lakh crore. Within five years our it will be more than 15 lakh crore and this is the industry which is generating the highest number of jobs, exports and revenue to state and central governments," Gadkari said.

 

Speaking at the first edition of Ananthkumar memorial lecture virtually, he said his vision and commitment is to make the Indian automobile industry number one in the world for export of electric car, scooter, buses, auto rickshaw and trucks, in five years.

7:50 PM

Pacific leaders agree on vaccines but not on US hosting APEC

Pacific Rim leaders agreed to do all they can to improve access to coronavirus vaccines and reduce carbon emissions, but failed to reach agreement on whether the U.S. should host talks in two years' time, AP reported.

 

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among those taking part in the online meeting of 21 leaders at the end of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Friday, which was being hosted virtually by New Zealand.

 

The focus was on areas in which the unlikely mix of leaders could find common ground. But the failure of the group to endorse a U.S. bid to host APEC in 2023 pointed to the deep divisions that lie just beneath the surface.

7:49 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 812 new Covid cases

7:23 PM

NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission reaches ISS

Running more than 30 minutes ahead of schedule, the SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts have safely docked to the International Space Station (ISS), less than 24 hours after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, IANS reported.

 

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer opened the hatch of their Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance and participated in a welcome ceremony with their new Expedition 66 crewmates, the US space agency said in a statement.

 

The newest crew to the microgravity laboratory is the agency's third crew rotation mission with SpaceX, and will remain on board until April 2022 as part of Expedition 66.

7:22 PM

Pak's Lahore declared most polluted city globally after breaching AQI 700 mark

Pakistan's Lahore has been declared the most polluted city globally after the city recorded its highest ever smog levels as the Air Quality Index (AQI) went above 700, reported local media, ANI said.

 

The Air Quality Index data was released on Thursday and put Lahore on the list of the most polluted cities in the world.

 

The AQI remained above 500 for the fourth consecutive day in various parts of the city which worsened to 700 after 12 pm on Thursday, reported Samaa TV.

7:00 PM

Kerala reports 6,674 new Covid cases

6:59 PM

Delhi air pollution: Central Pollution Control Board advises people to stay indoors

6:22 PM

From people to snakes, rescue galore in TN amid intense rains

During the heavy rains through the week here and other regions of Tamil Nadu not only inflatable boats, but preparedness, determination and presence of mind came in handy for personnel including policemen and women, civic and forest workers who rescued people, animals and snakes, PTI reported.

 

When a resident here was about to be washed away in floods, being caught in a gush of whirling flood water amid pounding rains, alert armed reserve police personnel rescued him despite challenges and by sheer determination.

 

It later emerged that the rescued man, identified as Sudhakar of Pulianthope area had tried to save another man, 40-year old Ezhumalai from being carried away by strong water currents. Ezhumalai, however, could not be saved despite efforts and he lost his life.

6:19 PM

25 states/UTs reduced VAT on petrol and diesel so far, says Centre

25 states/UTs have so far undertaken commensurate reduction of VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to the consumers, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said in a statement.

This follows the decision of the Government of India on 3rd November, 2021 to significantly reduce central excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively, the ministry said.

While doing so, the states were also urged to commensurately reduce VAT on Petrol and diesel to give relief to consumers, the ministry added.

 

5:58 PM

India should focus on supply through reforms: K V Subramanian

India should focus on supply through reforms and capital expenditure to create assets in the economy, said Dr. K.V. Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, Government of India, IANS reported.

 

He was speaking about the three decades of 1991 economic reforms at the 3rd Global Finance Conclave organised by the Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) on Friday.

 

Elaborating on how the economy has grown since 1991, Subramanian pointed out how the country handled the demand and supply line impact during the Covid-19 crisis.

5:57 PM

Cong alleges Facebook used by BJP as weapon to spread hate

The Congress on Friday alleged that Facebook was being used as a weapon by the BJP to spread hate and fake news in the country and demanded that a JPC probe be conducted on the issue and laws be enacted to restrict Facebook and WhatsApp, PTI reported.

 

The party also alleged that India's democracy is being manipulated by an American technology company and demanded that it holds an independent inquiry into the issue.

 

Congress leaders Rohan Gupta and Praveen Chakravarty said at a joint press conference that it is time Facebook stops being used as a weapon by the BJP to spread hate that threatens the country's unity.

 

5:34 PM

Pacific leaders expected to agree on vaccines, fossil fuels

Pacific Rim leaders are expected to find common ground on improving access to coronavirus vaccines and reducing fossil fuel subsidies in their annual summit, being held virtually with New Zealand as host, AP reported.

 

The pledges are among those likely to be included in a joint statement issued at the end of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

 

It was unclear Friday if the leaders would manage to agree on a U.S. bid to host APEC in 2023 after Russia raised objections.