LIVE: CCI approves acquisition of shareholding in Air India by Tata Group

The proposed combination envisages acquisition of 100% equity share capital of AI and AI Express, and 50% equity share capital of Air India SATS Airport Services by Talace Private Limited

10:55 AM

Winter Session: PM Modi holds meeting with senior ministers to discuss various issues and government strategy

PM Narendra Modi holds meeting with senior ministers including Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal, in Parliament, to discuss various issues and government strategy for the ongoing Winter Session.

10:54 AM

Cold wave in parts of Delhi as min drops to 3.2 deg C, relief likely from Wed

A cold wave swept parts of Delhi on Monday with the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the capital, dropping to 3.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal and the lowest this season so far.

 

Two back-to-back western disturbances and the resultant slowing down of cold northwesterly winds from Tuesday night will push the minimum temperature up, said RK Jenmani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

 

The automatic weather station at Jaffarpur village in west Delhi recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.

 

10:53 AM

Diesel, petrol prices unchanged on Monday

Oil marketing companies have yet again kept the prices of diesel and petrol unchanged across major Indian cities on Monday.

 

Notably, fuel prices have been steady for the past 45 days.

 

Accordingly, diesel and petrol prices in Delhi stood at Rs 86.67 per litre and Rs 95.41 per litre, respectively.

 

In the financial capital Mumbai, the rates were unchanged at Rs 94.14 and Rs 109.98.

 

Prices also remained static in Kolkata at Rs 89.79 and Rs 104.67.

10:52 AM

More than 200 dead after typhoon slams Philippines

The death toll rose to more than 200 following the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year, with 52 people still missing and several central towns and provinces grappling with downed communications and power outages and pleading for food and water, officials said Monday.

 

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph) before it blew out Friday into the South China Sea.

 

10:42 AM

Rajasthan | Lowest minimum temperature of -0.5 degree C was recorded at Churu and Sikar

Rajasthan | The lowest minimum temperature of -0.5 degree C was recorded at Churu and Sikar, -0.1 degree C and -1.8 degree C at Karoli and Fatehpur respectively during the last 24 hours as per IMD

10:05 AM

Drone sighted in Gurdaspur sector near the International Border, says BSF

A drone was sighted in Gurdaspur sector near the International Border. BSF personnel fired 5 rounds after the patrolling team heard a humming sound but it managed to return to Pakistan territory. The incident was reported at 1230am on Monday, says a senior BSF officer

9:29 AM

Sajjad Lone led People's Conference pulls out of J&K's Gupkar Alliance

Sajad Lone led Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC) pulled out of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Sunday.

 

In a letter to Dr Farooq Abdullah, president, PAGD, Lone said, "It is difficult for us to stay on. There has been a breach of trust between partners which we believe is beyond remedy. The majoritarian view in our party is that we should pull out of the alliance in an amicable manner rather than waiting for things to get messier. And I am confirming that we will no longer be a part of the PAGD alliance."

 

"We are divorcing from the alliance, not its objectives,", he said. Read on...

9:10 AM

Kuwait extends oil supply deal for Indian refiners to March: Reports

Kuwait has extended oil supply contracts for Indian refiners by three months to March 2022 due to a delay in the commissioning of its 615,000 barrel-per-day Al-Zour refinery, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

 

This year, Kuwait had shortened an annual oil supply deal with Indian refiners to 9 months ending in December.

 

Kuwait Petroleum Corp has told buyers in India that their contracts would be extended to March 2022, sources said.

 

The sources did not elaborate on when the new Kuwaiti refinery would begin operating. KPC did not respond to a request for comment.

8:32 AM

Global Covid caseload tops 274.6 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 274.6 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.35 million and vaccinations to over 8.68 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Monday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 274,692,249 and 5,354,148, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 8,680,566,482.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 50,846,828 and 806,439, according to the CSSE.

8:19 AM

Ladakh reports 28 new COVID cases in last 24 hours

Ladakh reported 28 new COVID cases and 21 recoveries in the last 24 hours, said the Union Territory Administration on Sunday.

 

According to the Union Territory Administration, the new infections pushed the active number of cases to 188. Out of the total active cases, 158 cases are there in Leh while 30 cases are in Kargil.

 

Meanwhile, India logged 7,081 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload of the country to 83,913, the lowest in nearly 1.5 years, informed the Union Health Ministry on Sunday.

8:18 AM

EU to supply 20mn additional vaccine doses to fight Omicron variant

The member states of the European Union (EU) will receive an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first three months of next year to hasten the pace against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the European Commission has said.

 

"The Commission has today agreed with BioNTech-Pfizer to accelerate the delivery of its mRNA vaccine to Member States, starting in a few weeks," it has said in an announcement on Sunday.

 

Five million doses will be delivered in January, another five million in February and an extra ten million doses in March, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

8:13 AM

Omicron becomes dominant strain of Covid-19 in Ireland

The Irish Department of Health has reported 5,124 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, saying that about 52 per cent of them were due to the Omicron variant.

 

"It has taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Ireland, revealing just how transmissible this virus is," Xinhua news agency quoted Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the department, as saying in a statement on Sunday.

 

He urged all the people eligible for a booster vaccine to get it as early as possible, saying that "it is extremely important we do everything we can to flatten the curve of this wave now to prevent unnecessary deaths, risk to the vulnerable and to protect our health service."

8:01 AM

Oil prices drop 2% as rapid Omicron spread dims fuel demand outlook

Oil prices slumped by about 2% early on Monday as surging cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Europe and the United States stoked investor worries that new restrictions on businesses to combat its spread may hit fuel demand.

 

Brent crude futures fell $1.36, or 1.9%, to $72.16 a barrel by 0036 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $1.51, or 2.1%, to $69.35 a barrel.

 

"Today's Asia ... weak sentiment in oil prices seems to go in line with a weakness seen in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures," said Kelvin Wong, market analyst at CMC Markets.

 

7:21 AM

Air quality in Delhi, Noida remains in 'poor' category

With the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 290, the air quality in the national capital remains in the 'poor' category for the second consecutive day.

 

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 101 in the 'poor' and 181 in the 'moderate' category respectively.

 

While the air quality in Noida remains in the 'poor' category, the air quality in Gurugram has slipped to the 'poor' category.

7:21 AM

Centre to celebrate 'Good Governance' week from today

The Central government is all set to celebrate 'Good Governance' week from Monday, according to the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievance (DARPG).

 

DARPG in collaboration with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development will be convening various events during December 20 to 26.