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6:45 PM

Modi govt 'politicising' Covid, why no protocol issued after letter to Rahul: Cong

The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of "politicising" Covid and asked why it had not come out with a protocol to deal with a sub-variant of the virus weeks after it wrote to Rahul Gandhi expressing concern over the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Congress general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh said that on December 20, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had written to Gandhi on the basis of issues raised by two Rajasthan BJP MPs.

6:43 PM

Troubles mount for Bihar minister over 'Ramcharitmanas' controversy

Troubles continued to mount on Friday for Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar over his disparaging remarks about the epic 'Ramcharitmanas'.

Several petitions were filed, in more than one district of the state, accusing the RJD leader of having hurt religious sentiments, even as the party sought to stand by his side, saying he had, in effect, rebuffed "kamandal-vaadis" represented by the BJP.

6:42 PM

Three senior NDTV executives resign after founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy quit

NDTV's three senior executives, including the group president, have resigned weeks after the Adani group took control of the broadcaster.

NDTV group's President Suparna Singh, Chief Strategy Officer Arijit Chatterjee and Chief Technology and Product Officer Kawaljit Singh Bedi have resigned, the company said in a regulatory filing.

6:11 PM

India-China trade climbs to $135.98 bn in 2022, trade deficit crosses $100 bn for the first time

The trade between India and China touched an all-time high of $135.98 bn in 2022, while New Delhi's trade deficit with Beijing crossed the $100 bn mark for the first time despite frosty bilateral relations, according to data released by the Chinese customs on Friday.

The total India-China trade for 2022 has climbed to $135.98 bn, overtaking the $125 billion mark a year earlier by registering a rise of 8.4 per, the annual Chinese customs data said.

6:08 PM

Himachal's Sukhu govt keeps poll promise; approves restoration of old pension scheme

Keeping its poll promise, the Himachal Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in its first cabinet meeting on Friday approved restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.

There are over 1.36 lakh employees, including employees and pensioners under the New Pension Scheme (NPS). The Congress party had promised to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the first cabinet meeting and it stood by it.
 

5:46 PM

Rajouri terror attacks probe given to NIA, says Home Minister Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the probe into the recent terror attacks in Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Addressing a press conference after a day-long visit here, Shah said all terror incidents in Jammu in the past one-and-a-half years will also be probed by the NIA and the Jammu and Kashmir Police will actively assist in the investigation.

5:45 PM

Affected families in Joshimath to get 6-month waiver in power, water bills

The Uttarakhand government on Friday decided to waive for six months electricity and water bills of families and individuals affected in the subsidence-hit Joshimath.

It also decided to conduct a study on the carrying capacity of all towns located in the hills. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the state cabinet here chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

5:32 PM

Covid has accelerated adoption of digital tools: Health Minister Mandaviya

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst of growth and has accelerated the adoption of digital tools, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday, while stressing that under India's presidency, the proposed G20 global initiative on digital health will prioritise bridging the digital divide.

The initiative will bring together scientific expertise, collective best practices, develop digital public health goods, support implementation and institutionalise the use of digital tools in health service delivery with a specific focus on lower middle-income countries (LMICs), Mandaviya said, addressing the health ministers' session at the Voice of Global South Summit 2023.

 

5:04 PM

Sebi allows virtual meetings for REITs, InVITs unitholders

Capital markets regulator Sebi on Friday allowed investment managers of investment vehicles -- REITs and InvITs-- to conduct meetings of unitholders through video conferencing and other audio-visual means.

The move would allow maximum participation of unitholders in the decision-making process and help in better governance.

4:51 PM

Dhankhar's comments on judiciary: Cong calls it part of 'game plan to orchestrate confrontation'

Upping the ante, the Congress on Friday alleged that Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's comments on the judiciary were part of a "game plan to orchestrate a confrontation", and cited his predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu's remarks in 2020 that the Constitution is supreme.

Vice President Dhankhar on Wednesday said "one-upmanship and public posturing" from judicial platforms is not good and these institutions must know how to conduct themselves. Dhankhar's virtual censure of the judiciary had come following the apex court's remarks on the issue of the collegium system.

4:44 PM

AAP protest outside LG's house over veto to teachers' Finland trip

The AAP on Friday staged a protest outside Delhi LG VK Saxena's residence over his alleged objections to the city government's proposal of sending teachers to Finland for training.

The protest was led by senior party leader Atishi. The Raj Niwas had earlier in the day clarified that Lt Governor Saxena has not rejected any proposal for a Delhi government teachers' training programme in Finland and any statement to the contrary is "misleading and mischievously motivated."

4:33 PM

Russia says it has captured the eastern town of Soledar

Russia's Defence Ministry said Friday that its forces have captured the salt-mining town of Soledar.

The ministry said Friday that Soledar, the focus of a bloody battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces, was captured on Thursday night.

4:07 PM

UK economy grows unexpectedly by 0.1 per cent amid strong services

The UK economy grew unexpectedly in November as the tight job market increased demand for employment services and soccer's World Cup boosted hospitality.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, increased 0.1 per cent from the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday. That beat the expectations of economists, who had forecast a 0.2 per cent contraction.

3:46 PM

Karnataka HC takes up suo motu PIL on Bengaluru Metro pillar collapse

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday initiated a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation on the death of a woman and her child due to the collapse of an under-construction Bengaluru Metro pillar pier here.

Commencing the hearing on the PIL petition, Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagri cited news reports about the accident and expressed concern.

3:21 PM

Sri Lanka announces plans to downsize military by half by 2030

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Friday announced plans to reduce the current strength of its military to half by 2030 to build a technically and tactically sound and well-balanced defence force, amid criticism that military expenditure was more than the allocation for health care and education in the 2023 budget.

The Army's strength is to be reduced to 100,000 by the year 2030, down from the current figure of 200,783. The strength would be limited to 135,000 by next year, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.