LIVE: Delhi logs 180 fresh Covid cases in a day, highest since June 16

Delhi has witnessed an uptick in Covid-19 infections in the last few days. Stay tuned for LIVE updates

3:38 PM

277.09 mn infected by Covid worlwide: Reuters tally

More than 277.09 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 5,679,519 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

3:24 PM

Pandemic hurt Indian entrepreneurial activity: Study

The coronavirus pandemic is hurting entrepreneurship in India with total early-stage activity declining to 5.34 per cent in 2020-21, as compared to 15 per cent in the previous year. Female entrepreneurial activities decreased by 79 per cent, while the male entrepreneurial activities fell by 53 per cent, according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

 

3:05 PM

Pre-owned vehicle market to be worth $70.8 bn by 2030

India's pre-owned vehicle market is expected to reach 8.2 million units by FY'26 from around 4 million units in the financial year ended March 2021, driven by higher demand from smaller cities coupled with increasing new vehicle prices and customers' changing preferences, a report said on Friday. It also said that the market size is expected to grow to USD 70.8 billion by 2030 at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 14.8 per cent between 2021 and 2030, PTI said about the report.

2:42 PM

Cricketer Harbhajan Singh announces retirement

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh announces retirement from cricket. He announced the close of his 23-year-old career on Twitter.

2:19 PM

40 dead after fire engulfs ferry in Bangladesh

At least 40 people died and more than 150 were injured early Friday after a packed three-storey ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha River in southern Bangladesh, officials said, in the latest maritime tragedy to hit the delta nation criss-crossed by rivers. The fire broke out around 3:00 am (local time) on Friday in the engine room of the Barguna-bound MV Abhijan-10 launch that started a journey from Dhaka, PTI reported quoting the police and fire service, who said that scores of other passengers were missing.

2:02 PM

SBI Card raises Rs 650 cr via bond issue

SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card) said on Friday it has raised Rs 650 crore by issuing bonds on private placement. The bonds, bearing interest at 5.82 per cent, have a tenure of three years and are set for maturity on December 24, 2024.

1:36 PM

Centre's help sought in bomb blast case: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said on Friday his government has sought Centre's help to solve the bomb explosion at the Ludhiana court complex yesterday. Channi said he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah hours after the explosion and that the Centre has dispensed teams to Punjab to investigate the case.

1:21 PM

All is well in Uttarakhand Congress: CLP leader

Ahead of Congress Uttarakhand leaders meet with central leadership here, the party is putting up a united front and saying all is well.

Congress Legislature party leader Pritam Singh said: "There is no dispute in the party" but refused to comment on the attack by former chief minister Harish Rawat.

Rawat is scheduled to meet former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday and has reached the national capital but is refraining from speaking to the media before the meet.

1:21 PM

US waives in-person interviews for range of visas, including H-1B, for 2022: State Dept

Amid growing concerns of surging COVID-19 cases, the US has announced that it will waive the in-person interview requirement for a range of visa applicants during the entire year in 2022, including for H-1B workers and students, many of whom are from India.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

12:31 PM

Omicron can evade protection offered by Covid vaccines, antibody therapies: Study

Omicron can evade the immune protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccines and natural infection, according to a peer-reviewed study which also suggests that the new variant of coronavirus is completely resistant to antibody therapies in use today.

The study, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, also highlights the need for new vaccines and treatments that anticipate how the SARS-CoV-2 virus may soon evolve.

The researchers from Columbia University in the US and the University of Hong Kong noted that a striking feature of Omicron is the alarming number of changes in the variant's spike protein that could pose a threat to the effectiveness of current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

12:13 PM

Uttar Pradesh to impose coronavirus night curfew from December 25

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday issued orders to initiate strict measures, including a statewide night curfew from December 25, in view of a rise in Covid cases in several states.

The coronavirus night curfew will be applicable from 11 pm to 5 am, a senior official said here.

Chairing a high-level meeting, the chief minister also instructed officials to cap the number of people attending events like marriages to 200. These events have to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, and organisers will be required to inform the local authorities about these, the official said.

Adityanath also asked the officials to ensure all traders follow the "no mask, no goods" policy at their establishments, he said.

Masks should be made mandatory for everyone on the streets or in the markets. Police should carry out continuous patrols to ensure the guidelines are followed, the official said. Read more

12:06 PM

Congress appoints three new AICC secretaries

Congress has appointed appointed party functionaries Szarita Laitphang, Ranajit Mukherjee and Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu as new AICC secretaries.

 

Szarita Laitphang and Ranajit Mukherjee have been attached with Ajoy Kumar, who is party incharge of Sikkim, Nagaland, and Tripura.

 

Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu has been attached to Rajeev Shukla, who is party incharge of Himachal Pradesh.

 

11:35 AM

Maha govt to issue guidelines for Christmas, New Year celebrations amid spike in COVID cases

Maharashtra government to issue detailed guidelines on Friday to avoid crowd during Christmas and New Year celebrations as the State is once again reporting a steep hike in COVID-19 cases amid fresh concerns raised by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey held a meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Thursday at 10:00 pm via video conferencing, as per Chief Minister's Secretariat.

 

The guidelines will cover the gathering allowed at wedding ceremonies in hotels and restaurants.

11:30 AM

Four new cases take Arunachal's COVID tally to 55,328

Arunachal Pradesh on Friday reported four new COVID-19 cases, three more than the previous day, with the tally increasing to 55,328, a health department official said.

The death toll remained at 280 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Seven people recuperated from the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries to 55,030.

11:28 AM

India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 140.31 cr

With the administration of 57,44,652 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 140.31 Cr (1,40,31,63,063) as per provisional reports till 7 am today, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

This has been achieved through 1,48,79,511 sessions, stated the ministry.

As per the ministry, the recovery of 7,051 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) to 3,42,15,977.