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3:17 PM

IMA moves SC on allowing Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has moved the Supreme Court against a Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) order to authorise postgraduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda system of medicine to be trained to perform general surgical procedures.
 

The central government had allowed PG students of Ayurveda to perform various kinds of general surgery and medical procedures, including orthopaedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental, by notifying an amendment in a gazette notification the CCIM issued in November.
 

Thee move has drawn a lot of criticism from doctors of modern medicine, leading to a series of protests by IMA members across the country this month.

2:46 PM

Pradhan dedicates Bengal's first oil and gas reserve to nation

West Bengal found a place in the oil map of India as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday dedicated an oil and gas producing field in North 24 Parganas district to the nation.
 

He said production from the petroleum reserve here, about 47 km from Kolkata, has started with the extracted oil being sent to Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
 

"With the commencement of production from the Ashoknagar oil and gas reserve, West Bengal finds a place in the oil map," he said after inaugurating the project.

1:28 PM

Nine killed in Kabul explosion

At least nine people killed and 15 others injured after an explosion rocked Kabul on Sunday, police in the Afghan capital confirmed. The explosion took place in the city's Spin Kalay square in Police District 5 (PD5), reports Khaama Press. Ferdaws Faramarz, deputy spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said three vehicles caught fire at the location of the blast, but the cause remains unclear. The explosion targeted the vehicle of Haji Khan Mohammad Wardak, a member of parliament from Kabul. Wardak survived the attack.

1:22 PM

Gold imports dip 40% in April-November to $12.3 billion as demand falls

Gold imports, which have a bearing on the current account deficit, fell 40 per cent to $12.3 billion during April-November due to fall in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the commerce ministry. Imports of the yellow metal stood at USD 20.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2019-20. The imports, however, recorded a year-on-year growth of 2.65 per cent in November to $3 billion.

1:15 PM

Fugitive Nirav Modi's brother charged in $2.6mn fraud in New York

Nehal Modi, the brother of fugitive jewellery merchant Nirav Modi, has been charged by a New York prosecutor in an alleged $2.6 million fraud carried out through a multilayered scheme to cheat one of the world's biggest diamond companies. Announcing the charges against Nehal Modi on Friday, the prosecutor, Cy Vance, said, "While diamonds maybe forever, this flawed scheme was not, and now Mr Modi will face the clarity of a New York Supreme Court indictment."

 

1:08 PM

Stricter curbs reintroduced in Sydney due to Covid-19 cluster

Australia's biggest city of Sydney reintroduced stricter restrictions on Sunday as confirmed cases related to newly-discovered coronavirus cluster has increased to 68. The state of New South Wales (NSW) recorded 30 more locally acquired coronavirus cases on Saturday night, and an additional six cases in hotel quarantine, making the total number of cases related to the cluster in Northern Beaches to 68, Xinhua news agency reported

12:52 PM

WhatsApp Pay now live ln India

The Instant Messaging application WhatsApp has finally rolled out WhatsApp's Payments (commonly known as WhatsApp Pay) feature to users across India for up to 20 million users. The feature has been launched with support from banking partners State Bank of India, HDFC, ICICI, and Axis Bank. According to Mashable, WhatsApp designed its payments feature on National Payments Corporation of India's (NPCI) Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system and was granted approvals to go live recently in November 2020 on a peer to peer (P2P) basis. It has enabled people to transfer money securely and easily, just like sending a message through WhatsApp.

 

12:36 PM

Amit Shah in Birbhum

12:32 PM

India gets eighth production basin

12:28 PM

Parl session cancelled to avoid debate on farmers' stir: Raut

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed the winter session of Parliament was cancelled to avoid a debate on the ongoing farmers' protest against the Centre's new farm laws. In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut also questioned the need for spending "Rs 1,000 crore" on the Central Vista project when the Narendra Modi government was not interested in holding debates and Parliament session. Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi borders since November 26 against the Centre's new agri laws. They have been demanding a repeal of the legislations.

 

 

12:22 PM

Covid-19-battered auto sector drives into 2021 with cautious optimism

Having endured and managed to recover from the disruptions induced by a once-in-a-century event, the Indian auto sector is cautiously looking forward to 2021 with hopes of putting up a better show in the post-COVID-19 world, although a lot will hinge on how the economy grows. Already battered by an unprecedented slowdown before the coronavirus pandemic, the resilience of the Indian auto industry was tested severely when the nationwide lockdown was announced towards March-end.

12:02 PM

Air India privatisation to spill into FY21-22, unlikely this fiscal

Privatisation of Air India may spill into next fiscal year as the divestment process is unlikely to conclude in the remaining a little over three months of 2020-21, an official said. Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group and US-based fund Interups Inc were among "multiple" entities that put in preliminary bids last week for buying loss-making carrier Air India. A group of over 200 Air India employees also submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for the carrier in partnership with Interups at the close of the deadline on December 14.

11:44 AM

Fuel prices steady across metros for 13th day, petrol at Rs 83.71 per litre

Petrol and diesel prices were unchanged for the 13th consecutive day on Sunday across the four metro cities. In the national capital, petrol was priced at Rs 83.71 per litre. In the other key cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the fuel was sold for Rs 90.34, Rs 86.51 and Rs 85.19 a litre respectively. Oil market companies (OMC) have gone on a wait-and-watch mode at a time when news of successful coronavirus vaccine and expectations of big pick-up in demand have kept crude on the boil with prices breaching $52 a barrel mark.

 

11:30 AM

Cold waves grip north India

11:19 AM

Nepal PM reaches President's Office to dissolve the Parliament

At an emergency meeting called by PM KP Sharma Oli, the council of ministers recommends to dissolve the Parliament. "It (recommendation) has been sent to the President," says Energy Miniter Barsaman Pun.  

 

The decision has been made in haste as all the ministers weren’t present in the cabinet meeting this morning. This is against the democratic norms & would take the nation backwards. It can’t be implemented: Narayankaji Shrestha, Spokesperson of ruling Nepal Communist Party