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1:30 PM

Shanghai shuts schools again as rolling Covid waves predicted

Shanghai will shut most schools again from Monday, reverting to an element of China’s old virus playbook as the rapid dismantling of the country’s pandemic restrictions spurs an explosion in cases. 

 

Students in all classes except for those in middle and high school who will graduate next summer must study at home from next week, the education authority of China’s largest city said in a WeChat post on Saturday. Kindergartens will also be closed, according to the announcement.

 

The order was a rare act of caution from officials who have spent recent weeks rolling back almost all of the curbs that kept Covid at bay over the past three years. Infections have surged in Beijing, where the virus is now rampant, and appears to be ticking higher in Shanghai, where residents have gone from knowing few people who’ve had the virus, to whole families being infected. 

 

1:20 PM

UN slams Twitter's 'arbitrary' suspension of journalists

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "very disturbed" by Elon Musk's suspension of journalists from Twitter and calls it a dangerous precedent, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

 

"We are very disturbed by the arbitrary suspension of accounts of journalists that we saw on Twitter," Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing.

 

Dujarric said media voices should not be silenced on a platform that professes to be a space for freedom of speech. The spokesperson said this move sets a dangerous precedent at a time when journalists all over the world are facing censorship, physical threats, and even worse.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:20 PM

New report exposes Chinese police stations around the world

Several reports of Chinese police stations in various parts of the world have sparked outrage and debate in the parliaments of various countries spanning five continents, investigative publication Ij-Reportika reported.

 

The Ij-Reportika has published the addresses of the Chinese police stations present in various parts of the world that reportedly work to curb dissent and conduct espionage-related activities.

 

"There are many Overseas Chinese Assistance Centers that indulge in activities of espionage, curbing dissent, and identifying overseas Chinese who are pro-democracy supporters, other than the regular cover activity of assisting the Chinese diaspora," the publication said.

1:15 PM

Where will people go if they do not get justice from SC: DCW chief on dismissal of Bilkis Bano's review plea

When people do not get justice from the Supreme Court, where do they go, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal asked on Saturday after the apex court dismissed a review plea filed by Bilkis Bano.

Bano was gang-raped and seven members of her family were killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The Supreme Court has dismissed Bano's plea seeking a review of its earlier order by which it had asked the Gujarat government to consider the petitions for remission of the sentences of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case.

"Supreme Court rejected Bilkis Bano's plea. Bilkis Bano was gang-raped when she was 21 years old, and her three-year-old son and six family members were murdered but Gujarat government freed all the rapists. If justice won't come from Supreme Court, where will people go?" Maliwal asked on Twitter.

1:04 PM

IT Ministry extends deadline for feedback on Digital Data Bill to Jan 2

The Centre on Saturday extended the last date for receipt of feedback and comments on the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, till January 2, 2023.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) published the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, along with an Explanatory note, which was released by it on its website on November 18, 2022.

"Feedback from the public was sought by December 17, 2022. In response to the requests received from several stakeholders, the Ministry has decided to extend the last date for receipt of comments till January 2, 2023," said the Ministry.

1:02 PM

India as superpower will work for global welfare, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India aspires to be superpower and work for the welfare of the entire world and emphasised that "we will never have the intention to capture even one inch of land of any other country".

Addressing the FICCI Annual Convention and AGM in the national capital, the union minister said, "We want to be a superpower to work for the welfare of the world."

"Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) during his address from Red Fort talked about five pledges to the country, which are essential to make India super power and it shouldn't be considered that we want to dominate any country or we have the intention to capture even one inch of land of any other country," Singh said.

12:46 PM

With an eye on its Muslim vote bank, SP set to strongly oppose UCC

With the BJP apparently preparing to bring in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before the 2024 general elections, the political cauldron over the issue has started simmering.

The BJP wants to bring in the UCC in order to polarise voters on religious lines and keep the tide in its favour.

However, the Samajwadi Party, the main opposition force in Uttar Pradesh, has said that it will strongly oppose a move to implement the UCC.

11:37 AM

Ahead of 2024, Private Member's UCC Bill poses a dilemma for Oppn

The opposition is in a dilemma over the Uniform Civil Code since a private member's bill was introduced in the Upper House and may come up for discussion next year where the government may adopt the bill. Or get a backdoor entry since the numbers are in favour of the government in both the Houses.

The principle opposition party, the Congress is evasive on the issue as no formal statement has been issued except that it's MP Imran Pratapgarhi opposing the bill had said the country needs harmony and requested the member to withdraw the bill.

The only vocal voice on the issue is of the lone MP while Congress sources say that the government should come up with a blueprint and call an all party meet on the issue. The party will formulate its strategy after that.

11:19 AM

COVID-linked deaths seen in Beijing after virus rules eased

Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases.

That surge comes as the government last week dramatically eased some of the world's strictest COVID-19 containment measures. On Wednesday, the government said it would stop reporting asymptomatic COVID-19 cases since they've become impossible to track with mass testing no longer required.

That halt in reporting made it unclear how fast the virus is spreading. Social media posts, business closures and other anecdotal evidence suggest huge numbers of infections.

It's also unclear how many people are dying from the virus. An AP reporter who visited the Dongjiao Funeral home was told by relatives that at least two people cremated there had died after testing positive.

11:18 AM

India, Bangladesh play significant role in ensuring security of region: B'desh Air Force Chief

India and Bangladesh have a pivotal role to play in ensuring the security of the region, Chief of Bangladesh Air Force Air Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan said here on Saturday.

Speaking as the chief guest at the Combined Graduation Parade of Flight Cadets of various branches of the Indian Air Force, Hannan said both the countries have an umbilical connection and that relation has been more profound since the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.

Both the countries have a significant role to play in ensuring the security of the region and our defence forces conduct regular joint exercises to ensure that we have synergy in our efforts, he said.