Covid LIVE: Delhi's positivity rate falls to 12%; 1,857 new cases in Mumbai

Number of active cases in Mumbai are 21,142; Delhi sees 5,760 new cases

3:03 PM

Congress releases a list of 30 star campaigners for the first phase of UP polls

2:11 PM

Covid cases in the country to decline by Feb 15, says report

1:56 PM

NCP President Sharad Pawar tests positive for Covid

1:39 PM

There's no rain predicted in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana till Feb 2 now: IMD

1:29 PM

Delhi HC lists for April 20 plea on Prime Minister's security

The Delhi High Court on Monday listed for April 30 a public interest litigation (PIL) on the Prime Minister’s security, considering the pendency of overlapping issues before the Supreme Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice D N Patel initially said that it would ask the Centre to consider as representation the PIL, which seeks a declaration that all authorities, civil or military, shall act under the supervision of the Special Protection Group (SPG) in matters of security of the Prime Minister and his immediate family members, PTI reported.

1:07 PM

Arbitration dispute: SC asks DMRC, Reliance Infra unit to appear before HC

The Supreme Court Monday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Reliance Infrastructure's subsidiary, Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL), to appear before the Delhi High Court on January 31 and request it to hear the dispute relating to execution of the over Rs 4,600 crore arbitral award to DAMEPL. The apex court on September 9, 2021 had upheld the 2017 arbitration award of around Rs 4,600 crore in favour of DAMEPL, enforceable against the DMRC, PTI reported.

12:42 PM

Boris Johnson orders inquiry into discrimination claim against Muslim lawmaker

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into claims by a lawmaker who said she was fired from a ministerial job in the government partly because her Muslim faith was making colleagues uncomfortable. "The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to conduct an inquiry into the allegations made by Nusrat Ghani MP," Downing Street said, according to Reuters.

 

12:31 PM

Ola Electric raises $200 million in funding, valuation rises to $5 bn

Ola Electric on Monday said it has raised over $200 million (about Rs 1,490.5 crore) from Tekne Private Ventures, Alpine Opportunity Fund, Edelweiss and others, valuing the electric vehicle maker at $5 billion.  Last September, Ola Electric had announced raising a similar amount in funding from Falcon Edge, Softbank and others that had valued the company at $3 billion.

12:13 PM

Beijing 2022 eases Covid measures for Games-related personnel

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has adjusted its Covid-19 countermeasures, a statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday. The changes include the threshold for being classed as positive for Covid-19 being eased and the time period for which a person is deemed a close contact being reduced from 14 to 7 days, said Reuters.

12:03 PM

Delhi Police issue Covid guidelines for Republic Day parade

The Delhi Police on Monday issued guidelines for visitors to the Republic Day parade on January 26. A Twitter post by the police said that people attending the parade at Rajpath will have to wear masks and maintain social distance. Children below the age of 15 are not allowed.

11:11 AM

Indian shares hit three-week lows

Indian shares fell for a fifth straight session on Monday and plumbed three-week lows, weighed down by selling across the board with technology stocks extending losses to a sixth day. The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index slid 1.25% to 17,395.50 by 0508 GMT, while the S&P BSE Sensex fell 1.11% to 58,379.52. Both indexes have declined more than 6% since scaling all-time highs in October, said Reuters.

11:07 AM

Punjab elections: AAP's Bhagwant Mann gets EC notice

Aam Aadmi Party gets Election Commission notice over chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann campaign in Sangrur district where he allegedly violated Covid safety rules, say reports.

10:52 AM

Vodafone Idea tumbles in opening trade

Shares of Vodafone Idea tumbled over 5 per cent in early trade on Monday after the company reported widening of its consolidated loss to Rs 7,230.9 crore for the third quarter ended December 2021. The telecom operator's stock tanked 5.46 per cent to Rs 11.25 on the BSE. At the NSE, it tumbled 5.06 per cent to Rs 11.25.

10:43 AM

Temasek to acquire Bridgepoint's UK-based testing firm: Report

Singapore's Temasek Holdings has agreed to buy Element Materials Technology for about $7 billion, as it sees an opportunity to boost growth at the testing and inspection services provider, Reuters reported quoting two sources. State investor Temasek, which acquired a significant minority stake in Element in 2019, is buying the company from London-listed buyout firm Bridgepoint Group and an announcement could be made as early as Monday.

 

9:48 AM

Europe could be headed for 'pandemic endgame': WHO official

The Omicron variant has moved the Covid-19 pandemic into a new phase and could bring it to an end in Europe, the WHO Europe director has said. "It's plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame," Hans Kluge told news agency AFP in an interview, adding that Omicron could infect 60 percent of Europeans by March.