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Delhi: RT-PCR tests, quarantine mandatory for travellers from 6 Omicron-affected countries

Seven days of home quarantine will be mandatory for those testing negative upon arrival and after seven days, the person must take another RT-PCR test and if the results are negative again, they can come out of quarantine but will have to monitor their health for the next seven days.

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Consumers prefer cheaper items as prices, expenses rise

Several companies have increased prices of their products over the past three months due to inflationary pressures, and hinted at continuous price hikes until next quarter. Palm, crude and tea prices have increased by more than 50% since a year ago while packaging material prices have increased 30-35% over last year.

from News-Economic Times https://ift.tt/3pe4oNo

India looking at visit to UAE by PM Modi in January

The India pavilion at the Expo has drawn a huge crowd. The people cited above said the dates for the proposed visit are yet to be finalised. India's ties with the UAE have witnessed a major upswing in the last few years.

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AITC to project Mamata Banerjee as main Opposition face for 2024

Changing the party constitution is a significant move in line with AITC's ambition. The newly constituted working committee will also accommodate leaders from Hindi heartland - one of the important focuses of the party. Leaders from western region too are likely to be inducted. However, Banerjee will remain the only one with 'veto power'.

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Give citizenship or deport us: Pak wives of ex-J&K militants

More than 370 women from across the LoC and Pakistan - who had married Kashmiri men when the latter had crossed the border for arms training in 1990s and early 2000s - came to the Valley between 2010 and 2016. In the past decade, some of these women have died, committed suicide and a few were divorced as well, who are now managing to survive on their own, with no relatives here.

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Covid: Expert panel mulls nod to addl vax dose to elderly

Amid mounting fear over the new SARS-COV2 variant Omicron, an expert committee on Covid immunisation is considering to recommend an “additional dose” to those who are immunocompromised or are elderly and at high risk of infection or death due to Covid-19 infection, an official source said. A final decision on the issue will be taken by NTAGI next week, which will be then considered by the health ministry for approval.

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Arrivals from Omicron-hit nations to be tested at airports



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Supreme Court on pollution: NCR states on 48-hour notice

Shifting focus of anti-air pollution drive to the states, the Supreme Court on Monday gave a 48-hour ultimatum to Delhi, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Punjab to execute directions of the Commission on Air Quality Management in the NCR. It said failure to do so will force the court to set up an implementation force. The direction came after SG Tushar Mehta said that the commission had in September directed the states to take measures in anticipation of rise in pollution.

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Parliament repeals farm laws without debate

The bill, which removes the three farm laws, was moved for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha by agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Toeing the line taken by PM Modi on November 19 when he announced that the laws would be repealed, Tomar said though the farm laws would benefit farmers.

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Chill sets in opposition as session begins

Congress MPs Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Jairam Ramesh had been reaching out to leaders from all opposition parties to bring them on one platform. Trinamool Congress, which used to be part of such meetings had declared on Sunday that it won't attend the meeting.

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190 armed forces personnel died of COVID-19: Govt

According to the details provided by the minister, 1,311 family members of serving Army personnel died of COVID-19, while the number in the IAF was 114.

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UK vaccine advisers say all adults to receive boosters

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that all adults between 18-39 years old could receive shots, extending a programme that is already open for over 40s.

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SKM meet on Dec 1, asks Govt to reply to demands

"This is a victory for us. We want withdrawal of cases against farmers and a committee to be formed on the legal guarantee of MSP for crops. The Centre has time till tomorrow (Tuesday) to reply to our demands. We have called an emergency meeting of SKM on Wednesday to discuss the future course of action," a farmer leader said.

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Parliament approves repeal of farm laws with voice vote

If their passage was contentious and unleashed a trail of tumultuous events, the burial of the three farm sector reform laws was not a quiet affair either. On the opening day of winter session of Parliament on Monday, the government secured approval of both Houses for the repeal amid protests by the opposition parties which insisted on a debate.

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Covid variant Omicron 'not a cause for panic': Joe Biden

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the Omicron coronavirus variant carried a very high risk of infection surges as more countries closed their borders, reviving fears over economic recovery from the two-year pandemic.

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Indian economy to grow at 8.5% in Q2? Here's what to look for in GDP numbers to be released on Nov 30



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Pegasus row: Supreme Court panel asks petitioners to submit phone for technical evaluation

A total of 11 petitions had been filed based on the findings made public by the Pegasus Project.

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Sweden's first female premier returns days after quitting

Lawmakers narrowly elected her premier for the second time in less than a week after she set out plans for a minority government made up of only her Social Democrats.

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Omicron brings COVID-19 vaccine inequity 'home to roost'

Perhaps nowhere is the inequality more evident than in Africa, where under 7% of the population is vaccinated. South African scientists alerted the World Health Organization to the new omicron variant last week, though it may never be clear where it first originated. Researchers are now rushing to determine whether it is more infectious or able to evade current vaccines.

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'Covid's not done with us': Nations rush to contain Omicron variant



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Quick Edit: Farm laws revoked, consultative approach must for reforms in future



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India leading in startups turning point in growth story: PM

Turning the spotlight on the importance of startups, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country, in a way, is leading in the world in this domain and this could be a turning point in India’s growth story. The country now has more than 70 startups or unicorns that have crossed the $1-billion valuation.

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Govt support & subsidy needed for diabetes patients: CJI Ramana

CJI N V Ramana, a diabetic for 30 years, said governments should provide “support and subsidy for diabetic care” as the cost of getting treated for this life-long disease is beyond the reach of common patients. Justice Ramana said scientists could find vaccine for Covid within months but there has been no breakthrough in curing diabetes for centuries and that it has to be managed by observing a strict restrictive regimen for control of sugar levels, diet and lifestyle.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/3E5zo8O
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Containment key, monitor hotspots, govt tells states

In view of the possible threat that Omicron can pose to the country, the Centre has further beefed up preparations. The health ministry advised states and UTs to immediately focus on intensive containment, active surveillance, increased vaccination coverage as well as enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour.

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‘Omicron 6 times more transmissible than Delta, can infect vaxxed’

The newly emerged variant of concern B.1.1.529 (Omicron) may not respond to monoclonal antibody therapy or cocktail treatment, experts fear. Based on preliminary analysis of Omicron infections in South Africa and elsewhere, experts suggest that it has six times higher potential to spread (R value) than the Delta variant that had triggered the second wave in India. It could also evade the immune system. It may also cause vaccine breakthrough infections.

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Eye on variant, India updates norms for international passengers

All international passengers, except those under five years of age, flying into India from Covid at-risk countries must undergo RT-PCR test on arrival, starting from 12.01am (IST) of December 1, 2021. This will include those transiting from these places too. Those testing negative must home quarantine for seven days and then re-test on the eighth day.

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West seeing surge despite higher fully-vaccinated population

At a time when a new variant has led to restrictions on travellers from South Africa and other African nations, many western courtries are seeing a surge in Covid cases despite a larger propottion of their population being fully vaccinated with Germany, US and the UK reporting more than 50,000 Covid cases daily, according to the John Hopkins university Covid resource centre. The highest 65,584 cases were reported by Germany on Saturday.

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Non-BJP states lagging in disbursing ex-gratia, SC told



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18 killed during funeral procession as vehicle hits truck in Bengal's Nadia district

At least 18 people were killed during a funeral procession when a vehicle carrying the remains of the dead rammed into a stationary truck in West Bengal's Nadia district early on Sunday, a police officer said.

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UP teacher eligibility test cancelled hours before start

The UP Special Task Force arrested 26 people associated with the leak since Saturday night. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the Gangsters Act will be invoked against all those found to have carried out the leak and their properties will also be seized.

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Trinamool decides to boycott Congress meet

Trinamool MP Saugata Roy told ET that the party has decided to chart its own course of action after it found that the Congress' strategy of opposition unity was ineffective. "We wanted to do this after the assembly elections as we have started expanding nationally, and many Congress leaders have also joined us."

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PM Modi may visit UAE in January during Dubai Expo

Recently, India and the UAE, together with Israel and the US, formed a West Asian Quad to push economic projects in the region. Foreign ministers of the four countries are planning to meet in Dubai in the New Year.

from News-Economic Times https://ift.tt/3nXFPVJ

BJP sweeps Tripura civic polls, bags 329 of 334 seats

A BJP landslide buried the opposition in the Tripura civic polls on Sunday, with 329 out of the 334 seats at stake in 13 urban local bodies going to the saffron party in a poll that both Trinamool Congress and CPM termed “murder of democracy”. While BJP grabbed the lion's share of votes overall with 59%, TMC emerged as the strongest opposition party in the seats it contested with a 24% vote share.

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US co set to offer top package, hire at IIT-B for 1.5cr

US-based IT firm, Cohesity, and first-time recruiter Glean, are likely to make the coveted US offers on day one of the placement season at IIT Bombay. Cohesity is expected to offer the highest package of Rs 1.46 crore, followed by Glean, that has a package of Rs 1.12 crore on offer. These packages include incentives and stock options. The annual placement season will kick off virtually at all major IITs on December 1. Students are expecting this year’s placements to start on a good note.

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Farm laws repeal Bill in LS today; Opposition seeks legal backing for MSP

The opposition demanded that the government bring bills on giving legal status to minimum support price and women's reservation, and discuss issues like fuel price hike and rising inflation, misuse of investigative agencies, compensation to families of Covid-19 victims, Pegasus snooping and growing unemployment.

from News-Economic Times https://ift.tt/31adAKT

Division in BJP's Raj unit comes to fore as Raje concludes her 'religious yatra'

Raje had launched a "religious yatra" last week in which she paid respect at all the shrines of Rajasthan and met the kin of BJP leaders who had lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. This yatra spanned across Udaipur, Banswara, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Pali and Chittorgarh districts.

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Third Omicron case detected in UK, face masks compulsory from Tuesday

However, the UKHSA revealed that the individual spent time in the Westminster area of central London before departure and also warned that it is "very likely" more cases of the new potentially highly infectious variant will be detected over the coming days as a result of "focussed contact tracing".

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Government faces many concerns over MSP guarantee

If MSP gets legal sanction, India’s agri exports could become non-competitive, said officials.

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Covid Omicron variant: India will review resumption of regular international flights



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PM Modi skips all-party meet on eve of winter session

The opposition indicated that it plans to raise several issues ranging from fresh demands put forward by agitating farm unions such as removal of junior home minister Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence to the Pegasus controversy even as the government is set to move for repeal of the new farm laws in Parliament on Monday. The all-party meeting on Sunday, which was not attended by PM Narendra Modi, saw the opposition listing several issues they intend to raise in the winter session.

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UP teachers’ test put off after paper leak, 29 held

The UP teachers eligibility test (TET) scheduled for Sunday was cancelled after it was found that a question paper had leaked and cops rounded up 29 people of a network of exam frauds from various places in the state, prompting CM Yogi Adityanath to direct stern action against the suspects, including pressing charges under National Security Act and Gangsters Act.

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COVID Omicron variant: India tightens rules for international arrivals from December 1



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Botswana woman goes missing in Madhya Pradesh

Amid concerns over the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Jabalpur district administration and health department are on a desperate hunt for a Botswana origin woman who, they were informed, went untraceable after landing at the city's Dumna airport last week.

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Paytm reports 461cr loss for quarter ended September

Paytm’s parent One97 Communications on Saturday reported a loss of Rs 461 crore for the quarter ended September 2021 compared to Rs 390 crore in the corresponding quarter last year and Rs 394 crore in the previous quarter ended June 2021. Losses widened on the back of a 40% jump in expenses in the second quarter.

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Legislature doesn’t assess law impact, leads to big issues: CJI

CJI NV Ramana on Saturday said the legislature does not conduct studies or assess the impact of the laws that it passes, which sometimes leads to "big issues" and result in over-burdening of cases on the judiciary. He also highlighted that simply re-branding the existing courts as commercial courts, without creating a special infrastructure, will not have any impact on the pendency.

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Almost 1 in 10 women aged 15 & above a tobacco user: NFHS

About 9% of girls and women aged 15 years and above surveyed had used tobacco in some form with the percentage of users in rural India higher at 10.5%, according to the the National Family Health Survey -5 (2019-21). Tobacco usage among males across India was at 38% with men in rural areas accounting for 42.7% of users. The urban users of tobacco among men and women accounted for 28.8% and 5.4% respectively.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/3DZW765
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Cyclone over Bay of Bengal likely next week

The first cyclone over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) in the 2021 post-monsoon season could develop in the south Andaman Sea in a few days and hit India’s eastern coast in the first week of December, several weather models indicate. India Meteorological Department said a low-pressure system is likely to develop over south Andaman Sea around November 29-30.

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Bihar’s share of poor highest, Kerala’s least, says Niti index

Bihar, with its dismal scores across key development indicators such as nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, sanitation and electricity, has topped the list of states with the largest share of population who are poor, according to think tank Niti Aayog’s report, which has identified 25.01% of the country’s population as “multi-dimensionally poor”.

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Covid variant worry: PM Modi seeks review of plan to ease international travel curbs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said there is a need to be proactive in the light of the new SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern” Omicron and directed officials to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions in the wake of reports related to the new mutations of the virus. Modi chaired a comprehensive meeting to review the situation relating to Covid-19 and vaccination on Saturday, immediately after WHO designated Omicron a 'variant of concern'.

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India will have to align crypto action with latest FATF norms



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Farmers defer tractor rally to Parliament, say stir on

Farmers’ unions on Saturday decided to suspend their tractor march to Parliament, scheduled from Monday, in the wake of government’s move to list the repeal of farm laws in Lok Sabha. They said their protests would continue till they get a “written assurance” from the Centre on their six pending demands, including a legal guarantee on MSP. They will wait for the response to the email sent to PM Modi over their demands and take a call on next course of action on December 4.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/3rgnfKG
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President Kovind: Exercise discretion in court utterances

Hailing the judiciary for maintaining the highest standards of conduct and for being the most trusted institution in which people have reposed faith, President Ram Nath Kovind, however, said judges should exercise utmost discretion while passing observations in court proceedings as it could lead to dubious interpretation. Kovind also emphasised the need to bring reform in the judiciary to make justice more speedy and accessible and also to improve gender balance in the institution.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/2ZukUjH
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‘Snow ceiling’ cracks as IMF gets woman chief

Harshwanti Bisht grew up to conquer some of the toughest ones like the Nanda Devi and Mount Everest. The 62-year-old has become the first woman in the history of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation to become its president. The award-winning climber, educationist and environmentalist got 70 out of 107 votes in the 60-year-old organisation's polls, breaking a “snow ceiling” as some of her contemporaries joked. IMF is the apex body for mountaineering and allied sports activities in the country.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/3FTV2NO
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With no policy yet, citizens opt for 3rd dose privately

Fear of exposure to Covid-19 virus is driving health care workers and even some vaccine trial participants (who got vaccinated in September-October last year), mainly from the vulnerable groups, to opt for the third dose privately. Private organisations are extending their vaccination drive for third doses without providing a certificate. Meanwhile, the government is likely to come out with its policy on additional dose in the coming week for people with predefined conditions. However, their primary objective will be to immunise the 10-12 crores who remain unvaccinated.

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WTO puts off key Geneva meet over variant concerns

Four days before kick-off, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) put off a ministerial meeting that was to decide on crucial global rules, citing heightened risk after the outbreak of the “particularly transmissible” African variant of the coronavirus. The decision, which came on Friday night, followed a fresh Covid wave in Europe with countries such as Switzerland hit particularly hard.

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One lakh Assam government employees to fan out for Covid vaccination completion campaign

During this period ministers, MPs and MLAs will visit the camp. Under this campaign, verification teams will visit all houses in each polling booth area and cross check the certification process and countersign the certificates for completion of the first dose Covid vaccination for the area.

from News-Economic Times https://ift.tt/3cVZLlC

No need to panic over new Covid-19 variant: ICMR

Amid mounting concern over cases of new 'variant of concern' Omicron, the ICMR on Saturday said there is no need to panic and urged people to not delay their second vaccine dose. “The structural changes detected in the virus may not necessarily give rise to a functional change of concern. It may not necessarily be lethal or result in severe form of disease. There is no such data, as of now,” says Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology & Communicable Diseases, at ICMR.

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‘No proof’ against alleged supplier of Aryan, Arbaaz

A special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act court that granted bail to the alleged drug supplier of Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant in the cruise liner drug seizure case has observed that barring his statement there is no prima facie evidence to show that he was the supplier of the contraband. “Therefore, contention of the prosecution cannot be accepted that applicant is peddler and that he supplied contraband to accused no 2 (Merchant),” special judge VV Patil said.

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‘Judges-appointing-judges’ system needs reform: Kovind

Six years after the Supreme Court nixed Parliament’s NJAC Act that had replaced the “judges-selecting-judges” collegium system, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday gave fresh momentum to calls for reforming the selection method and suggested nurturing of grassroot-level judges, chosen through an all-India exam, for promotion to higher judiciary.

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No such thing as too much dissent: Bombay HC judge

“Governments will come and governments will go, but the idea of India, the Constitutional idea of India, resilient though it has proved to be, must be protected,” Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay high court said on Friday, adding “history will not judge us by our highways or bridges or statues, it will judge us by how well we have preserved the Constitutional idea of India and saved it from being undermined.”

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UK plans new measures to combat omicron coronavirus variant

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the measures at a news conference alongside his chief medical officers.

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Punjab polls: Kejriwal dares Channi to show 1,000 zero amount electricity bills

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he is sending his Punjab counterpart Charanjit Singh Channi copies of one lakh 'zero' amount electricity bills and dared him to show even 1,000 such bills of his state.

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Drugs-on-cruise: No evidence barring accused's own statement, court says in bail order

The NCB had on October 3 arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, Merchant and some others after raiding a cruise ship here and allegedly recovering drugs. Merchant and Aryan Khan were granted bail by the High Court on October 28.

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The sports world received a hint last week of a changing dynamic

​​The threat from the WTA, then, could serve as a sign of showdowns to come, in which case, Dreyer said, China could lose out. “Frankly, China is a big market, but the rest of the world is still bigger,” he said. “And if people have to choose, they’re not going to choose China.”

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Divided or not, opposition no match for BJP in Goa: CT Ravi

"What you call opposition is a divided house within itself and is not in a position to pose any kind of challenge to the BJP government, he told ET. "Anti-incumbency creeps in when there is no work being done by the government. The BJP government has a track record of delivery in the last five years."

from News-Economic Times https://ift.tt/3laS2nZ

Constitution Day: Opposition boycotts Central Hall event

Alleging that the government is riding roughshod over the Constitution in governance and law-making, the opposition on Friday boycotted the Constitution Day function in the Central Hall of Parliament. Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left parties, RJD, NCP, Shiv Sena, SP and DMK among others stayed away from the function after Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to them on Thursday evening with the plan for boycott.

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Pocso court hears, convicts, sentences man in 1 day

A suspect in the rape case of a minor girl was tried, heard, convicted and sentenced to a life term in prison by a Pocso court in Bihar’s Araria district in a single day’s proceedings, reportedly setting a new record and benchmark for speedy trials in a country besieged with pendency of cases in courts. The judge, Shashikant Ray, also directed the convict to pay Rs 7 lakh as compensation for the girl’s rehabilitation. The order was passed on October 4.

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Report on rising anaemia may force govt to rethink strategy

With the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) data showing a rise in anaemia cases among children, women and men, a major review of the ongoing strategy under the “Anaemia Mukt Bharat” programme is on the cards. A view is said to be emerging within the government about the need to take a “good, hard look” to see if there is a need to re-think policies and outcomes.

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Dynastic parties threat to democracy, says PM Modi

Amid a boycott by opposition parties of “Constitution Day” celebrations and ahead of Parliament’s winter session beginning next week, PM Narendra Modi savaged dynastic parties calling them a threat to a healthy democracy and elaborated that problems arise when a party is run by the same family, generation after generation.

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Jittery nations rush to restrict travel as new variant emerges

European countries on Friday joined Singapore, Israel and others in restricting travel from southern Africa in a frantic effort to keep a newly identified, and apparently significantly evolved, variant of the coronavirus from crossing into their borders. This time, restrictions came within hours of South Africa’s announcement — at least 10 countries had announced measures before South African scientists had finished a meeting with WHO experts about the variant on Friday.

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Sensex plunges 1,688 pts as new virus variant spooks global markets

A new variant of Covid-19 virus, first found in Botswana which can possibly resist available vaccines, pushed global investors onto the backfoot, that in turn led to a sell-off in risky assets. As a result, investors on Dalal Street too pressed the panic button, leading to a 1,688-point slide in the sensex — the biggest single-session loss in over seven months — which closed at 57,107. In late trades, the index had even entered the sub-57k mark, its first foray in that territory in 3 months.

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India to Pakistan: Expedite 26/11 trial, give up double standards

Underlining that it is not ready to accept any sort of "closure" on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the government gave a renewed push to punish the guilty on the 13th anniversary of the terror strikes by summoning a senior Pakistani diplomat and calling for an expeditious trial in the long pending case. In a note verbale, it also asked Pakistan to abide by its commitment to not allow territories under its control to be used for terrorism against India.

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Over RS 4Kcr laundered via cryptos unearthed by ED in 1 year

Virtual crypto currency exchanges have emerged as the new tax havens laundering large amount of illegal cash with anonymity as more than Rs 4,000 crore of such transactions have been unearthed by ED in the past one year alone. The government listed a bill in Parliament to ban all private crypto currencies not only to curb increasing instances of money laundering in the country using the virtual currency but also to meet the standards set by FATF, the Paris-based intergovernmental watchdog.

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Russia-India-China must recognise vaccine certificates issued by each other: Jaishankar

The minister, attending the meet virtually together with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, emphasised that the Covid-19 pandemic has alerted the need for more reliable global supply chains, especially in health.

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Supreme Court: Won't cast doubts on Covid vaccine

A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud was reacting to a plea filed by a doctor on the need to have an active surveillance system that makes it mandatory to track every adverse event after immunisation. The SG will respond to the plea within two weeks.

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Securing justice not judiciary responsibility alone: CJI NV Ramana

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebration organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), CJI Ramana said that the most important feature of the Indian Constitution is the fact that it provides a framework for debate.

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Omicron: WHO classifies new variant as 'highly transmissible' virus

The WHO said in a statement that it had assigned the B.1.1.529 variant the Greek letter Omicron.

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'Developed nations’ colonial mindset impeding India’s devpt'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hit out at the colonial mindset of developed nations which is attempting to restrict developing nations like India from using those resources and paths which they themselves took to become developed and regretted that some in India are using western benchmarks and environment to impede the country's progress

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Jewar airport builder to pay Rs 10 lakh per day for delay

A penalty of Rs 10 lakh a day will be imposed on the concessionaire building Noida international airport if it exceeds the deadline of September 29, 2024. A day after the airport project was launched by the PM, officials said when the concessionaire, Zurich AG, and the UP government had signed the final agreement, it had been decided the company would be liable to pay 0.1% of the bank guarantee it had deposited every day as liquidated damages if the project breached the deadline.

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RBI keeps big business houses out of banking

Reserve Bank of India has not accepted a proposal to consider large corporates or industrial houses for a banking licence. It has however allowed promoters of banks to hold up to 26% in their banks, which is a positive for many lenders including Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank and CSB Bank. The new norms allow those who have already diluted stakes to hike their shareholding.

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Govt fast-tracking bordering nations' FDI: Industry secy

At an event organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Ficci, he said the government is fast-tracking foreign direct investment (FDI) applications under Press Note 3, the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

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Booster dose of Covid vaccine necessary? WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan answers



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New COVID variant may bypass existing immunity: AIIMS Professor Dr Sanjay K Rai



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RBI just dashed hopes of Tatas and Birlas to add banking to their sprawling business empires



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Activists block Amazon warehouses in Europe on Black Friday

Climate activists blockaded Amazon warehouses in three European countries on Friday, part of a global effort to pressure the ecommerce giant on one of its busiest days of the year to improve working conditions and end business practices that hurt the environment.

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138 more students test Covid +ve in K'taka, taking tally to 204

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 66 students tested positive for Covid-19 barely a week after about 300 students attended a cultural event in the college attended by freshers as well as seniors. Following the cluster outbreak, the health department sent samples of 1,000 students, doctors and college employees on Thursday and 138 of them turned positive on Friday.

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No conditionality on Afghanistan aid, India tells Pakistan as they finalise modalities



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Will revisit EWS reservation criteria, Centre tells SC

After facing a barrage of questions from the Supreme Court over fixing an annual income limit of Rs 8 lakh for determining economically weaker sections (EWS), the Centre on Thursday agreed to "revisit" the criteria for the "economically backward among forwards" to get reservation benefits in government jobs and educational institutions.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/3I3SzlM
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As farmers dig in on MSP, govt experts point out cons

Even as farm unions are pitching for a legal guarantee to MSP, government experts say that legalising MSP to procure 23 crops would disrupt market equilibrium, drive out private trade, and lead to inflation and a decline in agricultural exports. Officials feared that farmers would actually be hit and cited Niti Aayog’s working paper on farm reforms to argue that liberalised markets were more favourable to growth than government support and interventions in the market over a period of time.

from Times of India https://ift.tt/32A4ibq
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Modi, Yogi toast infra, roast oppn at Noida airport launch

PM Modi on Thursday set the ball rolling for Delhi-NCR’s second international airport – at Jewar in Greater Noida – to be ready by October 2024. While the PM, who laid the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport, lashed out at previous governments for keeping UP in darkness and deprivation, chief minister Yogi Adityanath raked up “ganna (sugarcane)”, “danga (riots)” and “Jinnah” in his speech to target Samajwadi Party and his main election rival Akhilesh Yadav.

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Centre may ban all Hurriyat factions for financing terror

Centre may soon ban Hurriyat Conference as an “unlawful organisation’ under the UAPA, citing the alleged involvement of its constituents and leaders in terror financing in Jammu & Kashmir. Sources said the home ministry would take a final call on outlawing all factions of the Hurriyat Conference — including the moderate Hurriyat and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, once led by late hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani — under Section 3(1) of UAPA.

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Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls on December 19

The counting of votes polled in the 144 wards of the civic body is likely to be held on December 21, State Election Commissioner Saurav Das said.

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Perilous migrant route to Britain

According to the French authorities, 31,500 people attempted to leave for Britain since the start of the year with 7,800 of those rescued at sea. The rate of rescues has doubled since August.

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Maharashtra government will take legal course against Parambir Singh, says Nawab Malik

Meanwhile, Advocate Puneet Bali, representing Param Bir Singh in the Supreme Court, alleged that his client was told to take back his complaint against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

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Centre to review Rs 8 lakh income cap for EWS quota

SG Tushar Mehta seeks 4 weeks to get back to Supreme Court with new proposal

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Kerala Rains: IMD issues orange, yellow alerts in several districts

According to the IMD, orange alerts have been issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki and yellow alerts in Alapuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad.

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New Covid-19 variant: India calls for strict screening for travellers from 3 countries

In the wake of multiple cases of new Covid-19 variant B.1.1529 reported in Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong, the Centre has asked states to conduct “rigorous screening and testing” of all international travellers coming from and transiting through these countries.

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Investment via P-notes hit 43-month high in Oct

According to Securities and Exchange Board of India data, the value of P-note investments in Indian markets -- equity, debt, and hybrid securities -- was at Rs 1,02,553 crore by October end.

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HDFC to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore next week

The country's largest mortgage lender said that it will issue secured redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on private placement basis with an issue size of Rs 2,000 crore and option to retain over-subscription of up to Rs 8,000 crore.

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New coronavirus variant a ‘serious concern’ in South Africa

The new discovery, called B.1.1529 until a Greek letter is assigned, carries an unusually large number of mutations and is “clearly very different” from previous incarnations, Tulio de Oliveira, a bio-informatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions at two South African universities, said at a briefing on Thursday.

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Somalia: At least 8 killed in explosion outside Mogadishu school, al-Shabab claims responsibility



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PIL filed in Calcutta HC challenging Centre's power to decide on BSF jurisdiction

The Centre recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

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Cross-border insolvency: MCA proposes exclusion of financial service providers; exempts pre-pack process for MSMEs

The ministry specified that such exclusion is in line with the design of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code ( IBC), where financial service providers are subject to a special insolvency process.

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ICC T20 World Cup delivers record viewership globally

With the tournament returning after five years, nearly 10,000 hours of live coverage was offered across TV and digital platforms in 200 countries. Increased viewership and consumption was witnessed in India, Pakistan, UK, Australia and the strategic market of USA.

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