Breaking News: Amit Shah visits Rohitasha border, India's 4th Omicron case in Mumbai

The Maharashtra government on Saturday challenged Param Bir Singh's Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court. The government 'denied each and every allegation, statement and averment' made by the suspended cop, pointing out that it was 'contrary to and inconsistent' with all the facts.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited the Rohitasha border. The Home Minister will spend a night there, and closely watch night patrolling being done by BSF personnel.

"The committee believes that timely detection and isolation of potentially infectious people is very crucial in reducing the impact of the pandemic COVID-19. The importance of diagnostic testing therefore, cannot be overlooked," the panel said in its report.

Senior journalist Vinod Dua passes away, confirms his daughter and actress Mallika Dua. His cremation will take place tomorrow, she posts.

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel chaired a high-level meeting to discuss protocols for the Omicron variant case in Gujarat. A discussion along the lines of 3Ts for tackling omicron -  Tracing, Testing and Treatment has been discussed. 

The third case of Omicron COVID variant reported in India as Gujarat man who returned from Zimbabwe tests positive, after two in Karnataka: Gujarat Health Department

A Delhi Court on Saturday granted regular bail to former media baron Peter Mukerjea, in connection with the 2007 INX Media case, involving former Union Finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti. The special CBI judge MK Nagpal granted the bail to Mukerjea, who was the former director and Chief Operating Officer of INX Media. The bail application was argued by Advoate Sandeep Kapur, Senior Partner of Karanjawala and Company. He was assisted by Apoorva Pandey, Ashneet Singh, Mridul Yadav, and  GG Kashyap, Advocates. 

The INX Media case relates to the allegation of irregularities in foreign exchange clearances given by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to INX Media group for receiving overseas investment in 2007. Co-founders Indrani and her husband Peter Mukerjea are accused in the INX Media case. According to the CBI, the Mukerjea couple, who were the owners of INX Media had struck a deal in their favour to secure the FIPB clearance.

Filing a 1895-page charge sheet in the Goregaon extortion case, Mumbai police on Saturday, named ex-Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh and ex-Mumbai API Sachin Vaze as one of the six accused in the case. Republic TV has accessed exclusive details of the chargesheet in which Vaze has admitted to being asked to extort Rs 2 crore each day. The charge sheet has been filed against four of the six accused - Param Bir Singh, Sachin Vaze, Alpesh and Chintu while two other accused have been named as wanted.

As per the chargesheet, Sachin Vaze has admitted to the police that he took orders from ‘Number 1’ i.e Param Bir Singh. Vaze allegedly admitted that Singh had threatened him to extort Rs 2 crore each day. When ACP Sanjay Patil allegedly refused to get involved in the racket, Vaze allegedly told him, "You don’t know Param Bir Singh. You have to do this," states the chargesheet. 

The Goregaon extortion case is based on a complaint registered on August 20 by a hotelier and civic contractor Bimal Agrawal. He alleged that Param Bir Singh, Vaze and the other accused persons extorted cash and valuables worth Rs 11.92 lakh from him.

In the western African country of Mali, a terrorist attack took place on a bus, claiming the lives of at least 31 people and injuring at least eight others. The attack occurred near Bandiagara, a town in the Mopti area of eastern Mali, according to Moulaye Guindo, who is the mayor of a nearby town Bankass. The officials informed that unidentified assailants opened fire on the bus, killing the driver and setting it on fire. Local sources told the EFE news agency that the majority of the victims were women on their way to work at the market.

Moulaye Guindo stated that armed men fired at the vehicle, ripped the tyres, and shot at the people, according to BBC. He also announced that more people had gone missing or had been injured. The bus was being followed as it made its twice-weekly journey from Songo hamlet to Bandiagara market, which is 10 kilometres distant.

In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, jihadist attacks have increased dramatically, killing thousands and displacing millions, according to BBC. Mopti region of Mali has been a point of violence for the past few months

As the international community continues to mount pressure on Afghanistan’s new rulers to uphold the rights of citizens and especially women, the Taliban on Friday released what it called a “decree on women’s rights”. However, it immediately drew backlash from experts who noted that the so-called ‘decree’ was proof that the extremist group was not interested in upholding the basic freedom for millions of Afghan women who have largely been constrained indoors after the Taliban reconquered Afghanistan in August. 

The decree set out the rules which governed marriage and property of women. It stated that women should not be forced into marriage and that widows should have a share in their husband’s property. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid released the decree which stated, “A woman is not a property, but a noble and free human being; no one can give her to anyone in exchange for peace...or to end animosity.”

PM Modi inspects the model of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor. The corridor will be built at a cost of around Rs 8300 crores He will inaugurate & lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth around Rs 18,000 crores in Uttarakhand today.

"I'd like DRI to be more active in preventing drugs smuggling & detecting toxic wastes that come into India, in time," she says.

On Friday, December 3, Mexico detected its first case of the newly found Omicron variant in a person who arrived from South Africa on November 21. The fully vaccinated South African businessman developed symptoms of COVID-19 six days after coming to Mexico, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Health Ministry. It also informed that the 51-year-old patient has been admitted to a Mexico City hospital.

The ‘highly mutated’ Omicron COVID variant is likely to reinforce a downgrade of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) outlook on the global economy, organisation chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday. While businesses across the world have been witnessing a rebound, the aftereffects of the Delta strain continue to jeopardise the growth. Reiterating the same, Georgieva said that the IMF was concerned with the “loss of momentum” of global growth due to the impact of the COVID and newly emerging variants. 

"Let's be very frank: A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence and in that sense, we are likely to see some downgrades of our October projections for global growth," Georgieva said at a live-streamed discussion. 

"The Delta variant proved to be a disruption that caused some additional delays in production" of goods in the United States and China, the leading engines for world growth, she added

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has called for state-wise compensation and employment for the kin of farmers who died while protesting farm laws. Tikait, speaking to ANI ahead of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha's scheduled meeting on Saturday, said, "Our demand for minimum support price (MSP) is from the Government of India. The talks have just started, we will see how it goes. We won't develop any strategies today, we will only discuss how the agitation should move forward."

Tikait went on to say that the Friday talks between Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and farmers were inconclusive. "Talks between Haryana CM and farmers yesterday remained inconclusive, although they have agreed to take back the cases registered against farmers. Like Punjab, we need state-wise compensation for deaths of farmers and employment," he added.

Denying Chinese incursions into Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. CM Pema Khandu on Friday spoke to Republic TV on media reports alleging the same. Stating that there has been infrastructure development near the Manigaon area, he clarified that the build-up has been on the Tibet-China side and not the Indian side. His statement amid Opposition's demand for a Parliament debate on Indo-China issues.

"I saw reports stating that a new establishment has been built in Xiaomi district and I told that I will go to the area to see on-ground what the situation is. These rumours are being spread about the Manigaon area. I have interacted with the villagers and the Armed forces as well. It is very clear that whatever development has taken place has taken place in their (China's) territory on the Tibet-China side, not on the Indian side," said Khandu.

Talking about BJP's projects in Arunachal Pradesh, he added, "We have seen a lot of development in the past seven years. Our biggest challenge is connectivity. In all four sectors (of the state) there is air, road, rail and digital connectivity. The foothills are also well-connected and I got support from the Government of India".

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court grants regular bail to Peter Mukerjea in the money laundering case relating to the FIPB approval to INX Media, in the case. 

Special CBI Judge M K Nagpal granted bail to Mukerjea on a bail bond of Rs. 1 lakh and sureties of like amount. 

The agency had filed the chargesheet against 14 accused -- P. Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram, his accountant S. Bhaskaran, former INX Media director Peter Mukerjea, INX Media, INX News, Chess Management Services, ASCPL and six bureaucrats.

The six bureaucrats are - Ajeet Kumar Dungdung, then section officer of FIPB unit, Ministry of Finance; Rabindra Prasad, then undersecretary FIPB Unit, Ministry of Finance; Pradeep Kumar Bagga, then OSD, Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry; Prabodh Saxena, Director, FIPB Unit, Finance Ministry; Anup K Pujari, then Joint Secretary (Foreign Trade) Department of Economic Affairs; and Sindhushree Khullar, then Additional Secretary Department of Economic Affairs.

Special Investigating Team (SIT), investigating the Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village's Guru Granth Sahib theft case, is set to visit the Dera Sacha Sauda functionaries' camp to question them. The SIT chief and Ludhiana Inspector General of Police (IGP) SPS Parmar on Friday said that the team will visit the camp for questioning after the accused skipped their third summon in connection with the case.

Earlier, the team had summoned the administrative head and the vice head of Haryana's Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda Vipassana and PR Nain for questioning.

The SIT has now informed that they will visit the Dera Sacha Sauda functionaries at their camp after the summoned persons refused to show up for three consecutive summons. Dera Sacha Sauda vice head PR Nain sent his medical when summoned for the second time, while administrative head Vipassana skipped it altogether. 

SIT head SPS Parmar told ANI, "Dera Sacha Sauda admin head Vipassana, vice-head PR Nain fail to appear before SIT today, this was the third summon. So we have decided to go to the Dera for questioning." 

In a development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will now file a chargesheet in the Sukesh Chandrashekhar fraud case. The chargesheet will be filed in the case pertaining to an extortion racket being run from inside the jail. Earlier the Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Chandrashekhar over the case.

The ED is now set to file a charge sheet in the Sukesh Chandrashekhar fraud case in the coming hours. The chargesheet will be based on the investigation that was undertaken by the agency in the past few months. During the investigation, the ED has found evidence that Chandrashekhar along with his associates has conducted several fraudulent activities. The agency has also found leads following the questioning of Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi. Chandrashekar also admitted to the ED that luxury vehicles were provided to Fatehi and others in relation to the case. 

Trouble mounts for ex-Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh as the Mumbai police Crime Branch will file a charge sheet against Singh, ex-API Sachin Vaze and others in the Goregaon alleged extortion case on Saturday. Singh had recorded his statement in the case last week. This comes days after Singh had allegedly met ex-Mumbai API Sachin Vaze at a chamber near the Chandiwal Commission while appearing before the panel.

The Goregaon extortion case is based on a complaint registered on August 20 by a hotelier and civic contractor Bimal Agrawal. He alleged that Param Bir Singh, Vaze and the other accused persons extorted cash and valuables worth Rs 11.92 lakh from him. Till now, 30 people have been interrogated by the investigative team in relation to the case. Vaze, who has been in jail since April, is currently in judicial custody in connection to the same case. 

On the other hand, Singh has been suspended by the Maharashtra govt after multiple investigations against him for dereliction, extortion etc.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar while addressing the media on Saturday said, "We're alert about people returning from 'at risk' countries & have prepared an action plan for it. The airport authorities have been directed to inform our disaster control room of arrivals from these countries. 10 ambulances will be kept on stand by in each ward." She further informed that the results of 288 foreign samples sent for genome sequencing are expected. 

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to India, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Moscow and Delhi are set to ink ten bilateral agreements in various sectors, which even include certain semi-confidential ones. Following discussions between Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ushakov said, “About 10 bilateral agreements will be signed, which are quite important and include some semi-confidential ones. Work is still ongoing on them. We are confident that the package of agreements will be signed as part of the visit,” TASS reported.    

Ushakov further declined to specify the name of the agreements since they are still underworking, but he did say that they are essential for the development of bilateral cooperation in most varied sectors, according to the Russian News Agency TASS.

Breaking his silence over the kidnapping and murder of a female teacher in Odisha's Kalahandi district, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the state government has ensured full functional autonomy to the police so that they can carry out their duty professionally against offences concerning women and further take legal action against the accused. His statement came days after a female teacher was kidnapped and murdered in October and later her body was recovered from a school playground. 

"I have always ensured that the police have full functional autonomy; that they do a professional job particularly in heinous offences relating to women, and take legal action without fear or favour against anybody if there is evidence, no matter how high and mighty he is," the CM said. 

As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research  (SAFAR), the air quality in the nation's capital remained in the "very poor" category on Saturday morning. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi on Saturday morning was recorded at 310.

On Friday morning, the total Air Quality Index (AQI) for Delhi was 322.  According to the SAFAR, PM 10 levels in the "moderate" category were 248 and PM 2.5 levels in the "very poor" category were 148.

Noida's air quality has improved from hazardous to very poor. In Noida, the total AQI was 331.  Meanwhile, Gurugram's air quality was at the upper end of the severe category, at 480.

It may be noted that an AQI of zero to 50 is regarded "good," 51 to 100 is considered "satisfactory," 101 to 200 is considered "moderate," 201 to 300 is considered "poor," 301 to 400 is considered "very poor," and 401 to 500 is regarded "severe."

In India, 8,603 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 3,46,24,360 since the pandemic began in January last year. The total number of new cases was 6.65% lower than the previous day's record of 9,216.  The national death toll has risen to 4,70,530, with 415 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

There were 99,974 active COVID-19 cases across the country. According to the health ministry, 3,40,53,856 persons have recovered from the Coronavirus so far. Since the immunisation campaign began on January 16, India has administered a total of 1,26,53,44,975 coronavirus vaccine doses. 

As cases of Omicron variant have emerged in 38 countries across the world, the international community has started reimposing restrictions to curb the virus. Some countries have reinstated travel restrictions amid the new strain scare. However, scientists have warned that the new restrictions are ineffective against the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, ANI cited a report published in the journal Nature. 

At the outset of Omicron of COVID-19, more than 50 countries have ramped up border restrictions to control its spread. 

Karen Grepin, a health economist at the University of Hong Kong has informed that the new measures imposed by the government like travel restrictions will have no effect on controlling the virus. Scientists emphasised that a selective travel ban would result as a “deterrent” for future pandemics.

The US special operations forces, in partnership with the Syrian Defence Forces (SDF), have been providing medical care to communities in northwestern Syria. These medical visits are seen by the US as part of the effort to work with SDF in a bid to bring stability to the area so that the Islamic State (ISIS) cannot take hold of the region, an American defence official told CNN. The United States insists that the humanitarian effort in the war-ravaged nation is not “mission creep” because the focus is to provide another means to counter ISIS. 

It is to mention that the American military has around 900 US troops deployed in Syria. The US, in coalition with the SDF, had started a campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq in 2014, with a goal of preventing the group’s resurgence. However, security remains a sensitive question in the region given the ISIS threat. 

According to reports, the US troops and the SDF have examined and treated almost 200 patients at hospital locations and helped distribute medical supplies. America has emphasised that the medical work is led by SDF and American forces work under them. 

After the three-hour-long meeting at Chief Minister’s official residence in Chandigarh, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, said that the talks failed as there was no agreement between the two sides on the four demands. Charuni said the farm union leaders had sought withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the agitation, suitable compensation and government jobs for the families of the “martyred farmers” and allotment of land to build a memorial for them.

Bharat Kisan Union's Rakesh Tikait said although the government has agreed to take back the cases registered against farmers, the demand for compensation to the kin of the deceased remains pending. "Like Punjab, we need state-wise compensation for deaths of farmers and employment," he said. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has mandated seven-day home quarantine of people arriving in the city from high-risk countries amid global concerns over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Sri Lanka's Parliament on Saturday condemned the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Pakistan on account of alleged 'blasphemy' and urged the authorities there to ensure the safety of the rest of the Sri Lankan expat workers in the country.

India to tour South Africa for three Tests and three ODIS, T20Is to be played later: BCCI secretary Jay Shah to ANI

"7.62 X 39mm calibre AK-203 Rifles to replace in-service INSAS Rifle inducted over 3 decades back. AK-203 Assault Rifles, with an effective range of 300 meters, are light weight&easy to use Modern Assault Rifles with proven tech that will enhance soldiers' combat potential"

"To provide a big boost to self-reliance in defence manufacturing in India, the government has approved the plan for the production of over five lakh AK-203 assault rifles at Korwa, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh"

The project will be implemented by a special purpose Joint Venture-Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd, created with erstwhile OFB (now Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Ltd and Munitions India Ltd) of India and Rosoboronexport (RoE) & concern Kalashnikov of Russia

Calling the COVID-19 situation in her country 'serious', the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, incumbent Finance Minister from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) Olaf Scholz on Friday, December 3 announced a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated population.

Merkel enacted the parliamentary majority that she used for a push through the controversial "emergency brake" act and the proposals for mandatory inoculations are in the making.

The leaders also plan to mandate inoculation in the coming month, German public broadcaster DW reported. The unvaccinated population in Germany now has a blanket ban across all non-essential businesses and public venues, including gyms, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, bars, malls, etc with an exemption on supermarkets and pharmacies.

Those who have recovered from COVID-19 are not subjected to the restrictions. The decision, agreed by 16 state premiers, came as the federal states stepped up the federal bans in order to bring the coronavirus pandemic’s unprecedented Delta wave trajectory under control.

Mumbai Police Crime Branch Unit 11 to file chargesheet against former police commissioner Param Bir Singh and others in Goregaon alleged extortion case today. Singh had recorded his statement in the case last week.

As India prepares itself to battle against the COVID-19 variant, Omicron, Telangana Health Minister Harish Rao Thanneeru in a letter to the Union Ministry has sought for reducing the gap between both doses of COVID-19 vaccines and further also allow booster shots for front line and healthcare workers in the state. Rao in his letter addressed to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that Telangana with a targeted population of 277 crores is making all its efforts to fully vaccinate the eligible people. 

He further said that a total of 3.77 crore doses of COVID vaccinations have been administered so far out of which 2.49 crore are first doses and 1.28 crore are the second ones. 

"Since the gap between two doses is quite long, it often causes difficulty in covering people with the second dose. This is more difficult pronounced in the case of inter-state and intra-state migrant workers and persons from high-risk groups etc as they frequently tend to move out of the areas in which they received the first dose. Since the line lists on the Co-WIN portal for the second dose are generated according to CVC where first was received, it is difficult to track the persons for the second dose in their present locations", he said. 

A 50-year-old man in Italy's Piemonte, Turin, used a bizarre trick to fool the healthcare workers on Friday to get Europe's COVID vaccine green pass without actually getting the coronavirus jab. He showed up at the vaccination center with a 'prosthetic arm' to apparently game the system, but ended up getting caught and was later reported to the Italian police in the northern city of Biella.

His so-called silicone on the prosthetic arm looked "very similar" to real skin, president of the Piemonte Region Alberto Cirio and the councillor for health Luigi Genesio Icardi, Alberto Cirio said. He revealed the entire incident on Facebook, informing that 50-year-old showed up, signed a consent form then pulled up the sleeve to the fake arm and convinced the nurse named Filippa Bua into giving him a jab in order to obtain a COVID vaccine certificate. 

Amid Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) move to make its way in Punjab, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram attacked the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and said it is 'imitating the BJP'. 'The more the AAP imitates the BJP, the less relevant it will become,' tweeted Chidambaram. A war of words between Congress and AAP has been going on ahead of Punjab polls 2022.

'Soon, the AAP will become a clone of the BJP,' added Congress leader Chidambaram.

"Greetings on Navy Day. We are proud of the exemplary contributions of the Indian navy. Our navy is widely respected for its professionalism and outstanding courage. Our navy personnel have always been at the forefront of mitigating crisis situations like natural disasters."

We're proud of the exemplary contributions of the Indian navy. Our navy personnel have always been at the forefront of mitigating crisis situations like natural disasters, says PM.

"On Navy Day, greetings to all Navy personnel, veterans and their families. Besides safeguarding maritime security and protecting our interests in the sea, our Navy also played a stellar role in coping with the COVID-19 related crises. Indians remain grateful for your service."

"One week's time has been given to people to get at least one dose of COVID19 vaccine, failing which those unvaccinated people to be not allowed to enter public places like hotels, shopping malls & other commercial establishments," Madurai Dist. Collector Aneesh Sekhar

A man was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Friday night for allegedly raping a girl after promising to marry her, officials said. A case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged at Reasi police station.

A medical examination of the girl was conducted and her statement was also recorded before a judicial magistrate, the officials said. Reasi SSP Shailender Singh constituted a special team headed by a sub-inspector rank officer and sent to Jammu to arrest the accused.

The accused has been arrested and further investigation into the case is underway, Singh told PTI. 

1. Maharashtra

Omicron: 30 samples sent for genome sequencing, says Maha health dept. A total of 30 samples have been sent for genome sequencing after airport and field surveillance to detect the presence of Omicron, the new variant of SARS-CoV2

Until Friday morning, 2,821 passengers arriving from high-risk countries at Mumbai airport have been tested using RT-PCR, with two samples testing positive, it added. 

A total of 224 out of 11,060 passengers arriving from other countries have been tested as well and one sample has returned positive, a department official said.

"Additionally, field surveillance of all international passengers who have arrived since 1st November is underway. A total of 30 samples from both airport and field surveillance have been sent for genomic sequencing. Fourteen have been sent to NIV, Pune and 16 to Kasturba Hospital laboratory," he said. PTI PR

2. West Bengal

WB govt orders 7-days isolation, RTPCR to continue. West Bengal government on Friday directed that travellers from countries affected by Omicron to the state will be required to stay in isolation for seven days, a senior official said.

Travellers flying in from other parts of the country will have to furnish their reports of RTPCR tests as the threat of Omicron, the COVID variant, looms across the world, he said.

The direction was also given to keep a strict vigil on flyers from neighbouring Bangladesh and Singapore, the official said after a meeting held by chief secretary H K Dwivedi and Airport Authorities officers during the day. 

"There will be strict vigilance at the airport. All travellers will have to furnish negative RTPCR test reports. In case one tests positive for Omicron, we will follow the protocol set by the union home department, he added.

3. Sikkim

65 inmates, staffers of Sikkim prison among 76 new COVID patients. Sikkim reported a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases on Friday as 76 more people, including 65 inmates and staffers of Namchi Central Jail, tested positive for the infection, taking the Himalayan state's caseload to 32,343, a health bulletin said.

The death toll remained unchanged at 403 as no fresh fatality was registered.

60 inmates and 5 staffers of the Namchi Central Jail in South Sikkim district are among the new patients, it said.

4. Chandigarh

A woman who returned from SA to Chandigarh jumps home quarantine, goes to 5-star hotel, A woman who returned to Chandigarh from South Africa two days ago allegedly broke home quarantine and went to a five-star hotel here, prompting authorities on Friday to order strict action against her for violating Covid protocols for travellers, especially those arriving from "at-risk" countries where Omicron variant has been detected.

5. Jammu and Kashmir

With the emergence of COVID-19 Omicron variant cases, Jammu and Kashmir government, in its advisory, said that international travellers from 'at risk' nations, who test negative at the Srinagar airport, will have to home quarantine for seven days.

After the eighth day, the travellers will also have to undergo another COVID-19 test, and have been advised to "monitor themselves carefully for at least two weeks".

Further, the travellers from other countries who test negative at the airport, as per the order of Jammu Kashmir's Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (JK DMRRR), will just have to "monitor themselves carefully for at least two weeks".

6. Kerala

A man, who returned from the UK on Nov 21, tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov 26. Samples of his mother & house help have been sent for testing. The man's sample has been sent for genome sequencing: Kozhikode District Medical Officer Dr Ummer Farook

7. Delhi

Around 12 passengers arrived from 'at risk' countries where Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly, admitted at LNJP Hospital from Delhi international airport. 

All patients, except one (with mild symptoms), are stable: Dr Suresh Kumar, MD LNJP Hospital, Delhi

A woman who returned to Chandigarh from South Africa two days ago allegedly broke home quarantine and went to a five-star hotel, prompting authorities on Friday to order strict action against her for violating Covid protocols for travellers, especially those arriving from "at-risk" countries where Omicron variant has been detected.

Earlier, a 39-year-old Chandigarh resident who had returned from South Africa a few days ago had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and his sample was sent to Delhi for genome sequencing. The B.1.1.529 Covid variant or Omicron, first detected in South Africa last week, was designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a “variant of concern”, the health body's top category for worrying coronavirus variants.

After Bengaluru, now 13 out of 297 foreign returnees in Uttar Pradesh have gone missing as they provided wrong mobile numbers and addresses to the administration, informed Meerut Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Akhilesh Mohan. The official further added that the details that they provided to them were given to LIU (Local Intelligence Unit) to find out the whereabouts of those international passengers. 

Meerut CMO Dr Akhilesh Mohan on foreign travellers who provided wrong details:

In yet another jolt to Congress, ex-CM Mukul Sangma's close aide Richard M Marak quit the party on Friday, tendering his resignation to India Youth Congress president Srinivas B V. Marak, the Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress chief, later took to Facebook to announce his exit. Marak's exit comes days after Sangma and 11 other MLAs merged the state unit with TMC.

"I have been unhappy with the party for quite some time now due to the way the INC has been functioning. There is a structural defect in the INC. This has already been highlighted many times in the past but there has been no attempt to rectify these. Instead, those who have pointed out these defects have been vilified," wrote Marak in his resignation letter.

Union Minister of States for Defence Ajay Bhatt on Friday said that the procurement of Russian S-400 missile defence systems was a “sovereign decision” based on existing threat perceptions and to meet the entire spectrum of security challenges. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Bhatt said that the central government is aware of all developments that may impact the procurement of Defence Equipment. He also explained that the S-400 missile is a potent system in terms of operational capability, adding that the induction of the system will enhance the air defence capability of India. 

Bhatt said, “Government takes sovereign decisions based on threat perception, operational and technological aspects to keep the Armed Forces in a state of readiness to meet the entire spectrum of security challenges. The deliveries are as per contractual timelines.”

India-Russia S-400 missile deal

Union Power Minister RK Singh held a meeting with power ministers of North Eastern states to review Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme in Guwahati on Friday Objective is to give 24×7 power supply to every household & make India a world leader in power production, Singh said

"Talks between Haryana CM & farmers yesterday remained inconclusive, although they've agreed to take back the cases registered against farmers. Like Punjab, we need a state-wise compensation for deaths of farmers & employment guarantee too."

As cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 have emerged in a few countries across the world, Haryana Health and Home Minister Anil Vij highlighted the importance of vaccines in tackling the pandemic and the state's preparedness in tackling the new strain. On 3 December, Anil Vij told reporters that the health department of Haryana has been fully vaccinated to tackle the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to ANI. Furthermore, he stated that the state is "fully prepared" to fight the new strain. 

Anil Vij insisted that employees of the health department have successfully worked during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking about the measures put in place against the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister Anil Vij said that 90 pressure swing absorption technology oxygen plants have been set up in the state and orders have been given for their operation. 

In an intriguing development, mysterious lights were spotted over a few north Indian states, following which, several videos and images were shared on social media.

Some users on Twitter shared similar images and videos where a flickering light, which looks almost like a straight line, was seen moving and shining in the night sky. 

Trinamool Congress' Madan Mitra on Friday said that Mamata Banerjee's character was not to break the Congress, especially because she was a product of the party. Explaining why the TMC supremo was pushing the parties of the Opposition, Madan Mitra underlined that the 'Congress was being seen in connivance with BJP, not allowing any opposition to emerge so that the saffron party is hit'. He added that the responsibility of it all will fall on Mamata since she was the 'face of the Opposition'. 

"Modi & Mamata - no other politician is there in the country at the moment," Madan Mitra said. The TMC leader added, "If these people think they can bring down BJP, there is no issue let them do it. If Mamata Banerjee doesn't matter, what is the harm?" 

PM Modi to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth approximately Rs 18,000 cr in Dehradun on December 4, 

As per reports, Canada has confirmed 15 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus and severe illness trends across the country could start to rise again, public health officials have said.

Remembering the Bhopal Gas Tragedy on its 37th anniversary, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday called the incident ‘unfortunate’. Speaking about the tragic incident, Mishra said that the people will question those who helped Warren Anderson to flee this country whenever the event is discussed. He went on to add that arresting Anderson, who was CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) at the time of the Bhopal disaster in 1984, was necessary to provide justice to the victims.

Speaking to ANI on the 37th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Narottam Mishra said, “This was an unfortunate incident. But whenever the gas tragedy will be discussed, people of the country will question those who helped Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation Warren Anderson flee from India”. The State health minister added, “Had Anderson been arrested, the victim of the tragedy would have received appropriate compensation and justice.”

IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places over north Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on December 4. While heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are very likely at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and with lightning at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal, and Kerala & Mahe.

According to the IMD, gale winds with speeds reaching 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph are very likely to prevail over west central & adjoining the northwest Bay of Bengal from the evening of Dec 4 for the subsequent 12 hours and speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph along & off north Andhra Pradesh–Odisha coasts between December 4 and December 5 morning.

MBA entrance exam postponed over Cyclone 'Jawad' scare

"Later the cyclone will move towards Orissa and heavy rainfall will be observed in all coastal regions. Rainfall intensity is likely to increase on 4th Dec. Wind speed is expected to be 50-55km/hr and will increase gradually gusting to 100km/hr," Mrityunjay Mahapatra (DG, IMD) told ANI.

The Delhi government’s first pilgrimage train of the ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was flagged off on Friday, December 3. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reached Safdarjung Railway Station to give a green signal to the train from the national capital to Ayodhya and Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot was also present at the occasion, according to ANI. Passengers of the train will get to visit the holy Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. 

Addressing the media, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal informed that the first train from Delhi to Ayodhya has departed. He added that the passengers of the train will be able to worship Lord Ram in Ayodhya. Furthermore, he revealed that he spoke to passengers on the train who were happy. Kejriwal stated that as the COVID-19 cases in the country continue to witness a drop, more pilgrimage trains from Delhi will be introduced.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday briefed the Lok Sabha over the Omicron variant of COVID-19, a day after two cases were reported from Karnataka. He assured that the Government is prepared to fight Omicron amid growing concerns in the country involving the South African variant. Mandaviya also slammed the Opposition for politics over COVID management.

While addressing the Parliament, the Health Minister said, "3.46 crore Corona cases have been reported in India, and 4.6 Lakh people died - this is 1.36% of total cases. 25,000 cases and 340 deaths per million population reported in India - this is one of the lowest in the world. Under Modi Government, work is going on to strengthen weak health infrastructure. Our government has worked for results without blaming previous governments that ignored health infrastructure. In the last two years, decisions under the leadership of PM Modi show that this govt works with will power and not power."

"First COVID-19 case in India was reported on 13th January 2020 in Kerala. But the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee constituted by the Centre, was held on 8th Jan 2020. It means we were alert, a committee had been formed before the case was reported and it had started working. There was a time when it took three years for approval if someone did research on a vaccine. So, nobody used to do research. We scrapped those rules and the nation got vaccine after research within a year - this facility has been given by PM Modi," he added. 

Stating that India is on right track, Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director (MD) of Reliance Industries Limited, on Friday supported proposed cryptocurrency and data privacy bills. The billionaire said that India has the right to build and protect strategic digital infrastructure.

Calling data "new oil", Ambani said that the right to privacy of every citizen should be safeguarded. "India is putting in place the most forward-looking policies and regulations," he said at the Infinity Forum. He pointed that India already has a great framework of digital Aadhaar, digital payments and digital bank accounts. 

On the Data privacy bill, the Reliance chairman said, "Data and digital infrastructure is strategically important for India and every other nation in the world. Every country has the right to build and protect this strategic digital infrastructure," 

After facing backlash from all corners, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has finally broken his silence on the horrific Sialkot incident. Taking into cognizance the incident in which a mob lynched a Sri Lankan National before setting his body on fire, Khan called it a 'day of shame for Pakistan'. Khan highlighted that he was 'overseeing the investigation' in the incident, and assured that all those responsible will be 'punished with the full severity of the law'.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an extensive warning on Friday morning in response to Cyclone Jawad, stating that a depression over the Bay of Bengal had strengthened into a deep depression and was likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. 

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and IMD conducted a joint press conference to address preparedness for Cyclone Jawad, which is expected to reach Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on December 4. All updates on this cyclone are being monitored by the IMD and the NDRF.

On December 4 morning, heavy rains will reach the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, according to the IMD. NDRF teams have also been deployed for relief and rescue during the cyclone's peak. IMD stated that the cyclone's speed is between 60 and 70 km/h, with the potential to increase to 100 km/h as it prepares to make landfall in the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts.

IMD DG Mrityunjay Mahapatra told news agency ANI, "Due to heavy rainfall, electric and telephonic lines can be disrupted. Cyclone alerts are announced in the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh."