Republic Top 10 headlines: Ludhiana blast case, Sourav Ganguly tests COVID positive & more

Ludhiana Blast Case: Khalistani Terrorist Jaswinder Multani Arrested By German Authorities

In the Ludhiana blast case, on December 28 a pro-Khalistan terrorist has been arrested over alleged links with the incident that jolted the nation on December 23. Sources confirmed that the terrorist, identified as Jaswinder Singh Multani, is a prominent member of a foreign banned outfit and has allegedly played a crucial role in the sessions court explosion which killed two.

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CDSCO Panel Clears Serum Institute's Covovax For Emergency Use; DCGI Approval Awaited

With India witnessing a rising surge of Omicron cases in the country, an expert panel of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has recommended granting emergency use authorisation (EUA) to the Serum Institute of India's (SII) COVID-19 vaccine 'Covovax', officials revealed on Monday. This development comes a few days after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) sought more data from the Serum Institute of India over its application seeking Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Covovax. The official application had been submitted by Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII in October. 

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Doctors' Unions Call For Shutdown Of Health Services In Protest Of Delhi Police Action

Shocked at the police action on protesting doctors, top doctor unions - AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association, Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) and Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) have called for complete shut down of health services on December 29 in protest. Over 2500 doctors clashed with Delhi police on Monday, as doctors took to the streets demanding expedition of NEET-PG counselling. Doctors have been on indefinite strike since December 17.

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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly Tests Positive For COVID-19, Goes Into Isolation

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has tested positive for COVID-19 the news of which emerged on Tuesday morning. According to the BCCI sources, the former India captain has been admitted to Woodlands hospital in Kolkata after he returned positive in his latest RT-PCR report. However, a PTI report stated that Ganguly is currently undergoing isolation after he tested COVID-19 positive. 

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Karnataka BJP Gen Secy Dismisses Bommai's Exit Rumours, Avers 'he Is & Will Be Our CM'

Amid speculations of a possible leadership change in Karnataka, Arun Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party's national general secretary in charge of party affairs in Karnataka on Monday came out to back Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Ruling out a change in leadership in the State, Singh said that CM Bommai will continue to hold the post until the next state elections.

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Owaisi Frowns Upon Parties' Brahmin Outreach; Rues 'Muslim Votes Have No Importance'

Speaking to the media on Monday, AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi frowned upon the efforts of other political parties to woo Brahmins ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Claiming that mainstream parties like BJP, BSP and Samajwadi Party do not care for the welfare of Muslims who account for nearly 19% of the state's population, he stressed the need to develop leadership within the community. According to the Hyderabad MP, this new leadership can represent the interests of Muslims in an effective manner. 

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Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh Distances BJP From Dharam Sansad: 'Congress Organised It'

Passing the buck to Congress, Chhattisgarh ex-CM Raman Singh on Monday, claimed the controversial 'Dharam Sansad' in Raipur was organised by Congress. He alleged that the program was a result of Congress' internal politics, adding that BJP had no relation to it. Condemning the insult hurled at the Father of India at the event, he said no one had the right to criticise Gandhiji.

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US CDC Shortens Isolation, Quarantine Period For COVID-19 Patients Amid Omicron Surge

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] on Monday, Dec. 27 shortened the recommended period for COVID-19 isolation from 10 days to 5 days based on what the health agency “currently knows about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.” The rule is applicable to asymptomatic COVID-19 infections only. When the patient’s quarantine period terminates, they are required to wear the mask mandatorily for at least 5 days, said the CDC in a statement on Monday. The majority of SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19] transmission occurs early in the course of illness, CDC stressed, adding that this is generally in the 1-2 days prior to the onset of symptoms and then some 2-3 days after the disease contraction.

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Abdullah & Mufti Lambast J&K Real Estate Summit; Claim 'motive Is To Change Demography'

Even as J&K held a fruitful Real Estate Summit, former CMs Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti cast aspersions over the intentions of the Union government. Taking to Twitter on Monday, the NC vice-president claimed that the "identity" of the people of the Union Territory itself was up for sale. On similar lines, PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the sole motive of the revocation of J&K's special status was to change the demography of the region. 

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Fauci: US Must Consider COVID Vaccine Mandate For Domestic Air Travel As Omicron Spreads

The Biden administration must consider mandating the COVID-19 vaccination for domestic air travel,  suggested US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, while stressing that "when you make vaccinations a requirement, that’s another incentive to get more people vaccinated." In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe", Biden’s chief medical advisor recommended, “if you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that’s something that seriously should be considered." He, however, refused to divulge whether he has made such a recommendation to US President Joe Biden, who last week told ABC that a recommendation on the same was made to him, though at the time, the US leader said that "it’s been considered" but such a rule “is not necessary.”

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