Covid News LIVE Updates: Mandaviya writes to Rahul to consider suspending Bharat Jodo Yatra amid spurt in Covid cases

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chairs a meeting with health officials over the COVID19 situation

Mandaviya commences COVID19 review meet

A meeting being held by the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, over the COVID 19 situation, begins in Delhi.

‘Nakli Gandhi’ and ‘Nakli Congress’ remembers Mahatma Gandhi: Pralhad Joshi

“It’s good that ‘Nakli Gandhi’ and ‘Nakli Congress’ remembers Mahatma Gandhi. First, they should study what we lost, what we gained and how we lost permanent membership at UNSC during their grand old leader Pt. JL Nehru’s rule,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Protest by UPSC aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi last night

The group had applied for NOC/permission to protest. However, the same was rejected. “Announcements were made using loud hailer asking the protesters to disperse,” said DCP Central dist Shweta Chauhan. At this the group became aggressive and started raising slogans against DoPT. Despite repeated attempts to assuage the protestors, they continued to hold their ground. They arranged for mattresses and began a sit-in protest in the presence of media. Subsequently, additional staff was called and the protestors including women were removed from the protest site. About 40 protestors were detained at PS Rajender Nagar under DP Act and later on released.

I want to ask whether the specific family is above all protocols. I can believe that the family gets more importance in the party than its president but they have to follow Covid protocols.

– Union Minister Anurag Thakur

Madras HC directs TN govt to allocate funds to popularize Sangam-era Tamil literature

Madurai bench of Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to allocate funds and conduct various events to popularize Sangam-era Tamil literature and modern Tamil literature. A public interest litigation was filed in this regard at the Madurai bench of Madras HC. In the PIL, it was demanded that all Tamil books, Tamil research books and other language books related to the development of Tamil should be placed in the library of the World Tamil Association and basic facilities should be established in the library.

Madras HC prohibits cutting trees in Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

Madurai bench of Madras HC, holding that felling of trees would have an adverse effect on environment, reduce forest cover & pose a major threat to biodiversity, directed the Forest Dept not to allow anyone to cut trees in Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Theni dist.

BSF troops recovers 25 kgs of heroin near Punjab boarder

Border Security Force (BSF) troops have recovered around 25 kilograms of heroin after a brief encounter with Pakistani smugglers at the international border in Fazilka district of Punjab. Smugglers managed to run away taking advantage of the dense fog.

Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) MLAs protest against the state government outside the state assembly in Nagpur

India and China are the two most populous countries. In recent decades too many ups and downs. India is a democracy and respects all religions. India’s tradition is very good. So young Indians should keep India’s thousand-year-old secular tradition.

– Dalai Lama, in Gurugram

No question of criticising Army, says Shashi Tharoor on Tawang row

Cong MP Shashi Tharoor says, “No question of criticising Army. Question is about country’s political leadership. Why won’t they be doing their job or being politically accountable to the nation? Not calling the Army to explain,asking the political leadership to explain.”

Sher Bahadur Deuba wins Nepali Congress party parliamentary elections

The Election Committee has issued a notice announcing Sher Bahadur Deuba as the winner in today’s election for the leader of the parliamentary party.

Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue: Sanjay Raut makes absurd statement

Party and other Oppn parties have been asking for a discussion on China. While we’re all united in standing up for the nation and security of our country, we want Govt to take us and people of India into confidence about what exactly they’re seeing on border.

– Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi attacks BJP government; says:

While PM hands over few appointment letters, crores facing uncertain future: Sonia Gandhi at CPP

Govt stubbornly refusing LAC discussion in Parliament, debate strengthens national response: Sonia Gandhi

COVID-19 review meet to be held by Union Health Min today

Meeting will have Dr V K Paul, member, NITI Aayog; Dr. NK Arora, Chairman COVID-19 working group NTAGI; Dr Rajiv Bahl, DG-ICMR; Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary in Dept of biotechnology & Dr Atul Goel DGHS, MoHFW.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon within minutes of the commencement of the proceedings of the House amid commotion by Opposition MPs.

Maharashtra Health Secy to ANI

I haven’t seen the letter but what are the COVID protocols today? We don’t seem to be having any enforceable COVID protocols in any other public gatherings. Why this sudden attention to Bharat Jodo Yatra if not that it is ranking the BJP?

– Congress MP Karti Chidambaram

TMC MP reacts to Health Ministry notice regarding Bharat Jodo Yatra

TMC MP Dola Sen said, “they could’ve issued advisory. We’re at Parliament but no circular came for wearing masks or taking preventive measures. Not the sole duty of Centre to boss over state govts. Their responsibility is towards public in which they fail,we don’t expect much from them.”

China covid cases is concerning, India need not panic: Poonawalla

Congress parliamentary party meet brief:

In Congress parliamentary party meet, Sonia Gandhi expressed concerns over Chinese transgression. She said, “Government being adamant and not holding a discussion on it. Public & House unable to know real situation. Why is Govt not sending out a financial reply to Chinese transgression?”

Pakistani drone downed by BSF troops in Punjab

The drone which had entered India at 7:20 pm in the AOR of BOP Daoke in AOR of 144 Bn, Amritsar sector was found fallen this morning in Pak area, 20 mtr in their territory opposite the AOR of BOP Bharopal. The drone hovered in the sky for a few minutes when counter drone measures were taken, and fell while returning. Search in progress.

I want to ask BJP did PM Modi follow Covid protocols during Gujarat Polls? I think Mansukh Mandaviya is not liking Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra but people are liking it & joining it. Mandaviya has been deputed to divert public’s attention.

– Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Sonia, Opp leaders protest inside Parl premises; demands discussion on India-China faceoff

Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and other Opposition leaders protest in front of the Gandhi statue inside the Parliament premises, demanding a discussion on the India-China faceoff at Tawang.

Today we’re holding a meeting under the chairmanship of Union Health Min Dr Mansukh Mandaviya. We’ll review as to what’s the situation of Covid in other countries and what needs to be done for India. Yesterday guidelines were issued for doing genome sequencing.

– MoS Health Dr B Pawar

The Congress parliamentary party meeting concludes

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama:

Mandaviya pens COVID guidelines to Rahul, Gehlot for Bharat Jodo Yatra

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya yesterday wrote to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. Letter reads that COVID guidelines be strictly followed during Bharat Jodo Yatra and use of masks-sanitiser be implemented. It also mentions that only vaccinated people participate. In the letter, the Union Health Minister also requests that if following COVID protocol is not possible then the Bharat Jodo Yatra be postponed in national interest, taking note of public health emergency.

Nepali Congress party parliamentary leader election concludes with 100% turnover

Counting to begin soon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Caretaker Government & President of ruling Nepali Congress and general secretary of the party Gagan Thapa casted their votes for the party parliamentary leader election.

PFI leaders in Kerala in touch with IS and Al-Qaeda leaders: NIA

NIA yesterday submitted in Special NIA Court at Kochi that the banned PFI leaders in Kerala were in touch with some of the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda leaders. This is while asking for more time for the investigation against the PFI leaders who were arrested after the ban. NIA also submitted that there is a secret wing of PFI working to prepare a hit list of people belonging to other communities and their activities were centered around the PFI office.

Police, ULFA-I militants engage in gunfight in Assam

A gunfight between security forces and suspected ULFA-I militants broke out in Assam’s Tinsukia district today morning. One civilian was injured in firing from the side of suspected ULFA-I militants, said Defence PRO, Guwahati to ANI.

Congress parliamentary party meeting begins at Central Hall in Parliament

Bihar Police recovers huge quantity of liquor from JDU leader Kameshwar Singh house

A huge quantity of liquor recovered from a house registered in the name of JDU leader Kameshwar Singh in Chhapra’s Madhaura Nagar area. “One Saroj Mahto along with his wife stay in the house as tenants. A woman has been taken into custody,” said Inspector Rakesh K Singh. JDU leader Kameshwar Singh said, “I came to know about this through media. I left that house 32 years ago. It should be investigated as to who kept those bottles there to defame our government.”

Pradhan on imp of education in the tribal community

Union Min D Pradhan said, “education is a major turnaround point in tribal community. I consider this an achievement of nation that President Droupadi Murmu, who comes from a remote village in Odisha, reached highest constitutional post due to education, India’s democracy and PM’s policies.”

If I present a financial statement of central sponsors’ schemes, you’ll find it had reached around Rs 19,437 Crores until 2014-15 (for tribal affairs). If we look at the data from FY 2014-15 to 2022-23, allocation has reached up to Rs 91,000 Cr: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Manish Tewari gives 6th adjournment notice in LS on Chinese transgression

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday gave a notice to move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the Chinese transgression at the Arunachal Pradesh border. This is Tewari’s sixth notice on the issue. The earlier notices were not allowed by the chair. The notice stated, “That this House do suspend Zero Hour and other businesses of the day to have a detailed discussion on the grave situation at the border with China in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the first physical clash between the two armies since August 2020 which took place at Rinchen La in eastern Ladakh. We have had the Hon’ble Defence Minister give a statement.

Rupee falls 5 paise to 82.75 against US dollar in early trade.

Jammu-Srinagar National Highway shut due to a landslide at Dewal Bridge in Udhampur. Operation underway to clear the route.

Indonesia’s 2022 fiscal deficit seen at 2.49% of GDP

Indonesia’s fiscal deficit for the whole of 2022 will likely be 2.49% of gross domestic product, much smaller than deficits in 2021 and 2020, President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday. The president also said with COVID-19 cases declining, Indonesia may lift all remaining pandemic-related mobility restrictions by year-end.

Trump tax audits required by law were delayed, says panel

A report issued Tuesday by the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee found that required IRS audits of Donald Trump were delayed, and committee members voted along party lines to also release tax filings of the former president who broke political norms by refusing to release the information on his own. The full level of detail that will be revealed is uncertain, but lawmakers said they expect to release six years of tax returns for Trump and eight affiliated companies. Some sensitive personal information would be redacted. While the 29-page report summarizing the committee’s work was issued later Tuesday night, the tax returns themselves may not be released for several more days.The report indicates that the Trump administration may have disregarded an IRS requirement dating back to 1977 that mandates audits of a president’s tax filings. The IRS only began to audit his 2015 tax filings on April 3, 2019, a date more than two years into Trump’s presidency. That date also coincides with committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., making an “initial request to the IRS for the former President’s return information and related tax returns.”

Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 25

The death toll from a landslide at an unauthorised campsite in Malaysia rose to 25 as search and rescue teams continued to comb muddy terrain on Wednesday. Eight people are still missing after a predawn landslide on Friday hit the site located at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in Selangor state, just north of the capital Kuala Lumpur. About 680 personnel from various agencies led by the fire and rescue department and the police are involved in the rescue operations.

“When these people go out to spread hatred in India, people of our ideology go out to spread love and affection”

– Rahul Gandhi targeting BJP

‘Opening a shop of love in the market of hate’ through Bharat Jodo Yatra

– Rahul Gandhi as Yatra enters Haryana

“Fight between two ideologies, one which gives benefits to select few and the other raises people’s, farmers, labourers’ voice”

– Rahul Gandhi

Peru lawmakers move up general elections to April 2024

Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to move up general elections from 2026 to April 2024 in a bid to ease tensions and head off deadly protests sparked by the ouster and arrest of president Pedro Castillo. The political maelstrom has also touched off a diplomatic row with Mexico, which has voiced its support for Castillo, a leftist onetime schoolteacher. Lawmakers voted 93-30 with one abstention to approve the change in the electoral calendar. The measure also stipulated that current President Dina Boluarte hand power to the winner of those elections in July 2024.

Elon Musk says he will step down as Twitter CEO once successor found

Elon Musk late on Tuesday said he will resign as chief executive of Twitter once he finds a replacement, in apparent respect of a poll he himself launched that revealed users wanted him to step down. “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” Musk tweeted, saying he will then run software and server teams at Twitter.

US to send USD 1.8 billion in aid, Patriot battery, to Ukraine

The US will send USD 1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine in a massive package that will for the first time include a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for their fighter jets, US officials have said, as the Biden administration prepares to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington. US officials on Tuesday described details of the aid on condition of anonymity because it has not yet been announced. The aid signals an expansion by the U.S. in the kinds of advanced weaponry it will send to Ukraine to bolster the country’s air defenses against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missile strikes. The package, which was expected to be announced Wednesday, will include about $1 billion in weapons from Pentagon stocks and another USD 800 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds weapons, ammunition, training and other assistance, officials said.

Morocco’s air traffic records 80% recovery from pre-pandemic 2019

The airports in Morocco hosted more than 18.46 million passengers from January to November, recording an 80-per cent recovery rate from the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, the Moroccan Airports Authority said. The Casablanca International Airport, the biggest airport in the North African country, received more than 6.84 million passengers in the first 11 months, representing a 72-per cent recovery rate from 2019, according to a report released by the airports authority on Tuesday. Morocco did not resume its international air travel until February 7 this year, according to the report as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

US lawmakers vote to release Trump’s tax returns

US lawmakers voted Tuesday to make public Donald Trump’s tax returns, ending a years-long battle by the former president to keep the filings private as his cloudy financial past continues to stoke controversy. The Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee voted along party lines, 24-16, to release six years of the billionaire’s filings — covering the period from 2015-20.

Boeing jetliner unit names new supply-chain, sales execs

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is tapping the sales chief who helped lead the U.S. planemaker through two major crises in recent years to oversee fractured global supply chains as the aerospace industry battles to meet resurgent jet demand. Ihssane Mounir has been named senior vice president of global supply chain, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said in an email to employees. Mounir was previously senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing. Deal told the company’s 1,200 direct suppliers in a separate memo that Mounir would lead internal and external supply chains and integrate strategy and requirements across all programs.

Japan warns of China’s COVID situation, cuts view on factory output

Japan will pay close attention to the COVID-19 situation in China, in addition to risks from a global economic slowdown, price hikes and supply constraints, according to its monthly report for December. The economic report from the Cabinet Office comes as Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, wrestles with sluggish global growth and high import costs that have weighed on its exports and manufacturing activity. The government cut its view on factory output for the first time in six months as global demand for semiconductors is pausing, but it kept its assessment on the overall economy unchanged by saying it was “improving moderately”.”If China’s infection situation impacts on supply chains or trades, it could also impact on Japan’s economy as we’ve seen earlier this year,” a Cabinet Office official said.

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy could visit Biden, U.S. Congress on Wednesday -sources

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could travel to Washington, meet U.S. President Joe Biden and visit Congress on Wednesday, sources familiar with the situation said, in what would be Zelenskiy’s first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in late February. Biden was expected to meet Zelenskiy at the White House, a source said. The visit by the Ukrainian leader would coincide with Biden’s intent to send the Kyiv government Patriot missiles, CNN reported, to protect it from heavy Russian bombardment. Zelenskiy’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Zelenskiy last left Ukraine for the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 19, according to his official schedule.

Magnitude 6.4 quake shakes northern California, leaves 2 dead, thousands without power

A powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the extreme northern coast of California before dawn on Tuesday, damaging homes, roads and water systems and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity. At least 11 people were reported injured, and two others died from “medical emergencies” that occurred during or just after the quake, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The tremor, which struck at 2:30 a.m. PST and was followed by about 80 aftershocks, was centered 215 miles (350 km) north of San Francisco offshore of Humboldt County, a largely rural area known for its redwood forests, local seafood, lumber industry and dairy farms.