UK reports 30,501 new COVID cases on Sunday
Farmers Protests LIVE News: Appeal Centre to repeal farm laws, says Delhi CM Kejriwal at Singhu border
Our farmers are forced to sleep on streets in open amid cold since last 32 days. Why? It pains me that over 40 people have lost their lives here. I appeal to the Centre to listen to them and repeal the Farm Laws, said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Record number of vehicles cross Atal Tunnel: Police
Record number of 5,450 vehicles crossed Atal Tunnel, an all-weather road beneath 13,058-foot-high Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday, the police said.
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11:23 PM
China uses Huawei cameras to spy on African Union headquarters
A sensational report has emerged that alleged Chinese hackers had been obtaining security camera footage from inside the African Union (AU) headquarters building in Ethiopia which is an indication of Beijing’s objectives in the resource rich continent.
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11:21 PM
UK reports 30,501 new COVID cases on Sunday
The United Kingdom on Sunday reported 30,501 new COVID-19 cases, government statistics showed, with a further 316 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
10:45 PM
Commercial leasing expected to reach pre-Covid level: DLF
DLF, the country’s biggest real estate developer, said commercial leasing is expected to reach pre-Covid level in the next two-three quarters after the slowdown caused a delay in decision-making by corporates
The company is also in the process of adding more assets to its rental portfolio as it prepares for a real estate investment trust (REIT)
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10:39 PM
These District Development Council (DDC) elections were the farewell party for the Muftis & sons and the Abdullahs & sons… I see a future BJP chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Tarun Chugh, BJP in-charge, Jammu and Kashmir
10:38 PM
1,438 who returned from the United Kingdom have been tested for COVID19, of which 13 have tested positive. 12 of their direct contacts have also been tested as positive.
- Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar
10:27 PM
Oaktree fires fresh salvo against Piramal bid
Ahead of the three week long voting starting Monday to decide on the new owner of Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL), Oaktree has fired yet another salvo by attacking the bid of its nearest competitor Piramal Enterprises.
10:08 PM
UP takes steps to keep Covid’s new strain at bay
With 13 more people dying of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the disease fatality toll rose to 8,306 in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday while the total number of cases reached 5,81,980 with 959 more people being found infected.
10:08 PM
COVID-19 under control in Rajasthan, says Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that coronavirus situation in the state is under control due to the excellent management of the state government. He said that mortality rate due to the virus is steadily decreasing and recovery rate is increasing.
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Ministry issues SOP for conduct of sporting events in country
Eyeing resumption of sporting events in the coming months, the Sports Ministry has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which allow 50 per cent attendance in venues while prescribing formation of COVID-19 Task Force by organisers of each competition.
09:44 PM
Sourav Ganguly holds meeting with Jagdeep Dhankhar
BCCI President and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday held an hour-long meeting with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, which sources at Raj Bhavan described as a “courtesy call” and said there is nothing political about it.
09:29 PM
Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat admitted to hospital
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has been admitted to Doon Hospital in Dehradun, according to the Uttarakhand CM’s office. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on December 18.
09:12 PM
Virtually interacted with the Indian community in Qatar. Appreciate their contribution to meeting the COVID challenge. Urged their participation in the development of New India.
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar
09:01 PM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has left for abroad for a short personal visit and will be away for a few days.
- Party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala
09:00 PM
Theatres in Ahmedabad open for audiences after remaining shut for 10 months
“The government has allowed us to operate at 50% capacity. We are taking all precautions. The stage and the entire auditorium has been sanitised as per protocols,” says director Abhilash Ghoda.
08:59 PM
Rs 100 crore worth of prime land retrieved from ‘encroachment’ in Jammu
The housing and urban development department has removed decades-old “encroachment” on prime land worth Rs 100 crore in Jammu during a special drive, senior officials said on Sunday.
08:35 PM
The way BJP is behaving is problematic for his party. It was much needed for Nitish Kumar to remain in the position as BJP is hatching a conspiracy. He has wisdom & can calculate next step.
- Shivanand Tiwari, RJD
08:34 PM
Two more UK returnees test positive for COVID-19 in Telangana
Two more United Kingdom returnees test positive for COVID-19 in Telangana, taking total positive cases among UK returnees to 20, said State Health Department.
08:22 PM
Credit demand fails to pick up despite aggressive rate cuts
The year 2020 witnessed bank credit growth remaining 200 basis points lower than a year earlier despite record low interest rates
The average 5.7 percent in the last two fortnights up to Dec. 6 shows compared with 7.9 percent in the last year same period
Even this slow growth was more due to the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme and not backed by demand from industry
08:14 PM
Yogi announces Sikh gurus’ history will be included in school syllabus
Adityanath said this at a Gurbani Kirtan held at his residence on the occasion of ‘Sahibzada Diwas’, which marks the martyrdom of four ‘sahibzada’ of Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh and mata Gujri.
08:09 PM
Govt must earn farmers’ trust: Congress MPs
Two Congress MPs from Punjab on Sunday said the Centre should withdraw the recent stubble burning ordinance and the Electricity Amendment Bill before its next round of talks with protesting farmer unions so that the dialogue to end the stalemate over three agri-marketing laws can progress smoothly.
08:03 PM
China sends top official to Nepal amid political crisis
A senior Chinese official arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to assess the political situation, local party officials said, a first diplomatic step by the neighbouring power after Nepal’s Prime Minister dissolved parliament a week ago.
07:45 PM
Kejriwal ignores Manoj Tiwari’s invite to talk farm laws
The BJP Sunday sought to corner Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for opposing the new farm laws with the party leaders Adesh Gupta and Manoj Tiwari asking the AAP chief to fix a date and place of his choice where the “benefits of the legislations” could be explained to him.
Chinese national among 3 arrested by Telangana police
In continuing crackdown on instant app-based lenders, the Telangana police on Sunday said it has busted a Pune-based call centre allegedly used for harassing borrowers of online app firms for recovery and arrested three people, including a Chinese woman.
Indians may put off travel plans: Survey
Many people may put off their international travel plans due to concerns over the spread of new variant of coronavirus in some countries and possibility of flight bans by nations like Dubai, France and Singapore, a survey has revealed.
The survey, which is based on over 15,000 responses from over 10,000 people from across 204 cities and conducted by online platform LocalCircles, also revealed that as many as 42 per cent of the respondents did not have any travel plan for domestic travel at all.
Delhi reports 757 new Covid cases
Delhi reports 757 new COVID19 cases, 939 recoveries and 16 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Delhi Health Department.Total cases: 6,22,851Total recoveries: 6,05,685Death toll: 10,453Active cases: 6,713
Mumbai civic body issues revised SOP
In view of the emergence of a new coronavirus variant in the UK, the Mumbai civic body on Sunday issued revised guidelines to ensure the compulsory quarantine for 14 days for all passengers arriving from the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
India, Vietnam conclude two-day naval exercise in South China Sea
Indian and Vietnamese Navy on Sunday concluded the two-day passage exercise in the South China Sea as part of efforts to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries.
Farmers camping at Delhi borders to seek answers: Hannan Mollah
Farmers camping at various Delhi borders are here not for a “holiday” but to seek answers from the Centre to their grievances, farmer leader Hannan Mollah said on Sunday as he criticised the government for a lack of response to their proposal for talks on December 29.
ED summons Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha for questioning on Dec 29 in connection with PMC Bank scam
I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the farm laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public. They say that farmers do not know enough, it will be proven who knows more.
- Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Centre is not talking about the benefits of the laws, all they are saying is that it will not cause any harm. It will not take away farmers’ lands, or Minimum Support Price, are these benefits? Why’ve you brought the laws then? Tear & throw it away.
- Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Our CM has been working 24 hours to make efforts to reduce the troubles faced by the farmers. Despite all the pressure, the stadiums weren’t converted into prisons. It would have been a black spot in history if we had done that.
Explained: How every change that India made in Melbourne worked
This was Rahane’s first overseas Test hundred since his 102 against the West Indies at North Sound in August 2019. On Sunday, his century helped India gain a significant upper hand in the Test.
On the heels of 36 all out in Adelaide, India made four changes for the ongoing second Test in Melbourne. The visitors also had a new captain in Ajinkya Rahane who batted in a new position at №4. So far, all the substitutions have had a positive impact.
How impactful has been Rahane?
His captaincy — bowling changes, field placements, positivity and calmness — was a reason why India could bundle out Australia for 195 in their first innings. From Shane Warne to Virender Sehwag, everybody praised Rahane’s captaincy. But if India needed Rahane the captain on the first day, on the second day, they needed Rahane the batsman even more, especially in Virat Kohli’s absence. The skipper led from the front with a splendid century.
Rahane at №4 is very different from Kohli. The Mumbai batsman has a different batting approach. He is old school and believes in biding his time and waiting to attack when the bowlers tire.
Read |‘Absolutely top knock from Jinks’: Virat Kohli, cricket fraternity react to Ajinkya Rahane’s fine century
“Give the first session to the bowlers, the next two will be yours,” that’s Sunil Gavaskar’s mantra for Test match batting. This also remains the very template of the ‘Mumbai School of Batting’. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, Rahane embraced it.
He came to the crease with India on 61/2 and Pat Cummins in the middle of a fantastic spell. It soon became 64/3. Rahane took 17 balls to score his first run, but there was no shortage of intent. His footwork was decisive. He reached his half century in 111 balls, while his 12th Test century came off 195 deliveries — the strike-rate was steadily increasing. He gave the first hour to the bowlers. The rest of the day belonged to him.
Also in Explained |How was Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy different from Virat Kohli’s
This was Rahane’s first overseas Test hundred since his 102 against the West Indies at North Sound in August 2019. His Test average away from home, 46.06, and eight hundreds, comfortably trumps his home Test average, 39.28. This is a rarity in Indian cricket. On Sunday (December 27) his century helped India gain a significant upper hand in the Test.
“He’s one of those who leads by example. Hardworking, great work ethic, wonderful hundred this,” Gavaskar said on 7Cricket. “Very well deserved, that’s a sensational Test match hundred under a lot of pressure as captain after what happened in Adelaide,” Ricky Ponting, Rahane’s coach at Delhi Capitals, commented on the channel.
How did Shubman Gill fare?
Prithvi Shaw’s replacement had a tricky period to bat out on the first day. The debutant took time to settle down, had some close shaves, but Gill played some lovely shots during his knock. A strong backfoot player, Gill expectedly played the horizontal-bat shots well. Both Cummins and Josh Hazlewood gave him some torrid moments on Sunday morning, and eventually Cummins got his wicket with a full delivery outside the off stump. But a 65-ball 45 meant that Gill kept the scoreboard ticking.
KFC launches game console with built-in chicken warmer
Fast food chain KFC is launching a gaming console that warms up chicken.
“The chicken chamber will keep its contents hot, ready for consumption during intense gaming sessions,” KFC said.
The company said the console was designed by a global hardware maker and could play top-level games like other gaming machines.
Many people thought the gaming console was a spoof marketing campaign when it was revealed in June.
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KFC said its new console had a custom-built cooling system that uses heat produced by its components to warm the chicken chamber.
“This machine is capable of running games at top-level specs, all on top of keeping your meal warm for you to enjoy during your gaming experience… what’s not to like?” KFC spokesman Mark Cheevers told the BBC.
“If Sony or Microsoft want any tips on how to engineer a chicken chamber for their efforts next time, they’d be welcome to get in touch.”
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The fast food chain said it currently had no details on the expected price of the gaming console or a release date.
In February, KFC and Crocs announced a limited edition shoe covered in a fried chicken print.
‘Our flagship entry’
The KFConsole advertising campaign began in June and gained more than 11 million views on the KFC Gaming Twitter page. Many people thought it was a spoof.
But KFC confirmed its partnership with global hardware manufacturer Cooler Master to develop the console.
It said it had gone through multiple stages of development which included custom-built casing, creating the unique cooling system and integrating the signature chicken chamber.
“We all know the console war is vicious, but we’re very confident in the KFConsole as our flagship entry,” added Mr Cheevers.
In August KFC said it was halting its “Finger Lickin’ Good” slogan given the current hygiene advice around the coronavirus pandemic.
Stocks in the news: DLF, Vodafone Idea, Dish TV, Biocon, BPCL and PNB
Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange traded 31 points, or 0.23 per cent, higher at 13,784.50, in signs that Dalal Street was headed for a positive start on Monday. Here are a few stocks which may buzz the most in today’s trade:
Dish TV: Direct-to-home operator Dish TV NSE -2.71 % on Friday said it has received a demand notice from the government for payment of Rs 4,164.05 crore, which includes licence fee and interest.
Punjab National Bank: State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB NSE 1.27 %) has put up for sale three stressed accounts, including Birsa Institute of Technology (Trust), with total outstanding dues of nearly Rs 34.50 crore.
Vodafone Idea: Telecom operator Vodafone Idea said that it has started using 3G spectrum for 4G services in Mumbai and claimed that customers in the metro city will get higher data speed with the refarming of spectrum.
Biocon: The biotechnology major said its arm, Biocon Biologics, and Mylan have been informed by the US health regulator of a deferred action on the biologics license application (BLA) for a biosimilar to drug Avastin, used to treat various types of cancers.
NIIT: The company said its board has approved an up to Rs 237-crore buyback proposal at Rs 240 per equity share.
Coal India: The state-owned is set to diversify into non-coal mining areas as well as make major investments in clean technology in 2021 after demand for the dry fuel remained muted for most of this year amid the coronavirus pandemic impacting economic activities.
Mahindra Logistics: The company, which is on an ambitious growth path with a target of achieving Rs 10,000-crore revenue by FY26 through inorganic and organic routes, is planning to deploy electric vehicles (EVs) for last-mile delivery shortly, a top company official has said.
BPCL: COVID-19 carnage may have slightly pushed back timelines but there is certainly no going back on privatisation of bluechip public sector undertakings like BPCL and Air India as the government feels it has no business to be in business.
Larsen & Toubro: Engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is looking to recruit close to 1,100 graduate and post graduate engineer trainees in 2021 and deploy them across various business verticals, a top company official has said.
Bajaj Auto: The company expects sales of high-end motorcycles to grow faster than other motorcycles and its investment of Rs 650 crore in a new plant near its existing manufacturing facility in Chakan is aimed at building capability to take advantage of this potential growth.
Bharat Forge: The company said it has made an additional investment of Rs 2.87 crore to use the remaining 8.20 megawatts (MW) solar power from Avaada SataraMH Pvt Ltd (ASPL).
SJVN: State-owned power producer SJVN NSE 1.58 % has been awarded three hydroelectric power projects totaling 501 megawatts (MW) by the Himachal Pradesh government.
Asian Granito: Ceramic products maker Asian Granito India NSE 0.57 % on Friday said it is looking to further consolidate its exports in the current fiscal on account of robust business orders from the US, Europe and the Middle East.
Aavas Financiers: The company said its board of directors has approved raising Rs 100 crore by issuing bonds on a private placement basis.
Reliance Industries: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s flagship company has agreed to buy out IMG Worldwide LLC from their sports management joint venture for Rs 52.08 crore.
Steel stocks: India registered a growth of 3.5 per cent in crude steel production at 9.245 million tonne (MT) in November, according to the World Steel Association.
Telecom stocks: The Competition Commission will shortly release its study on the telecom sector and one of the key trends that has emerged is the vertical integration between telcos and digital solution providers, including OTTs and e-commerce platforms.
