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- Breaking news updates December 18, 2021: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.

Updated on Dec 19, 2021 09:34 PM IST
Breaking news updates December 19, 2021: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
Follow all the updates here:
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Dec 19, 2021 09:22 PM IST
Inviting just 4 Opp parties over suspension issue ‘unfair’: Kharge
In a letter to the central government, Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that all opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of 12 opposition MPs from the Parliament; hence inviting only four to a meeting is unreasonable.
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Dec 19, 2021 08:33 PM IST
Tanzania national tests positive for Omicron in Gujarat’s Rajkot
A Tanzania national aged 23, studying at a university in Gujarat’s Rajkot, has tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19, ANI reported citing the district collector Arun Mahesh Babu. “He has been admitted to PDU hospital. This is the first Omicron case in the district,” Babu told ANI.
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Dec 19, 2021 08:16 PM IST
UK logs 12,133 more confirmed Omicron cases in 24 hours
Great Britain logged 12,133 more confirmed Omicron cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, Reuters reported on Sunday.
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Dec 19, 2021 07:48 PM IST
Maharashtra reports six new cases of Omicron
Maharashtra on Sunday reported six fresh cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19. Of these new cases, four were confirmed at the Mumbai airport. The state’s Omicron tally has now climbed to 54.
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Dec 19, 2021 07:39 PM IST
Policeman shot at inside his home in J&K
A policeman, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Wagay, was shot at inside his home in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on Sunday. Suspected militants are behind the incident. SP Ghulam Jeelani confirmed the incident and said that the police officer is now “stable.”
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Dec 19, 2021 07:24 PM IST
MVA govt is like a three-wheeler auto: Amit Shah in Pune
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday called the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra as the “three-wheeler auto whose three tires are going in different directions and all tires are punctured,” according to ANI. “It is not running and is only causing pollution,” he added after laying the foundation stone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the city.
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Dec 19, 2021 06:40 PM IST
Delhi logs 107 new Covid cases, highest single-day rise in 6 months
Delhi on Sunday reported 107 new Covid-19 cases, which is the city’s highest single-day rise in six months. The total tally of the national capital stands at 14,42,197.
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Dec 19, 2021 06:20 PM IST
Kenyan women detained with gold hidden in spices bottles, undergarments, footwear
As many as 18 Kenyan women were detained with 4kg of gold worth ₹2 crore at theMumbai International Airport, ANI reported citing the Mumbai Customs. These women concealed the metal in the border part of spices bottles, undergarments and footwear.
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Dec 19, 2021 05:58 PM IST
TMC appoints Pavan K Varma as party’s vice president
Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced that it has appointed Pavan K Varma as the party’s vice president.
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Dec 19, 2021 05:28 PM IST
Punjab CM Channi visits Golden Temple
Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi visits Golden Temple in Amritsar. Earlier in the day, the state government constituted a SIT to investigate the sacrilege incident at the temple.
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Dec 19, 2021 04:46 PM IST
‘Free water’ in Chandigarh if AAP comes to power: Kejriwal
These garbage dump mountains, like in Daddu Majra Colony, will be removed. We’ll make sure Chandigarh becomes the most beautiful city in all of Asia, yet again. Water & electricity is free in Delhi. Chandigarh will also get free water: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Chandigarh pic.twitter.com/H0cyF9ff0q
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021
AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said Chandigarh will get free water similar to the national capital, if the party is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls. “These garbage dump mountains, like in Daddu Majra Colony, will be removed,” he was quoted as saying to a rally by ANI.
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Dec 19, 2021 04:24 PM IST
Happy that people voted peacefully: Bengal CM Mamata on KMC polls
TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the voter turnout recorded till now for the Kolkata civic elections is over 50%, according to ANI. “I am happy people voted peacefully. Kolkata Police is carrying out its duties efficiently,” she was quoted as saying by ANI.
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Dec 19, 2021 04:08 PM IST
PM Modi inaugurates multiple projects in Goa on state’s liberation day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates multiple projects in Goa on state’s liberation day.
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Dec 19, 2021 03:30 PM IST
Iran confirms its first case of Omicron Covid-19 variant
Iran has confirmed its first case of Omicron Covid-19 variant, state TV reported on Sunday. The country has vaccinated around 60% of its population of approximately 85 million citizens with both doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Associated Press.
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Dec 19, 2021 03:13 PM IST
SIT formed to probe Golden Temple sacrilege incident
A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed under the Amritsar DCP (law and order) to investigate the sacrilege incident at the Golden Temple. It will give its report in two days. Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who heads the home department, took stock of the situation by meeting the police officials in Amritsar. Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi is also coming to visit the Golden Temple at 4 pm.
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Dec 19, 2021 02:56 PM IST
3 injured in crude bomb blast in Kolkata during civic polls
As many as three people were injured after a crude bomb exploded in Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) ward number 36 in north-eastern part of the city, police confirmed. One person has been arrested in the case.
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Dec 19, 2021 02:50 PM IST
PM Modi attends Goa Liberation Day celebrations, pays tributes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the Sail Parade and FlyPast in Goa’s capital Panaji as part of the state’s Liberation Day celebrations. He also paid floral tributes to the Martyrs’ Memorial in the city, agencies reported.
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Dec 19, 2021 02:33 PM IST
Anurag Thakur and Uttarakhand CM Dhami launch ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in Kumaon
Union minister Anurag Thakur and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday launched ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in Bageshwar district of Kumaon in the northern state, ANI reported.
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Dec 19, 2021 02:12 PM IST
UK health minister says Omicron cases in England accounts for 60% of all new infections, reports Reuters
Britain’s health minister says Omicron cases in England accounts for 60% of all new infections, reports Reuters.
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Dec 19, 2021 01:23 PM IST
More than 21,000 people displaced by floods in Malaysia: Report
More than 21,000 people have been displaced from their homes due to flooding caused by torrential rains in Malaysia, state news agency Bernama said on Sunday.
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Dec 19, 2021 12:46 PM IST
One injured by crude bomb during Kolkata civic polls; low turnout till afternoon
A man sustained an injury in the leg when a crude bomb went off in the north-eastern part of Kolkata on Sunday morning during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections, police said. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 11:34 AM IST
‘Tiny market share’: Apple seeks dismissal of India apps market antitrust case
Apple Inc has asked India’s antitrust watchdog to throw out a case alleging abuse of market power in the apps market, saying it is too small a player in the South Asian country where Google is dominant, a filing seen by Reuters shows. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 11:20 AM IST
‘Still 2.5 years for Lok Sabha’: Shashi Tharoor hopeful of opposition unity
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is hopeful of opposition unity against the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and believes that the murmurs in different voices will come together to defeat the BJP. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 10:47 AM IST
Two political murders in under 12 hours shock Kerala
Two state-level leaders of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were killed in an apparent retaliatory attack in Alappuzha on Sunday, police said. According to the police, eleven people have been arrested in the BJP leader’s murder case. Some of them are suspected to be directly involved in the case. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 09:24 AM IST
India records 7,081 new Covid-19 cases, active caseload down by 652
India on Sunday recorded 7,081 new Covid-19 cases, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The active caseload was down by 652 and it currently stands at 83,913.
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Dec 19, 2021 08:59 AM IST
Omicron looms large in Britain: Cases surge in 24 hours, London rings the alarm
The Omicron variant of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus is spreading at a remarkable pace in the United Kingdom (UK). According to British government data, a marked surge in cases was reported in a span of mere 24 hours. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 08:32 AM IST
Two rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone, where US embassy is located: Iraqi army
Two Katyusha rockets hit Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, Iraq’s state news agency reported early on Sunday citing security forces. One rocket was destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system and the other landed near the zone’s festivals arena damaging two cars, the report added. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 07:44 AM IST
PM Modi to visit Goa today for its Liberation Day celebrations
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Goa on Sunday to attend Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Goa’s Taleigao at around 3 pm
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Dec 19, 2021 07:30 AM IST
Kolkata Municipal Corporation election today, TMC-BJP fight for 144 wards
West Bengal is set to witness another high-stakes electoral battle on Sunday, months after the all-important assembly elections and the subsequent Bhabanipur bypolls earlier this year.
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Dec 19, 2021 06:23 AM IST
Man killed over sacrilege in Golden Temple: Police
A man was beaten to death by pilgrims at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday evening after he allegedly stepped inside the central enclosure of the sanctum sanctorum where the holy book Guru Granth Sahib is placed, picked up a diamond-encrusted sword and committed sacrilege, police said. Read More
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Dec 19, 2021 06:18 AM IST
CEC was not invited to electoral reform meeting on Nov 16, says law ministry
The Union law ministry said on Saturday that the chief election commissioner (CEC) was not invited to attend a meeting on electoral reforms held on November 16 and the legislative department had, instead, asked the secretary of the poll watchdog or a representative for the event.
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Unfortunate and unfair: says Mallikarjun Kharge after Centre calls 4 parties for meeting
The proposed meeting will be held on Monday at 10 am at Rajya Sabha leader Piyush Goyal’s office. But the Opposition parties are meeting at 9.45 am to take a final call on attending the meeting.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 09:48 PM IST
Govt to meet parties over suspension of 12 MPs tomorrow: Sanjay Raut
The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and the CPI(M).

Updated on Dec 19, 2021 09:23 PM IST
India’s latest destroyer kicks off maiden trials in Arabian Sea
The navy is focused on strengthening its capabilities amid changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region. Last month, it also inducted a French-designed Kalvari class diesel-electric attack submarine, Vela.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 08:27 PM IST
Day after Golden Temple sacrilege attempt, Punjab CM blames ‘bad elements’
Speaking to reporters, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi said some “bad elements” could be behind Saturday’s incident ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab next year. “Our agencies are conducting a probe,” the chief minister added.

Updated on Dec 19, 2021 06:58 PM IST
Written by Harshit Sabarwal | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi
India’s Omicron count rises to 147; Maharashtra, Delhi have most cases
India reported the first two cases of Omicron in Karnataka on December 2 after the heavily mutated variant of the coronavirus was first reported in South Africa on November 24.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 06:35 PM IST
Bangalore Talkies: Women, Work and the Covid-19 pandemic
In the throes of the lockdown, a strange event happened in our privileged apartment community in Bengaluru. What was strange was how normal we thought it to be at that time.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 05:27 PM IST
Just trying to show the difference: Priyanka on Rahul’s ‘Hindutvavadi’ remark
Speaking to reporters, Priyanka Gandhi said Hinduism teaches honesty and love among people, while the Rashtriya Swayamsevak (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulge in politics in the name of religion.

Updated on Dec 19, 2021 05:25 PM IST
Written by Harshit Sabarwal | Edited by Sohini Goswami, New Delhi
Two political murders in 12 hours shock Kerala
The SDPI leader was attacked while he was returning home in Mannacherry on his scooter. Assailants who came in a car first hit the two-wheeler and when he fell down they stabbed him repeatedly, police said. The BJP leader was attacked on Sunday morning while he was coming out of his house for a morning stroll.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 04:26 PM IST
PM Modi inaugurates multiple development projects worth over ₹600 crore in Goa
- During the event organised at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the freedom fighters and veterans of ‘Operation Vijay’ as part of Goa Liberation Day celebrations.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 04:25 PM IST
Unhappy over low price on offer, farmer sets afire a quintal of garlic in MP
The farmer said he had invested Rs.2.5 lakh in garlic, got only Rs.1 lakh. “We do not want any bonus from the government, just the right price for our crop,” he told reporters.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 03:59 PM IST
India strategic ally of all central Asian countries: Kyrgyzstan minister
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar met with five foreign ministers to discuss trade, connectivity and Afghanistan at the India-Central Asia Dialogue.

Published on Dec 19, 2021 03:46 PM IST
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