Breaking News LIVE: Night Curfew Back In 8 Major Cities Of Gujarat From Dec 25 Due To Covid Surge

Breaking News LIVE, December 24, 2021: This LIVE Blog brings to you the latest breaking news of upcoming polls, details on Covid variant Omicron & other news around.

Background

Breaking News LIVE, December 24, 2021: Hello and Welcome to the Daily Live Blog of ABP Live! We bring you the latest breaking news and updates from the day.Gujarat on Thursday reported seven new Omicron cases, all of them in areas under the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, taking the state's tally of the new Covid variant to 30. The new cases include three children below 12 years of age, the state health department said."Considering the rise in Omicron cases, we have stepped up contact tracing and testing of foreign returnees, especially from the 'At Risk' nations. Earlier, we used to test them on the sixth and the eighth day after arrival, but now we will be collecting their samples on the third, fifth and the eighth day of arrival," Manoj Agrawal, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), told IANS.Meanwhile, Gujarat also reported 111 fresh Covid cases and two deaths on Thursday, against 78 recoveries. The state's active caseload presently stands at 668. More than 2.13 lakh doses of Covid vaccine were administered on Thursday, taking the statewide total count beyond 8.78 crore.Two terrorist associates, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT, were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam and incriminating materials recovered from their possession, officials said on Thursday.Police said acting on specific input, a joint team of Budgam police, the army's 2 RR and the CRPF apprehended two terrorist associates from Magam area of Budgam.They have been identified as Mohammad Shafi Ganai, resident of Kawoosa Khalisa and Zahoor Ahmad Chopan, resident of Mamoosa Pattan. Incriminating materials were recovered from their possession.

24/12/2021 23:38:21

Sarojini Nagar Shops To Operate On Odd-Even Basis For Dec 25 & Dec 26

Shops/ street vendors in Sarojini Nagar Market shall follow odd-even operations for the weekend of December 25 and December 26.

24/12/2021 22:14:58

Mamata Banerjee Visits St. Paul's Cathedral Ahead Of Christmas Celebrations

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday visited the St. Paul's Cathedral in Kolkata to offer prayers ahead of Midnight Mass celebrations on Christmas Eve.

24/12/2021 21:19:27

Maharashtra Announces Fresh Covid Curbs As Omicron Spreads Alert

Maharashtra government has announced fresh Covid-19 guidelines: Gathering of more than 5 persons in public places across the state prohibited from 9 pm-6 am, only 100 people allowed in indoor weddings and not more than 250 in outdoor weddings. Additionally, gyms, spas, hotels, theaters and cinema halls in the state will operate with 50 per cent capacity.

24/12/2021 19:45:18

Night Curfew Back In 8 Major Cities Of Gujarat From Dec 25

Night curfew to be in force from 11pm to 5am daily in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh from 25th December, in view of current COVID19 situation: Gujarat Chief Minister's Office

24/12/2021 14:09:20

Breaking News LIVE: Priyanka Gandhi Slams 'Hate Speeches' At Haridwar Event, Demands Strict Action

 Reacting sharply to hate speeches allegedly made at a 'Dharma Sansad' held recently in Haridwar, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday demanded the strictest action against those who incite violence, saying such acts violate the Constitution and the law.

All-India Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale has also demanded action against the organisers and the speakers of the 'Dharma Sansad' held in Haridwar, where "hate speeches" were allegedly made against Muslims.

He has lodged a complaint against it at the Jwalapur police station in Haridwar district.

Hitting out at the remarks made at the Haridwar conclave, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Strictest action should be taken against those who incite hatred and violence of this kind."

"It is despicable that they should get away with making an open call to murder our respected ex-PM and unleash violence against people of different communities," she tweeted.

Such acts violate our Constitution and the law of our land, the Congress general secretary added.

Several opposition leaders, including those from the Congress and the TMC, had on Thursday condemned what they said was a "hate speech conclave" held in Haridwar and called for strict action against those involved.

24/12/2021 13:52:58

Breaking News LIVE: Delhi HC Takes Note Of Overcrowding At Sarojini Nagar

Delhi High Court has taken note of the overcrowding at Delhi's Sarojini Nagar market and has directed the concerned SHO to appear in the post-lunch hearing today.

24/12/2021 13:41:44

Breaking News LIVE: EC To Visit UP Next Week And Review Omicron Situation

Uttarakhand | Next week we'll go to UP and review the situation there and then take an appropriate decision: CEC Sushil Chandra on Allahabad High Court requesting Election Commission of India to immediately ban election rallies & postpone the Assembly polls

24/12/2021 13:04:10

Breaking News LIVE: Person Who Died In Blast Was Handler, Says Police On Ludhiana Court Room Explosion

The blast (in Ludhiana court) occurred at 12:22 pm, yesterday (Dec 23)... Preliminary investigation suggests that the person who died in the blast was the handler/criminal. Forensic experts, bomb experts looking into the matter: Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police

24/12/2021 12:42:34

Breaking News LIVE: Andhra Pradesh Registered Two Omicron Cases

Andhra Pradesh on Friday reported two more positive case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 taking the tally of the new strain to four.

The two new cases were reported from Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts, an official said, adding both persons arrived from foreign countries.

A 39-year old woman who recently arrived from Kuwait, tested positive for the Omicron variant, East Godavari District Medical and Health Officer K V S Gowriswara Rao said.

The woman who landed at Vijayawada on December 19 tested positive for COVID-19 and her samples were sent to CCMB Hyderabad for genome sequencing and the result was declared as Omicron positive on December 23, the official said.

"She is presently in home isolation and doing well. Her primary contacts tested negative," the DMHO told PTI.

A 33-year old man landed in Visakhapatnam from UAE on December 15. He suffered from fever and underwent treatment also. His samples were sent to CCMB for genome sequencing which resulted in positive for Omicron, a Vizag health department official said.

24/12/2021 11:53:44

Breaking News LIVE: PM Modi To Hold Council Of Ministers Meet On Dec 29

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a Council of Minister meet on 29th December, as reported by ANI.

24/12/2021 11:30:07

Breaking News LIVE: PM Modi To Address Guruparab Celebrations In Gujarat On Dec 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Gurudwara Lakhpat Sahib in Kutch, Gujarat tomorrow, 25 December around 12:30 pm, via video conferencing: Prime Minister's Office

24/12/2021 11:23:58

Breaking News LIVE: Bengal Govt Issues Advisory Ahead Of X-Mas Day Celebrations

WB Health Department issues fresh advisory to citizens before December 25 on Omicron.

Citizens are being advised to wear mask (must), complete doses of vaccine , maintain physical distance and repeat hand sanitise.

Added the that health department is starting a new RT-PCR test to get primary indication of omicron presence in sample.

That is called a S-gene missing RT-PCR test.

24/12/2021 11:09:10

Breaking News LIVE: Punjab Govt To Waive Off Up To Rs 2 Lakh Debt For Farmers

Punjab govt has decided to waive off debt up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers who have land up to 5 acres - to be implemented in 10 days. We've also waived off debt of landless labourers; decision to form a Commission for General category has been passed: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

24/12/2021 11:02:30

Breaking News LIVE: Restaurant In Delhi's Mehrauli Sealed For Violating DDMA Guidelines

Amid rising Covid cases in the national capital, the Delhi Police has sealed a restaurant in Mehrauli for allegedly violating DDMA guidelines, officials said on Friday.

As part of a series of inspections conducted in view of latest DDMA orders for prohibiting large congregations, a flying squad team went for a surprise inspection at Diablo restaurant in Mehrauli, District Magistrate Sonalika Jivani said.

There were around 600 people at the restaurant around 10.45 pm on Thursday. The restaurant had organised an event in complete violation of prevalent Covid protocols, she said.

"Immediately, the crowd was dispersed by the tehsildar (Mehrauli) and the premises were sealed on spot for gross violation of DDMA guidelines, especially in wake of the emerging Omicron variant of Covid," Jivani said.

24/12/2021 10:57:24

Breaking News LIVE: No Evidence That Sacrilege Was Done In Kapurthala, Says Punjab CM

In Kapurthala (killing of a man for alleged sacrilege), no evidence that sacrilege was done. Matter being probed... FIR to be amended: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

24/12/2021 10:00:01

Breaking News LIVE: Sensex Jumps Over 100 Pts In Opening Trade; Nifty Tops 17,100

Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 100 points in early trade on Friday, tracking gains in index majors Infosys, TCS and HCL Tech amid a positive trend in global markets.

After a volatile opening, the 30-share index jumped 114.57 points or 0.20 per cent to 57,429.85 in the opening trade. Similarly, the Nifty advanced 28.50 points or 0.17 per cent to 17,101.10.

HCL Tech was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 2 per cent, followed by UltraTech Cement, TCS, Asian Paints, Infosys and Dr Reddy's and Wipro.

On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Bank and NTPC were among the laggards.

In the previous session, the 30-share equity benchmark jumped 384.72 points or 0.68 per cent to end at 57,315.28, and NSE Nifty advanced 117.15 points or 0.69 per cent to 17,072.60.

24/12/2021 09:29:31

Breaking News LIVE: Maha Govt To Issue Fresh Guidelines For Omicron

The Maharashtra government has decided to impose fresh restrictions in the state to avoid crowding in view of the rising cases of COVID-19, and it will issue guidelines regarding these curbs, an official said on Friday.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement late night on Thursday that the guidelines will be issued on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held talks with the members of the state COVID-19 task force. They discussed the ways to avoid crowding during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, weddings and parties at hotels and restaurants, it said.

The statement said the meeting also discussed the restrictions imposed in other states and the spike in COVID-19 in USA and Europe.

The daily coronavirus case count in Maharashtra has been rising over the past few days.

The state on Thursday reported 1,179 new coronavirus cases, a day after it saw 1,201 new infections.

On Monday, the state had added 544 cases, while the next day it had logged 825 cases

24/12/2021 09:17:13

Breaking News LIVE: NIA Files Charge Sheet In Bihar's Darbhanga Railway Station

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday, December 23, filed charge-sheet in Bihar's Darbhanga Railway Station blast case, which was carried out by LeT on June 17 this year

24/12/2021 08:48:02

Breaking News LIVE: 1 Terrorist Killed In Encounter With Secuirty Forces In J&K's Anantnag

An encounter broke out in wee hours between militants and government forces in the Momin Arwani area of South Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday.

Reports reaching that a joint team of Police and army launched a cordon and search operation in Momin Arwani. 

As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, triggering off a gunfight.

A senior police officer also confirmed about exchange of firing between militants and security forces.

One terrorist has been killed in the encounter as confirmed by J&K Police.

24/12/2021 08:19:46

Breaking News LIVE: Polling begins for 35-seat Municipal Corporation Chandigarh

Polling for the 35 seats of the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation Chandigarh began on Friday amid tight security and will continue till 5 p.m., election officials said here.

The ballots will be counted on December 27.

Electors could be seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 7.30 a.m.

"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer told IANS.

This time the city is witnessing a three-cornered contest with entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) into the fray from all 35 wards. In the past the battle was between two archrivals -- the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A total of 633,475 voters, including 301,275 women, will decide the fate of 203 candidates.

The ruling BJP made development and its achievements in the past six years as its main campaign agenda.

The Congress, having lost three successive elections to the BJP, based its campaign on anti-incumbency, saying the saffron party failed miserably to retain the tag of the 'City Beautiful'.

The AAP campaign was largely focused on replicating its successful "Delhi Model" in the city.

A total of 212 polling stations have been set up in different parts of the city. Among 694 booths, 220 are sensitive. Most of these booths are in the 13 new villages that were merged with the municipal corporation.

Unlike the 2016 civic body poll, there will be around 1,000 voters per polling booth. The figure was around 1,400-1,500 in 2016.

24/12/2021 08:18:49

Breaking News LIVE: Encounter Breaks Out In Anantnag

A gunfight between security forces and terrorists in underway in South Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday, officials said.

A joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the Mumanhal (Arwani) area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists, were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.

24/12/2021 08:12:48

Breaking News LIVE: Two terrorist associates arrested in J&K's Budgam

Two terrorist associates, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT, were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam and incriminating materials recovered from their possession, officials said on Thursday.

Police said acting on specific input, a joint team of Budgam police, the army's 2 RR and the CRPF apprehended two terrorist associates from Magam area of Budgam.

They have been identified as Mohammad Shafi Ganai, resident of Kawoosa Khalisa and Zahoor Ahmad Chopan, resident of Mamoosa Pattan. Incriminating materials were recovered from their possession.

24/12/2021 08:12:24

Breaking News LIVE: Avoid crowding in churches during Christmas, say Maha government's guidelines

 In view of concerns about the Omicron variant of coronavirus, churches should operate with 50 per cent seating capacity during Christmas festivities, said the latest guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government on Thursday.

Only a minimum number of choristers should be allowed to perform choirs inside the churches and separate mics should be given to each performer, they added.

The guidelines, issued by the state home department, also instructed that social distancing be maintained at churches, masks should be worn and hand sanitizers be made available.

People should celebrate Christmas by taking all precautionary measures to avoid viral infection as Omicron variant can spread rapidly, the guidelines said.