Connect with us
Saturday,13-September-2025
Breaking News

National News

COVID-19 Update: India Reports Over 743 Fresh Coronavirus Cases, 7 Deaths In Last 24 Hours

Published

on

Delhi, December 30: India recorded 743 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The total active caseload increased by seven, reaching 3,997, according to the Union Health Ministry. As per official data, seven deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours, three in Kerala two in Karnataka, and one each in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,12,484 with an increase of 743 cases in the last 24 hours. 

41,797 tests conducted in the last 24 hours 

The death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to, 5,33,358 reflecting an increase of seven deaths in the last 24 hours. 41,797 tests were done on 29th December 2023, as per the official report by the Indian Council of Medical Research. India reported a total of 145 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 till December 28. 

145 fresh cases of the JN.1 variant were reported 

The death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to, 5,33,358 reflecting an increase of seven deaths in the last 24 hours. 41,797 tests were done on 29th December 2023, as per the official report by the Indian Council of Medical Research. India reported a total of 145 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 till December 28. 

145 fresh cases of the JN.1 variant were reported 

“A total of 145 cases of JN.1 variant have been reported till December 28. These samples were collected between November 21 and December 18, 2023,” official sources told ANI. Notably, the JN.1 sub-variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola. The first case of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 was reported in Kerala. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

National News

Kalyan: KDMC Collects Over 2,300 Tons Of Garbage Under Special Cleanliness Drive

Published

on

Over 2,300 tons of garbage have been collected across six wards of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) under a special cleanliness campaign implemented through a private agency.

KDMC officials said the civic body has adopted the Chennai Pattern of waste management in its jurisdiction and appointed Sumit Elkoplast, a private organization, to handle garbage collection and transportation. The initiative was launched in May this year.

So far, the transfer of waste management responsibilities in six of the seven identified wards—D, J, F, C, H, and I—has been completed, while the remaining ward is in the final stage of transitioning.

According to the civic body, the Initial Total Area Cleaning (ITAC) campaign led to the collection of 2,363 tons of garbage during the drive. Moving forward, garbage collection will be carried out three times a day in these wards.

To prevent littering in open spaces, compactor containers have been placed at strategic locations. Officials said the campaign is receiving a positive response from citizens, with visible improvements in cleanliness across the wards.

D Ward – 436 tons

J Ward – 816 tons

F Ward – 68 tons

C Ward – 41.16 tons

H Ward – 146 tons

I Ward – 856 tons

Continue Reading

Crime

Punjab: Huge haul of arms seized along Indo-Pak border; two held

Published

on

Chandigarh, Sep 12: In a remarkable display of intelligence-driven coordination and operational excellence, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police have conducted a joint operation and recovered a big haul of arms and ammunition, comprising 16 pistols, and arrested two smugglers, the border guarding force said on Friday.

The recovery comes just hours after one of the largest seizures of pistols in recent times, in which two smugglers were apprehended and a huge cache of arms, comprising 27 pistols and ammunition, was seized. Both seizures were reported in the Fazilka sector.

The latest one was carried out by the BSF intelligence wing in close collaboration with the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of Fazilka in Theh Kalandar village. The tactically executed operation culminated with the seizure of 16 pistols, 38 magazines, 1,847 rounds and 01 motorcycle, alongside the apprehension of two smugglers.

The operation was set in motion following an intelligence input received by the BSF intelligence wing, indicating a potential smuggling attempt in the border area of Fazilka, the border guarding force said.

This significant operation decimated Pakistan’s larger narco-terror plot, thus effectively dismantling a potential threat to national security.

Earlier, a joint strategic ambush of the BSF and police was laid near Mahar Khiwa Mansa village. After a patient wait of many hours, the ambush team noticed suspicious movement in the wee hours and successfully apprehended one criminal, and recovered 27 pistols, 54 magazines and 470 rounds from a big sack in his possession.

The BSF said after sustained questioning of the accused, the team managed to apprehend his associate from the same village. The accused are residents of Teja Rohella and Mahar Jamsher village, respectively.

Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that this huge weapon consignment was sourced from Pakistan through a foreign-based entity, intended for use by criminal gangs in the state.

The arrested accused individuals were attempting to deliver these arms to ground operatives of criminal groups at the direction of their foreign handlers.

Continue Reading

Business

Stock market ends week on positive note, clock 8 consecutive session gains despite uncertainties

Published

on

Mumbai, Sep 12: The Indian equity indices ended the week on a positive note on Friday, maintaining the winning streak for the eight consecutive trading sessions despite geo-political uncertainties.

Optimism over a potential rate cut by the US Fed, positive developments in India-US trade talks and buying in defence stocks fueled the market sentiment.

Sensex settled the session at 81,904.70, up 355.97 points or 0.44 per cent. The 30-share index started trading with a decent gap-up at 81,758.95 against last day’s closing of 81,548.73. The index extended the momentum further amid positive global cues to hit an intraday high at 81,992.85.

Nifty closed at 25,114.0, up 108.50 points or 0.43 per cent.

The national market closed at a three-week high, supported by renewed global optimism over a potential Fed rate cut. Sentiments improved further on reports that the EU may reject U.S. tariff proposals on India for buying Russian oil, analysts said.

Progress in the US-India trade talks is also expected to keep the positive momentum intact in the near term. The defence sector outperformed, aided by the Indian procurement authorities beginning negotiations for six next-generation conventional submarines, analysts added.

BEL, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj FinServ, Axis Bank, Maruti, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, L&T, Infosys, and PowerGrid were the top gainers from the Sensex basket. Eternal, Hindustan Unilever, Trent, Asian Paint, Bharati Airtel and ITC settled lower.

The majority of sectoral indices settled higher. Nifty Fin Services jumped 184 points or 0.70 per cent, Nifty Bank escalated 139 points or 0.26 per cent, Nifty Auto increased 122 points or 0.46 per cent, and Nifty IT settled the session 107 points or 0.3 per cent. Nifty FMCG fell.

Broader indices followed suit as well. Nifty Smallcap 100 moved 114 points or 0.64 per cent, Nifty Midcap 100 jumped 183 points or 0.32 per cent, and Nifty 100 closed 106 points or 0.41 per cent.

Rupee traded positively with gains of 0.18 per cent at 88.27 as mixed FII inflows supported sentiment.

“The dollar index remained weak below 98, providing additional strength to the rupee, while ongoing trade deal talks with the US also added optimism. Weakness in crude prices offered further minor support,” said Jateen Trivedi f LKP Securities.

Overall, the rupee looks set to gain some lost ground with scope to test 87.75 in the coming days, while 88.50 is seen as a reversal resistance zone, he added.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending