No need to panic, state fully prepared: Maharashtra Health minister on new Covid sub-strain
The state Health Department, informed that regular genome sequencing was being conducted after the detection of the new sub-variant in the state.
Another California city passes proclamation supporting ceasefire in Gaza
Another California community has joined a growing list of cities across the state that have formally approved a proclamation calling on the federal government to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. On Tuesday, nearly 200 people spoke out about the proclamation during the public comment portion at the Long Beach City Council meeting, according to the Press-Telegram. Following hours of public comment, the council voted 5-2 in favor of the proclamation. The proclamation was introduced by Council members Joni Ricks-Oddie, Roberto Uranga and Al Austin. CAPITOL POLICE ARREST 60 ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS FOR ILLEGALLY PROTESTING INSIDE ROTUNDA: REPORTS Before the formal approval, the Long Beach Community United for Peace, a group that represents the “Palestinian Community in unity with Muslim, Christian and Jewish allies and supporters from various backgrounds,” started a petition calling for the city to support calls for a ceasefire. The petition was sent to Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson on November 8, pleading for his endorsement. CONTROVERSIAL LEFT-WING ACTIVIST, 7 OTHERS ARRESTED AFTER PROBE INTO ‘BRUTAL’ ASSAULT AT CALIFORNIA PROTEST “It is with a sense of urgency and a plea for compassion that we seek your endorsement for an immediate Cease Fire in GAZA,” the letter stated. “This plea transcends complex political discourse; it is a fundamental human rights appeal. The principles of humanity should never be obscured or overridden by the tenets of warfare.” So far, about 2,400 people have signed the petition, according to the website. GUN-TOTING RABBI LEADS PUSH TO ARM, TRAIN JEWISH COMMUNITY AMID HIGH TENSIONS: VIDEO In addition to call for a ceasefire, the proclamation also calls for the release of all hostages captured by Hamas duing its invasion of Israel, the protection of all civilians on both sides of the war and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. A vigil was also held prior to the city council meeting, according to the petition website. ALEC BALDWIN GETS IN SHOUTING MATCH WITH PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS DURING NYC PROTESTS Long Beach now joins Cudahy, Richmond and Oakland in a list of cities that have all created local ordinances calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Reclaiming Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan style
Sudhir Kothari, 36, a financial analyst and adviser based in the southern Indian city of Chennai, has ordered a special five-kilogramme (11-pound) choco-truffle cake, garlands and booked dhol (drum) players. The T-shirts, badges and wristbands that he had ordered arrived in time and Rohini Silver Screens theatre has allowed him to erect a 7.4-metre (25-foot) cutout of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan for the special 9am “First Day, First Show” of Dunki, Khan’s new film that releases worldwide on Thursday. A diehard “SKRian”, as Khan’s fans call themselves, Kothari told Al Jazeera that in 2013, three to four days after “SRK sir started following me, I turned my personal Twitter account into a fan club.” Today his handle, SRKChennaiFC, has 167,600 followers. Kothari, who prefers the appellation “The Only Fan SRK Follows” to his own name, and has written a book of the same title, was busy until late Wednesday evening overseeing the arrangements at the theatre, booked for SRK fans after submitting a support letter from SRK’s production team. After garlanding and pouring milk over Khan’s cutout, they will light fireworks and dance. Inside the 550-seater theatre, too, they will dance, cut the cake and post videos on their handles with rapturous adjectives and hashtags like #DunkiReview, meant to tickle the interest of prospective ticket buyers. In all likelihood, Khan, who has 43.9 million followers on X and follows 74 people, of whom five are fan accounts, will acknowledge the celebration videos with a sweet thanks and #Dunki. Yash Paryani, the admin of SRK Universe, Khan’s biggest fan club which has 3.2 million followers on Facebook, tweeted that for December 21, fans are organising “1,000+ first day, first shows in 65 countries”. Rishil Jogani, who said he is part of “a small group of admins of Khan’s fan clubs that takes some big decisions”, told Al Jazeera that “these numbers are not 100 percent accurate,” but fans and fan clubs post them because “euphoria is very contagious. There is FOMO [fear of missing out] and it motivates people to book tickets.” All the fans Al Jazeera spoke with said that they “don’t get a penny” or any free tickets, and they do all this out of their love for Khan, hoping for one end result: “For SRK films to do wonders and for him to be happy”. Dunki, unlike Khan’s two multi-star, action-packed hits released earlier this year, is riding mostly on Khan’s shoulders and will test his box-office clout. To prepare for that, he has spent months marketing it in a way that resembles the election campaign style of India’s governing right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, the very party he has had several run-ins with in the past. But it is not clear if all this effort will pay off this time. Hopes for a hat-trick Khan and his fans are hoping Dunki will beat his previous blockbusters [Still from Dunki courtesy: Spice PR] This year has been a very happy one for Khan, 58, who returned to theatre screens after a four-year hiatus, a string of flops and a massive personal setback. His two films — Pathaan, which was released in January this year, and, Jawan [Soldier], in September — were blockbuster hits, and have made it to the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films ever. With Dunki, industry insiders said, Khan is hoping to score a hat-trick. The year of Khan’s last box-office hit, 2015, was also the year when he called out rising religious intolerance in the country, ruffling the feathers of the governing right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A concerted backlash followed, his films were trolled and threatened with calls for boycott, and it seemed that he had lost his box-office mojo after three flops and two that did middling business. In 2021, during the pandemic, his then-24-year-old son Aryan Khan was arrested, along with seven others, in an alleged drug bust on board a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. The young Khan was charged with possession, consumption and sale of illegal substances and had to spend about three weeks in jail. Seven months later, all the charges were dropped. Khan has always been outspoken and does not scare easily. He once reportedly told off a Mumbai mafia boss who was pressuring him to act in a film, “Shoot me if you want to, but I won’t work for you. I am a Pathaan,” referring to the proud, warrior clan that he is a descendent of. His public appearances always sparkled with his signature repartee. Well-read and sharp, he gave candid interviews and would appear regularly on reality and comedy TV shows, especially while promoting his films. But after his son was arrested and attempts were allegedly made to extort money from Khan, he went quiet and retreated from public view. He made no statement on his son’s arrest and the allegations against him, and stopped meeting the press or making appearances on TV shows. The only connection he continued to maintain was with his fans, online and offline and today it is one of the biggest and most active fan communities of a Bollywood star. Khan’s son Aryan, centre, was arrested in an alleged drug bust [File: Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo] When Pathaan was released in January, Khan’s fans across the world bought 50,000 tickets for the first day, first show, said Paryani. For Jawan, they beat their own record and bought 85,000 tickets. With a total gross earning of 21 billion rupees ($253m) at the box office, Khan is now being credited for reviving Bollywood, which had been struggling for a hit for the last few years. “There’s a well thought out strategy behind what we have seen — Shah Rukh Khan as a phenomenon in 2023,” Girish Johar, producer and film business expert, told Al Jazeera. “The films were positioned, marketed and released in such a manner that his fan base, box-office numbers and his craze increases day by day, with every film,” he said. Pathaan, a multi-star film with big Bollywood
Beyond Australia’s failed referendum: Truth, treaty and voice in Victoria
Melbourne, Australia – In October this year, a referendum to establish an Indigenous “Voice to Parliament” in the Australian Constitution was heavily defeated at the polls. Had the vote passed, an advisory group would have been established to make recommendations to the federal government to alleviate the social and economic inequalities experienced by Indigenous people. In the referendum, 60 percent of Australians voted against the proposal in a campaign marred by disinformation and public racism. Still, 25-year-old Jordan Edwards remains pragmatic. “You can’t lose something you never had,” he told Al Jazeera. The Gunditjmara, Waddawurrung and Arrernte man is a newly-appointed member in the southern state of Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly. Similar to the proposed Voice to Parliament, the First Peoples’ Assembly was established in 2020 to advance treaty negotiations with the state government. Separate from the federal government, Australian states have the capacity to introduce such initiatives, despite the failure of the national referendum. Currently, only Victoria and Queensland have committed to the treaty process. Edwards also acts as the Youth Voice convener, engaging with Indigenous young people around the state to educate them about a process that aims to secure an agreement between local Indigenous groups, known as “traditional owners” and the government, which would allow some self-determination and decision making on matters affecting the community, including land use and resources. Australian Rock group Yothu Yindi has long called for a treaty between Australian governments and Indigenous people [File: AP] Edwards says it is important that Indigenous young people are included in these conversations. “I think for young people, [treaty] always been an Elders’ fight, or their parents’ fight. And now, realising that’s on our doorstep, I think we need to grapple with that conversation,” he said. Looking to the future Calls for a treaty between Indigenous Australians and both state and federal governments have been echoing for decades, including in the 1991 hit song Treaty, by Indigenous band Yothu Yindi. Unlike Canada and New Zealand, the British colonial powers did not form treaties with Indigenous people in Australia, instead declaring the land “terra nullius” – nobody’s land – a legal fiction that took more than 200 years to be overturned. Victoria’s state government committed to establishing a treaty process in 2018, which is set to be cemented in 2024. Edwards says a treaty is important for Indigenous communities and could especially affect young people into the future. “They are our largest demographic in our population. So, we actually need young people there because it will affect them as a majority,” he said. While non-Indigenous Australia has an ageing population, Indigenous communities have far more younger people. A 2021 census showed there were 60,000 Indigenous people in Victoria, with about half of them under the age of 25. Edwards’s focus on young people is shared by Esme Bamblett who is also an elected member of the First Peoples Assembly and the Elders’ Voice convener. “We need to think about seven generations’ time,” she told Al Jazeera. “Personally, in seven generations’ time, I’d like my children and my descendants to have generational wealth, I want them to have every opportunity just like everybody else. I want them to know that they are strong and to be proud of who they are and have a strong identity as Aboriginal people.” A traditional smoking ceremony took place ahead of the Yoorrook Commission [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] Bamblett said the inclusion of an Elders’ Voice at a parliamentary level was important not only to highlight the challenges Indigenous elders face but also to reflect Indigenous cultural protocols. “A very important part of our culture has been respect for our elders,” she said. “The heads of all the families were the Elders, and the Elders would get together and they would then decide on issues and actions and there would be a consensus of opinion about what would happen. You learn from a very young age to respect your elders, and to listen to them.” Indigenous people had lived on the continent now known as Australia for more than 65,000 years, when the British sailed into Botany Bay in 1788. Their declaration of “terra nullius” paved the way for violent colonisation in the 1800s and punitive assimilation policies that removed Indigenous children from their families well into the late 20th century. Known as the Stolen Generations, this attempt at assimilation was buttressed by strict immigration laws which excluded non-Europeans, known as the “White Australia” policy. Those policies’ negative legacy continues to be felt by the more than 30 Indigenous nations that live in the state of Victoria. “Out-of-home care, the incarceration rates, unemployment – all these things have really impacted on our mob [communities],” Bamblett told Al Jazeera. “And there’s a lot of our elders who are caring for their grandchildren.” Truth for change Similar to the structure of the proposed – and defeated – Voice to Parliament, Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly is made up of 32 members elected by local Indigenous communities who each represent the concerns and cultures of traditional owner groups. First Peoples’ Assembly Co-Chair Ngarra Murray told Al Jazeera that Indigenous people needed to be “in the driver’s seat when it comes to the issues that affect us”. “To be able to distil and articulate the views of our communities is powerful in itself and provides us with a strong platform to advocate for and against certain policies and practices that affect our communities,” she said. Victoria Police Chief Shane Patton publicly apologised for the systemic racism experienced by Indigenous people at the hands of the police when he appeared at the Yoorrook Justice Commission [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] Murray – who is from the Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples – said self-determination was vital if the impacts of colonisation were to be rectified. “We are the experts on our own lives, we just need the freedom and the power to make the decisions about our culture, communities and country,” she said. Alongside the First
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 666
As the war enters its 666th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, December 21, 2023. Fighting Nine people, including four children, were injured in Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, as Russia also targeted the capital Kyiv, the second-largest city of Kharkiv and other regions with drones and missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force said air defence systems destroyed 18 out of 19 Russian attack drones and that Russia fired two surface-to-air guided missiles at Kharkiv. No casualties were reported. Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun acknowledged that Russian forces were gaining ground around the industrial city of Avdiivka. Sthupun told Ukrainian television the Russians had “advanced by one and a half to two kilometres [0.3 to 1.2 miles] in some places” since October 10, but it had “cost them a lot”. The evening update from the Ukrainian General Staff reported 89 incidents of Russian ground attacks on seven sections of a front line that extends for about 1,000km (600 miles). There were 31 attacks near Avdiivka, it added. Ukraine’s Armed Forces are taking up a more defensive posture after a months-long counteroffensive failed to achieve a significant breakthrough, the United Kingdom’s Defence Ministry said in its latest assessment of the war. It said Ukraine was improving field fortifications along the front line. Politics and diplomacy The Kremlin said there was no current basis for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and that Kyiv’s proposed peace plan was absurd because it excluded Russia. “We really consider that the topic of negotiations is not relevant right now,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “severe” response to foreign agents who try to help Ukraine by engaging in sabotage in Russia. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich lost his attempt at the European Union’s top court to overturn the sanctions the EU imposed on him after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. German federal prosecutors said they aim to seize more than 720 million euros ($789 million) from an unnamed Russian bank it suspects of trying to violate Western sanctions. Ukraine’s biggest mobile operator Kyivstar said it had fully restored its services in the country and overseas following a huge cyberattack last damaged IT infrastructure and affected air raid alert systems. More than half of Ukraine’s population are Kyivstar subscribers. A Russian court fined Google 4.6 billion roubles ($50.84m) for failing to delete so-called “fake” information about the war in Ukraine and other topics, according to the state TASS news agency. Yekaterina Duntsova, a 40-year-old independent politician, has declared her intention to run in Russia’s 2024 presidential election [Vera Savina/AFP] Yekaterina Duntsova, a 40-year-old former broadcast journalist, put her name forward to stand in Russia’s presidential election on a platform “for peace and democratic processes”. Duntsova has previously called for an end to the war in Ukraine and the release of political prisoners including opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The 40-year-old needs 300,000 signatures from across Russia by January 31 to support her candidacy. Vladimir Putin is expected to win in a landslide. Weapons Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister for strategic industries, said Kyiv plans to manufacture 1 million reconnaissance and attack drones as well as more than 11,000 medium- and long-range attack drones next year. The figure includes at least 1,000 drones with a range of more than 1,000km (620 miles), he said. Japan is considering allowing Patriot missile transfers to Ukraine, according to a report in Nikkei. Adblock test (Why?)
COVID-19 variant JN.1: Delhi-NCR on toes after first case found in Ghaziabad, know how other states are faring
BJP councillor in Ghaziabad Amit Tyagi was infected and found to be COVID-19 positive.
Mumbai Police impose Section 144 till Jan 18, drones and gliders banned
The police has also banned drones, paragliders and other flying objects.
Alabama mayor resigns, pleads guilty to using inmates, city employees for private labor
The mayor of a small city in Alabama has resigned and pleaded guilty to 15 misdemeanor counts of using city employees and inmates to perform private work for him while they were working or in custody. Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail, 60, on Tuesday entered the plea to use of office for personal gain, agreed to resign and publicly apologized. “I am truly sorry for the harm and inconvenience brought about by this,” Hanceville wrote in his apology. “I never wanted to bring any negativity to Hanceville. I love Hanceville and the people of Hanceville. I would never do anything to intentionally harm the city. Again, I am truly sorry.” FORMER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI CITY EMPLOYEE GETS PROBATION FOR ART GRANT WIRE FRAUD SCHEME Since 2008, Nail has served as mayor in the city which lies between the cities of Birmingham and Huntsville and has a population of about 3,200. Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced the multi-count indictment against Nail last month. The initial charges were felony crimes but reduced to misdemeanors in the plea deal. The crimes happened between Sept. 30, 2019, and Sept. 29, 2023, court records show. According to the indictment, Nail routinely solicited former Police Chief Bob Long to perform work at Nail’s home while the chief was on duty, and he had another employee, Joshua Howell, drive to Georgia in a city vehicle while on duty to perform work on a trailer owned by Nail and his wife. Nail also used three former jail inmates to do work at his home while they were in custody, the indictment alleges. As part of the plea, Crocker said Nail was ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution, a $2,500 fine, perform 120 hours of community service and will be on probation for 15 years, which prohibits working for any public or governmental entity during probation, al.com reported. “The trust between the people and their government must remain strong. Mr. Nail pleaded guilty, admitted to his misconduct, and also apologized to the citizens of Hanceville for his actions,’’ Crocker said. “I believe this swift resolution is balanced and shows both consideration for admitting guilt and that elected officials who violate the public trust will be held accountable.” Nail was represented by attorneys Michael Whisonant and Richard Jaffe, who said they were pleased with the resolution of the case. “Mayor Nail cares deeply for the citizens Hanceville, and has given most of his adult life to the service of the citizens of Cullman County,” according to a statement from the lawyers. “He also greatly appreciates all the people that have reached out and supported him through this difficult process, and is happy this is behind him.”
INDIA bloc MPs to hold march over suspension from Vijay Chowk to Parliament House today
The floor leaders of the INDIA bloc will hold a meeting on Thursday morning at the office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
California Lt. Gov. calls for state to ‘explore every legal option’ to remove Trump from ‘24 ballot
A day after the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024, California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is asking the Golden State’s Secretary of State to “explore every legal option” to do the same. Kounalakis sent a letter to Secretary of State Shirley Weber, dated Wednesday, Dec. 20, and referencing Colorado’s recent ruling which stated Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a presidential candidate because of his role in “inciting an insurrection” on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy,” Kounalakis, who launched a campaign to run for California governor in 2026, wrote. “Specifically, the Colorado Supreme Court held in Anderson v. Griswold (2023 CO 63) that Trump’s insurrection disqualifies him under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment to stand for presidential re-election. Because the candidate is ineligible, the court ruled, it would be a ‘wrongful act’ for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on that state’s presidential primary ballot.” The gubernatorial candidate told the Secretary of State that California “must stand on the right side of history,” and is “obligated to determine” if the former president is ineligible to be on the ballot for the same reasons he was deemed ineligible in Colorado. COLORADO SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIES TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT Kounalakis said Colorado’s decision could be the basis for California’s decision. “The constitution is clear: you must be 35 years old and not be an insurrectionist,” Kounalakis wrote, though in an earlier version of the letter that hit social media, the Lt. Gov. wrote, “you must be 40 years old…” POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP She also said this is not a matter of political gamesmanship, but instead is a “dire matter that puts at stake the sanctity of our constitution and our democracy.” Colorado’s disqualification was made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and tied to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The 4-3 ruling is stayed until Jan. 4 because of likely appeals. Three justices on the Colorado Supreme Court dissented. DEMOCRATS DROP ‘BIDENOMICS’ AS SOME VOTERS COMPLAIN IT’S ‘TONE-DEAF’: REPORT “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” In a previous ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot but found that Trump “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement that she would “continue to follow court guidance on this important issue.” CALIFORNIA LT. GOV. ELENI KOUNALAKIS ANNOUNCES GUBERNATORIAL BID FOR 2026 “The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is barred from the Colorado ballot for inciting the January 6 insurrection and attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. This decision may be appealed,” Griswold wrote. The 14th Amendment states: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” Disqualification lawsuits relating to Trump’s appearance on the ballot are pending in 13 states, including Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin. Bill Mears and Adam Sabes of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.