LIVE News Updates: Gujarat records 1,204 new COVID-19 cases, 2,26,508 total cases

Gujarat records 1,204 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 2,26,508; with 12 fatalities, death toll reaches 4,160: Health Department

Uttar Pradesh Government moves Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court order quashing Dr. Kafeel Khan’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA), reports Bar and Bench.

Maharashtra reports 4,259 new COVID-19 cases, 3,949 discharges, and 80 deaths today, as per State Health Department Total cases 18,76,699 Total recoveries 17,53,922 Death toll 48,139 Active cases 73,542

Air quality deteriorates to 'severe' level in Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, while it remains 'very poor' in Noida and Faridabad, and 'poor' in Gurgaon, according to data from government agency

Farmers' trolleys coming from Punjab are being stopped. We appeal govt to allow farmers to reach Delhi...If govt doesn't accept our demands before 19th Dec, then we'll start a fast from the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur on the same date: Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni

We have decided to intensify our agitation against new farm laws, Union leaders will sit on hunger strike on Dec 14, say farmer leaders

Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana & Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader meets Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

Lalu Prasad Yadav's kidney function can deteriorate any time. It's difficult to predict. It is obviously alarming & I've given it in writing to authorities: Dr Umesh Prasad, doctor treating RJD chief Lalu Yadav who is admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi

We want assurance on the MSP. We want a guarantee of the purchase of our produce under it. Farmers will be benefitted if you bring MSP Guarantee Bill: Sardar VM Singh, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee

We want MSP of all our produce including potatoes, sugarcane, grains, vegetables & milk. We don't want this guarantee in written form but we want a law for MSP now: Dungar Singh, Farmer Leader from Uttar Pradesh

Many people were feared injured after an explosion at a drug manufacturing facility in Hyderabad that triggered a fire on Saturday, reports NDTV

Andhra Pradesh: Left party members join in support of farmer unions protest against Centre's new farm laws in Krishna District "We ask the central govt. to withdraw these three anti-people laws. These laws will transfer Indian agriculture to the corporates," says a union member

Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala meets Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi: Office of the Raksha Mantri

Unfortunate that Centre's trying to stifle the voices, instead of listening to them. Farmers don't want Farm Laws. Why is Centre showing tyranny when the section -for whom laws have been formed- don't want it? I request PM to listen to farmers: SS Badal, Shiromani Akali Dal chief.

Centre's trying to defame agitation by calling it that of Khalistanis & political parties. Unfortunate that if one disagrees with them they call them anti-nationals. Ministers giving such statements must apologise publicly. We condemn Centre's attitude & such statements:SAD chief

Two women Naxals were killed in separate encounters with police in a forest area of Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, an official said on Saturday.

Puducherry posted 38 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the total number of those infected by the virus to 37,444.

Arunachal Pradesh reported its highest-ever single day recovery of COVID-19 patients as 424 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of cured persons to 16,163, a senior health department official said here on Saturday.

A white blanket covered Kashmir on Saturday as all parts of the valley received moderate to heavy snowfall, leading to the closure of roads, officials here said.

A woman Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, Director-General of Police Abhay said on Saturday.

Uttarakhand Minister Rekha Arya tests positive for COVID-19. She is asymptomatic and has isolated herself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that recovery is faster than expected and economic indicators are encouraging.

Farmers protesting at the Delhi-Ghazipur border (Delhi-UP) march towards Delhi. "With this march we want to give a message to the Govt to listen to our issues," says Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson, Bharatiya Kisan Union.

A task force team led by Dumka Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Maheshwar Mahto was gheraoed by people when it went to stop illegal coal mining in Panchwahini village in the district, officials said on Saturday.

The SDO said that when the team comprising SDPO Noor Mustafa, District Mining Officer Dilip Kumar Tanti, Shikaripada CO Amrita Kumari and Shikaripada police station in-charge Sanjay Suman reached the village on Friday people extracting coal from the illegal mines ran away.

Villagers started protesting the closure of illegal coal mines and gheraoed the team. A huge police force reached the village and dispersed the villagers who had gheraoed the team, officials said.

The SDO said that a case will be registered against those who obstructed government work. He said that there are many illegal coal mines in that area.

Superintendent of Police Amber Lakra said that locals were excavating coal illegally by digging a well-like pit there, which was stopped by a district task force led by SDO Maheshwar Mahto and SDPO Noor Mustafa.

When the team reached there, a crowd gathered and the official team was stopped from working. Some women came forward which made it difficult for the police to take action.

Additional police force was sent from the district after which the team returned.

Hanuman Beniwal, RLP leader & MP from Nagaur begins a demonstration march towards Delhi, protesting farm laws "Thousands of farmers will meet in Kothputli & then decide the further course of action. Govt should work to raise the MSP & also listen to farmers," he says

Central Intelligence should catch them. If people of a banned org are roaming amid us, put them behind bars. We haven't found any such person here, if we do we'll send them away: Rakesh Tikait, Bharatiya Kisan Union when asked if 'anti-national elements' got involved in agitation

This toll has been free since 12 am last night. Some farmers had come & it has been done for their agitation. We haven't received any order yet as to how long this will continue but farmers are saying that this will remain free till 12 am tonight: Ravi Tiwari, toll plaza incharge

How many more sacrifices would have to be made by our farmer brothers to get farm laws repealed?, asked Rahul Gandhi

Farmers head to Delhi, to join the agitation at the borders of the national capital against Central Government's Farm Laws.

Vehicles move through Shambhu Toll Plaza in Ambala after farmers closed the toll today, making it toll-free, as a part of their protest against Farm Laws

Farmers closed Bastara toll plaza in Karnal late last night, as part of their agitation against the three Farm Laws by Centre.

Polling for 48 Zilla Panchayat (ZP) constituencies in Goa began at 8 am on Saturday.

Telangana reported 635 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to over 2.77 lakh while four fatalities pushed the toll to 1,489

Jammu-Srinagar National Highway blocked due to snow accumulation at Jawahar Tunnel. Land slides and stone accmulation at several places as wel

With 30,005 new COVID-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 98,26,775 With 442 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,42,628. Total active cases at 3,59,819. Total discharged cases at 93,24,328 with 33,494 new discharges in the last 24 hours.

Farmers' protest is set to intensify on Saturday as they plan to block Delhi-Jaipur highway, a day after one of the 32 protesting unions moved the Supreme Court against the centre's contentious agricultural laws.

In yet another grim milestone, the overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 70 million mark, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.59 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Saturday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 70,131,911 and 1,592,486, respectively.

The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 15,834,965 and 294,874, respectively, according to the CSSE.

India comes in second place in terms of cases at 9,796,769, while the country's death toll soared to 142,186.

The other countries with more than a million confirmed cases are Brazil (6,781,799), Russia (2,574,319), France (2,405,210), the UK (1,814,395), Italy (1,805,873), Spain (1,730,575), Argentina (1,489,328), Colombia (1,408,909), Germany (1,298,776), Mexico (1,217,126), Poland (1,115,201) and Iran (1,092,407), the CSSE figures showed.

Brazil currently accounts for the second highest number of fatalities at 179,765.

The countries with a death toll above 20,000 are Mexico (113,019), the UK (63,603), Italy (63,387), France (57,671), Iran (51,727), Spain (47,624), Russia (45,370), Argentina (40,606), Colombia (38,669), Peru (36,499), South Africa (22,952), Poland (22,174) and Germany (21,296).