PM Modi, Bird Flu, farmer protest, farm law, US Capitol, Elon Musk, tractor rally, Rahul Gandhi, Cold waves, New Delhi, Poultry

8 January 2021

• Nepal stops importing all poultry items from India

  Nepal has stopped importing all kinds of poultry item from India after some states in the neighbouring country recently reported the outbreak of bird flu.
  
  The ban came into effect on Thursday, officials said. Nepal's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has directed all its offices to halt the import of poultry items from India, which is the primary market for the Himalayan nation's multi-billion poultry industry.
  
  
  

• 'US Capitol attack shows impact of hatred by political leaders'

  Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the violent assault on the US Capitol showed the destructive impact of hatred by political leaders.
  
  "We are deeply troubled by Wednesday's attack on the US Capitol, which demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained, deliberate distortion of facts, and incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders," Xinhua news agency quoted Bachelet as saying in a statement issued on Thursday evening.

• Thousands of farm workers, landless labourers being mobilised for protests by BKU

  With a view to mobilise farm workers and contract labourers to proceed to the protest site at the Tikri border, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has decided to undertake a massive drive across villages near Moga, Mansa, Sangrur, Jalandhar and Patiala.
  
  
  BKU (Ugrahan) members have been actively taking meetings in these villages. Amolak Singh, the state President of Punjab Lok Sabhayarak Manch, who is overseeing the drive, said that 2,000 farm workers had already left for the massive tractor rally, and more are being mobilised.

• Farmers hold tractor rally, say it's 'rehearsal' for Jan 26

  A day ahead of the next round of talks with the Union government, thousands of farmers protesting on the Delhi borders organised a 'tractor march' on Thursday amid tight security, describing the event as a "rehearsal" for a similar roadshow proposed on January 26 to oppose the three new Central farm laws.
  
  The farmers are also giving training to women to drive tractors in several districts of Haryana and also to the women participating in the agitation at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border, who are set to join the tractor parade on Republic Day.

• Elon Musk's becomes World's Richest Person

  Elon Musk, the outspoken entrepreneur behind Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, is now the richest person in the world. 

  Elon Musk surpassed Jeff Bezos on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world's 500 wealthiest people, thanks to a 4.8% rally in the electric carmaker's share price Thursday. But even as his net worth touched a staggering $188.5 billion, Mr Musk himself was raring to go back to work. 

• Farmers toughen stand on 3 laws ahead of talks with govt

  The farmers' agitation against the farm laws entered the 44th day on Friday with the groups showing no signs of budging from their stand ahead of the eighth round of talks with the government slated to take place later in the day.
  
  The meeting is being held a day after the farmers held the tractor March on the Eastern and Western Peripheral Highway on the Delhi borders in which over 5,000 tractors and trolleys took part. The farmer leaders will arrive at the Vigyan Bhawan where the meeting is likely to be held at 2 p.m.

• Mercury drops to 9.6 degrees C in Delhi

  The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius on Friday, a drop by five notches from 14.4 degrees Celsius logged a day before, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
  
  Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for Delhi, recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius. The same temperature was recorded at Lodhi Road, followed by 10.3 degrees Celsius at Ridge, 10.5 at Ayanagar and 11.2 at Palam.

• Speak up for farmers to scrap farm laws: Rahul Gandhi

  Ahead of the eighth round of talks between the farmers and the government, the Congress leaders on Friday appealed to the people to speak up for the farmers.
  
  Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, "Peaceful protest is a part of democracy, our farmer brothers and sisters who are protesting are getting support from the nation, you also raise your voice and join your voice with them so that the farm laws are scrapped."

• PM Modi condoles demise of Professor Chitra Ghosh

  The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the demise of Professor Chitra Ghosh.

  In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Professor Chitra Ghosh made pioneering contributions to academics and community service. I recall my interaction with her, when we discussed many subjects including declassification of files relating to Netaji Bose. Saddened by her demise. Condolences to her family. Om Shanti."