In a statement on Sunday night, the former Prime Minister said: "In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago, and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now.
"A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024, and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.
"There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members, and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.
"And though I have reached out to both Rishi (Sunak) and Penny (Mordaunt) - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time."
Responding to Johnson's decision, the leading contender in the race, Rishi Sunak publicly praised the former Prime Minister for his achievements in Downing Street.
In a series of tweets early Monday morning, Sunak said: "Boris Johnson delivered Brexit and the great vaccine roll-out. He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine.
"We will always be grateful to him for that. Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad."
Sunak, who is now seen as a favourite to be the next Prime minister, is still being challenged by Penny Mordaunt, the current leader of the House of Commons.
The two contenders have until 2 p.m. on Monday to get the required 100 endorsements from MPs and there are a total of 357 Conservative MPs in Parliament.
MPs will hold an "indicative" ballot of the final two, with the winner then decided in an online vote of party members, to end on October 28.
According to a tally by the BBC, 155 MPs are backing Sunak and 25 are supporting Mordaunt.
The 54 MPs who had backed Johnson are yet to switch support.
She entered the final by successfully crossing four stages in the online competition.
Suara proceeded towards the concluding round by beating 50 contestants from the country
She had sent her poems to the UK Tourism Department through social media platform for the competition.
Suara said, “I request everyone to vote for me on the Facebook.”
Recently, another Koraput girl Annie Prince Nag made the State proud by qualifying for the finale of Miss India Elegant-2017 beauty pageant held in Bengaluru. The final round is scheduled to be held on September 23 and 24.
https://youtu.be/bUWxlOPmcRU
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said it was "business as usual" for the UK despite the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter as the UK was being used to stash "corrupt assets" of Putin and his allies, the BBC reported.
A report, named Moscow's Gold: Russian Corruption in the UK, points out that Russian gas giant Gazprom was able to trade bonds in London "days after the attempted murders" of Skripal and his daughter.
This undermined the UK's efforts to confront the full spectrum of Putin's offensive measures, it added.
Business between the UK and Russia had resumed so swiftly following the incident that it had prompted the Russian embassy in London to tweet: "Business as usual?"
Committee Chairman and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat wrote in the Sunday Times, ahead of the publication of the report that the UK's "lethargic response is being taken as proof that we do not dare stop them... London's markets are enabling the Kremlin's efforts".
Security and Economic Crime Minister Ben Wallace said he had not been called to give evidence to the Committee: "I fear such an omission weakens the foundation of the report," he said.
Wallace said the UK was "determined to drive dirty money and the money launderers out".
"(We) will use all the powers we have, including the new powers in the Criminal Finance Act, to clamp down on those that threaten our security," he added.
Tungendhat said ministers should investigate "gaps" in the sanctions regime which allows the Russian government and individuals linked to Putin to continue to raise funds in the city.
"The scale of damage that this 'dirty money' can do to the UK foreign policy interests dwarfs the benefit of Russian transactions in the city.
"The UK must be clear that the corruption stemming from the Kremlin is no longer welcome in our markets and we will act," the BBC quoted Tugendhat as saying.
The committee's report urges the government to show "stronger political leadership" on the issue by taking a number of actions, including: further sanctions against "Kremlin-connected individuals"; closing loopholes in the existing sanctions regime and speeding up plans to disclose transparent corporate ownership."
Film stars and directors made the one-colour statement to show support for the fight against sexual harassment against women, however, only the ribbon around Middleton's Jenny Packham dress was black, reports dailymail.co.uk.
The dress code followed by BAFTA ceremony was to show solidarity with the American Golden Globes held last month.
Middleton wore an empire line dress in a deep shade of green, which was complemented by an emerald necklace and earrings.
Perhaps in a subtle nod to the movement, she accessorised her attire with a black bow above her bump, matching her shoes and clutch handbag.
Before the ceremony, it was not made clear whether Middleton would wear an all-black outfit, with experts pointing out that royals only wear black at funerals, so supporting the cause would be a breach of protocol.
Middleton and Prince William, who is the president of BAFTA, will meet with representatives including BAFTA Chief Executive Amanda Berry, and watch the star-studded ceremony from the front row, which takes place at the Royal Albert Hall.
William will also be presenting the Fellowship award -- the ceremony's highest accolade -- to director Ridley Scott.
Dawood Ibrahim's name appears on the latest UK Treasury Department's "Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets", the Birmingham Mail reported.
The assets which have been frozen include properties in Midlands. Dawood Ibrahim owns a hotel in Warwickshire and residential properties across the Midlands, according to the report.
The Treasury sanction document lists three recorded addresses for Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan including one called The White House in the seaside Clifton area in Karachi. It also lists 21 aliases used by the don.
The sanctions prohibit the transfer of funds to anyone on the list and freezes any assets the targets may hold in the UK.
The Indian investigators had been pursuing Dawood Ibrahim's assets in the UK and visited the Midlands in 2015 to identify his assets.
According to an Enforcement Directorate official, a large chunk of Dawood Ibrahim's money has been invested in the UK and in Dubai and India.
Dawood Ibrahim is also reported to have properties in Dartford and Essex and in central London.
Dawood Ibrahim is on India's most wanted list for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. UN documents identify him as an associate of Al Qaeda while the US Treasury Department declared him a global terrorist in 2013.
Dhoni has been in superb form in the ongoing Indian Premier League and has so far amassed 358 runs from 11 matches for the Chennai Super Kings. Gavaskar feels the stumper-batsman will be crucial to India posting defendable totals in the mega-event starting May 30 in the United Kingdom.
"I think it will be very important because we have a fabulous top-three. But in case the top-three don't make their usual contribution, then Dhoni's contribution down the order, whether it's at number four or five, will make a big difference in India posting a defendable total," Gavaskar told PTI here on Thursday.
Gavaskar was speaking after opening the 'Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani International Centre for Child Care' in Kharghar, around 40km from Mumbai.
The veteran of 125 Tests announced that he will sponsor 34 life-saving heart surgeries for children from economically and socially-challenged sections of the society.
Gavaskar also spoke highly of Dhoni's wicket-keeping skills and how they aid skipper Virat Kohli in making field placements.
"...we have seen the wicket-keeping skills that he has. But more importantly as somebody who stands close to the wicket, guiding the spinners where to bowl, guiding the other bowlers also where to ball and making those little field adjustments...," he elaborated.
"...(Virat) Kohli, whose brilliant fielding makes it imperative for him to stand in the deep, at long-off/long-on may be, is unable to see those little changes of the back-ward point fielder moving a little bit to his right or little bit to his left, similarly square-leg fielder moving.
"So those are the kind of changes Dhoni will be able to bring about with Kohli's, of-course, full backing as well," the scorer of 34 Test hundreds explained.
Gavaskar also said the fact that Dhoni has already led India to the 2011 World Cup triumph would make his experience all the more valuable.
"And when you have somebody who's actually been in a position where he's taken the stress and taken the team to a win as he did in 2011 (World Cup), that is invaluable in your team.
"So Dhoni's contribution is going to be massive," Gavaskar signed off.
(Story By: Nikhil Bapat)
Pant was initially ignored as Dinesh Karthik was picked in the 15-member WC squad, triggering mixed reactions from experts as well as fans.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly had said that Virat Kohli and Co. would miss the big-hitting wicketkeeper batsman in the mega event after his exploits for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) enhanced his reputation as a match winner.
Pant scored 488 runs in 16 matches including three half-centuries in the IPL. While the team management felt he is still not ready for the biggest stage, Pant made no bones about the fact that World Cup was on his mind during the IPL.
Now with Dhawan fracturing his thumb during India's second World Cup assignment against Australia, the doors have opened for the 21-year-old stumper-batsman.
Pant is yet to be named as replacement for Dhawan as the BCCI is still hopeful that the India opener will recover from his injury in two to three weeks.
Moments after Pant's name surfaced, Twitter was awash with memes such as "Why do you think I came all this way?" which is a famous dialogue from popular HBO TV series Game of Thrones which ended recently.
A picture of Pant running to catch a flight also went viral as were few others with a baby winking and a dialogue from a Bollywood movie "Hum Saath Saath Hain" which says "ye sach hai ki bhagwan hai (it's true that God exists)".
Pant has so far played five ODIs and scored 93 runs at an average of 23.25.
The bilateral investment, the biggest by any country with the UK in the recent past, has resulted in multiple policy dialogues and institutional partnerships, he said.
"The United Kingdom and India have jointly invested in over 75 million pounds in bilateral academic collaborations since 2006 in the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) project," British Council's East and North East India director Debanjan Chakrabarti told PTI.
Since 2006, the UKIEIRI has been operating in three phases in India, he said.
"During this time, the project has facilitated the collaboration of more than 100 industry partners, engaged 4,500 education institutes and facilitated 25,000 academic exchanges between the UK and India," he said.
In the Northeast alone, Chakrabarti said, 10 live partnerships have been made - two under scheme for promotion of academic and research collaboration (SPARC) and eight under Research & Innovation with institutes like Dibrugarh University in Assam, IIT-Guwahati and Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST).
The third phase of the UKIEIRI, which has been running since 2017, will focus on capacity building, research and partnerships, besides skill development in higher education, the British Council official added.
In the year 1950, George Gold and Robert Newport, fathers of Richard and Jennifer respectively worked at the Machkund power project in Koraput and almost 69 years after, fate brought the couple to the place where it all began for both of them.
Their joy knew no bounds when they visited Machkund power house and captured the beautiful sight of the place on their cameras today.
On the other hand, power project workers, retired employees and local residents were filled with excitement and accorded a grand welcome to the couple who expressed their joy by remembering their childhood.
"My father was here for the hydro electric project work in 1950 and he was engaged in the tunnel and pipe works connecting to the turbines," said a nostalgic Richard.
Jennifer too expressed her excitement and said, "My father worked as an assistant engineer and built the tunnels. I was nine-month-old and my sister was four when we arrived here so I don't have any strong memories but still, it is just wonderful to be here and thinking about my parents who stayed here and enjoyed the view of mountains."
In view of this, the health department has asked senior health officials and district administration for active surveillance of persons who have returned from UK in the last 14 days, with effect from December 7, 2020.
The department has shared the list of persons returning from UK during last 14 days as shared by Delhi Disaster Management Authority. "A mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 reported from United Kingdom has been implicated to have higher transmissibility as compared to the earlier strains. It is therefore requested to undertake intense surveillance, contact tracing, RT-PCR test of all incoming passengers from the UK as well as all the persons coming in contact with the incoming passengers to prevent the spread of the mutated COVID virus in the State," H&FW has mentioned.
"Three persons have returned to Berhampur from the UK, 1 of them has been traced. Now that a new COVID strain has been identified in UK, we have to remain extra cautious at least until a vaccine arrives. Preventive actions will be initiated to regulate large congregation of public," said Ganjam Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange while flagging off of 'Covid Sachetanata Rath' in the district today.
Guidance for sample collection, storage, transport for genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2
The State Health and Family Welfare department has also issued guidelines for sample collection, storage, and transport for genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2, and the same has been addressed to the Directors of National Health Mission (NHM) and Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL), district Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, district health officials, and government hospital superintendents.
"A mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in UK which is spreading and growing rapidly. This strain has been reported to have higher transmissibility as compared to the earlier strains. Hence, intense screening of all incoming passengers frorn the UK is required to prevent spread of the mutated virus in India. All incoming passengers will be subjected to RTPCR test followed by genome sequencing at the designated laboratories," stated the H&FW department.
It is to mention here that DBT-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar has been declared as the designated laboratory for SARS-CoV-2-genome sequencing, and process of sample collection, storage and transport and sequencing would be as per the Centre's guidelines.
The officials have been asked to take necessary steps to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and adhere strictly to the guidelines for sample collection, storage, and transport of samples for sequencing at the designated laboratory.
As per reports, the girl along with her parents had returned to Odisha from UK on December 20. Though the COVID-19 reports of the girl’s parents stated negative, she has tested positive for the novel-Coronavirus, said Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner, Suvendu Sahu.
According to Sahu, the girl’s parents will undergo COVID-19 test again tomorrow. At present, all the family members are kept under institutional quarantine as per the protocols, he added.
4-year-old child, who had returned from the UK on December 20, tests positive for #Covid19. As parents of the child have been found negative, their samples will once again be sent for testing: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. #Odisha
— OTV (@otvnews) December 25, 2020
Earlier, a 34-year-old man from the Capital city had also tested positive for COVID-19 following his return from the European country on December 18.
The swab samples of the man have been sent to Pune to ascertain whether he is affected with the new mutant strain of COVID-19.
According to experts, the new mutant strain (B.1.1.7 lineage) reported in the UK is a more infectious variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Earlier Ganjam district Collector today said that at least three persons have returned to Berhampur from Britain recently.
“One of the three returnees has been traced and is under home quarantine. We have also conducted RT-PCR test twice and the results were found negative. Contact tracing for the other two is underway,” said Ganjam Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
A bulk of these British (333) visitors have arrived in Jaipur which is followed by Jodhpur (73), Ajmer (70), Alwar (48), Udaipur (43), Kota (39), Jhunjhunu (24), Ganganagar (38), Rajsamand (35) and many more, said health officials.
Rajasthan has been victim of tourists spreading the virus. The first Covid case in Rajasthan was an Italian tourist, who had come on a tour to India when his country was in the throes of the pandemic. This first case was reported on March 2, when this 69-year-old Italian tourist who was part of a group of 23 tourists tested positive for Covid-19.
"The screening and sampling work of these UK tourists have started. We are monitoring all those who have arrived from the UK. In three-four days, we shall be able to reach out to every single tourist from the UK who entered the Pink City," said Jaipur's Chief Medical Health Officer Narottam Sharma.
Additional Director (Health) Raviprakash Sharma said they have forwarded the details to district collectors and directed them to ensure isolation and testing of the tourists.
"The department is on its toes and there is no need to panic," he added.
All CMHOs have been instructed to make rapid response teams and survey the British tourists by tracking them to hotels and houses, where there is bed and breakfast options or even house guests.
The idea is to quarantine them at the earliest, the official said.
In 10 months, the Covid numbers have reached 3,03,732 in the state. Till Friday, the toll stood at 2,657.
The active cases are 11,700 while the recovered number is 2,89,375.
(With IANS Inputs)