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Trump promises 'orderly transition' after his supporters storm U.S. Capitol; Congress certifies Biden victory
A Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on Thursday formally certified the electoral victory of Joe Biden as the next U.S. President and Kamala Harris as the Vice President in the November 3 election. The certification of the election result by Congress, usually a formality since the losing candidate would have long since conceded, was hugely acrimonious and controversial this time around as the sitting President Donald Trump continued to insist that the election was 'stolen' from him. Acting on the President's words, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol for nearly four hours in a day that saw the death of four people. As a result, the Congress, which had convened to certify Joe Biden's election victory, was evacuated midway. Both the House and Senate reconvened after a brief period to resume duties. Videos showed people breaking windows and pressing past barricades to get inside. Lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives were evacuated. After he repeatedly posted false accusations about the election, Twitter and Facebook suspended Trump's account for violating user policy. After his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Trump said in a statement tweeted by his social media director Dan Scavino, "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." "I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again," he added. India's GDP estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020-21 India's real GDP is estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020-21, as compared to a growth rate of 4.2% in 2019-20. Real GVA (Gross Valued added) at basic prices is estimated at ₹123.39 lakh crore in 2020-21, as against ₹133.01 lakh crore in 2019-20, showing a 7.2% contraction, as per advance estimates by the National Statistical Office. Only two sectors are estimated to record positive growth in GVA this year: Agriculture (3.4%) and Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & Other Utility services (2.7%) The sharpest decline in 2020-21 is expected in Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to broadcasting (-21.4%), followed by Construction (-12.6%), Mining and quarrying (-12.4%), Manufacturing (-9.4%), Public administration, defence and other services (-3.7%) and Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services (-0.8%). Farmers take out tractor march against agri laws Amid tight security, thousands of farmers on Thursday started their tractor march from protest sites — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders — against the three agriculture laws. Bharati Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that farmers participated in the march with over 3,500 tractors and trolleys.  The Kundli-Singhu to Tikri border tractor rally by farmers moves on Manesar-Palwal Highway in Haryana on January 7, 2021. "There were about 300 tractors when we flagged off the march from the Sampla toll gate. But as we joined the KMP [the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal] expressway, there were thousands more. It is no exaggeration to say there were thousands of tractors and farm vehicles joining us on the road," said AIKS joint secretary Vijoo Krishnan, who took part in the first stage of the march. "This is a clear warning to the Modi-led BJP government that unless the three Acts and the draft Electricity Bill are withdrawn, the struggle will continue. This is only a rehearsal, nothing in comparison to what will happen on Republic Day. Not only in Delhi, but in every state, in every district of the country, we are preparing for similar tractor parades," he added. Will farmers' protest be a 'problem' like Tablighi Jamaat, SC asks Centre Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday voiced the Supreme Court's apprehension that mass gatherings of protesting farmers could lead to a "problem similar to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation" in March last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "Same problem will arise from the farmers' protest... Don't know if they are protected from Covid-19... You must tell us what is happening," Chief Justice Bobde, heading a three-judge Bench, addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre. The court was hearing a petition seeking a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the mass gathering of migrant workers, anxious to leave the National Capital for their villages and hometowns, at the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal, as well as the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. Both incidents happened in March last year. The court issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government. It also asked Mehta to file a detailed report on its guidelines to prevent Covid-19, including restrictions on mass gatherings. Sonia asks govt. to cut excise duty on petroleum products Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday demanded that the Narendra Modi government charge the same rate of excise duty on petroleum products as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) did and give relief to common people. Excessive taxation by the Modi government has led to the highest ever price of petroleum products in the past 73 years and the government has so far collected ₹19 lakh crore in excise duty in the past six years, she said in a statement. "In the midst of a collapsing economy because of corona, the Modi government is trying to convert the disaster into an opportunity to fill its treasury. Today the price of crude oil is $50.96 per barrel or just ₹23.43 per litre. Despite this, diesel is being sold for ₹74.38 and petrol at ₹84.20 per litre. This is the highest in the last 73 years," she added.  File. The Congress president said the government was resorting to profiteering through excise duty instead of providing relief to common people. She said the repeated rise of LPG cylinder price had disturbed the household budgets. "I demand that the excise duty on petrol and diesel be similar to the UPA regime and provide immediate relief to the people. I also urge the government to annul all the three farm laws immediately and fulfill the demands of farmers," Gandhi said. In a tweet, former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that since the government was "looting" people through heavy taxes, it was refusing to bring petroleum products under the ambit of the Goods and Services tax (GST). Earlier in the day, party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to share details about the UPA's excise duty. "When the Modi government came to power in May 2014, excise duty on petrol was ₹9.20 per litre and ₹3.46 per litre on diesel. The government has increased excise duty by ₹23.78 on every litre of petrol and ₹28.37 on every litre of diesel," Surjewala said. Sourav Ganguly discharged from hospital
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was on Thursday discharged from Kolkata's Woodlands Hospital. The former Indian cricket captain, who was admitted to the hospital on January 2 after a mild heart attack, said that he was absolutely fine. "I am absolutely fine. Hopefully, I will be able to fly soon," Ganguly told reporters while coming out of the hospital. After his admission to the hospital on January 2, a coronary angiography was performed on him the same day. A team of doctors, including experts like Devi Shetty, visited and took stock of the 48-year-old former cricketer's health. Ganguly has been diagnosed with triple vessel disease and the medical board decided that treatment of two other arteries will be done after two to three weeks. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,04,03,173 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 1,50,536. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday wrote to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, urging them to take steps to curb the spike in Covid-19 cases. These States were reporting an upsurge in the number of daily new cases in the recent days, a release issued by the Health Ministry said. The States have been advised to maintain a 'strict vigil' and take steps to keep a check on the rising cases, especially in view of the new strain of the virus being observed in certain countries and which has also been reported in a few States in India. In his letter, Bhushan has drawn the attention of the States to the low and declining testing rates. Any laxity at this crucial junction may squander the results of the collective actions in containing the transmission, he noted.  A man has his face covered as a precaution against the novel coronavirus as he walks on a promenade on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai on Monday. In Brief: Madhya Pradesh will not allow entry to chicken consignments from Kerala and other southern states for the next 10 days in view of the bird flu scare in MP, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Wednesday. "Bird flu symptoms were found in chickens in Kerala and other southern states. Therefore, we have decided that no chicken from these states will be allowed to enter Madhya Pradesh for the next 10 days," Chouhan said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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