From the Newsroom: No night curfew in Karnataka

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, No night curfew in Karnataka; A Covid-19 positive woman, who recently arrived from the UK was picked up from Rajamahendravaram; The BCCI's governing body ratifies the entry of two new franchises in the IPL to make it a 10-team affair from 2022 and government again invites protesting farmer unions for talks

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Here are the top news of December 24, 2020:

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa withdrew the night curfew just six hours before it was to be imposed on Thursday.

“Based on experts’ opinion, it was decided to impose a night curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the new Covid-19 strain detected in Britain and other countries. However, in the wake of public opinion that a night curfew is not necessary, it has been decided to withdraw it after discussions with Cabinet colleagues and senior officials,” Yediyurappa said in a statement.

He urged citizens to impose self-restraint by wearing face masks and ensuring social distancing. He asked citizens to avoid “unnecessary” travel and strictly follow Covid-19 regulations of the government “to help stop the spread of the virus.”

A Covid-19 positive woman, who allegedly managed to give the slip to authorities in Delhi after her recent arrival from the UK and reach Andhra Pradesh by train, was picked up from Rajamahendravaram and admitted to a hospital along with her son, officials said.

Their swab samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune to determine whether she contracted the new strain of Covid-19, detected in the United Kingdom, a Health department official said.

The BCCI's governing body on Thursday ratified the entry of two new franchises in the IPL to make it a 10-team affair from 2022 and also decided to back the ICC's push for cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ahmedabad.

"Two new teams will be introduced in the 2022 IPL," a Board source told PTI. It is learnt that time at hand is too short for even a nine-team IPL next year as an elaborate tender- floating process, increase of matches and ensuring that all foreign player' international calenders are adjusted, would be prove to be a herculean task.

The government on Thursday again invited protesting farmer unions for talks but made it clear that it would not be "logical" to include in the agenda any new demand related to minimum support price (MSP), which is out of the purview of three new farm laws.

In a three-page letter written to 40 farmer leaders, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Vivek Aggarwal said, "I again request you that the government has been discussing all issues with open heart and good intention to end the protest, and will continue to do so. Kindly suggest a date and time (for the next round of talks)."