From the Newsroom: Rajinikanth discharged from hospital; Nitish Kumar resigns as JD(U) national president

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, Rajinikanth discharged from the hospital; Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigns as JD(U) national president; Bengaluru city police are considering clamping Section 144 during New Year's eve across Bengaluru and next round of negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government will be held in Qatar from January.

Here are the top stories of December 27, 2020:

After spending two days at a private hospital in Hyderabad, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth was on Sunday discharged after getting his blood pressure stabilised, with doctors advising him to avoid any activity that “increases the risk of contracting Covid-19.”

Rajinikanth, accompanied by his elder daughter Aishwarya Dhanush, left the Apollo Hospital in a car a little after 4.30 pm and will be in complete bed rest for a week as advised by doctors.

In an update, the hospital said Rajinikanth has been advised to complete bed rest for one week with regular monitoring of blood pressure, minimal physical activity, and avoid stress, in view of the actor's post-transplant status, labile hypertension, and age.

Two days after the BJP served a jolt to Nitish Kumar after six Janata Dal (United) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh joined the saffron camp, the Bihar Chief Minister on Sunday resigned as JD(U) national president. “It’s not proper for me to carry on with both the responsibilities – Bihar Chief Minister as well as the JD(U) national president,” said Nitish, who was re-elected as JD(U) chief in 2019 for three years.

Speaking at the two-day national executive meeting here in the state capital, Nitish then proposed the name of his confidant RCP Singh, the Rajya Sabha member, who is also the leader of the party in the Upper House, as the new president of the JD(U). The proposal was unanimously approved.

The union transport ministry on Sunday extended the validity of motor vehicle documents like driving licence (DL), registration certificate (RC) and permits till March 31, 2021, in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had earlier issued advisories dated March 30, 2020, June 9, 2020, and August 24, 2020, in connection with the extension of validity of documents related to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

Bengaluru city police are considering clamping Section 144 during New Year's eve across Bengaluru to prevent public revelry and, with it, the threat of a possible second wave of Covid-19, particularly in the wake of the emergence of the new strain of the virus.

Senior officials in the Bengaluru city police confirmed to DH that prohibitory orders will be imposed all over the city starting December 30 evening till the early hours of January 1, 2021.

The next round of negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government will be held in Qatar from next month, a top official said Sunday, despite President Ashraf Ghani's recent calls for them to be moved home.

Peace talks began on September 12 at a luxury hotel in Doha, but negotiations are currently on a break until January 5.

Source: DHNS/ PTI/ AFP