Covid LIVE: Maharashtra reports 11 new cases of Omicron, tally rises to 65

Union Health Ministry writes to states regarding measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in Covid cases

11:23 AM

6.2-magnitude quake hits California

An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted California, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake struck 38 km west of Petrolia at 12.10 p.m. on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency citing the USGS.

The epicentre, with a depth of 9.3 km, was determined to be at 40.315 degrees north latitude and 124.739 degrees west longitude.

"A tsunami is not expected," the US Tsunami Warning Centers said after the quake.

11:22 AM

PM Gati Shakti plan, single window clearance to further push FDI inflows in new year

A series of steps taken by the government to promote ease of doing business and liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms have helped India receive record FDI inflows so far this year, and implementation of measures like PM Gati Shakti, single window clearance and GIS-mapped land bank are expected to further push investments in 2022.

Notwithstanding the global slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, total foreign direct investments into India rose to a record USD 81.72 billion in 2020-21.

During April-July this fiscal, FDI (foreign direct investment) into the country increased by 62 per cent to USD 27.37 billion.

10:45 AM

Loans amounting to Rs 2,714 cr disbursed to 2,706,000 beneficiaries under PM SVANidhi scheme

The Centre has disbursed 27.06 lakh loans amounting to Rs 2,714 crore under PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi Scheme) so far.

 

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as of December 13, 2021, 30.75 lakh loans amounting to Rs 3,095 crore have been sanctioned and 27.06 lakh loans amounting to Rs 2,714 crore have been disbursed.

 

Out of the total 27.06 lakh beneficiaries, 41 per cent are women.

 

10:43 AM

Kuwait tightens travel restrictions

Kuwait imposed new travel restrictions to contain the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the country's Centre for Government Communication said.

According to a decision made by the Kuwaiti government on Monday, incoming passengers will be required to conduct a PCR test within 48 hours before arrival and take home quarantine for 10 days, while the decision is effective as of December 26, reports Xinhua news agency.

In order to end the quarantine, they must conduct a PCR test after 72 hours of quarantine, the centre said on Twitter.

10:24 AM

KMC election results: Trinamool moving towards landslide victory

The early trends of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election results on Tuesday showed that the Trinamool Congress was heading towards a landslide victory.

The early leads available for the 102 wards showed that the ruling party was leading in 93 seats and the opposition cumulatively managed to make a lead in only eight seats and an independent candidate was leading in one seat. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has 144 wards in total.

The early trend also showed that the ruling party might even cross the previous record where the Trinamool Congress got 114 seats, Congress 5 seats, Left Front 15 seats and the BJP managed to win in only 7 seats. Three seats were won by independent candidates. In this election, the ruling Trinamool Congress is likely to increase its tally.

10:24 AM

Chhattisgarh CM in Delhi, likely to meet Congress high command

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is visiting New Delhi where he is likely to meet party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahu Gandhi on Tuesday.

 

According to sources, there might be meetings with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, party MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

10:20 AM

Samsung takes over Intel as top chipmaker by revenue: Report

Samsung Electronics took over the top spot in the global semiconductor market by revenue in the third quarter on the back of strong memory chip sales, a new report revealed on Tuesday.

Industry tracker Omdia said Intel, which had been the top chipmaker for 11 straight quarters, slipped to number two behind Samsung "as the memory segment, where Samsung is the number one DRAM and NAND supplier, was the largest growth area for semiconductor" in the three months ending in September.

10:19 AM

KMC election: TMC leading in 99 wards, BJP 2, CPI(M) 2, Congress 1

The ruling Trinamool Congress candidates were leading in 99 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday as per early counting trends while the opposition BJP and CPI(M) are ahead in two wards each and Congress in one, SEC officials said.

 

The counting of the votes for the 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) began this morning at 8 am.

 

"As per the trends the TMC has taken the lead in 99 wards. BJP and CPI(M) are leading in two wards each. The Congress is leading in one ward," a State Election Commission official said.

 

The TMC has taken the lead in 99 wards spread across KMC boroughs - 5, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15.

10:09 AM

UK reserves possibility of taking further action amid Omicron surge: PM

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the government reserves the "possibility of taking further action" to protect public health because of the raging spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.

 

In his remarks on Monday, the Prime Minister said he is following the data "hour by hour" and warned the rules could still be tightened in the days to come, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

Britain reported 91,743 coronavirus cases in the last 24-hour period, the second highest recorded daily number ever, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 11,518,116, according to official figures.

 

9:53 AM

US reports 1st Omicron-related death

The US has reported its first death due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Texas, according to health officials.

A man in the US state of Texas, who was in his 50s, was unvaccinated and had previously been infected with COVID-19, according to a release from Harris County Public Health.

The case is the first known confirmed Omicron-related death in the United States, CNN reported.

9:39 AM

South Africa Cases Halve While Deaths Jump Sharply

Daily infections in South Africa, where the omicron variant was first identified, almost halved, though hospital admissions and deaths rose significantly. Singapore expects more cases after discovering its first suspected local omicron cluster.

9:39 AM

English Premier League reports 90 new cases

A total of 90 new positive cases for COVID-19 from 20 clubs have been reported by the English Premier League, over two times the previous highest weekly record.

 

One week ago, the English top-flight football league confirmed that 3,805 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19 between December 6 and December 12, among which 42 new positive cases were recorded.

 

The League has reverted to its emergency measures since then and has increased testing of players and club staff to daily Lateral Flow and twice-weekly PCR tests, having previously carried out Lateral Flow testing twice a week, Xinhua reports. "The League can today confirm that between Monday 13 December and Sunday 19 December, a record 12,345 COVID-19 tests were administered on players and club staff. Of these, there were 90 new positive cases," read a statement released on Monday evening.

9:27 AM

Global Covid caseload tops 275.4 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 275.4 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.36 million and vaccinations to over 8.72 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 275,438,382 and 5,360,382, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 8,726,609,684.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 51,097,528 and 807,945, according to the CSSE.

9:25 AM

Four Indian Americans to be appointed to Biden's advisory commission on Asian Americans

US President Biden announced his intent to appoint four Indian Americans as commissioners to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, the White House announced on Monday.

 

The Commission will advise the President on ways the public, private, and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity and opportunity for every Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.

9:00 AM

Odisha gets longest river bridge over Mahanadi river in Cuttack

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated Odisha's longest bridge over the Mahanadi river at Gopinathpur in Cuttack on Monday.

 

According to the Odisha government, the bridge was a long-standing demand of the locals and will shorten the distance between Badamba and Baideswhar, Banki by 45 km and will connect Shinghanath Temple.

 

The 3.4-kilometre-long bridge carries a 'T' shaped design and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 111 crore.