9:29 AMIndia ready to support resumption of direct negotiations between Israel-Palestine: TS Tirumurti
Ambassador of India to the UN TS Tirumurti on Tuesday (local time) said that the aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue based on the internationally agreed framework.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine, Tirunurti said, "Both the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue between Israel and Palestine based on the internationally agreed framework. We reiterate that there is no alternative to direct peace negotiations between the parties."
9:17 AMBengaluru to achieve 100% Covid vaccination soon: District Commissioner
Amid the Omicron scare, District Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban J Manjunath on Tuesday urged people not to panic and said that the district is going to achieve 100 per cent second dose COVID vaccination soon.
Speaking to ANI, Manjunath said, "Omicron cases are rising but not at an alarming rate as we witness during the Delta outbreak. Nevertheless, the number of tests is going up and there is no need to panic".
9:16 AMNirmala Sitharaman to hold pre-budget consultations with prominent economists today
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold pre-budget consultations with prominent economists on Wednesday in connection with the forthcoming general budget 2022-23.
"Union Finance Minister @nsitharaman will chair Pre-Budget consultations with prominent economists tomorrow afternoon, 22nd December 2021, in New Delhi in connection with the forthcoming General Budget 2022-23. The meetings are being held virtually," Finance Ministry said in a tweet.
The General Budget is presented by the Finance Minister every year in Parliament on February 1.
9:16 AM5th Covid vaccine authorised in Europe as Omicron continues to surge
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has added a fifth vaccine to its anti-Covid arsenal as the Omicron variant continued to spread across Europe.
"EMA has recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid to prevent Covid in people from 18 years of age," the agency announced on Monday.
The protein-based vaccine manufactured by US biotechnology company Novavax is the fifth to be authorised for use in the European Union (EU), after Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, reported Xinhua news agency.
8:18 AMPak opposition demands Imran Khan's resignation over bad governance, high inflation
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan and said people in every nook and corner of the country are "demanding his resignation owing to bad governance and high inflation".
Maryam said Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has faced a major upset in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's local bodies elections due to its poor performance and flawed economic policies, The Express Tribune reported.
PML-N Vice President said the PTI-led federal government was the first in the country's history to lose all by-elections and added that no one will be willing to contest the next general election on the ruling party's ticket.
8:07 AMRahul Gandhi to visit his Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Kerala on a two-day visit commencing on Wednesday during which he will also visit his Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Kerala, from today his parliamentary constituency in Kerala''s Wayanad
At 10 am, Rahul Gandhi will attend the remembrance meeting of C Moinkutty, an Ex-MLA in Parish Hall, Engapuzha, Kozhikode.
8:07 AMCOVID-19: Unvaccinated people have 'good reason to be concerned' about Omicron, says Biden
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that people who are "not fully vaccinated" have "good reason to be concerned" about the spread of the Omicron variant.
"If you're unvaccinated, you're at a high risk of getting sick. And if you get sick you're likely to spread it to others, including friends and family. We should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked," Biden said in White House remarks.
Biden said that unvaccinated people have a "significantly higher risk" of ending up in the hospital or dying from COVID-19.
8:05 AMBiden pledges 500M free virus tests to counter omicron
Fighting the omicron variant surging through the country, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the government would provide 500 million free rapid tests, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.
In remarks Tuesday at the White House, Biden detailed major changes to his COVID-19 winter plan, his hand forced by the arrival of the fast-spreading variant, whose properties are yet not fully understood by scientists. Yet his message was clear that the winter holidays could be close to normal for the vaccinated while potentially dangerous for the unvaccinated.
8:04 AMGermany clamps down on New Year's parties to tame omicron
Germany announced new restrictions Tuesday that will begin after Christmas to slow the spread of the new omicron variant, rules that will fall short of a full lockdown but will include contact restrictions even for vaccinated people.
"I can understand anyone who doesn't want to hear about the coronavirus, mutations and new virus variants," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference Tuesday evening. "But we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to this next wave."
8:04 AMIsrael reports country's 1st omicron death
Israeli health officials are reporting what is believed to be the country's first death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Soroka Hospital, located in the southern city of Beersheba, said a man in his 60s died Monday, two weeks after he was hospitalised.
It said the man had suffered from pre-existing health issues but gave no further details.
8:03 AMCongress is an irresponsible opposition party: Bommai
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress over its conduct in the ongoing Assembly session, calling it an "irresponsible opposition party".
"The Congress is not bothered about the development of northern Karnataka. It has come to the Belagavi session to deliver speeches and hold dharna in the house. It has failed to take up pro-people issues and seek reply," he said.
7:47 AMOmicron variant three times more transmissible: Centre warns states
The Centre has told states that the Omicron variant of coronavirus, based on current scientific evidence, is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain, asking them to ensure prompt and focused action if there is any sign of a surge.
The Union health ministry has noted said that 200 cases of Omicron have been detected in the country, so far, with Maharashtra and Delhi reporting the most -- 54 cases of the variant each. Of total Omicron cases in the country, 77 have been discharged or have recovered.
7:46 AMOmicron variant: Event cancelled better than life cancelled, says WHO
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid-19 disease, the world health body warned on Monday.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva, remarked, “An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled. It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later, than to celebrate now and grieve later.” “There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the briefing.
7:46 AMIndia's Omicron count crosses 200: 'Activate' war rooms, says Centre
Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha on Tuesday recorded their first cases of the Omicron variant of COVID as the count of the new strain in 14 states and union territories crossed 200 even as the Centre said there is a need to "activate" war rooms, take "pro-active" action and consider night curfews. According to the latest data from the Centre and the states on Tuesday night, India recorded 220 cases of the Omicron variant, 19 days after the first two cases in the country were detected in Karnataka on December 2.