India
16 killed, 24 injured in bus-truck collision in eastern India
At least 16 people were killed and 24 others injured on Wednesday after a bus collided with a truck laden with cooking gas cylinders in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, officials said.
The accident took place on Govindpur-Sahibganj highway in Paderkola village in Pakur district, about 351 km northeast of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.
Read:India logs 90,928 new COVID-19 cases
The injured were being treated in hospitals, said Pakur civil surgeon Ramdev Paswan.
Police said rescuers had to use gas cutters to bring out those trapped inside the mangled bus.
Preliminary investigations revealed that careless driving and poor visibility caused by the dense fog in the area might be the causes of the mishap.
India logs 90,928 new COVID-19 cases
In India, the third wave of the pandemic seems to have set in.
On Thursday, the country reported a whopping 91,000 new Covid cases and as many as 325 deaths in 24 hours. The Indian capital alone recorded over 15,000 cases of coronavirus -- a 41% spike in just a day.
Of the 90,928 Covid cases logged pan-India in 24 hours that took the total case count to 351,09,286, as many as 2,630 were of the Omicron variant, as per the official figures released by the Indian Health Ministry.
Delhi, on the other hand, recorded its biggest single-day spike in eight months, as 15,097 fresh infections were recorded in 24 hours. The infection figure was 10,665 on Wednesday.
Read: India-made RT-PCR kit to detect Omicron gets approval: Centre
The national capital's positivity rate also surged past 15%, as per the government statistics.
Just a day before, the country reported its first Omicron death in the northwestern state of Rajasthan's Udaipur city, as the country recorded 58,097 fresh Covid cases and 534 fatalities in 24 hours.
The Omicron victim -- identified as 73-year-old Laxminarayan Nagar -- tested positive for Covid on December 15. A subsequent genome sequencing of his blood samples confirmed that the man had contracted the Omicron strain, according to health officials.
The man who had comorbidities but was doubly vaccinated, succumbed to the Omicron strain of the coronavirus in the early hours of December 31, according to the officials.
Omicron has been classified as "a variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation.
Alarmed by the rising Omicron cases, India's federal government two weeks ago warned states that "the variant is three times more transmissible than the Delta" and directed them to take action to rein in its spread.
Read:India reports first Omicron death
Earlier last month, India's civil aviation regulator backtracked on its decision to resume regular international flights from December 15.
The government put curbs on all flights in March 2020 following the Covid-induced lockdown. However, it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, and the entry of foreigners except tourists from October.
Two India returnees test positive for Covid
Two Bangladeshi nationals, who returned home from India through the Benapole border in Jashore, have tested positive for Covid-19, officials said on Tuesday.
Dr Ashrafuzzaman of the Benapole Immigration Health Centre, said that three people returned to Bangladesh from India through the land border on Wednesday noon.
Read:Covid positivity rate marks sharp rise in Bangladesh
Of them, two -- Habibur Rahman, 60, and Habibullah Sohan, 30, of Sadar upazila in Thakurgaon district -- tested Covid positive, he said.
The Covid-19 positive patients were sent to Jashore 250-bed General Hospital while another returnee, Kamal, was taken to the Jashore isolation centre for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Raju Ahmed, officer-in-charge of the Benapole checkpost, said the two Bangladeshi nationals had gone to India for medical purposes. "Already the higher authorities concerned have been informed."
The world is struggling to fight off the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the number of corona cases is increasing fast globally.
Three more cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Bangladesh, taking its total tally to 10, according to GISAID, the global database for genomic data on the Coronavirus.
On December 11, Bangladesh reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant in two members of the Bangladesh women cricket team.
Read: COVID case counts may be losing importance amid omicron
India Wednesday reported its first known Omicron death in the northwestern city of Udaipur, as the country recorded a whopping 58,097 fresh Covid cases and 534 fatalities in 24 hours.
Alarmed by the rising Omicron cases, India's federal government two weeks ago warned states that "the variant is three times more transmissible than the Delta" and directed them to take action to rein in its spread.
India reports first Omicron death
India Wednesday reported its first known Omicron death in the northwestern city of Udaipur, as the country recorded a whopping 58,097 fresh Covid cases and 534 fatalities in 24 hours.
The Omicron victim -- identified as 73-year-old Laxminarayan Nagar -- tested positive for Covid on December 15. A subsequent genome sequencing of his blood samples confirmed that the man had contracted the Omicron strain, health officials said.
The man who had comorbidities but was doubly vaccinated, succumbed to the Omicron strain of the coronavirus in the early hours of December 31, according to the officials.
READ: Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises
Meanwhile, India logged 58,097 new Covid cases in 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 3,50,18,358, as per the latest Health Ministry data. Wednesday's Covid figures were 55% higher than that of Tuesday's.
Of the total Covid cases logged in 24 hours, officials said that 2,135 were of the Omicron variant -- with Maharashtra in western India and the national capital recording 653 and 464 cases of the variant, respectively.
Omicron has been classified as "a variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation.
However, the overall Covid recovery rate has been 98%, with nearly 15,400 people having recovered in 24 hours, as per the Health Ministry data.
Alarmed by the rising Omicron cases, India's federal government two weeks ago warned states that "the variant is three times more transmissible than the Delta" and directed them to take action to rein in its spread.
Earlier last month, India's civil aviation regulator backtracked on its decision to resume regular international flights from December 15.
READ: Global Covid cases near 295 million as Omicron spreads
The government put curbs on all flights in March 2020 following the Covid-induced lockdown. However, it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, and the entry of foreigners except tourists from October.
Sourav Ganguly's daughter contracts Covid
Indian cricket control board chief Sourav Ganguly's 20-year-old daughter Sana has tested positive for Covid, a week after her father was hospitalised after contracting the virus.
"Sana is recuperating at their home in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. Thankfully, Sourav's wife Dona, has not contracted the virus," sources close to the family told UNB on Wednesday.
Sourav, affectionately called 'Dada', was hospitalised in the last week of December after testing positive for Covid. He returned home recently after having recovered.
The 49-year-old former India skipper was, in fact, admitted to Woodlands hospital on December 26 night, three days after attending the premiere of Bengali superstar Dev's latest film Tonic.
Sourav was hospitalised thrice last year.
On January 2 last year, Sourav was rushed to Woodlands after he complained of acute chest pain and dizziness while working out at a gym. Later that day, he underwent angioplasty after three tiny blockages were detected in his coronary artery.
Later that month, he had to be rushed to Apollo hospital after he complained of mild chest pain. Subsequently, he underwent another angioplasty surgery at the hospital.
Considered one of the best captains in international cricket, Sourav quit the game in 2008 but continued playing in the multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament Indian Premier League for a few more years.
He scored more than 18,500 runs in Tests and one-day internationals. In 2020, Dada was elected as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's richest cricketing body.
COVID-19: India supplies 5 lakh more Covaxin doses to Afghanistan
Bharat Biotech on Monday informed that India has supplied another batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin to Afghanistan.
Taking to Twitter, Bharat Biotech said, "Today, India supplied the next batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of COVID vaccine (COVAXIN) to Afghanistan. The same was handed over to Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul," reports ANI.
It also informed that another batch of additional 5,00,000 doses would be supplied in the coming weeks.
The last batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of Covaxin was supplied to Afghanistan on January 1.
READ: Nasal vaccine booster dose may be used with Covaxin
India has committed to provide to Afghan people humanitarian assistance consisting of food grains, one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and essential life-saving drugs.
Earlier last month, India delivered 1.6 tons of medical assistance to Afghanistan through the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises.
READ: Covaxin cleared by UK, relief for Indian students, tourists
A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.
World needs New Delhi at the table permanently: India
India's performance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council indicates that the world needs India to be at the horseshoe table permanently, the country's envoy to the United Nations TS Tirumurti has said.
"India took its place in the Security Council for the eighth time as an elected member - The highlight of our presence in the Security Council so far has been our presidency in August," Mr Tirumurti, who is India's Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a video, reports NDTV.
India's Permanent Mission to the UN posted the special video highlighting the several achievements by India as its first year in the UN Security Council draws to a close.
Read: 90 pc of adult population in India vaccinated against COVID-19 with first dose: Union Health Ministry
The video chronicles India's journey as a non-permanent UNSC member in 2021 including its Presidency of the 15-nation Council in August, on combatting terrorism, UN peacekeeping, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Africa, Middle East and Climate action.
"Our performance again indicates that the world needs India to be at the horseshoe table permanently," Mr Tirumurti said, as he underscored the need for New Delhi to have a seat at the UN Security Council as a permanent veto-welding member.
Narendra Modi also became the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate as he chaired the high-level session on 'Enhancing Maritime Security - A Case for International Cooperation' on August 9.
For the first time, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement on maritime security. The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations and to address the UN General Assembly was "certainly a high point this year", he said.
It was during India's August presidency of the Council that the situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorated, requiring the Security Council to act without any delay, Mr Tirumurti said, adding that Resolution 2593 on Afghanistan was adopted under India's presidency, which demands assurances that Afghan soil will not be used for terrorism against other countries and that the authorities in Kabul will act against all terrorists, including those designated by the 1267 Sanctions Committee.
Significantly, India firmly opposed the attempt by countries to bring the issue of climate change into the Security Council. Mr Tirumurti had said at the Council meeting earlier this month that "India is second to none when it comes to climate action and climate justice. But the Security Council is not the place to discuss either issue. In fact, the attempt to do so appears to be motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum."
At the flag installation ceremony in the beginning of the year for the incoming UNSC members, Mr Tirumurti had highlighted that India comes into the Security Council "as a largest democracy, representing 1/6 of humanity and a very strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, rule of law, a fair and equitable international system and to peace, security and development."
Mr Tirumurti said in the video that India has been consistent in its support for transition to democracy, whether in Myanmar or in Africa and on issues affecting the developing world, India has been a strong voice to protect their interests.
"Our steadfast commitment to safeguarding the interests of the developing world is reflected in our performance," he said.
Further, given its predominant role in UN peacekeeping, India gave UN peacekeeping a strong focus in the last one year, including during its August Presidency.
During a meeting in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that peacekeeping continues to play a crucial role in India's vision of ensuring international peace and security and providing greater clarity, direction and professionalism in UN peacekeeping operations is at the heart of the vision.
Read: Indian Centre Allows Export Of 7 Crore Covovax Doses To Three Foreign Countries
After nearly five decades, India piloted a resolution on 'Protecting the Protectors', calling for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. India also gifted 200,000 COVID vaccines to cover every peacekeeper in every peacekeeping mission throughout the world.
Jaishankar had also chaired a briefing on ISIL Daesh during India's presidency and New Delhi helped shape the Global Counterterrorism Strategy in the UN General Assembly.
During the year, India also sought to bring the necessary balance to the debates relating to Africa, Mr Tirumurti said adding that India made its views clear on the issue of burdening African countries with unrealistic benchmarks on their sanctions regime and called for greater commitment from the international community to assist Africa fight terrorism.
India chaired the Taliban Sanctions Committee and the Libya Sanctions Committee this year and will chair the Counter-terrorism Committee next year. In a historic decision, the UN General Assembly granted observer status to the International Solar Alliance.
90 pc of adult population in India vaccinated against COVID-19 with first dose: Union Health Ministry
Approximately 90 per cent of the adult population in India has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose, said The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday, reports ANI.
Briefing media persons, Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry said, "Approximately 90 per cent of the adult population in India has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose. On average, India reported more than 8,000 cases per day last week. Overall case positivity rate stands at 0.92 per cent. From December 26 onwards, the country has been reporting 10,000 daily cases."
Read: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel: Fauci
"The weekly positivity rate of more than 10 per cent is being noted in eight districts including six districts of Mizoram, one from Arunachal Pradesh and Kolkata in West Bengal. The weekly case positivity rate is between 5-10 per cent in 14 districts of the country. There are 961 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus in India, out of which 320 patients have recovered," he added.
India has reported 13,154 new COVID-19 cases and 268 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The tally of Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the country has gone up to 961 with maximum cases were reported from Delhi (263) and Maharashtra (252).
With this, the country's COVID-19 tally has risen to 34,822,040 while the death toll has mounted to 4,80,860.
The ministry informed that the active caseload in the country stands at 82,402 constituting 0.24 per cent of the total cases.
As many as 7,486 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries to 3,42,58,778.
The recovery rate in the country currently stands at 98.38 per cent.
Read:French kids line up to get vaccine shots as omicron spreads
The weekly positivity rate in the country is 0.76 per cent which remains lesser than 1 per cent for the last 46 days.
The daily positivity rate is 1.10 per cent which remains lesser than 2 per cent for the last 87 days.
The country has conducted as many as 67.64 crore COVID-19 tests so far.
Indian Centre Allows Export Of 7 Crore Covovax Doses To Three Foreign Countries
The Indian government has permitted the export of seven crore doses of the Covid vaccine Covovax produced by the Serum Institute of India to Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand, official sources said today.
The Serum Institute had submitted an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for clearance to export the vaccine doses to foreign countries, reported NDTV.
"After evaluation, the DCGI office gave its nod to the export of seven crore doses of Covovax to Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand," they said.
This vaccine is not approved in these countries yet.
India's central drug authority CDSCO had on Tuesday approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in the country. The DCGI office had granted SII permission to manufacture and stock Covovax on May 17. Based on DCGI approval, till now, the Pune-based firm has manufactured and stockpiled the vaccine doses, they said.
READ: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel: Fauci
The World Health Organisation had on December 17 issued an emergency use listing for Covovax, expanding the basket of jabs validated by the global health body against the viral disease.
The Centre had in November permitted the export of two crore doses of Covovax to Indonesia before the Indian emergency use authorisation.
In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.
READ: French kids line up to get vaccine shots as omicron spreads
The Covovax vaccine of SII is a technology transfer of Novavax USA vaccine.
NRIs, OCIs don't require prior approval to buy immovable property in India: RBI
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs) do not require prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for buying or selling immovable properties like houses in India, the central bank said on Wednesday.
"At present, NRIs/OCIs are governed by provisions of FEMA 1999 and do not require prior approval of RBI for acquisition and transfer of immovable property in India, other than agricultural land/ farm house/ plantation property, as per the terms and conditions laid down in Chapter IX of the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, dated October 17, 2019 (as amended from time to time), issued under Section 46 of FEMA 1999," the RBI said in a statement, reported ANI.
READ: BrahMos deterrent, India never been an aggressor: Rajnath
The RBI issued a clarification on acquisition/transfer of immovable property in India by Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs). "A large number of queries have been received at various Offices of the Reserve Bank, based on newspaper reports on a Supreme Court Judgement, on whether prior approval of RBI is required for acquisition/transfer of immovable property in India by as Overseas Citizen of India OCIs," the central bank said.
READ: An opportunity for Digital India
"It is hereby clarified that the concerned Supreme Court Judgement dated February 26, 2021 in Civil Appeal 9546 of 2010 was related to provisions of FERA, 1973, which has been repealed under Section 49 of FEMA, 1999," the RBI added. (ANI)