Page 36 - India

Five cases of Covid's XBB.1.5 variant found in India, says INSACOG

Five cases of COVID-19's XBB.1.5 variant, responsible for the rise in cases in the US, have been found in India, according to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). Of the five, three cases were found in Gujarat and one each in Karnataka and Rajasthan, according to INSACOG figures on Tuesday. The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the Omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. Combined, XBB and XBB.1.5 make up 44 per cent of cases in the US. COVID-19 variant Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variant in India with 'XBB' being the most prevalent sub-lineage circulating all over the country, INSACOG has said. INSACOG reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across the country through sequencing of samples from sentinel sites and international passengers arriving in India.

The jobs & technology trade-off

Do we need to curb technology that replaces jobs? The jury is out

Second Covid booster shot unwarranted, says report amid infection surge

"There is no data available on the utility of a second booster for the currently used vaccines"

India has every capability to thwart challenges along border: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asserted that India has every capability to thwart challenges along the border to protect the country's territory. Singh also said India never encourages war, and always wants to maintain cordial relations with its neighbours. However, the Indian Army has the capability to face any challenge along the border, and is ready to deal with any situation, he said during the inauguration of a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) bridge here. India is a country which never encourages war and always wants to maintain cordial relations with its neighbours.. This is our philosophy inherited from Lord Rama and from the teachings of Lord Buddha. The country has every capability to face any kind of situation if provoked, Singh said. Indian and Chinese troops had clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, and the face-off resulted in "minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides", the Army had .

Science should be aimed at making India self-reliant: PM Modi at ISC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India's scientific community should work to make India 'aatma nirbhar' (self reliant). Development in science should be aimed at fulfilling India's needs, and this should be the inspiration for our scientific community, he said in his address to the Indian Science Congress, being held in Nagpur, via video conferencing. He cited the country's growing energy needs and urged the scientific community to forge such innovations in the field as may benefit the country. Since India is home to 17-18 per cent of world population, progress of such a large number of people will lead to a surge in global advancement as well, he said. India today is using scientific means for progress and its consequences are visible, he said, noting that India jumped to 40th rank in the global innovation index from 81 in 2015 in a list of 130 countries. Scientific attempts can turn into big achievements when it steps out of lab to reach "zameen" (ground), when

TECNO launches PHANTOM X2 in India with MediaTek Dimensity 9000 5G chipset

Priced at Rs 39,999, the smartphone comes in 2 colours- Stardust Grey and Moonlight Silver, both which will be available across both online and offline retail touchpoints, pre-bookings starting Jan 2

India-US relationship can define 21st century: Congressman Ro Khanna

The relationship between India and the United States can define the 21st century, Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna said Monday, as a leading American daily in a long-form article articulated that the post-Ukrainian war world would see India's emergence. "The US-India relationship can define the 21st century," Ro Khanna said in a tweet Monday, referring to The New York Times article. Khanna said the prominent American daily writes beautifully about India's rising confidence and paradoxes. The article ends on a hopeful note that pluralism, etched by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, are an indelible part of its palimpsest, the Congressman said. The daily quotes External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as saying that a world order which is still very, very deeply Western, is being hurried out of existence by the impact of the war in Ukraine, to be replaced by a world of multi-alignment where countries will choose their own particular policies and preferences and interests. After

77-year-old organisation like the UN needs a 'refresh': EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said a 77-year-old organisation like the United Nations needs a "refresh", asserting that pushing for a major overhaul in the top global body is an important part of New Delhi's foreign policy. Jaishankar made these comments while addressing members of the Indian diaspora here in the Austrian capital on Sunday. When asked how Jaishankar was planning to undertake the reforms in the UN, and if India would take the leadership in bringing about this change, the minister said:"The UN system was invented in 1945. Now, I tell people to show me something which is 77 years old and you feel doesn't need a refresh. People refresh themselves, institutions need to be refreshed by other people. We need change. Large parts of the world do not believe anymore that the UN system speaks fairly for them." The United Nations (UN) officially came into existence in October 1945, after its Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, the US an

Russia's war could make it India's world

The invasion of Ukraine, compounding the effects of the pandemic, has contributed to the ascent of a giant that defies easy alignment. It could be the decisive force in a changing global system

India's G20 Presidency 'very big deal': EAM Jaishankar to critics

Terming India's G20 Presidency a very big deal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the country has taken up the responsibility to host the meetings of the powerful grouping at a time when there is great economic stress on the global supply chains and strong political polarisation in the world. India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1. The next G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. Addressing the members of the Indian diaspora here in the Austrian capital on Sunday, Jaishankar said India intends to use its presidency for the benefit of the international community. I sometimes get the question, you can imagine from which quarters, saying, well, it was bound to come your way anyway. So, what's the big deal? It is a very big deal. Because in our diplomatic history, we have never had this many powerful nations, the top 20 economies of the world who among them today account for

Russia's domination over Indian crude market will continue in 2023: Experts

Sizeable discounts on Urals grade have helped evade new sanctions by western powers; fate of Russian supplies in Q1 of calendar 2023 rests on oil price movement

Crowds surge at key streets as India steps in New Year sans Covid curbs

Large crowds thronged popular boulevards, tourist hubs and entertainment centres across India and many joined special prayers at places of worship on Sunday as people stepped out to celebrate the New Year without COVID restrictions. With no major pandemic-related curbs by authorities except advisories to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, revellers marked the beginning of 2023 with gusto, while police kept a tight vigil and hundreds of people faced action for traffic violations like drunk driving. There were massive traffic snarls across the national capital, especially near the India Gate and Connaught Place, while metro stations were teeming with people as many preferred to enjoy outdoors on a sunny Sunday after muted New Year celebrations for two years due to COVID-19. In Jammu and Kashmir, devotees lined up to pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Reasi district. Similar scenes were seen elsewhere including the ghats of Varanasi and the shores of Kanyakumari a

Twitter bans 48k accounts for policy violations in India between Oct-Nov

Elon Musk-run Twitter banned 45,589 accounts in India between October 26 and November 25, for promoting child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity

India's electricity consumption grows 11% to 121.19 bn units in December

India's power consumption logged a double-digit growth of over 11 per cent to 121.19 billion units in December 2022 compared to the year-ago period, according to government data. The robust growth of power consumption indicates sustained momentum of economic activities in December. Experts say power consumption and demand will further increase in January due to use of heating appliances, especially in the northern parts of the country, and further improvement in economic activities. In December 2021, power consumption stood at 109.17 billion units (BU), higher than the 105.62 BU in the same month of 2020, the data showed. The peak power demand met, which is the highest supply in a day, rose to 205.03 gigawatt (GW) in December 2022. The peak power supply stood at 183.24 GW December 2021 and 182.78 GW in December 2020. The peak power demand met was 170.49 GW in the pre-pandemic December 2019. Electricity consumption in December 2019 stood at 101.08 BU.

India sees 265 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths; active tally at 2,706

) India saw a single-day rise of 265 new coronavirus infections and a decline in active cases to 2,706, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The total tally of COVID cases was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,78,649). The death toll so far stands at 5,30,705 with three fatalities -- two reconciled by Kerala, and one death reported by Karnataka, in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.17 per cent, while the weekly positivity was at 0.15 per cent, the health ministry said. It said 1,57,671 COVID tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website. A decrease of 947 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who recovered from the infection surged to 4,41,45, 238, while 1.19 pe

India abstains on UNGA resolution on ICJ opinion on Palestinian rights

India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice for its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's prolonged occupation and annexation of the Palestinian territory. The draft resolution Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem' was adopted by a recorded vote on Friday, with 87 votes in favour, 26 against and 53 abstentions, including by India. The resolution decided to request the UN's highest judicial body to render an advisory opinion on what are the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related

2022: When India learnt to live with Covid as the virus eased its grip

The health sector returned to the old normal; the advice for 2023 is 'watchfulness and appropriate response'

India's presidencies in SCO, G20 to strengthen world stability: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday voiced confidence that India's presidencies of the SCO and G20 will build multi-dimensional cooperation between the two countries and will strengthen the stability and security in Asia and the entire world. While India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, it took over the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on September 16. In his New Year messages to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin noted that Russia and India marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2022 and, relying on positive traditions of friendship and mutual respect, the countries continue to develop their specially privileged strategic partnership, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin said the two countries carried out large-scale trade and economic projects in addition to energy, military technology and other areas of cooperation, and coordinated efforts in addressing important matte

India reports 243 new Covid-19 cases, active infections rise to 3,609

India recorded 243 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases have increased to 3,609, according to Union health ministry data updated on Friday. The total tally of Covid cases was recorded at 4,46,78, 158 and the death toll stands at 5,30,699 with one fatality reported from Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.11 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.16 per cent, the ministry said. It said 2,13,080 tests for detection of Covid have been conducted in the last 24 hours. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry's website. It said an increase of 57 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,41,43,850, while the case fatality r

Free trade with Australia kicks off; Tamil Nadu sees export gains

India gets preferential access to all products it exports to Australia