President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to provide more federal support to states, but called on governors to take the lead in the nation’s pandemic response. Before a video meeting with state governors, the president reiterated his administration’s plan to send out 500 million rapid COVID tests and expand testing capacity and federal aid as the omicron…Continue Reading
During the first July of the pandemic, my brother died on the floor of his living room in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Already for months we’d been reminded via Zoom how people can disappear in a blink. Thunder cracks and bulbs darken. Suddenly, faces freeze, startled, as if Mt. Vesuvius had just erupted and they’d caught their first sight of falling…Continue Reading
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shortened the isolation time for Americans infected with Covid-19 from 10 to five days.”Given what we currently know about Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with Covid-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed…Continue Reading
India defeated Afghanistan by four wickets with 10 balls to spare in their last group match in the U19 Asia Cup, here on Monday.A half-century by opener Harnoor Singh (65) and useful knocks from Raj Bawa (43 not out), Kaushal Tambe 35 (not out), and captain Yash Dhull (26) enabled India to chase down the…Continue Reading
The Indian team will look to reset its first innings target after the second day’s play in the opening Test against South Africa had to be called off without a ball being bowled due to heavy and persistent rain since morning here on Monday.What started as a drizzle this morning became a steady downpour in…Continue Reading
The Odisha Forest department on Monday termed the death of two elephants who died on Saturday after they were hit by a goods train near Bhusandapur Railway Station under Tangi Forest Division in Khordha, as ‘accidental’.“We had information about the elephant herd crossing tracks and we were in contact with the railways. The goods train…Continue Reading
Despite the stringent enforcement of law, Bhubaneswar seems to have become a hunting ground for criminals as the State Capital witnessed a steep rise in criminal activities in the last 11 months.According to the crime statistics released by the Commissionerate Police on Monday, 32 murder, 108 rape and 1,880 theft cases have been registered in…Continue Reading
A Foxconn iPhone factory in India at the centre of a mass food-poisoning incident will extend a week-long closure by an extra three days, a senior official for the state of Tamil Nadu told Reuters. The factory, which employs some 17,000 people, had been due to resume some operations on Monday but is now expected to restart…Continue Reading
Amid rise in Omicron variant cases, the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Kerala on Monday imposed night curfew. On Monday, Manipur reported the first Omicron case after a person returning from Tanzania tested positive for the new variant as three Omicron cases were detected in Rajashtan’s Jaipur and Udaipur. Goa also reported the first Omicron case. The…Continue Reading
The new year, 2022, will bring a slew of changes to India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST). The government had previously announced the revisions, which will take effect on January 1, next Saturday. The amendments include the requirement for e-commerce operators to pay tax on services such as passenger transportation and restaurant services delivered through…Continue Reading