Omicron should not be taken lightly, despite India witnessing a low hospitalisation rate, said the health ministry as the country’s daily COVID-19 cases tally stood at more than one hundred ninety thousand cases on Wednesday. The health ministry warned not to let the guard down and Omicron, currently dominant in India, should not be mistaken as common cold as the new variant has led to the collapse of health systems of several countries in the West. Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday slammed PM Imran Khan's government claiming that the country's economy was being pawned away for mere 1 billion U.S. dollars, as he condemned the controversial 'mini-budget'. The legislation is one of the requirements Pakistan has to meet under an IMF programme that will pave the way for disbursement of a 1-billion U.S. dollars tranche. Locals in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have lamented the government's apathy to reconstruct educational institutions that were damaged in the deadly earthquake in the illegally-occupied region 16 years ago. They blamed that students are still forced to attend classes under open skies in several remote areas or drop out entirely. In an effort to keep vulnerable children, mothers, and families protected during the harsh winter in Afghanistan, the United Nations distributed 'winterization kits' to displaced people living in camps in Afghanistan's Herat Province earlier this month. The UN says nearly 23 million people are facing extreme levels of hunger, with nearly 9 million at risk of famine as winter takes hold in Afghanistan. There has been a surge in COVID-19 cases in Nepal with over 2,400 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, forcing authorities to impose restrictions as the Himalayan Nation braces for a third wave of the pandemic. The government from Tuesday onwards prohibited public gatherings involving more than 25 people, while schools have been closed until January 29 to stem the spread of the virus. Days ahead of the 'Makar Sankranti' festival, kite sellers in India’s Surat city were seen gearing up to sell their colourful kites. However, traders said they are facing major losses in their business as the COVID-19 restrictions are erdoing their pockets. 'Makar Sankranti’, a festival dedicated to Sun God is celebrated across parts of India by flying kites and offering prayers to sun god. With an aim to create employment opportunities, two engineering students in India’s Jammu and Kashmir have started a poultry farm of Indonesian black chicken breed called "Ayam Cemani" in Srinagar city. The duo said they got inspired by Indian cricketer MS Dhoni who also runs a similar farm on a large scale.
Show more
Show less
