Quick Reads
News Dabba for 22 December 2022: Five stories for a balanced news diet
Here are the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites.
Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from China's COVID surge, Thick fog enveloping north India, to Israel agreeing on its most right-wing government under Netanyahu.
Shanghai hospital readies for ‘tragic battle’ with Covid-19, The Straits Times
A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a “tragic battle” with Covid-19, The Straits Times reports, as it expects half of the city’s 25 million people to get infected by the end of the year. After widespread protests and a relentless rise in cases, China in December began dismantling its “zero-Covid” regime. Still, China’s official death count since the pandemic began in early 2020 stands at 5,241 - a fraction of what most other countries faced. The report adds that the authorities, who have narrowed the criteria for Covid-19 deaths, confirmed 389,306 cases with symptoms. Read the full report here.
Thick fog envelopes north India, HT reports
Dense fog continued to engulf several states of north India, disrupting railway and road traffic on Thursday. Hindustan Times reports that as many as 20 trains were running late by one to nearly five hours. Fog covered Punjab, northwest Rajasthan, east Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The report says that in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, visibility dropped below 10 metres this morning. Read the full report here.
India Today reports viral WhatsApp message on Covid XBB variant fake
In light of the rise in Covid cases in China and other countries, the Union health ministry has flagged a WhatsApp message about a new virus as fake and misleading. The WhatsApp message making rounds claims that the newly discovered XBB subvariant of Omicron is five times more virulent and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta variant. The India Today report adds in November 2022, news agency Reuters did a fact check busting the claims that the XBB variant is more deadly or causes more severe Covid-19 than the Delta variant. It is believed that the variant driving the latest Covid wave in China is the BF.7 subvariant of Omicron, and not XBB. Read the full report here.
BBC on Israel's most right-wing government under Netanyahu
BBC reports a new government seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history has been agreed. This has sealed Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power, who is set to serve a historic sixth term as prime minister. His coalition contains far-right parties, including one whose leader was once convicted of anti-Arab racism, the report adds. Palestinians fear the new government will also strengthen Israel's hold on the occupied West Bank. Read the full report here.
Over 1 Lakh Lingayats stage massive protest in Karnataka, NDTV
Over a lakh members of the Panchamasali Lingayat community today staged a massive protest demonstration from the iconic Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi demanding reservations in education, and government jobs, NDTV reported. The Panchamasali Lingayat community is a sub-sect of the upper caste Lingayat group in Karnataka. As per the report, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil, who has been vocal against senior party leaders BS Yediyurappa and BS Bommai, is spearheading the protest. Ahead of next year's Assembly polls, the reservation issue has become a headache for Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Read the full report here.
