News Headlines.

 News Headlines-

1.GENEVA: The new coronavirus variant Omicron is spreading at an unprecedented rate, the WHO said Tuesday, urging countries to act swiftly to rein in transmission and protect their health systems. Since the new, heavily-mutated variant was first detected in southern Africa last month, it has been reported in 77 countries, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.-The Times of India

2.Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will discuss Iran as well as bilateral issues during his landmark meeting with the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, an Israeli envoy said, following outreach by the Gulf state to Tehran.-dnaindia.com

3.Mainland China reported its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Monday in the city of Tianjin, close to the capital of Beijing, health authorities said. The infection was discovered in a traveller who arrived in the city from overseas on December 9 and showed no symptoms but tested COVID-19 positive on Thursday.-dnaindia.com

4.Russia on Monday blocked a United Nations Security Council draft resolution, under negotiation for many months, that for the first time would have defined climate change as a threat to peace.The resolution, which enjoyed wide-ranging support, would have significantly expanded the criteria used by the most powerful U.N. agency to justify intervening in armed conflicts around the world.-theindianexpress.com

5.Pfizer on Tuesday said its antiviral COVID-19 pill showed near 90 per cent efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.-dnaindia.com

6.Bengaluru: The upcoming data protection laws in India should not be viewed as a cost to enterprises but a critical element of the building blocks of the future of technology, the chief of India’s second largest IT firm has said.-The Economic Times.

7.Omicron cases in India have risen to 41 with Maharastra reporting the highest number of infections of the latest variant of the coronavirus. Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka have also reported cases of the new coronavirus variant.-livemint.com

8.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sealed four buildings in Bandra and Khar on Tuesday after Bollywood actors Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora tested positive for Covid-19. Officials said the civic body also organized testing camps in these four buildings on Tuesday to check the spread of infection among other residents.-theindianexpress.com

9.Ladakh on Tuesday got its first ever FM radio station in its capital city Leh, officials said.Advisor Ladakh, Umang Narula launched the first-ever Top FM radio in Leh, they said.The frequency for Leh & Kargil will be 91.1 FM and it will cover 50 kilometres aerial distance in radius, they said.-theindianexpress.com

10.ITC Hotels, the world’s largest chain of hotels with the maximum number of LEED Platinum Certified Properties has been accorded yet another distinction by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), making ITC Grand Chola, Chennai the largest hotel in the world and commercial building to achieve the LEED Zero Carbon Certification.-hotelierindia.com

11.Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a comprehensive list of recommendations on the upcoming Union Budget 2022-23 to the Finance Ministry outlining some of the much-needed expectations of the Hospitality industry.-hotelierindia.com