Breaking News, November 30 | Highlights

5 members of a gang that leaked UPTET paper arrested

Aaditya Thackeray and party leader Sanjay Raut met West Bengal CM

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter Scale hits Sikkim

West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee arrives in Mumbai

4,177 persons granted Indian citizenship during the last five years

Mizoram CM called on PM Modi

Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow

A blast, obviously a roadside bomb rocked Darul Aman road on the western edge of the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday morning, leaving no casualties, spokesman for Interior Ministry Qari Sayed Khosti said.

In view of the emergence of new COVID-19 variant Omicron, schools for classes 1-7 will now reopen from December 15 in Mumbai, instead of December 1, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

Japan confirmed on Tuesday its first case of the new omicron coronavirus variant, a visitor who recently arrived from Namibia, an official said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the patient, a man in his 30s, tested positive upon arrival at an airport on Sunday and was isolated and is being treated at a hospital.

The ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) report on the sample of one of the two South Africa returnees, who tested COVID-19 positive with features "different from the Delta variant" of the virus is expected in the next two to three days, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.

He, however, said the two COVID infected people who arrived from South Africa here earlier this month were asymptomatic and did not require hospitalisation, but as a precautionary measure they were admitted to the hospital.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday broadened its recommendation for COVID-19 booster shots for all adults as the new omicron variant is identified in more countries. The agency had previously approved boosters for all adults, but only recommended them for those 50 years and older or if they live in a long-term care setting.

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new guidance reflects the emergence of the omicron variant, which has not yet been identified in the U.S. but that officials say will inevitably reach the country.

“Everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot either when they are 6 months after their initial Pfizer or Moderna series or 2 months after their initial J&J vaccine,” she said in a statement.

Walensky also encouraged Americans feeling unwell to seek out a COVID-19 test, saying “Increased testing will help us identify Omicron quickly.”

A court in Myanmar postponed its verdict on Tuesday in the trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow testimony from an additional witness. The court agreed with a defence motion that it allow a doctor who had previously been unable to come to court to add his testimony, a legal official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the InFinity Forum, a thought leadership forum on FinTech, on December 3 via video conferencing.

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 55,273 on Tuesday as four more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 500 points in early trade on Tuesday led by gains in index majors TCS, Infosys and Bajaj Finance. The 30-share index was trading 504.75 points or 0.88 per cent higher at 57,765.33 in initial deals. Similarly, the Nifty rose 149.65 points or 0.88 per cent to 17,203.60.

PowerGrid was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 5 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, SBI, TCS and Infosys. On the other hand, Dr Reddy's was the only Sensex constituent trading with losses.

With the addition of 110 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 5,69,270, an official said on Tuesday.

At least 20 people were killed and several wounded in a raid on an internally displaced persons (IDPs) site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians have said.

New Zealand reported 134 new Delta variant cases of Covid-19 in the community on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country's current community outbreak to 8,431.

Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or for a record-extending seventh time on Monday, ending the year in style after a brilliant final season with Barcelona and earning his first major international trophy with Argentina.