Author: Shivali Varshney, Vidhyarthi Darpan

NATIONAL NEWS 

MHA constitutes a 3-member panel to probe security breach during PM Modi’s Punjab visit

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs constituted a three-member committee on January 6, 2022 to enquire into the security lapse during Prime Minister’s visit to Ferozepur in Punjab. The committee will be led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary of Security under the Cabinet Secretariat and Balbir Singh, Joint Director of IB and S.Suresh, IG of SPG. The committee will be required to submit its report at the earliest. 

PM Modi to inaugurate the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkatta through video conferencing on January 7, 2022. The second campus of the institute has been built in line with PM Modi’s vision to expand health facilities across the country. 

Omicron may be less severe but not mild: WHO

The World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 6, 2022 that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 looks to be less serve but cannot be categorised as mild. He said during a press briefing that, “ while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should categorised as mild.” He said this pointing out that last week, the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported so far in the pandemic. He added that the omicron variant is hospitalising people and killing people, just like previous ones. He also added that there is a tsunami of cases, which is overwhelming the health systems across the world. 

India closely monitoring building of bridge by China near Pangong lake

India has been closely monitoring China’s building of a bridge in the border areas that have been under its illegal occupation for over 60 years. India is taking all necessary steps to ensure that its security interests are protected. This was informed by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindham Bagchi on January 6th. He also said that India has never accepted such illegal occupation. 

Centre directs states to set up control rooms amid surge in COVID-19 cases

The centre asked the states and union territories on January 6, 2022 to set up control rooms at the district level and sub-district levels to ensure ease of access to services for COVID Management. The centre stated in a letter that it is expected that targeted action for the re-establishment of control rooms for services such as ambulance transportation and hospital booking would have begun. 

India closely monitoring the situation in Kazakhstan 

India is closely monitoring the ongoing developments in Kazakhstan, informed External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindham Bagchi. He said that the Indian embassy in Kazakhstan is closely monitoring the situation, particularly from the perspective of the safety of Indian nationals there. The spokesperson assures that India will assist any Indians in distress. Kazakhstan is facing a national crisis after violent clashes broke out between protestors and security forces, forcing President to call for support from the Russia-led military alliance. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS  

Veteran Director Peter Bogdanovich passes away

Oscar-nominated Hollywood Director Peter Bogdanovich passed away at the age of 82 on January 7, 2022. Bogdanovich had served as a bridge between Old Hollywood and new Hollywood. The legendary director had directed the film the 1971 black and white classic, ‘Last Picture Show’, which had received 8 Oscar nominations including for best director.  He has also directed movies such as ‘Mask’, ‘At Long Last Love’ and ‘Daisy Miller.’

Sri Lanka, India Inks Deal to Redevelop Strategic Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex

On 6 “ December 2022, Sri Lanka signed an agreement with India to jointly redevelop the strategic World War II-era Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex, commonly known as the Trinco Oil Tank Farm in Srilanka’s eastern port district of Trincomalee for a lease period of 50 years. The 85 tanks out of the 99 tanks will now be under the Sri Lankan control which was previously under the control of India. The Cabinet approved the proposal to allocate 24 oil tanks to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and 14 oil tanks to the local operators of the Indian Oil Company (LIOC) while the remaining 61 oil tanks (out of the total number of 99 tanks) are to be developed under Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd, with shares of CPC 51 percent & LIOC (49 percent).

NATIONAL NEWS 

Six die in a gas leak in Surat

Six people died and 20 others were hospitalised in a gas leak incident at a company Sachin GIDC area of Surat, Gujarat on January 6, 2022. This was informed by In-charge Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Omkar Chaudhary. 

Delhi to proposes to construct twin towers at ITO as its new office building

The Delhi Government has proposed the construction of twin towers at the ITO area of the national capital as its new building to accommodate all offices of the chief minister and his top cabinet members. The proposed buildings will comprise 30-35 storeys on three plots of land, Vikas Bhawan-1, MSO and GST Buildings.

Virat Kohli drops to 9th place on ICC Test Rankings 

Indian test skipper Virat Kohli has dropped to the ninth place from earlier 7th rank in the ICC Test batsmen rankings, while Rohit Sharma has retained his 5th rank. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah has entered the top ten in the ICC Test bowler rankings by moving up three places to be ranked 9th.

Grammy Awards Postponed amid COVID Concern

The music awards gala, Grammy, which was scheduled for January 31, 2022, has been postponed because of the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the United States. As per the Recording Academy, the rescheduled date of the Grammy Awards will be announced soon. The pop stalwarts including Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Olivia Rodrigo were among the top leading nominees of the 64th annual awards. Last Spring’s show was the first Grammy award of the COVID-19 pandemic era. It was a more television-friendly and socially distanced show. Those awards were postponed to March 14 after the original date was postponed due to COVID. The heavily mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the most transmissible to date and has been accounting for around 85% of US cases.

Uttar Pradesh Govt renames Sainik School after General Bipin Rawat

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to rename the Sainik School at Mainpuri after the first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in December 2021. The news was shared by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Office. In a tweet, it announced that while paying homage to the martyrdom of General Bipin Rawat, UP CM has decided to rename the Sainik School as General Bipin Rawat Sainik School. The Sainik School in Mainpuri District in Uttar Pradesh had become functional from April 1, 2019. India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel had died after their helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

PM Modi to inaugurate second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata

The second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute will be inaugurated by PM Modi in Kolkata on January 7, 2022, via video conferencing. The second campus has been built in line with the PM’s vision to expand and upgrade the health facilities in all parts of the country. As the institute was facing heavy load of cancer patients, a need for expansion was felt for some time. The second campus of the Cancer Institute has been built at a cost of Rs. 530 crores, out of which Rs. 400 crores have been provided by the Central Government. Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata is equipped with modern facilities and it will also work as an advanced cancer research facility.

244 Meri Saheli Teams deployed at major Railway Stations

The Railway Protection Force has deployed 244 Meri Saheli teams at major railway stations in the country in order to provide security to the lady passengers in long-distance trains, particularly those who are travelling alone. As per the Railway Ministry, the Railway Protection Force collects feedbacks from the women passengers at the end of their journeys to assess the efficacy of the initiative. The ministry also informed that other preventive measures to ensure the security of the lady passengers such as CCTV system, train escorting and regular drives against unauthorized passengers in ladies’ coaches are also being implemented. The Railway Protection Force, in 2021, had arrested more than 3000 criminals that were involved in the offences against the passengers.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa

Australia cancelled world no. 1 Novak Djokovic’s visa on January 6, 2022 after a controversy over his vaccine exemption. Djokovic had earlier landed in Australia claiming medical exemption to play in the Australian Open. He did not clarify if he has been vaccinated or not. With his visa cancelled, the tennis player will be forced to leave the country. Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison had said earlier that Djokovic is not a special case and same rules will apply to him as it does to everyone. 

Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to visit India on January 9th

Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will be on a four-day visit to India starting on January 9, 2022. This would be his second international visit after taking over the post of Prime Minister last year. He is expected to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also attend the Gujarat Global Summit.

Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa retires from international cricket

Sri Lankan batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on January 8, 2021. The cricketer cited family obligations as his reason for retirement. Rajapaksa has represented Sri Lanka in both ODIs and T20Is. He has played 5 ODIs and 18 T20Is and scored 89 and 320 runs respectively.  

NATIONAL NEWS 

PM Modi to inaugurate multiple development projects in Punjab today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ferozepur in Punjab today, January 5, 2022. The Prime Minister will lay foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 42,750 cr including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

India’s TS Tirumurti named Chair of UN Counter-Terrorism Committee

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti has been named as the new Chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee for 2022. India had last chaired this committee in 2011-12. The UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee was formed in September 2001 soon after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack to chart the way forward to fight against terrorism.

Delhi to install telemetry devices in hospitals to monitor oxygen supply

The Delhi government has issued instructions to install Telemetry devices on oxygen tanks of 53 government and private hospitals for real-time monitoring of oxygen supply in the national capital. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, “Live monitoring will be done through COVID-19 War Room. This will help in monitoring how much oxygen is available in which hospital so that oxygen can be delivered to the needy hospital in time in case of emergency.” The telemetry device will help in transmitting live information of the amount of oxygen present in each liquid medical oxygen tank to the war room of the Delhi government. This will help the government keep track of how much oxygen is left in which hospital so that oxygen can be delivered to that hospital in time.

SBI makes online IMPS transactions up to Rs 5 lakh free

The State Bank of India decided on January 4, 2022 to enhance the free IMPS online transactions limit to Rs 5 lakh from earlier Rs 2 lakh to encourage customers to adopt digital banking. SBI will not levy any service charge on Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) transactions up to Rs 5 lakh done through Internet banking or Mobile Banking.

Centre to frame policy to know age, condition of bridges across India

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed on January 4, 2022 that the Centre will frame a policy to know the condition and age of all the bridges across the country. The Ministry has prepared the Indian Bridge Management System to collect information about all the bridges of the country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Ex-Prime Minister of UK Tony Blair is now ‘Sir Tony’

 The former Prime Minister of Britain Tony Blair, along with Baroness Amos and Duchess of Cornwall, will be appointed as a member of the Order of the Garter. It is England’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry. The former PM of the UK will now be known as ‘Sir Tony’. The appointments are the personal choices of the Queen, who has up to 24 ‘knight and lady companions’. Tony Blair has become ‘Sir Tony’ from January 1, 2022, as he joins the order as a ‘knight companion’. Baroness Amos has also become the black member of the order. He is a former cabinet minister. The ceremonial order which was founded in 1348 is a recognition of significant public service and is made without Prime Ministerial advice.

Viktor Saneyev, three-time Olympic triple jump champion, dies at 76

The former world record-holder and three-time Olympic triple jump champion Viktor Saneyev has passed away at the age of 76. The Soviet Union man had won his Olympic Titles in three consecutive games, first in 1968, second in 1972, and third in 1976. Saneyev also won an Olympic Silver Medal four years later in Moscow and won two European Titles in 1969 and 1974. Viktor Saneyev was born in Georgia in 1945. He started his Olympic career at the age of 23 and made his debut by securing Gold with a world record leap of 17.39m. Saneyev later worked as a coach in Australia and passed away in Sydney.

 

North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile off its east coast

North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast. The unidentified projectile is believed to have already landed. It was fired toward the Sea of Japan, as per South Korean military. A crisis response center has been formed under the office of the Japanese Prime Minister following the possible launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea. North had last launched a projectile in October 2021, when it test-fired a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile. 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Tests positive for COVID-19

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tested positive for COVID-19. The Chief Minister informed the same on January 4, 2022 on Twitter. He said that he is experiencing mild symptoms and is isolating at home. He has asked all those who came in contact with him to isolate themselves and get tested for COVID-19.

PM Modi to dedicate development works in Manipur and Tripura today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur and Tripura today and dedicate development works. He will be inaugurating 13 projects worth around Rs 1850 crore and lay foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 2950 crore in Manipur. 

Drone-maker Garuda Aerospace maps 1000 UP villages under Svamitva scheme

Garuda Aerospace recently completed mapping of over 1000 villages in Uttar Pradesh under centre’s ambitious Svamitva scheme. The scheme aims to establish clear ownership of property in rural inhabited areas. The company offers a variety of drone-related service.

PM Modi to visit Punjab on January 5

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ferozepur in Punjab on January 5, 2022. He will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in the state worth over Rs 42,750 crore. The projects include Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, four laning of Amritsar- Una section, Mukerian- Talwara New Broad Gauge Railway line, PGI Satelite Centre at Ferozepur and two new medical projects at Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.

Ranji Trophy to proceed as per schedule: BCCI President

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly confirmed on January 3, 2022 that the upcoming edition of Ranji Trophy will be conducted as per schedule. This came after there were rising speculations regarding the tournament’s fate over rising COVID-19 cases in the country. Ranji Trophy is scheduled to take place between January 13 and March 20, 2022. 

DGCI to examine Bharat Biotech’s proposal for booster dose today 

DGCI’s Subject Expert Committee ( SEC) will meet today to examine Bharat Biotech’s application for use of its intranasal Covid vaccine as a booster shot. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Russia, US, France, China and Britain adopt prevention of Nuclear Weapons

 France, the US, China, Russia, and the United States have jointly agreed that further spread of nuclear war and arms must be avoided. As per the joint statement issued by five nuclear powers, the nations consider it their primary responsibility to avoid war between the nuclear states and reduction of statistical risks. The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister stated that the statement will help in increasing mutual trust and will replace the competition among major nuclear powers with cooperation and coordination. France also stated that the five powers will continue their bilateral and multilateral approaches to nuclear arms control. 

Israel to offer 4th dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Israel has announced that it will start offering the 4th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 60 or above. It will become the first country in the world to widely disseminate the extra dose to fight off the Omicron variant. Prime Minister of Israel also informed that the fourth dose will be made available to the medical staff who had received their last jab at least 4 months ago. The vaccination campaigns in Israel have been ahead of the curve, with the country being the first to inoculate the majority of its population and also being the most aggressive in administering the booster dose.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Vaccination for 15-18 year olds begins today 

Covid-19 vaccination drive covering children between the age group of 15-18 years will be launched across India today, January 3, 2022. The key announcement was made by PM Modi in his address to the nation on December 25, 2021. The children will be administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. 

PM Modi to visit Manipur and Tripura on January 4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur and Tripura on January 4, 2021. He will inaugurate 13 projects worth Rs 1850 crore and lay foundation of 9 projects worth Rs 2950 in Manipur. He will also inaugurate the new Integrated terminal building at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport and launch two developmental projects in Tripura. 

PM Modi lays foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut on January 2, 2022. The university will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages of Sardhana Town in Meerut at a cost of around Rs 700 crore. 

Education Minister launched nationwide 100 days reading campaign

The Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched a nationwide 100-day reading campaign called ‘Padhe Bharat’. The launched campaign is in alignment with the National Education Policy-2020 which emphasizes promoting the joyful reading culture for children by ensuring the availability of age-appropriate reading books. The nationwide campaign will mark an important step for improving the learning levels of the students as it develops critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to express both verbally and in writing. The campaign will also focus on the Indian languages. The day will be celebrated with the activity of ‘Kahani padho apni bhasa main’.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

US warns that it will respond decisively if Russia invaded Ukraine 

US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in their phone call on January 2, 2022 that the US and its allies will respond decisively if Russia invaded Ukraine. The call comes days before US and Russian officials are scheduled to meet in person in Geneva on January 10.

American Actress Betty White passes away at 99

The famous actress Betty White who starred in the popular sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’ and ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ has passed away. She was 99 years old. The Emmy-winning comedienne enjoyed one of the longest careers in showbiz history. Betty White started regularly appearing on the television in 1949 and also had a voice role in ‘Toy Story 4’ in 2019. White would have turned 100 in the next few days. In all, Betty White was one of the first woman producers, she won five Primetime Emmys, two daytime awards which also included one for Lifetime Achievement, and a regional Emmys in Los Angeles. Betty White was born in 1922 in the outskirts of Chicago. The family had moved to California during the Great Depression.

Sri Lanka to go bankrupt by 2022

Sri Lanka has been facing a deepening humanitarian and financial crisis as inflation rises to record levels, food prices rocket. Reportedly, the meltdown faced by the Sri Lankan government is in part caused by the immediate impact of the Coronavirus as well as the loss of tourism. The World Bank has estimated that 5,00,000 people in Sri Lanka have fallen below the poverty line since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic which is equivalent to the five years of progress in fighting poverty.

2 Women diplomats appointed by the US to represent Washington in Afghanistan

 The United States has appointed two women diplomats to the senior posts representing the country in Afghanistan. Rina Amiri has been appointed as a special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights. She served under the former US President Barack Obama as a senior adviser to the US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Stephanie Foster will be the new senior adviser for women and girls to the US Operations for evacuating and resettling the Afghans at risk. The move by the United States has also come close on the heels of the Taliban imposing fresh restrictions on women in Afghanistan.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Yati Narsinghanand named in Haridwar hate speech case FIR

The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday added the names of two more persons in the FIR pertaining to the religious conclave in Haridwar organised between December 17-19, where calls were made for genocide and violence against Muslims.  One of the organisers of the event — Yati Narsinghanand — who faces criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as well, was named in the FIR on Saturday.  Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati in his office in Dasna.   The police also added Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code to the existing first information report (FIR). The Section prescribes a maximum of three years imprisonment for deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.  At the religious gathering, Mr. Narsinghanand had called on Hindu youth to become Prabhakaran and Bhindranwale and provoked Hindus to pick up arms against the Muslims, promising to give them ₹1 crore for it.  Another speaker at the event — Sagar Sindhu Maharaj, whose name was added — had asked Hindus to have more children and spare Muslims only if they converted to Hinduism.   

FCRA registration of 6,000 NGOs ceases to operate from January 1 

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration of nearly 6,000 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) has ceased to operate from January 1 as the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to renew their application or the NGOs did not apply for one.  An MHA official said on Saturday that it declined to renew the FCRA registration of 179 NGOs, while 5,789 associations did not apply for a renewal before the December 31 deadline.  The prominent names whose registration was not renewed include Oxfam India and Missionaries of Charity, a catholic religious congregation set up by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa.  A video grab taken from Oxfam India website.   Oxfam India that works for economic and gender justice among Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, and women stands to lose access to over ₹62 crore in its designated bank account. The NGO that claims to have helped 10 lakh people in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh in the past one year had also transferred over ₹4 crore to 140 small NGOs and educational institutions before September 2020.  The latest amendments to the FCRA brought in September 2020 bars NGOs to transfer foreign fund to other domestic NGOs. Some of its biggest donors are Oxfam, Australia (₹3.1 crore), Oxfam, Germany (₹2.8 crore), Oxfam, Great Britain (₹7 crore) and Stichting Oxfam International, Netherlands (₹7 crore).   

NIA to probe Sikhs for Justice operative’s Pakistan links 

The National Investigation Agency will probe the suspected involvement of Germany-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) operative Jaswinder Singh Multani in the use of drones for the smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives and drugs into the Indian territory by Pakistan-based syndicates.  Based on inputs related to his alleged role in attempts to revive terrorism in Punjab, the agency has registered a case against him and his associates. Following an alert from Indian agencies, the police in Germany detained him a few days ago. Multani was released after he submitted an affidavit that he would cooperate with the authorities concerned, said an official.  We have evidence indicating that Multani has been in touch with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He also has links with smuggling syndicates in Pakistan and on the Indian side in Punjab. Through social media platforms and encrypted chat messengers, he radicalises gullible young men from Punjab and motivates them to indulge in such illegal activities, the official said.   

12 killed, 15 injured in stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K

At least 12 devotees were killed and 15 others injured in a major stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra in Jammu’s Reasi district on Saturday.  The incident took place at around 2.45 a.m., when a large number of devotees was queuing up for darshan at the sanctum sanctorum inside the cave shrine on Trikuta hills on the first day of the new year.  Preliminary reports suggested that an argument broke out [between devotees] which resulted in people pushing each other, followed by a stampede, Jammu & Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said.  A sudden rush of devotees at the shrine triggered, some of the survivors said, blaming mismanagement for the tragedy. Nothing but mismanagement was the cause for this tragic accident. They were aware about the possible rush but allowed the people in unhindered, a pilgrim from Ghaziabad said while waiting outside a mortuary to identify a body.  The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, however, denied the charge, saying all necessary arrangements were made in view of the expected rush.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Ahead of Geneva talks, U.S. and Russia have Ukraine crisis and NATO expansion to sort out

U.S. President Joe Biden holds virtual talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Washington, U.S. on December 7, 2021. With less than two weeks to go before senior U.S. and Russian officials are to meet in Geneva, the chasm is deep and the prospect of finding an exit to the crisis faces no shortage of complications. Mr. Biden on Friday told reporters that he advised Mr. Putin when they spoke by phone a day earlier that the upcoming talks could only work if the Russian leader deescalated, not escalated, the situation in the days ahead.

Hindus from India, US, UAE pray at 100-year-old Maharaja Paramhans Ji mandir in Pakistan

The programme has been organised by the Pakistani Hindu Council in collaboration with Pakistan International Airlines. The rituals will go on through the night till afternoon of Sunday, Hindu Council officials said.

 

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests COVID-19 positive for COVID-19

The Defense Secretary of the United States Lloyd Austin announced on January 2, 2022, that he has contracted Coronavirus. The news came as the highly infectious Omicron variant sweeps across the country. As per the statement by Pentagon Chief, Austin’s symptoms were mild, and that he will quarantine at home for the next five days. Lloyd Austin also informed that he is fully vaccinated as well as boosted, which had rendered the infection much milder than it would otherwise have been. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he was last in contact with President Joe Biden on December 21, 2021, more than a week before a started to experience the COVID symptoms.

Lionel Messi tests positive for Covid-19 

Football star Lionel Messi has tested positive for COVID-19 along with 3 other Paris-Saint-Germaine footballers. The club announced this on January 2, 2022.The three other players who tested positive for COVID-19 include Nathan Bitumazala, Sergio Rico and Juan Bernat. All players are currently under isolation. The PSG has a match against Vannes in the French Cup round of 32 on January 4, 2022.