| | As China and some other countries witness a surge in Covid cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cautioned against complacency, called for strict vigil and directed that the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at international airports, be strengthened. "Covid is not over yet," Modi reiterated at a high-level Covid review meeting and urged people to wear masks in crowded places, even as the Union Health Ministry asked the Civil Aviation ministry to ensure random post-arrival Covid testing of two per cent of arriving passengers in each international flight at airports from December 24, to minimize the risk of ingress of any new variant of coronavirus in the country. HT brings you a round-up of the most important and interesting stories, so you don’t miss your daily dose of news. | THE BIG STORY Raise vigilance, bridge booster shot gap: Modi States should make sure they are prepared with adequate medical resources, officials must ramp up testing and genome sequencing, people should wear masks and take precautions ahead of the festival season, and the booster doses gap must be bridged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a high-level meeting on Thursday as the administration took stock of the Covid-19 situation. The meeting comes amid a spike in some parts of the world, particularly China where large parts of the population does not have a previous exposure or adequate protection through vaccination, though experts have pointed out that there is no cause for alarm in India, where the population has significantly higher baseline immunity. Read more. | STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED | | | The Big Question Will discussions between India and China help dispel tensions? Against the backdrop of India-China border tensions spreading to the Arunachal Pradesh sector, senior military commanders of the two sides held talks this week but there was no indication of forward movement in addressing the 30-month face-off in Ladakh sector. Corps commanders of the two countries held talks on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on December 20, just 11 days after several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Yangtse, located near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Read more. |  The world waited for the season finale. Poor Tanya, worth half a billion, was revealed to be the dead body featured in the opening episode. Not all gays are evil. But she’d be alive if she didn’t stay at this titular hotel chain. | | | From the Edit Page India’s 2047 goals will guide G20 presidency India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, and since then, the world has witnessed the essence of Indian hospitality. With a vision of a shared future, India looks to the G20 presidency as an opportunity. Today, the world is facing unprecedented challenges, thanks to the after-effects of Covid-19, global conflicts, an impending climate crisis, and economic uncertainty. Over the last couple of years, much of the global energy has been focused on protecting lives during the pandemic and preserving livelihoods affected by it. India’s presidency allows the world to focus on the 4Ds: De-escalating conflicts, more digitalisation to enable fast-paced, equitable and inclusive development and striving for an equitable framework of decarbonisation to fight the climate crisis. Read more. | Number Theory No sign yet of China virus surge in India Covid data The rise in Covid-19 cases in neighbouring China now has the attention of the top authorities in India, including the prime minister and the union health minister. None of them has suggested any drastic measures yet (and rightly so), and only all advised pandemic-appropriate behaviour and more surveillance. There is good reason for this. HT listed three of them (better vaccines, more and wider infection rate from earlier waves, and a longer presence of Omicron than China) on December 21 to show why India is unlikely to go the China way. Read more. | Infographic of the Day  (Click to expand) |  The White Lotus | Photo of the Day Auto meal | HT This Day: December 23, 1935 The nation’s homage to Congress  (Click to expand) The Indian National Congress is the greatest unifying force in the country to-day. The mass awakening, political and otherwise that is noticeable all over the lead, is directly due to it. Read more. | Please share you feedback with us What do you think about this newsletter? | Were you forwarded this email? Did you stumble upon it online? Sign up here. | | | | | | | | | Get the Hindustan Times app and read premium stories | | | | | | View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Contact us You received this email because you signed up for HT Newsletters or because it is included in your subscription. Copyright © HT Digital Streams. All Rights Reserved | | | | |
