New Delhi
In the latest, A 69-year-old gunman opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre and a hairdressing salon in Paris on Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, witnesses and prosecutors said. On the Covid front, China has been reeling under another surge in Covid cases, making this outbreak by far the largest in the world. Additionally, Charles Sobhraj, the notorious French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, was deported to France on Friday, hours after being released from a prison here where he served most of his sentence for a string of murders across Asia in the 1970s.
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Three killed and three injured after shooting in central Paris, suspect arrested
Three people were killed while three were injured after an unknown assailant opened fire in central Paris on Friday. The French police and prosecutors said that the shooter was a male in his 60s and he was arrested by the authorities. While the motive of the shooter remains unclear, the police announced that the injured individuals were all taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Covid crisis in China: Nearly 37 million people may have been infected on single day
China's National Health Commission (NHC) has said that nearly 37 million people may have been infected with Covid on a single day this week, making China's outbreak by far the largest in the world. This single-day estimate was for December 20 when a little over 3,000 cases were seen, as per the official tally.
The minutes of an internal meeting of the NHC held on Wednesday showed that 248 million people, or nearly 18% of the country's population, likely contracted Covid in the first 20 days of December, news agency Bloomberg reported on Friday. If the data is accurate, the infection rate would dwarf China's previous daily record of about four million Covid cases, which was set in January this year.
France deported back notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj, son of an Indian and Vietnamese couple, on Friday after he was released from a prison in Nepal where he served his maximum sentence for committing a series of murders across Asia in the 1970s.
The 78-year-old Sobhraj was released from Kathmanduâs Central Jail on Friday and taken away to the Department of Immigration in a police convoy, which was heavily guarded.
Russia may cut down oil production in response to EU-imposed price cap
The Kremlin may decide to cut oil production by around seven per cent in the first quarter of 2023 in the aftermath of the oil price cap imposed by the European Union members, a Russian deputy prime minister said on Friday according to AFP. He also said that Russia will stop oil supply to all countries who agreed with the price cap as it was seen as a support for Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.
Covid Alert: No entry for visitors in Taj Mahal without Covid testing
In the wake of recent increase in cases of coronavirus in China and other nations, Indiaâs international tourist hotspot, the Taj Mahal, has been put on alert. The Covid alert in the Taj Mahal was confirmed by Agraâs District Health Information Officer.
According to reports, the samples of tourists visiting the Taj Mahal are being tested for coronavirus by Agraâs health department, especially of those visitors who are coming from foreign countries.
UK nurses announce two-day strike on 18-19 Jan in escalation of pay dispute with the govt
UK nurses plan to strike for two days consecutively in the new year at dozens of hospitals across England in connection with their pay fallout with the government. On 18 and 19 January 2023, nurses will not report to work in 55 NHS trusts, an increase of 11 from the 44 NHS trusts where they staged their initial strikes on 15 and 20 December 2022.
Following a prior threat by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to step up its strike campaign if ministers didn't budge on pay negotiations, further action has been taken.
Winter storm in US and Canada: Plunging temperatures cause frostbite within five minutes of exposure
Owing to plummeting temperatures across the US and Canada, frostbite can develop on exposed skin in just five to ten minutes, as observed by residents. Prior to the busiest travel days of the year, a strong Arctic winter storm has issued weekend weather alerts for more than 135 million people. The alerts cover the entire country from coast to coast and extend as far south as Florida and the US-Mexico border. As the storm gets worse, major airports have cancelled thousands of flights. Forecasters predict that the recent cold spell may bring about the iciest Christmas in decades.
IMF projects 6.8 per cent GDP growth for India next year
The International Monetary Fund reported on Friday that India is navigating an "extremely tough" external environment, projecting growth rates of 6.8 per cent and 6.1 per cent for the current and following fiscal years, respectively. In her virtual conversation with reporters, Choueiri Nada, IMF's India Mission Chief, reaffirmed that India continues to be the lone bright spot in an otherwise bleak picture of the world economy.
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