A new survey has revealed that the average hotel price in Japan during the latest quarter rose 15 per cent from the same period in 2019, before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey conducted by STR, a research firm that provides market data on the hotel industry worldwide, shows that the average price for a hotel room in Japan during the January-March quarter was 16,125 yen ($120), up by around $15.7 from the same period in 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 to a Covid-19 "variant of interest" (VOI) due to its "sustained increase" and "growth advantage" reported from several countries.

XBB.1.16 is a descendent lineage of XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 descendent lineages. XBB.1.16 was first reported on January 9, this year and designated a variant under monitoring (VUM) on March 22.

So far, 3,648 sequences of the Omicron XBB.1.16 variant have been reported from 33 countries, including India, on open research platform GISAID, the global health body, said.

"Following a sustained increase in the prevalence of XBB.1.16 and growth advantage reported from several countries, WHO classifies XBB.1.16 as a VOI," said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for Covid-19 response at WHO on Friday.

Van Kerkhove noted that XBB.1.16 has shown "growth advantage and immune escape".

While "no changes in severity have been reported, it can cause full range of disease", she said, adding for the need to "be vigilant".

Finland's registered 1.32 births per woman in 2022, the lowest level since record keeping started in 1776, according to official data.

Statistics Finland said the figure in 2021 was 1.46.

In 2022, 44,951 children were born in Finland.

Statistics Finland said the main reason for the drop was that families chose not to have a second or third child.

In recent years, the proportion of first-born babies among newborns has increased slightly.

While just under 41 per cent of those born in 2018 were first-born children, this proportion rose to 43 per cent in 2022.

However, the number of second and third-born children decreased more than that of first-borns.

A new Omicron subvariant is spreading in the United States, and has accounted for nearly 10 per cent of new weekly Covid-19 cases reported across the country, according to data updated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The subvariant XBB.1.16, referred to as "arcturus", has been added by the CDC to its variant tracker.

The percentage is expected to increase in the coming weeks, and it may become the next dominant coronavirus strain in the country, experts warned.

Among the many startups founded and operating in South Korea, TagHive, an education technology company launched in 2017, is distinguished for its founder and CEO Pankaj Agarwal.

The Greek economy was on the right track despite challenges, and structural reforms were key to continued progress, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann said here."Greece's reform efforts are paying off. The Greek economy is on the right track and it will be important to stay the course. The strong and rapid rebound in economic activity from the Covid-19 crisis is testament to these efforts," he said during joint statements to the press with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

In his first televised address to the nation after becoming Fiji's Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka on Tuesday announced back-to-school support of $91 per child assistance to all those earning a combined annual income of $22,735 or less.This is being done to ensure that children return to school without difficulty, the Prime Minister as saying.

Even as Canada set a record by admitting 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, almost half of Canadians think that the government's target of 500,000 immigrants a year is too high, according to a recent poll.Forty-nine per cent of Canadians think the government's immigration plan will admit too many immigrants to the country, according to market research and analytics company Leger.According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 released last year, Canada aims to welcome 465,000 new immigrants in 2023 to address severe labour shortage in the country.

Australian batter Matthew Renshaw's Test recall got off to a bad start after testing positive for Covid-19 on the morning of the series finale against South Africa but he will continue to take part in the game at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), here on Wednesday.Playing his first Test since 2018, Renshaw, who returned a positive rapid antigen test after feeling unwell before play for the SCG Test, was named in the playing XI anyway, listed to bat at number six. The left-handed batter stood separately from team-mates during the anthems and was then seen sitting away from the dugout on the boundary edge.

The youth suicide rate in South Korea increased in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic to remain as their No. 1 cause of death, in yet another sign of a chronic problem that has plagued the country for years, data showed on Tuesday.The suicide rate per 100,000 people aged 17 and below reached 2.7 in 2021, up from 2.5 a year earlier, revealed the latest.The rate for the age group from 15 to 17 reached 9.5, slightly down from 9.9 tallied in 2020, the data showed. In contrast, suicides among those aged 12 to 14 shot up 1.8 on-year to reach five in 2021.The rate for the age group from 15 to 17, meanwhile, earlier soared on-year to 9.9 in 2020, compared to 8.3 tallied in 2019.The data also showed that 6.5 per cent of children aged from 1 to 9 years old suffered nutritional deficiency in 2020, when schools were closed due to the pandemic, sharply up from 3.4 per cent tallied in 2019.

The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) presidents will not be joining Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, when it begins early next month, but both leaders have extended their good wishes to Gandhi.RLD national convenor Anupam Mishra said, "We have received an invitation from the Congress party, but it is not possible for party president Jayant Chaudhary to participate in the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra due to his being preoccupied with other events.""We, however, wish all the success to the Congress's Yatra," he said.There is also no likelihood of Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav participating in the yatra, according to an SP leader.

The first session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2023 will commence from January 9 with Governor R.N. Ravi's customary address.The session will begin at 10 a.m. and the duration will be decided by the Business Advisory Committee of the state Assembly.The state Assembly Speaker's office in a statement said that the newly inducted minister, Udayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, will be allotted a front row in the Assembly. he will sit between Industries minister Thangam Thenarasu and Law minister S. Raghupathy.

As the annual shopping event of Boxing Day unfolded on Monday, the shopping spree is expected to boost the economic recovery with a record spending and help Australians save their household spending with discounted prices.Shopping malls in Sydney are full of enthusiastic shoppers with long queues waiting outside of some popular brands. Many brands are also offering sales with big promotions.An analysis released by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), one of the country's major commercial banks, had revealed that 42 per cent of Australians plan to shop the Boxing Day sales this year, up from 39 per cent who said they shopped last year.

Nearly 23.8 million people over the age of 60 in China are yet to receive their first shot of Covid-19 vaccine as the country goes through a massive surge in infections, the media reported on Monday.According to reports, as China eased its zero-Covid policy, the country doubled down on vaccination drives but the vaccination rate for the elderly is worryingly low.The vaccination figure fell to "just 42.4 per cent for those aged 80 and over", the report mentioned.The elderly, most of whom have other ailments, are most concerned about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines.Vaccination seemed less urgent for many elderly people, especially those in the country's vast hinterland, and they lacked the motivation to get jabs.

 North Korea's economy retreated 0.1 per cent in 2021 from a year earlier, amid the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic coupled with international sanctions, new data showed on Monday.The country's real gross domestic product (GDP) fell for the second consecutive year, following a 4.5-per cent on-year drop tallied in 2020, according to the data from Statistics Korea.In 2021, the South Korean economy expanded 4.1 per cent from the previous year.North Korea's per capita gross national income (GNI) stood at 1.42 million won last year. That of South Korea was 28 times higher at 40.4 million won.North Korea's trade volume tumbled 17.3 per cent on-year to $710 million in 2021. Over the period, South Korea's trade advanced 28.5 percent to hit $1.2 trillion, around 1,766 times higher than the North.

President Droupadi Murmu will be arriving here on Monday for a five-day southern sojourn.The President will stay at the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the official presidential retreat at Bolarum in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad.This will be Murmu's maiden visit to Hyderabad since she was elected to the highest office in July.During her five-day stay, she would visit Ramappa and Bhadrachalam temples as well as participate in locally arranged programmes in the city.The Telangana government has made elaborate arrangements for the President's stay.Security agencies have taken control of Rashtrapati Nilayam for fool-proof security. Army, police, revenue, Secunderabad Cantonment and other departments have made the arrangements for the President's visit and her stay here.Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar already held a meeting with the officials of various departments to review the arrangements made for the President's visit.

The Uttar Pradesh government will formulate a fresh policy for the prevention and management of Covid-19 in consultation with the state-level health advisory committee, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.He added, "With no fresh Covid cases in the state in the last 24 hours and the situation well under control, the changing trend of Covid should be closely monitored. Medical Education and Health Department should do preparations with better coordination. The new policy will be decided in consultation with the state-level health advisory committee."He said, "Even as the increase in new Covid cases is being seen in different countries for the last one week, the situation remains in control in Uttar Pradesh. The Covid- positivity rate of the state in December has been 0.01 per cent. At present, the total number of active cases in the state is 62. In the last 24 hours, 27,208 tests were done and not a single new patient was confirmed. During the same period, 33 people recovered."

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday gave a Suspension of Notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business seeking a discussion on incessantly rising coronavirus cases in China and its impact on India. In his written notice, Raghav Chadha said, "I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha, this House do suspend Rule 38 of the said Rule in its application to the discussion on rising corona cases in China and impact on India. China is witnessing an alarming surge in fatal COVID infections from a sub-variant of Omicron.

In view of the sudden rise in Covid-19 cases across some countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has requested Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to follow the guidelines or adjourn the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the interests of the country and the public.Mandaviya on Tuesday wrote to Rahul Gandhi and Gehlot. This followed the letters written by some MPs from Rajasthan where they expressed concern over the spread of Covid infection because of non-adherence to the guidelines during the Yatra.Emphasizing on the adherence to Covid protocols, the health minister said using masks, sanitizers and adopting other precautions was necessary."Covid guidelines should be strictly followed in the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' going on in Rajasthan. Masks and sanitizers should be used and it should be ensured that only people vaccinated against Covid take part in this yatra. Passengers should be isolated before and after joining the Yatra", said Mandaviya in the letters addressed to Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi may lay off workers from multiple departments, as it aims to reduce 15 per cent of its workforce amid the rough global macroeconomic conditions and local Covid-19 lockdowns. 
Xiaomi had 35,314 employees as of September 30, with more than 32,000 in mainland China.The extent of the lay-offs is unknown and "Xiaomi declined to comment", according to the report that came out late on Monday.According to a report by Chinese media outlet Jiemian, Xiaomi will cut jobs in several units of its smartphone and internet services business.Gizmo China reported that some departments have seen layoffs of up to 75 per cent, while others have had around 40 per cent of their teams cut.China's social media platforms, including Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Maimai, have been flooded with posts about the reported Xiaomi job cuts.

A new mother and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Saroj Ahire-Wagh turned heads when she arrived at the Maharashtra Legislature with her 10-week-old infant son in arms, here on Monday morning.Her husband, Dr. Pravin Wagh and her mother-in-law are also accompanying and staying with her at Nagpur to take care of the infant, Prashansak, who is all of two-and-half months old, on his first 'political day out' in the state's highest law-making institution.Clad in a brown-grey sari, the comely legislator walked casually inside the legislature premises cuddling her little one, bundled in a creamish baby blanket to ward off the Nagpur cold weather, informed her aide, Adv. Anup Vanse.Interacting with the media, the radiant Wagh-Ahire, 37 -- who got married in February 2021, after her election as MLA in 2019 -- said that she would like to bring her son to the legislature daily so she could nurse him as and when needed.

If judges and journalists hesitate in their duty to take the side of truth and speak the truth to the powers that be, then democracy will collapse, cautioned eminent jurist and retired Justice B.N. Shrikrishna."Speak the truth to the powers that bea There are two professions - the judge and the journalist - who have to side with the truth. If they falter, then democracy will collapse," said Justice Shrikrishna, addressing the RedInk Awards ceremony here late on Friday, organised by the Press Club.He said that of the four pillars of democracy -- judiciary, legislature, executive and the press or Fourth Estate, "if the first three cosy up, then it's the duty of the Press to take them to task".Reminiscing the days of the Emergency, he said that in the current times, the central probe agencies are being misused."People spoke of threats from the ED, CBI, surveillance, cutting off revenue to ensure the collapse of businessesa In such a situation, honesty is the best policy, and journalistic conscience," Justice Shrikrishna pointed out.

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that he hopes that Covid-19 will no longer be a global health emergency sometime next year.Addressing a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO Covid-19 Emergency Committee will discuss next month the criteria for declaring an end to the Covid-19 emergency."We're hopeful that at some point next year, we will be able to say that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency," he said.He added, however, that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the culprit behind the Covid-19 pandemic, will not go away."It's here to stay, and all countries will need to learn to manage it alongside other respiratory illnesses including influenza and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), both of which are now circulating intensely in many countries," he said.The WHO chief said one of the most important lessons from the pandemic is that all countries need to strengthen their public health systems to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres working together on G20, which is being led by India.Jaishankar tweeted after their meeting here on Wednesday that they "exchanged views on working together during India's G20 Presidency".India became President of the G20 group of major industrialised and emerging economies as the world faces a double whammy of crises from the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Ukraine-Russia war was also discussed and Jaishankar tweeted that he valued Guterres's insights.Earlier, Guterres had spoken at the ministerial-level meeting of the Security Council on New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System or NORMS during which India put the spotlight on reforming the Council.He said that a majority in the UN want the Council "reformed to reflect today's geopolitical realities" and offered his support for the effort.

Fijians went to the polls on Wednesday to elect 55 members of Parliament.According to the Fijian Elections Office (FEO), voting is underway at 855 polling stations across the country with 343 candidates in the fray from nine political parties, including the ruling FijiFirst party and two independents, vying for a seat in Parliament. These polls pit Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006, against longtime rival Sitiveni Rabuka, a former military commander who himself led two power grabs in the late 1980s.A total of 693,915 eligible voters have been registered for this year's general elections, with 9,916 having applied for postal ballot.A total of 77,907 Fijians were registered to vote for pre-polling last week.

A childhood illness left him partially paralysed, but he turned his adversity into an opportunity with motivation and undeterred determination.Vishal Sahani, who suffers from paralysis on his left side from the waist down, is the Lucknow-based Amazon 'I Have Space' (IHS) partner. He is fulfilling his dreams regardless of his physical limitations.Born in Gorakhpur, Vishal moved to Lucknow with his father and family in search of better work opportunities in 1992. As one of six siblings, with limited resources and physical disabilities, Vishal had to rely on his brother for financial assistance for most of his life. However, Vishal wanted a stable job and took multiple attempts at government exams.Initially, Vishal started a kites' store, 'Sonu Kite Centre' along with his brother in 2007. He was able to meet the basic expenses from the store until the onset of Covid-19, which severely impacted his business.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will provide $250 million to help Bangladesh improve the inclusiveness and responsiveness of social development.The loan will be given as budgetary support under the Strengthening Social Resilience Program, report. Sharifa Khan, secretary of Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Urjit R. Patel, vice-president of Investment Operations (Region 1) at the AIIB, signed the deal in Dhaka on behalf of their respective sides.According to the ERD, the main objective of the program is to improve the inclusiveness and responsiveness of social development in Bangladesh, including enhancing the coverage and efficiency of social protection, improving financial inclusion of disadvantaged people and strengthening responses to lifecycle social and health needs.

 Australia has reported slower than expected economic growth for the third quarter of 2022.The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday revealed that the gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.6 per cent in the three months to the end of September.In the 12 months to September the Australian economy grew by 5.9 per cent.Economists had widely tipped a 0.7 percent increase in the third quarter of the year.According to the ABS, growth was driven by a 13.9 per cent increase in transport services and a 5.5 per cent jump in spending at hotels, cafes and restaurants.Household spending increased by 1.1 per cent from the June quarter."The September quarter was the fourth consecutive quarter of economic growth, following a contraction in the September quarter 2021, which was impacted by the Covid-19 Delta outbreak," Sean Crick, ABS head of National Accounts, said in a media release.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Vice President Kamala Harris are among Forbes' 19th annual list of 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women' of 2022.While Harris is ranked third, Sitharaman is at number 36 on the list that was released on Tuesday highlighting "innovators and instigators who are leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures".This is the fourth year in a row that Sitharaman made it to the list. Last year, she was in the 37th spot, 41st in 2020 and 34th in 2019.In 2021, Harris became the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian-American to become the American Vice President.A California native, Harris was born in Oakland to immigrant parents -- her mother was from India and father from Jamaica.Apart from Harris, Bela Bajaria, head of Global TV at Netflix, is another Indian-American on the list who is ranked at number 71.Bajaria is responsible for hits including 'Bridgerton', 'The Queen's Gambit', 'Lupin' and 'Cobra Kai'.Before joining Netflix in 2016, Bajaria was president of Universal Television, where she made history as the first woman of color to oversee a studio.

The Bangladesh government announced that everyone aged 60 or above will be offered a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine in order to boost people's fading immunity against the disease.Speaking at a press conference, Ahmedul Kabir, a senior official of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), announced that the fourth shot will be available at seven vaccination centres in Dhaka on December 20 on a trial basis, report says. 

After a long break due to Covid-19, the time has come in Panjab University, Chandigarh to conduct STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS. The students are very excited to choose their representatives in the University.  All the student organisations have started the preparation for the elections. Regarding the same, Student organisation SFI (STUDENTS FEDERATION OF

JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan on September 17 alleged that political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor was "working for" the BJP, as part of its "conspiracies" to find a firm foothold in Bihar. Rubbishing Mr. Kishor's claim of having turned down an "offer" from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the party's de facto leader, Mr. Singh asserted that the poll

Lending major HDFC on Wednesday reported a rise of 11 per cent in its standalone Q3FY22 net profit on a year-on-year basis. Its profit after tax rose to Rs 3,261 crore from Rs 2,926 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Besides, the Corporation's net interest income (NII) for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 rose to Rs 4,284 crore compared to Rs 4,005 crore in the previous year.

After Model Code of Conduct came into force in the state for Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections, various enforcement teams have seized valuables worth Rs 23.8 crore in violation of code besides confiscating unaccounted cash till January 12, 2022. Giving details in this regard on Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Punjab Dr S Karuna Raju said that the surveillance teams have seized 79766.512 litres of liquor worth Rs 24 lakh. Similarly, the enforcement wings have also recovered psychotropic substances amounting to Rs 23.366 crore besides confiscating unaccounted cash of Rs 4 lakhs, he added.

Two more members of the K-pop supergroup BTS -- RM and Jin -- were confirmed to have fully recovered from the new coronavirus and released from isolation on Tuesday after Suga. "Members RM and Jin were released from isolation at noon as they were confirmed to have been fully recovered from Covid-19."
"The two showed no serious symptoms of the virus during the isolation period," the agency added. "Jin had mild symptoms, such as a mild fever at the early stage of treatment at home, but soon fully recovered."