Republic Top 10 Headlines: Centre issues FAQs on Omicron; Kangana faces protests & More

Centre Issues FAQs On Omicron, Says 'no Evidence To Suggest Existing Vaccines Don't Work'

The Union Health Ministry on Friday said while there is no evidence to suggest that existing vaccines do not work on the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, some of the mutations reported may decrease the efficacy of the jabs. It however underscored that definitive evidence for new variant's increased remission and immune evasion is awaited.

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Kangana Ranaut Faces Protests On Entering Punjab; Claims 'car Surrounded, Abuses Hurled'

In a key development, actor Kangana Ranaut alleged that her car was 'surrounded by a mob' in Punjab's Kiratpur on Friday. Taking to Instagram, Kangana shared a video in which her white car can be seen surrounded by a large mob, shouting slogans against her. Police personnel can also be seen, trying to manage the crowd in the said video. 

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IMD Predicts Cyclone Jawad Will Make Landfall On Dec 4; Odisha, AP On High Alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an extensive warning on Friday morning in response to Cyclone Jawad, stating that a depression over the Bay of Bengal had strengthened into a deep depression and was likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and IMD conducted a joint press conference to address preparedness for Cyclone Jawad, which is expected to reach Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on December 4. All updates on this cyclone are being monitored by the IMD and the NDRF.

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Punjab Polls: Setback For Amarinder As Loyalist Backs Sidhu As Congress' CM Face

In a setback to Amarinder Singh, his loyalist and MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa extended support to Navjot Sidhu as the Congress' CM face for the Punjab polls. Bajwa made his stance public on Thursday at a rally in Qadian in the presence of the Punjab Congress president, MLA Balwinder Singh Laddi and other leaders. Even as Congress has not officially declared its Chief Ministerial candidate as of now, it is perceived that Sidhu was miffed after being bypassed for the CM's post after Singh's resignation. 

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Akhilesh Yadav Speaks To Republic, Claims 'Gathbandhan Will Overthrow BJP'

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav spoke exclusively to Republic TV on Thursday discussing his party's agenda for upcoming UP Polls 2022, as well as issues that were on the agenda for the crucial elections. Hitting out at the ruling BJP, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the citizens were fed up with the saffron party's failed promises, and claimed that the Yogi Adityanath-led government was now relying on the religion card to win back their support.

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Kerala Governor Condemns Murder Of CPI(M) Leader; 'all Culprits Must Be Brought To Trial'

Reacting to the brutal murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader PB Sandeep Kumar in Pathanamthitta district's Thiruvalla town, Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that any kind of violence is a threat to democracy and matters should be settled in a civilised manner. He stated that law enforcement agencies should take every step to nab culprits. So far, four arrests have been made regarding the case.

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Owaisi Writes To Home Ministry, Calls Proposal To Link Birth & Death Data To NPR 'illegal'

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday opposed proposed amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act (RBD), 1969, to link data on registration of births and deaths to the National Population Register (NPR), electoral rolls and passports. He said that he has written to the Home Ministry on the same as it is 'dangerous and illegal.'

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Health Min Mandaviya Says Centre Is Prepared To Fight Omicron; Slams Politics Over COVID

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday briefed the Lok Sabha over the Omicron variant of COVID-19, a day after two cases were reported from Karnataka. He assured that the Government is prepared to fight Omicron amid growing concerns in the country involving the South African variant. Mandaviya also slammed the Opposition for politics over COVID management.

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Salman Khurshid Schools Prashant Kishor; Says 'Politics Not Only About Winning Elections'

Congress' Salman Khurshid on Friday slammed political strategist Prashant Kishor for his remark that Opposition leadership should be decided "democratically". Calling Kishor's take on democracy curious, Khurshid expressed surprise at him questioning the democratic choice of Congress workers using divinity. Khurshid then in a wild dig at Kishor said 'copy-book wisdom about politics does not factor human conduct'.

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Pakistan Issues Clarification Over Serbian Embassy's Tweet; Claims 'accounts Are Hacked'

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a clarification after facing massive embarrassment following its Serbian embassy's viral tweet. Earlier today, Pakistan's own embassy in Serbia called out Imran Khan for not paying the salaries of Pakistani diplomats. However, the tweet has been deleted and the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan has stated that the Twitter account was hacked. It also informed that apart from Twitter, the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Embassy of Pakistan in Serbia have also been hacked. It further added that messages being posted on these accounts are not from the Embassy of Pakistan in Serbia. 

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