India has detected its first two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, both in the southern state of Karnataka, a health ministry official said on Thursday, as the government urged more widespread testing.
"All primary contacts and secondary contacts of both the cases have been traced and are being tested," the health ministry's joint secretary, Lav Agarwal, told a news briefing.
The two patients were displaying mild symptoms, officials said.
India's priority is to fully vaccinate all of India's 944 million adults ahead of administering booster shots. About 84 per cent have received a first dose and about 49 per cent a second.
India was set to restart international flights on December 15, but on Wednesday scrapped that plan and said a resumption date would be announced in due course.
After battling a record jump in infections and deaths in April and May, coronavirus cases have come down substantially in India.
The country reported 9,765 new cases on Thursday, taking its total to 34.61 million. Only the United States has reported more.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.