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Possibility of new COVID-19 variants really high, warns WHO

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Geneva: Describing the new COVID-19 variants as the “wild card”, a top World Health Organisation official has warned that the Omicron will not be the last one and the possibility of other new variants is really high.

During a question and answer session live streamed on WHO’s social media platforms on Tuesday, the WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove said that the global health agency is tracking four different versions of Omicron.

“We know a lot about this virus, but we don’t know everything. And quite frankly, the variants are the wild card. So we are tracking this virus in real time as it mutates as it changes But this virus has a lot of room to move,” she said.

“Omicron is the latest variant of concern. It will not be the last variant of concern that WHO will speak about. The next one, you know, that will come hopefully, it will take some time to get there. But with the level of intensity of spread, the possibility that we will have other variants is really high, she said.

“So we need to ensure that we again, not only increase vaccination coverage, but we also take measures to reduce the spread, she added.

Since the designation of B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern on November 26, 2021, several lineages have been identified. These include Pango lineages BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3, which are all being monitored by WHO under the umbrella of Omicron’.

“BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 so we expect to see BA.2 increasing in detection around the world, Van Kerkhove said.

According to the UN health agency’s weekly epidemiological report, released on Tuesday, the Omicron variant is increasingly dominant – making up nearly 97 per cent of all cases.

“The prevalence of the Omicron variant has increased globally and is now detected in almost all countries. However, many of the countries which reported an early rise in the number of cases due to the Omicron variant have now reported a decline in the total number of new cases since the beginning of January 2022, it said.

Globally, during the week of January 31 to February 6, the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased by 17 per cent as compared to the number reported during the previous week, while the number of new deaths increased by 7 per cent.

As of February 6, over 392 million confirmed cases and over 5.7 million deaths have been reported globally.

Rohit Sharma retains 3rd spot but closes in on No. 2 Kohli in ICC ODI batting rankings

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Rohit Sharma retains 3rd spot but closes in on No. 2 Kohli in ICC ODI batting rankings
Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli

Dubai: India’s new white-ball captain Rohit Sharma remained at third place but closed in on teammate Virat Kohli, who also held on to his second spot, in the latest ICC men’s ODI batting rankings on Wednesday.

Rohit gained some valuable points from his fifty in the first ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies and he now has 807 rating points as against 828 of Kohli.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam continued to hold on to the top spot, while his compatriot Fakhar Zaman and England batter Joe Root broke into the top 10.

West Indies’ Shai Hope, who scored 8 runs in the first ODI, lost out on valuable points and slipped out of the top 10.

There was no movement in the top 10 of the bowling rankings, as India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah remained unchanged on seventh.

In the all-rounders’ list, Ravindra Jadeja was placed eighth, while West Indies’ Jason Holder, following his half-century in the first ODI in Ahmedabad, went up four places to get into the top 20.

In a major leap, Oman’s Jatinder Singh, who made a hundred in the first match of the UAE series, part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, jumped 26 places to break into top 100 of the batting rankings.

Jatinder is the second-highest run-scorer in the League 2 tournament with 594 runs in 23 matches.

‘Jai Nathuram University’: Jairam Ramesh’s dig at govt over new JNU VC appointment

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New Delhi: JNU’s transition from one of the best universities in India to becoming “Jai Nathuram University” seems to be getting consolidated and deepened, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Wednesday amid criticism from some quarters over Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s appointment as its VC.

His remarks came a day after BJP MP Varun Gandhi slammed the choice of Pandit as the vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, saying such “mediocre appointments serve to damage our human capital and our youth’s future”.

Taking to Twitter, Ramesh said, “3 Ministers in the Modi Cabinet are from the old JNU. Sadly, its transition from one of the best universities in India to becoming Jai Nathuram University seems to be getting consolidated and deepened.”

Pandit, 59, is the first woman VC of JNU. She is also an alumna of JNU where she pursued her MPhil as well as PhD in international relations.

There has been criticism of her appointment from some quarters.

3 Ministers in the Modi Cabinet are from the old JNU. Sadly, its transition from one of the best universities in India to becoming Jai Nathuram University seems to be getting consolidated and deepened.

India beat West Indies by 44 runs in 2nd ODI, take unassailable 2-0 lead in series

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Ahmedabad: India defeated West Indies by 44 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Wednesday.

Invited to bat, India posted 237 for nine and then returned to dismiss the West Indies for 193 in 46 overs.

Shamarh Brooks (44) was the top-scorer for WI as Prasidh Krishna (4/12) and Shardul Thakur (2/41) emerged as the most successful bowlers for the hosts.

Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav scored a 64-run knock while vice captain KL Rahul missed his half-century by one run after being run out as India posted 237 for 9.

Deepak Hooda, who made his ODI debut in the previous match, scored 29 while all-rounder Washington Sundar contributed 24.

For the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph (2/29) and Odean Smith (2/36) took two wickets each.

Brief Scores:

India: 237 for 9 in 50 overs. (S Yadav 64, KL Rahul 49; A Joseph 2/29, O Smith 2/36).

West Indies: 193 all out in 46 overs (Shamarh Brooks 44; Prasidh Krishna 4/12, Shardul Thakur 2/41).

4,844 foreigners granted Indian citizenship in 5 years: Govt

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New Delhi: As many as 4,844 foreigners were granted the Indian citizenship in the last five years under the Citizenship Act 1955, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Rai, the Union Minister of State for Home, said 1,773 foreigners were granted the Indian citizenship in 2021, 639 in 2020, 987 in 2019, 628 in 2018 and 817 in 2017.

The Indian citizenship is governed under the provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955, he said in a written reply to a question.

5,339 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 48 deaths

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Bengaluru: Karnataka on Wednesday reported 5,339 new cases of COVID-19 and 48 fatalities, taking the tally to 39,12,100 and toll to 39,495.

There were 16,749 discharges today, pushing the total number of recoveries to 38,11,615, a health bulletin said.

Of the new cases, 2,161 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 6,883 people being discharged and 16 virus-related deaths.

The total number of active cases across the state is now 60,956.

While the positivity rate for the day stood at 4.14 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was 0.89 per cent.

Of the 48 deaths, 16 are from Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada (5), Ballari (4), Chitradurga and Tumakuru (3), Dharwad, Kolar, Mandya, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada (2), followed by others.

After Bengaluru Urban, Tumakuru recorded the second highest number of cases with 342, Belagavi 327, Mysuru 293, Shivamogga 185, Ballari 173 and Mandya 158.

Bengaluru Urban district now has a total of 17,64,476 cases, Mysuru 2,27,751 and Tumakuru 1,58,565.

According to the bulletin, Bengaluru Urban tops the list among discharges with 17,23,340, followed by Mysuru 2,22,680 and Tumakuru 1,54,122.

Cumulatively, a total of 6,30,20,402 samples have been tested, of which 1,28,705 were on Wednesday alone.

Saffron flag may become national flag some time in future, claims Minister K S Eshwarappa

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Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader and Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K S Eshwarappa on Wednesday claimed ‘Bhagwa dhwaj’ (saffron flag), may become the national flag some time in the future.

He, however, said the tricolour is the national flag now, and it should be respected by everyone.

“Hundreds of years ago the chariots of Sri Ramachandra and Maruthi had saffron flags on them. Was the tricolour flag there in our country then? Now it (tricolour) is fixed as our national flag, what respect it has to be given, should be given by every person who takes food in this country, there is no question about it,” Eshwarappa said.

Responding to a question by reporters, whether the saffron flag can be hoisted on the red fort, he said, “not today, some day in the future.”

“Discussions are today taking place in the country on ‘Hindu vichara’ and ‘Hindutva’. People used to laugh at one point when we said Ram Mandir will be constructed in Ayodhya, aren’t we constructing it now? In the same way some time in the future, after 100 or 200 or 500 years Bhagwa dhwaj may become the national flag. I don’t know.”

Further stating that now tricolour has been constitutionally accepted as the national flag, the Minister said, it should be respected, and those who don’t respect it will be a traitor.

“…we are the people who hoist the saffron flag, not today some time in the future Hindu dharma will come to this country at that time we will hoist it on the Red fort, for now tricolour is our national flag, there is now doubt about it and we all respect it,” the former state BJP chief added.

Eshwarappa was responding to state Congress president D K Shivakumar’s claims that students hoisted saffron flag by replacing the tricolour at the Government First Grade College in Shivamogga, during an anti-hijab protest on Tuesday.

Calling Shivakumar’s claims a lie, Eshwarappa, who hails from Shivamogga, alleged it as an attempt to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims.

“D K Shivakumar is a liar, let him prove it. Yes, the saffron flag was hoisted there, but the national flag was not lowered…..saffron flag can be hoisted anywhere, but not by lowering the national flag, it has not happened and will never happen. National flag was not removed, only the flagpole was used,” he added.

Shivamogga college authorities and police officials too have clarified that the national flag was not lowered to put up a saffron flag.

“The pole was empty, the saffron flag was put up by some, it was later removed by them,” they said.

Mangaluru: Seven more held in prostitution racket case

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Mangaluru: Police have arrested seven more persons, including two women, in connection with a prostitution racket unearthed at an apartment complex at Nandigudda near Attavar in the city recently.

With this, the total number of persons arrested in the case has risen to ten, city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar told reporters here on Wednesday.

Police had rescued women including minor girls from the apartment in a recent raid. The fresh arrests were made on the basis of a complaint by one of the victims who is a minor.

The arrested women used to lure minor girls into the trap, the commissioner said, adding, it was an organised prostitution racket. Among the ten arrested persons, seven were operating in the gang, while three are clients who sexually assaulted the minor, he said.

UP trader attempts suicide on Facebook live, blames PM Modi for his financial state; wife dies

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Baghpat {UP}: A local trader allegedly attempted suicide on Facebook Live, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his poor financial condition. His wife, who also consumed poison, died.

Superintendent of Police, Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, confirmed the incident on Wednesday and said the condition of Rajiv Tomar (40), who ran a shoe-shop, is serious.

The incident took place on Tuesday when Rajiv started a Facebook Live during which he consumed poison.

After failing to stop her husband, Tomar’s wife, Poonam, also consumed poison.

Both of them were rushed to a private hospital where Poonam died, while the trader’s condition was stated to be critical, police said.

In the purported video, Rajiv held PM Modi responsible for his financial condition.

“Modiji will be responsible for my death. If Modi ji has any shame, he will change things. I am not saying he is wrong on everything but he is not a well-wisher (‘hitaishi’) of small traders and farmers,” he said.

When Poonam tried to stop him, Tomar said, “Government to sunti nahi tum hi sun lo” (the government doesn’t hear us, at least you should hear).

Poonam tried to take out the poison from Tomar’s mouth but after failing to do so, she also consumed it, the purported video showed.

Rajiv was a resident of Subhash Nagar.

Rajiv ran a shoe shop and the lockdown in 2020 had ruined his business, his family members said.

A large number of shoes in his shop were damaged as the shop was closed for the long period, they said.

He also had taken loans which he could not pay off, they said, adding that Rajiv had two sons.

Condoling the death, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Twitter, “It’s saddening to know about the suicide attempt by a trader and his wife. While the wife has died, his condition is serious and I pray to God for Rajivji’s speedy recovery.”

At a press conference in Lucknow on Wednesday, Priyanka said, “The Baghpat incident is saddening. Demonetisation, GST and lockdown had affected small and medium businessmen. It’s unfortunate that the government has not come for their help.”

Congress releases manifesto for UP, promises to waive farm loans within 10 days of coming to power

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Lucknow: The Congress on Wednesday promised to waive farm loans within 10 days and provide 20 lakh jobs if the party forms the government in Uttar Pradesh.

The poll manifesto released by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also vowed to provide Rs 3,000 as compensation to farmers for crop damage by stray cattle, a problem gripping cultivators in many parts of the state.

The manifesto — “Unnati Vidhan” — was termed by Priyanka as “Jan Ghoshna Patra’ (people’s manifesto).

The vision document was brought released a day before voting starts in 58 assembly seats in the state.

Two earlier manifestos — “Shakti Vidhan” for women and “Bharti Vidhan” for youth — have already been released by the party.

The BJP and the Samajwadi Party released their manifesto for the UP election on Tuesday.

Releasing the manifesto, Priyanka said, the Congress will waive loans of farmers within 10 days of government formation, and also purchase wheat and paddy at Rs 2,500 per quintal as well as sugarcane at the rate of Rs 400 per quintal, after coming to power.

She said in Chhattisgarh, her party’s government had written off farmers’ loans within three hours of being sworn-in.

The issues of unemployment and inflation have been taken care while formulating the manifesto of the state, she said.

“Our government will provide 20 lakh government jobs. While 12 lakh jobs will be given for filling vacant posts, 8 lakh new jobs will be created,” she said, adding 40 percent of these would be earmarked for women.

She said, “Rs 3,000 compensation will be given to farmers for crop damage by stray cattle. ‘Godhan Nyay Yojna’ will be started under which cow dung will be purchased at Rs 2 per kg,” she said.

Priyanka said the Congress wanted to end outsourcing in the government, and will regularise those, who are on contract or are being outsourced, in a phased manner.

The manifesto also promised to reduce electricity bills to half and provide Rs 25,000 as compensation to families who have lost earning members to Covid.

Priyanka said the budget provision on health services will be increased by 5 per cent and promised Rs 50 Lakh compensation to those who lost lives due to coronavirus.

To support small businesses, the party promised to develop traditional business hubs like brass in Moradabad and leather in Agra.

“Two lakh teachers will be recruited and Siksha Mitra will be made permanent on the basis of their experience and expertise. Vacant post of Sanskrit and Urdu teachers in the state will also be filled,” the Congress general secretary said.

The future roadmap also promised to increase emolument of sweepers, village heads and Rs 3,000 compensation to the specially-abled, the manifesto promised.

The Congress also promised a reserved seat in Legislative Council for ex-army men and withdraw false cases lodged against journalists in the state.

Priyanka said provision for home district transfer for women police personnel to be done, adding that SC/ST students will be given free education from KG to post-graduate level.

“Nishad (boatmen) community will be given right on river resources and Kol community will be included in the ST category,” the manifesto said.

Priyanka said while fee hike in schools will be controlled at the block level and public libraries with internet facilities will be opened.

The Congress general secretary said the “Unnati Vidhan” has promised land rights for urban development and the slum land will be in the name of the person concerned.

“Also the middle class will get land and economic incentives for affordable housing,” she said.

Asked about the old pension scheme, Priyanka said, “We have discussed the old pension scheme. We think a mid way can be found in this. The government should increase its share of the pension.”

Last year, Priyanka had launched ‘Shakti Vidhan’ manifesto for women promising that 40 percent of the 20 lakh new jobs her party aims to create in the state will be allotted to women.

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