LIVE: Belgium detects first case of new Covid variant in Europe

Latest live news: Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a collective of some 40 farmer unions, is on Friday marking the first anniversary of protests against the government’s three farm laws that sought to liberalise India’s agriculture markets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the laws last week but SKM has said the protests will continue to make the government accept other demands. "The fact that such a long struggle has to continue is a clear reflection of the insensitivity and arrogance of India's government towards its toiling citizens," it said in a statement.

World Health Organization officials met on Thursday to discuss a new coronavirus variant circulating in South Africa and Botswana.

The new variant, called B.1.1529, carries an unusually large number of mutations, Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said in a statement published by the Science Media Centre. It’s likely to have evolved during a chronic infection of an immuno-compromised person, possibly in an untreated HIV/AIDS patient, he said.

USA’s Amazon has written to the independent directors of’ Future Retail and its audit committee, alleging that the India company’s financial irregularities hurt shareholders and creditors. It called for an independent examination of Future’s related-party transactions.

Future last year announced plans to sell its retail assets to Reliance Industries for $3.4 billion last year, prompting a legal challenge from the US company that says the deal violates the terms of a partnership the retail chain signed with it in 2019.

12:09 AM

WHO classifies new variant as 'highly transmissible' virus

An advisory panel of the World Health Organisation classified a new COVID-19 variant first detected in South Africa as a highly transmissible virus of concern and named it omicron under its Greek-letter system.

 

The announcement Friday from the United Nations health agency marks the first time in months that WHO has classified a COVID-19 variant as such. The delta variant, which has become the world's most prevalent, is in the same category.

11:23 PM

EU orders travel ban on South Africa to halt variant spread

The European Union nations on Friday agreed to impose a ban on travel from southern Africa to counter the spread of a new COVID-19 variant.

 

The 27 nations acted within hours upon the advise of the EU executive which said all needed to be extra cautious in dealing with the variant until it became clear how bad of a threat it would be, the EU presidency said in a statement.

 

The EU presidency, currently held by Slovenia, also called on all member states to test and quarantine all incoming passengers.

10:51 PM

Five killed, 10,500 in relief centres due to Tamil Nadu rains

Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran on Friday said that five people had died and 10,500 people were moved to relief centres after heavy rains lashed the state since Thursday.

 

He said that 10,500 people are accommodated in relief centres in 12 districts and this includes 620 people accommodated in five relief centres of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

 

The deaths were reported in Ariyalur, Dindigul, Sivaganga and Tiruvannamalai, while 152 heads of cattle also died and a total of 681 huts and 120 concrete houses were damaged.

 

Ramachandran said that major reservoirs continued to receive good inflow with incessant rainfall being reported in catchment areas.

 

He said that Revenue and Disaster Management Departments are geared up to face any eventuality and added that police and fire and rescue services are also being given intimation on the possibilities of heavy rains in the coming days.

10:31 PM

Georgia reports 4,534 new Covid-19 cases

Georgia on Friday reported 4,534 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total to 831,248, according to the country's National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC).

 

Data from the NCDC showed that 3,742 more patients had recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 772,301.

 

Meanwhile, 74 people died in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 11,810.

 

As of Friday, the country had administered a total of 2,133,935 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the NCDC.

9:39 PM

Farmers' protest: Thousands gather at Delhi borders as agitation marks one year

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Friday gathered in large numbers at the three Delhi border points of Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri, with protesting unions saying that the day, which marks one year of their agitation against the three farm laws, will be remembered forever in history as one of the greatest moments of people's struggle.

 

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the three controversial farm laws would be withdrawn. Although farmer unions have welcomed the government's move, they said their protest would continue until the laws are totally withdrawn and other demands are met.

 

"It has been a year of unmatched struggle mixed with happiness and sadness. We are fighting and winning. We will fight and win. MSP law is farmers' right, senior farmer leader Rakesh Tikait tweeted in Hindi.

9:29 PM

Dow falls over 2% as new Covid-19 variant spooks investors; Nasdaq down 1%

The Dow dragged Wall Street's main indexes lower on Friday, with travel, bank and commodity-linked stocks bearing the brunt of a selloff triggered by the discovery of a new and possibly vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant.

 

Cruise operators Carnival Corp, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line plunged more than 9% each, while shares in United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines slumped almost 10%.

 

Ten of the 11 major S&P sectors dropped in early trading, with energy sliding 6.3% followed by financials and industrials. The domestically focused Russell 2000 small-cap index tumbled 3.6%, hitting its lowest level in over four weeks. The S&P 500 banks index dived 5.1% as investors pared back bets of faster U.S. interest rate hikes.

9:15 PM

Serum Institute resumes export of Covishield to COVAX

Pune-based vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) on Friday resumed exporting Covishield vaccine doses to COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.

 

The first vaccine consignment left Pune on Friday for distribution to low and middle-income countries via the COVAX mechanism. SII's supply of doses via COVAX is expected to increase substantially into Q1, 2022, said a statement from SII.

 

The resumption of exports is linked to SII surpassing its original target to produce 1 billion doses of Covidshield by the end of this year. SII has reached this milestone ahead of time via rapid expansion of production capacity at its site in Pune, the statement said.

 

9:07 PM

Lalu Prasad Yadav admitted to emergency department of AIIMS-Delhi

RJD leader and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was admitted to the emergency department of AIIMS, Delhi, on Friday, hospital sources said.

 

The veteran politician is learnt to be suffering from fever and is drowsy.

 

His condition is not serious and is stable. His blood samples have been sent for investigations and reports are awaited, a source said.

8:27 PM

Assam, Mizoram resolve to maintain peace along inter-state border, set up panels to settle disputes

7:50 PM

Belgium detects first case of new Covid variant in Europe

Belgium has detected the first case of the new coronavirus variant which was first found in South Africa, a virologist said on Friday.

 

Marc Van Ranst, whose laboratory works closely with Belgium's public health body Sciensano, said on Twitter that the variant was found in a traveller returning in Belgium from Egypt on Nov 11. The person developed the first symptoms on Nov. 22, the virologist said.

Belgium also ordered a new set of steps to combat the spiraling growth of Covid-19 cases, including a closure of nightclubs for three weeks and restricting privately organized parties.

 

Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said that restaurants and bars must limit tables to six people and close by 11 p.m. He also said the public will be banned from indoor sporting events.

7:08 PM

Colonial mindset hasn't ended in developing nations, says PM Modi

6:54 PM

PM Modi speaks on Constitution Day

6:29 PM

Kerala reports 4,677 new Covid cases

6:09 PM

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar meets PM Modi

5:16 PM

Putin will pay an official visit to New Delhi on Dec 6