NATIONAL NEWS
Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread, says WHO
The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus’ ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update. The agency designated Omicron a variant of concern on November 26, soon after it was first detected, and much is still not known about it, including the severity of the illness it causes. There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron, the WHO said. More data are needed to understand the severity profile, and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity. It added, There are still limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron. People queue to check-in for the Eurostar at St. Pancras international train station in London. Eurostar, which operates trains across the English Channel, sold out of tickets to France on Friday before new rules restricting travel to and from Britain took effect. The WHO warned that with cases rising so rapidly, hospitals could be overwhelmed in some places. Hospitalisations in the U.K. and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed.
U.P.+Yogi — bahut hain upyogi: Modi coins term to endorse Yogi model Endorsing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s demolition of property of suspected criminals as part of his handling of law and order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday came up with a new formulation U.P.Y.O.G.I — U.P. plus Yogi. Upyogi means useful in Hindi, and by deploying the pun, the Prime Minister has once again thrown his weight behind Mr. Adityanath as the State inches closer to the 2022 Assembly elections. Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Mr. Modi referring to the demolition of property of suspected criminals and mafia under the BJP Government in U.P.: When the bull dozer runs over the mafia… the bull dozer runs over the illegal building but the person who is nurturing it feels the pain. That is why the people of U.P. are saying, U.P. plus Yogi, bahut hain upyogi (U.P. plus Yogi is very much useful). Reacting to Mr. Modi’s remarks, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed Mr. Adityanath unupyogi (useless), citing incidents of crimes against Dalits and women under his rule. Mr. Yadav said in a tweet, The daughter of Hathras, the farmers of Lakhimpur, the trader of Gorakhpur, women who are feeling insecure, unemployed youths, the Dalits, and the backward class (people) are saying for U.P., the current government is not useful, it is useless.
Samajwadi Party alleges foul play after I-T raids on premises of party leaders in Uttar Pradesh
Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party on Saturday alleged foul play as the Income Tax Department conducted searches at the residences of persons linked to its leadership in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including that of party national secretary Rajeev Rai. Teams of the I-T Department conducted searches at the residences of Mr. Rai in Mau; Jainendra Yadav, who is reportedly close to Mr. Akhilesh Yadav; and Manoj Yadav, a businessman in Mainpuri. The department did not reveal details, and only said that searches were on. Mr. Rai is also a spokesperson of the SP. In 2014, he contested the Lok Sabha election from Ghosi in east U.P. but finished fourth. Talking to his supporters who had gathered outside his residence, Mr. Rai stated he had no criminal background or black money. Mr. Akhilesh Yadav remarked that the I-T Department had arrived in U.P. to contest the 2022 Assembly elections, in a dig at the BJP-led Union Government. As the BJP sensed defeat, not only the I-T Department but also the ED and the CBI will arrive in U.P., apart from the conspiracies and rumours that will be spread, he said. But despite all this, the ‘cycle’ and the rath will not slow down and the BJP is destined to be wiped out in U.P., he told reporters. Mr. Akhilesh Yadav asked why the I-T Department had arrived at Mr. Rai’s residence just before the election when they could have done this when he submitted his asset details.
DRDO scientist arrested for ‘planting explosives to kill neighbour’ in Rohini court premises
A senior DRDO scientist has been arrested for allegedly planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in a tiffin box with an intention to kill his neighbour in the Rohini district court in New Delhi earlier this month, police said on Saturday. The IED that triggered a low-intensity explosion in courtroom number 102 on December 9 had left a person injured. The accused, Bharat Bhushan Kataria (47), was arrested on Friday, police said. According to Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, Mr. Kataria, who is a senior scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation, entered the court premises at 9.33 a.m. on the day of the incident with two bags and left one of those behind inside courtroom number 102. The accused left the court premises at 10.35 a.m. Mr. Kataria had planted the IED in a tiffin box, and left the bag containing the tiffin box inside the courtroom as he wanted to kill his neighbour, who is a lawyer, police said. Both the parties had lodged several cases against each other. They live in the same building. Prima facie, it seems that Kataria had a grudge against the lawyer, a senior police officer said. The lawyer lives on the ground floor of the building while the accused lives on the third floor. Five civil cases were filed by Mr. Kataria against the lawyer, while the latter had filed seven civil cases against the accused, police said. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Security Guard (NSG) had visited the site of the explosion, and it was found that the materials used in making the IED were easily available in the market. The IED was not properly assembled due to which only the detonator exploded, police said.
Odisha woman sarpanch begs for a living
The word sarpanch conjures up the image of rural authority, a person solving problems of villagers, and getting development works executed. But in a mockery of both the privilege and the grassroots governance system supposed to empower the disadvantaged, a sarpanch in Odisha’s Ganjam district has been found begging for her survival. Hema Naik, the woman sarpanch of Badapalli panchayat under Khallikote block of Ganjam district, has been seen going from house to house seeking alms. Ms. Naik belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. She became sarpanch of Badapalli, a predominantly tribal panchayat, after the post was reserved for women Scheduled Caste candidates. When contacted Block Development Officer of Khallikote, Mitali Patra, acknowledged receiving information about the woman sarpanch’s dire straits six months ago. However, her election to the top post in the panchayat did not bring about any change in her financial status. According to villagers, she continued to remain dependent on begging. Her tenure as sarpanch will end early next year. Though her husband works as peon in the panchayat office, and a son works as daily wager, their earnings are not adequate. Incidentally, Ms. Naik was present alongside Khallikote MLA Suryamani Baidya, who had gone to Badipalli to distribute the smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), a few days ago. A day after the event she returned to begging again. When contacted, Block Development Officer of Khallikote, Mitali Patra, acknowledged receiving information about the woman sarpanch’s dire straits six months ago. Information about Badapalli sarpanch begging on street was forwarded to us from Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell about six months ago. Subsequently, we carried out an investigation to ascertain the fact. The sarpanch told us that she was not begging in the panchayat, said Ms. Patra.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Temple of Buddhist period discovered in Pakistan.
An evacuation team of Pakistani and Italian archaeologists discovered the Apsidal temple of the Buddhist period as well as a few other precious artefacts in Northwest Pakistan. The newly discovered temple is over 2,300 years old. The discovery has been made in the Bazira city of the Buddhist period in the Barikot tehsil of Swat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. It has been described as the oldest temple in Pakistan of the Buddhist period. The archaeologists have also recovered over 2,700 years old artefacts of the Buddhist period which included rings, coins, pots. The recent discovery in the Bazira city of Pakistan has proven that Swat was a sacred place for six to seven religions.
US appoints Uzra Zeya as U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibet
US official Uzra Zeya has been appointed by the government as the new U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Uzra Zeya will hold her new position concurrently with her new role as the Under Secretary for the Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. The role of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibet will involve promoting the substantive dialogue between the Government of China and the Dalai Lama. The coordinator will also promote the unique identity of Tibet, coordinate US Policy on Tibet, and will safeguard the human rights of Tibet. The position of US Special Coordinator for Tibet was established by the country’s Tibetan Policy Act (2002). It had been lying vacant for much of the Trump administration.
