Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
The top court in India's most populous state has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone coming regional elections, amid fears that the Omicron coronavirus variant could trigger a third wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.
The appeal by Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh called for the government and the national election commission to defer the polls by “one or two months” and to ban election rallies.
Uttar Pradesh is one of seven states due to hold elections to local legislatures early next year, although the dates have not been set.
“Parties are holding rallies and meetings and gathering crowds of lakhs [hundreds of thousands]. If this is not stopped in time, then the result will be more frightening than the second wave,” Mr Yadav said on Thursday.
“Because only if life continues, then election rallies will continue.”
The highly transmissible Omicron variant was first detected in India on December 2. The total number of cases rose by 122 to 360 on Friday.
In a worrying development, India’s Health Ministry said on Friday that analysis of 183 of the Omicron infections showed that 87 were in fully vaccinated people and three involved individuals who had received booster doses.
However, 114 of those infected have recovered, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.
Mr Bhushan said 89 per cent of India’s over-18 population has received one vaccine dose and 61 per cent has received two doses. India's drive to vaccinate about 944 million adults has relied largely on two vaccines: the AstraZeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech’s domestically developed vaccine.
India has averaged around 7,000 new Covid-19 cases a day in the past two weeks, with 6,650 new infections and 374 deaths reported over 24 hours on Friday.
Most of the roughly 34 million cases and 479,000 deaths recorded since the pandemic began came during a deadly second wave in April and May, which was driven by the Delta variant.
The head of the government’s Covid task force said last week that India could see up to 1.4 million new cases a day as a result of Omicron.
The federal Ministry of Health has advised regional governments to set up war rooms and impose curfews to tackle the threat. Several states and cities have imposed new restrictions and banned gatherings over Christmas and New Year to stop its spread.
But political parties have been mobilising tens of thousands of people for electoral rallies in states due to go to the polls. The scenario is similar to regional elections held during the second wave, when politicians – including Mr Modi – held massive campaign rallies, despite an explosion in Covid-19 cases across the country.
A maskless Mr Modi on Thursday addressed tens of thousands of his supporters in Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, hours after he chaired a national meeting in New Delhi on the emerging Covid threat in the country and directed regional governments to maintain a “high level of vigil”.
Two days earlier, he addressed 200,000 women supporters in Allahabad, while launching several programmes for self-help groups.
Uttar Pradesh is considered a bellwether state and Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to retain control of the state legislature in the face of a strong challenge from regional parties.
Akhilesh Yadav, head of the BJP’s main rival in the state, the Samajwadi Party, decided to self-isolate on Thursday after his wife and daughter tested positive for the virus.
Both parties have planned hundreds of rallies across the state in coming weeks – including one on January 9, where the BJP aims to attract a million supporters to hear Mr Modi speak.
Experts say large crowds and lack of social distancing at political rallies could repeat the catastrophe of the second wave, when more than 250,000 people died as the healthcare infrastructure struggled to cope with 20 Covid million cases.
In April, the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu state blamed India's election commission for the second wave and called for its officials to be tried for murder.
The commission on Friday asked state governments about steps taken to curb the spread of Omicron but did not comment on the threat to public health posed by large political gatherings.
Professor Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, who heads the National Covid-19 Supermodel Committee that monitors the future transmission of infection, said although illness caused by Omicron seems less severe than that caused by the Delta variant, it was better to not have political gatherings, as India will “definitely” have the third wave.
“We will definitely have a third wave. It is already here in small numbers but it will accelerate as it spreads about 2.5 times faster than Delta,” Prof Vidyasagar told The National.
“It is going to spread more quickly … the political rallies will obviously spread the Omicron faster and there will be some adverse impact.”
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The years Ramadan fell in May
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Results
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
6.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner Bright Start, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
6.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner Twelfthofneverland, Nathan Crosse, Satish Seemar
7.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Imperial Empire, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
7.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Winner Record Man, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
