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Two linked cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Britain connected to travel to southern Africa, health minister Sajid Javid said on Saturday

Bengaluru airport

<div>
	The discovery of a new Coronavirus (Covid-19) variant named Omicron triggered global alarm on Friday as countries rushed to suspend travel from southern Africa and stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic suffered their biggest falls in more than a year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Omicron may spread more quickly than other forms, and preliminary evidence suggested there is an increased risk of reinfection.</div>
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<div>
	AstraZeneca said on Friday it was examining the impact of a new Coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly in South Africa on its vaccine and its antibody cocktail, adding it was hopeful its combination drug would retain efficacy. The WHO on Friday designated a new Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529, detected in South Africa with a large number of mutations, as being &quot;of concern&quot;.</div>
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LIVE: Two SA returnees test Covid positive in Bengaluru; Omicron reaches UK

Business Standard

Covid-19 cases have risen to their highest level in around four months. From less than 200 cases across India at the end of February, India reported 1,134 cases on March 21st

PM Modi

Apple has already grabbed the tag of the largest smartphone exporter from India by value due to its premium and super premium segment


Surge in demand for Covishield led to a huge spike in its revenues and profits

Serum Institute

Long queues of people were seen outside the Apple store at Mumbai's BKC - India's first Apple store. People were also seen standing outside the Apple Store at Delhi's Select Citywalk Mall in Saket


Rama Rao also blamed PM Modi for doing favours to Gautam Adani by way of privatising government companies


Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against the chief minister for allegedly claiming Shakawat was involved in the Sanjeevani scam


Official sources claimed that the Bill did not need ratification from states, as mandated otherwise for Constitution amendments, since it had been introduced under specific provisions


Day 5 of the special session of the Parliament will commence today. Catch all the latest updates from the session here


Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched the Mission Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) in the state, a global mass movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sarma said it promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle, focusing on utilisation instead of wasteful consumption.
Under this initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all districts, addressing seven identified categories, including saving energy and water, reducing plastic and e-waste, and healthy lifestyles, he said.
Sarma said in known and unknown ways we work against nature creating problems for humanity, leading to challenges with which humans, plants and the animal kingdom have to deal.
Earlier, we could predict the seasonal changes but now things have changed mostly due to loss of green cover, wetlands and other natural bodies, and many research papers have pointed out that North East India will face severe impacts of climate change, the CM said.
Over the l

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaks during a press conference organised to commemorate the completion of 8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led government at the centre, at BJP state office in Guwahati, Wednesday, Jun

Himanta Biswa Sarma

The proposal to ease foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the space sector is "under inter-ministerial discussion," the official added


Nearly a month ago government sources told Reuters that India is expected to ban mills from exporting sugar in the next season beginning October, halting shipments for the first time in seven years

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

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After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
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Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

South Africa considers limits to curb Omicron

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	South Africa may announce more stringent lockdown measures in coming days to curb a resurgence of coronavirus infections and the spread of a new variant, people familiar with the matter said, reported Bloomberg on Saturday.</div>
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	The National Coronavirus Command Council met Saturday to discuss possible measures, while weighing the impact any moves will have on the economy, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks aren&rsquo;t public. Among the options being considered are ways to try and boost the nation&rsquo;s vaccination rate, they said.&nbsp;</div>

2 South Africans test Covid positive in Bengaluru

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		Karnataka | 584 pax had come to Bengaluru from 10 high-risk nations. Out of them, 2 who returned from South Africa (Indian nationals) tested positive for COVID on 11 &amp; 20 Nov respectively. We sent it for sequencing &amp; came to know that it&#39;s Delta variant: Bangalore Rural Dist DC</p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464607969908117508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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UK detects 2 cases of new COVID-19 variant Omicron

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	The UK on Saturday detected two cases of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, according to health secretary Sajid Javid as he added four more African countries to Britain&#39;s travel red list.</div>
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	The patients were detected in Chelmsford and Nottingham, Javid was quoted as saying by the BBC.</div>

Karnataka CM holds an emergency meeting over Omicron

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Bengaluru: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai held an emergency meeting today over the new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> variant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Omicron?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Omicron</a>. Other ministers, including state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, officials of state Health Department &amp; other departments attended the meeting.<br />
		<br />
		(Source: CMO) <a href="https://t.co/gXxOJg5tAW">pic.twitter.com/gXxOJg5tAW</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464590829729685509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Hungary to tighten controls on air travel from seven African countries

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	Hungary will impose restrictions on travellers from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the government said on Saturday after a new coronavirus variant was detected in South Africa.</div>
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	Hungary said it was joining a European Union move to curb air travel from southern Africa and that its measures would be published in a government decree later in the day.</div>

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Kerala reports 4741 new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases, 5144 recoveries and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours (526 deaths were added to COVID death list as per Central Govt guidelines ) - state govt issues COVID data.<br />
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		Death toll 39,679<br />
		Active cases 48,501<br />
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		54,309 samples tested in last 24 hours</p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464575813618077697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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	It&rsquo;s &ldquo;very likely&rdquo; the new coronavirus strain, omicron, has arrived in Germany, a state official said Saturday.</div>
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	A traveler returning from South Africa on Friday night showed several symptoms typical of the new variant, Kai Klose, minister of social affairs in the German state of Hesse, said on Twitter without providing more detail.&nbsp;</div>
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	While the virus sample hasn&rsquo;t been sequenced, there&rsquo;s a &ldquo;high level of suspicion&rdquo; that the person has the new strain, Klose said. The traveler has been isolated at home.&nbsp;</div>

Several areas in Chennai partially submerged in floodwater

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Tamil Nadu | Several areas in Chennai partially submerged in floodwater after torrential rains over the past few days<br />
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		Visuals from the Ashok Nagar area <a href="https://t.co/IaerqUV80u">pic.twitter.com/IaerqUV80u</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464571253625278468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 in Zimbabwe has been abandoned

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		JUST IN: The ICC Women&rsquo;s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe has been called off due to Covid risk.<br />
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		Details 

DDMA meet on Monday to take a call on RT-PCR testing of passengers deboarding from international flights

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		DDMA meet on Monday to be attended by experts &amp; reps of civil aviation ministry among others, may take a call on RT-PCR testing of passengers deboarding from international flights &amp; quarantining of passengers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe &amp; Hong Kong etc: Sources</p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464539432057405443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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WHO asks South East Asian countries to scale up surveillance

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		In view of surge in COVID-19 cases elsewhere globally and detection of new variant of concern Omicron, WHO today appealed to countries in South-East Asia Region to scale up surveillance, strengthen public health &amp; social measures, &amp; enhance vaccination coverage: WHO <a href="https://t.co/Z2N3dHr8ml">pic.twitter.com/Z2N3dHr8ml</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464537108970831872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Maharashtra issues fresh curbs for overseas travellers

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> | Maharashtra Govt issues fresh restrictions &amp; permissions.<br />
		<br />
		All travellers into state from any int&#39;l destination shall be governed by directions of Govt of India in this respect. Domestic travellers shall either be fully vaccinated or carry RT-PCR test valid for 72 hrs. <a href="https://t.co/rSQBik6aPQ">pic.twitter.com/rSQBik6aPQ</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464531786180939777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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SKM to decide the next course of action in its next meeting on Dec 4

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Farmers&#39; protest: After meeting in Delhi, Samyukt Kisan Morcha says it will decide the next course of action in its next meeting on December 4</p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464531772280950785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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'PM Modi should direct state govs and Railways to withdraw cases registered against farmers'

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		&quot;PM Narendra Modi should direct state governments and Railways to withdraw the cases registered against farmers during the protest,&quot; says a leader of Samyukt Kisan Morcha <a href="https://t.co/Bx1yLGfUp2">pic.twitter.com/Bx1yLGfUp2</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464529758230745090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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SKM decides to postpone the proposed tractor rally to Parliament

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		After a meeting, Samyukt Kisan Morcha has decided to postpone the proposed tractor rally to Parliament on November 29: Farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/sRskbis3MI">pic.twitter.com/sRskbis3MI</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464528392611512322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Aircel Maxis case: Delhi court issues summons to P Chidambaram, his son

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Aircel Maxis case: Delhi court issues summons to former Union Minister P Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram and others in ED and CBI cases.<br />
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		Court takes cognizance of the charge-sheets filed by probe agencies in the matter. <a href="https://t.co/8Y6sCrod6F">pic.twitter.com/8Y6sCrod6F</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464520378542268418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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PM asks officials to review plans for easing of international travel curbs

<div>
	Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked officials at a high-level meeting to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions amid rising global concerns over a new strain of the coronavirus which the World Health Organization has named &#39;Omicron&#39;. The variant has been classified as a highly transmissible virus of concern.</div>
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	PM Modi chaired a comprehensive meeting, which lasted for almost two hours to review the public health preparedness and vaccination related situation for Covid-19, said Prime Minister&#39;s Office.</div>

Passengers arriving in Mumbai from South Africa to be quarantined

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	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Every person returning from South Africa will be quarantined on arrival in Mumbai and their samples will be sent for genome sequencing: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar <a href="https://t.co/bQwGlajO4Z">pic.twitter.com/bQwGlajO4Z</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464495438753505284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Go First flight from Bengaluru to Patna diverted to Nagpur

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Go First flight from Bengaluru to Patna was diverted to Nagpur due to a faulty engine warning in the cockpit which necessitated the captain to shut down the engine as a precautionary measure. Thereafter, the captain landed safely at Nagpur airport: Go First Spokesperson <a href="https://t.co/v3IIUkUkdc">pic.twitter.com/v3IIUkUkdc</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1464502336802328582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Stop flights from countries with new Covid-19 variants: Kejriwal to Modi

<p>
	Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong where new Covid-19 variants have been detected.</p>
<p>
	&quot;I urge Hon&#39;ble PM to stop flights from those countries which are affected by new variant. With great difficulty, our country has recovered from Corona. We should do everything possible to prevent this new variant from entering India,&quot; Kejriwal tweeted this morning.</p>

LIVE: Two SA returnees test Covid positive in Bengaluru; Omicron reaches UK

Two linked cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Britain connected to travel to southern Africa, health minister Sajid Javid said on Saturday

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