Enhanced Delta+ variant of Covid-19 seen in 6 states including Karnataka

News Network
June 15, 2021

Bengaluru, June 15: A dangerous new Covid-19 variant that is potentially resistant to certain drugs has been found in Karnataka and other states with experts stressing the need for close monitoring of the situation.

Research suggests that the new variant, which is officially designated B.1.617.2.1 (or alternatively as AY.1) was first spotted in India on April 5.

Since then and up to May 15, seven additional sequences were identified in five other states, besides one from Karnataka.

According to experts, the increased mobility of people in March and April prior to the lockdown imposed on April 27, could have triggered the mutation, especially as it is a derivative of the B.1.617.2 “Delta” variant which experts already blame for driving the second wave.

Speaking as an independent authority, associate professor Amit Singh, head, Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), said the larger the scale of the infections, the more opportunity for a virus to add a “gain of function” mutation.
 
“This is a mutation which gives a typical virus increased transmissibility, virulence, immunogenicity,” he said.

Well known virologist Dr V Ravi, who is also the chairman of the state’s Genomic Surveillance Committee, said that there was precedent to show that previous variants of the novel coronaviruses obtained same mutations independently across various geographic regions. 

Dr Vishal Rao, also a member of the Committee, said that the state does not know how many of the sequences are coming from airline passengers of the ongoing “air bubble” international flights and how many are coming from hospitals.

“There is no data. We also need to get clinical correlation by monitoring ICUs and hospitals to find out what the genomic pattern and behavior is. We are not keeping our ears to the ground,” he said.

What is known is that the sequences have been found in states which reported some of the highest incidences of Covid-19 cases in the second wave: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Odisha also found one sequence.

The largest number of sequences found so far have been in Tamil Nadu (three sequences found out of 562 genome samples). In Karnataka, the sole sequence was found among 1,115 samples.

At the same time, the number of Delta+ sequences being found in India are increasing. Up to June 11, six sequences had been made public. This rose to seven on June 13 and finally to eight on Monday.

Some 158 sequences of the Delta+ have been found across 11 countries to date: Nepal, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, Japan, Russia, Turkey, the UK, the US and Canada. The first global cases were found on March 29.

What makes Delta+ a concern is that it has picked up a key new mutation in the S protein according to scientists at Delhi’s CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. This allows it to evade an immune response. The new variant is also potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody cocktail, which has been hailed as a cure.

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News Network
January 2,2025

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Israel has conducted a fresh round of strikes on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, claiming the lives of at least 11 people amid the regime’s unceasing aggression on the Palestinian territory.

Local media said the Israeli onslaught targeted a tented encampment in the al-Mawasi area of western Khan Yunis at dawn on Thursday.

The aggression killed at least 11 people, including three children, and the resulted in the injury of 12 others, with reports naming Major General Mahmoud Salah, the director general of the police department in the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza, among the fatalities.

The occupation forces also struck the central Gaza Strip, where Israeli vehicles fired at the north of Nuseirat refugee camp and shelled the west of the camp with artillery.

The regime’s helicopters also fired at the southwest of Deir al-Balah.

Moreover, the Israeli forces launched a raid targeting Gaza City and the Saftawi area, northwest of the city, as well as the Jabalia camp in the north of the Strip.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on the first day of the New Year that the Israeli regime had slaughtered 17 Palestinians in the northern Gaza refugee camp of al-Bureij.

Twenty Palestinians were also injured in the Wednesday airstrike.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.

So far, Israel has killed 45,553 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured 108,379 others.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced and much of the besieged territory is in ruins.

Occupation of Gaza City

Citing Israeli media, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that the Israeli regime was considering ordering the military to occupy Gaza City.

Israeli Channel 14 claimed the move comes amid a stalemate in indirect negotiations aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

“The political echelon is considering issuing an order to the Israeli army to head south and occupy Gaza City in the near future,” the channel said.

“Such an operation is possible now, especially in light of the ceasefire in Lebanon and the availability of more army forces to carry out large-scale and prolonged maneuvers.”

The broadcaster also said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is “satisfied” with the results of its military campaign in northern Gaza.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in Gaza have so far failed due to Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the protracted war.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the blockaded territory.

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News Network
January 6,2025

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Karnataka’s first C Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) in Mangaluru, work for which was supposed to have been finished by January 15, will be postponed slightly due to some technical difficulties, said N Puviarasan, head of India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s Bengaluru centre.

“We are hoping to get it running by this month's end at least,” said Puviarasan on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ workshop organised by the IMD Bengaluru on January 4 to commemorate 150 years of IMD. The workshop was held at the premises of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC) and had day-long sessions, including technical ones by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bengaluru and Department of Agro Meteorology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.

Puviarasan also said the IMD ran into obstacles in its bid to establish a S-band DWR in Bengaluru, due to problems in acquiring the land required. “We need 30X30 space to put up a tower and a small utility room,” said Puviarasan. According to him, IMD had originally planned to put up the radar in Nandi Hills. But, on Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje’s request, he said they started scouting for an appropriate place in Bengaluru. On July 23, 2024 Karandlaje had posted on X: “Following my request, the IMD has greenlit the installation of a Doppler radar in the city (Bengaluru), scheduled to be operational by year-end. This is a major step towards better weather forecasting & preparedness for natural disasters."

She had also posted a letter written to her by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh, who said the radar will have an operational range of 250 km and will be installed in Bengaluru by 2024. He also mentioned that the site for the radar installation has already been identified and the Centre had informed the state government to acquire the site. “But the site suggested by the minister is not feasible because of the elevation issues,” said Puviarsan.

According to IMD scientists, there should not be buildings higher than the radar within its range, as readings will be affected. Puviarasan said they have now identified a place within a government school in Bengaluru and are awaiting permission to establish the radar. He said usually land acquisition is a huge problem. “This time, it’s a government school. Here, we don’t even need to raise a boundary wall, as it exists already. So, we’ll see,” said the director. If this is not working out, he said IMD will go back to its initial plan and will establish the radar in Nandi Hills. Mangaluru radar, being established near Kadri, is expected to cover 250-300 km radius, putting regions prone to heavy rains during monsoons in Karnataka, like Agumbe, Hulikal, Talakaveri, Kerekatte and Bhagamandala within its range, said a IMD scientist. Earlier, in his presentation, Puviarasan had also said apart from Bengaluru and Mangaluru, one X-band DWR is coming up at Dharwad. He also said proposals have been submitted for S-band radar at Honnavara and C-band at Ballari.

Without a DWR, Karnataka has been depending on the radars in Goa, Hyderabad and Chennai for more accuracy in forecasts for thunderstorms and rainfall so far, said IMD officials. In his presentation, Director of KSNDMC, Bhoyar Harshal Narayanrao, talked about why Karnataka is vulnerable to hydro-meteorological and geological disasters. He also said 80 per cent of Karnataka is prone to drought, and that in the last 23 years (between 2001 and 2024), 16 years are drought affected. He also said maximum number of landslides leaving widespread damage and casualties have occurred in Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Chikkamamgaluru, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan, Chamrajanagara Mysuru and Chikkaballapura. The year 2018 saw the most landslides, at 462, between 2006 and 2024. Narayanrao also said Karnataka is the only state in the south with its own disaster monitoring centre and seeing its success other states are also thinking of establishing one on the lines of KSNDMC. He said KSNDMC is also being approached by a few startups to involve Artificial Intelligence in disaster management. “We are taking a cautious approach towards the idea. We are looking into what AI can offer and will decide accordingly,” said Narayanrao.

Other presentations included an overview of IMD services by S Balachandran, head of Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai and possible integration of climate services in support of Karnataka State Action Plan on climate change by K J Ramesh, Former Director General, IMD. Sanjeev Verma, AGM, Air Traffic Management, Airports Authority of India, Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru also made a presentation of how weather forecasting is integral for air traffic management.

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News Network
January 7,2025

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Israeli settlers shielded by the occupation troops have stormed several villages in the West Bank, setting Palestinian homes, farms and vehicles on fire.

Palestinian media reported that the violent settler attacks took place on Monday night in the villages of Turmus Ayya, Tuqu', Hajjah, Fara'ata, al-Funduq and Immatain.

Prior to the raids, far-right Israeli social media groups had posted messages calling on members to join in on rampages against Palestinian villages.

The attacks took place although Israeli rights groups had demanded preventative actions by the regime's authorities.

“Once again, the army is doing nothing to prevent settler violence. This time, too, the writing was on the wall, and notices calling for riots in the villages were distributed publicly among settlers,” the Yesh Din right group said.

Settler violence has escalated significantly since October 7, 2023, when Israel unleashed a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 45,854 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 109,139 others, in its brutal Gaza onslaught. 

Israel confiscates more Palestinian land

Separately on Monday, the Wafa news agency reported that Israeli authorities had seized 262,000 square meters of Palestinian land in Jaba’, al-Ram, Kafr 'Aqab, and Mukhmas, all situated in the al-Quds governorate.

Israeli human rights organization Ir Amim said that the occupying regime is seeking to annex the confiscated area to the illegal Geva Binyamin settlement.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

While all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, Israel keeps expanding them in blatant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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