World
WHO names COVID-19 strain ‘Omicron’, says it’s ‘variant of concern’
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has named the new COVID-19 strain as ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a variant of concern.
On Thursday, South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced the discovery of the new variant, B.1.1.529, and said 22 positive cases of the strain had so far been detected in the country.
According to the WHO’s statement, the technical advisory group on SARS-CoV-2 virus evolution (TAG-VE), an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of COVID-19, convened yesterday to assess the new variant.
“The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the latest of which was predominantly the Delta variant. In recent weeks, infections have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection of B.1.1.529 variant. The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November 2021,” the statement reads.
“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa. Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant.
“Several labs have indicated that for one widely used PCR test, one of the three target genes is not detected (called S gene dropout or S gene target failure) and this test can therefore be used as marker for this variant, pending sequencing confirmation. Using this approach, this variant has been detected at faster rates than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage.
“Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology, the TAG-VE has advised WHO that this variant should be designated as a VOC, and the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a VOC, named Omicron.”
World
Trump names campaign manager Susie Wiles as chief of staff
US President-elect Donald Trump named his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as White House chief of staff on Thursday, his first major appointment since winning this week’s election.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history.”
Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of record-setting personnel churn in his administration.
Wiles, 67, a Florida native is credited with running a more disciplined campaign operation than Trump’s first run.
She appeared with Trump on stage at his election night victory celebration, but chose not to speak, being the only one not to do so.
She is the daughter of late sportscaster Pat Summerall.
World
Joe Biden asks Americans to accept Trump’s victory, promises peaceful transition
The United States President Joe Biden has asked Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.
On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after exceeding the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.
Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who has 219 electoral college votes.
Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.
During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”
“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.
“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.
“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.
“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.
“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.
“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”
World
Iran president says Trump win ‘makes no difference’
Iran on Thursday called Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election an opportunity for the United States to reassess past “wrong policies”.
Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January after defeating US Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s election, had pursued a “maximum pressure” strategy on Iran during his first term.
“We have very bitter experiences with the policies and approaches of different US governments in the past,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
Trump’s win, he added, was a chance “to review previous wrong policies”.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said later that Trump’s victory “makes no difference” to Iran which had “prioritised developing relations with Islamic and neighbouring countries”.
“We will not have a narrow or restricted view when developing our relations with other countries,” he said, quoted by IRNA.
Iran and the United States have been adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the Western-backed shah, but tensions peaked during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021.
Before Trump was declared the winner on Wednesday, Iran had dismissed the US election as irrelevant.
“The general policies of the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are fixed,” said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.
“It doesn’t matter who becomes president. Plans have already been set so that there is no change in people’s livelihood,” she added.
During his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed harsh sanctions on the Islamic republic.
In 2020, under Trump’s presidency, the United States killed revered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general Qasem Soleimani in an air strike on Baghdad airport.
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