London: Confirmation of spread of Omicron variant BA 4.6 in Britain. BA 4.6, which has been spreading rapidly in the US, is also spreading in the UK.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, in the third week of August, 33 percent of the samples were found to be BA 4.6. It has since risen to 9 percent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that BA 4.6 accounts for more than 9 percent of recent cases across the US. This variant has been recognized in many other countries.

BA 4.6 is a descendant of Omicron’s BA 4 variant. It was first discovered in South Africa in January 2022. After that, it spread worldwide along with the BA.5 variant. This variant has not yet been reported to cause more severe disease symptoms. But it is more spreadable than other varieties. BA 4.6 is similar to BA 4 in many respects. Interconversion occurs in spike proteins such as BA 4. It is this protein on the outside of the virus that helps it invade cells.

Seoul: The South Korean government has fined 7.1 million dollars to social media entrepreneurs such as Facebook and Google. The companies breached the rules of data protection. The government found that the two companies collected user’s personal data without permission. This is the highest fine received by a social media company. Google was fined $4.97 million and Meta $2.21 million. 

Sydney: Australia has decided to remove the image of the late British Queen Elizabeth from its currency.

It has also been decided that the image of the current King Charles III should not be replaced by the image on the five-dollar note. The image of the country’s leaders will henceforth be printed on the currency. The discussion for this has started.

In Australia, by law, the image of the British ruler is mandatory on coins. However, the image of Elizabeth was inscribed on the five-dollar notes as a tribute to her. This is what changes. Since the death of Elizabeth, there has been a strong demand to free Australia from the status of a country under the British monarchy.

Even as Australian MPs declared their allegiance to the new British monarch on Tuesday, the demand for an Australian republic rose. The position of the country’s center-left government is that the Australian president should be the head of the country. Meanwhile, Charles III was officially declared head of state in Papua Guinea.

Doha: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Qatar has ordered the closure of SpringField Kindergarten in Doha Al Wakrah due to the death of a Malayalee girl in a school bus.

The action was taken after serious lapses were found by the school authorities. The Ministry of Education announced the decision through Twitter on Tuesday night.

Minza Maryam Jacob, a student of Doha SpringField Kindergarten KG 1, died on Sunday.

The tragic accident happened after the driver closed the door of the bus without knowing that the student fell asleep during the journey. The child was found by the staff who came to pick up the bus in the afternoon. She was rushed to the hospital, but her life could not be saved.