Six In The Morning Sunday 5 December 2021

 Researchers on the Omicron Variant

"We Are Playing with Fire"

Scientists around the world are scrambling to find answers to critical questions about the new coronavirus variant, including whether vaccines are still effective against it. Initial data suggests that Omicron is spreading faster than Delta.

By Rafaela von Bredow, Marco Evers, Fritz Schaap und Veronika Hackenbroch

Omicron made itself known to the world on Nov. 4, a warm Thursday afternoon. In Pretoria, South Africa, Alicia Vermeulen, a junior scientist at Lancet Laboratories, was going through a list of results from the day’s routine tests when she came across a strange discrepancy. The PCR test, which reacts to three telltale sites in the coronavirus genome, struck only two of these sites in one sample.

It gave Vermeulen a moment of pause. She told South Africa’s News24 that it made her curious. She knew right away that something strange was going on. She immediately informed her superiors, and Vermeulen says they decided to keep an eye on it. The next day, another sample turned up with an odd result, and by the next week, they started piling up. Vermeulen and her lab managers sounded the alarm.

US seeks Russian and Chinese support to salvage Iran nuclear deal

Iran’s natural allies are said to have been surprised by how much it had gone back on its own compromises

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic Editor

Sun 5 Dec 2021 15.11 GMT

The US is hoping pressure from Russia, China and some Arab Gulf states may yet persuade Iran to moderate its negotiating stance in regards to the steps the Biden administration must take before both sides return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Talks in Vienna faltered badly last week, when the new hardline Iranian administration increased its levels of uranium enrichment and tabled proposals that US officials said at the weekend were “not serious”since they had gone back on all the progress made in the previous round of talks.

US officials at the weekend also confirmed they would press ahead with an emergency board meeting of the UN nuclear inspectorate, the IAEA, before the end of the year if Iran did not restore a level of access to its nuclear sites that satisfied the nuclear watchdog.

US and EU condemn Taliban over 'summary killings' and demand investigation

The United States on Saturday led a group of Western nations and allies in condemnation of the Taliban over the "summary killings" of former members of the Afghan security forces reported by rights groups, demanding quick investigations.

"We are deeply concerned by reports of summary killings and enforced disappearances of former members of the Afghan security forces as documented by Human Rights Watch and others," read a statement by the United States, the European Union, Australia, Britain, Japan and others, which was released by the US State Department.

"We underline that the alleged actions constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Taliban's announced amnesty," the group of nations said, as it called on Afghanistan's new rulers to ensure the amnesty is enforced and "upheld across the country and throughout their ranks."

At least 13 civilians shot dead by army in India’s Nagaland state

Protests after soldiers opened fire on villagers thinking they were ‘militants’ in India’s remote northeast region.

Protesters have burned army vehicles after more than a dozen villagers were shot and killed by soldiers, who thought the villagers were “militants”, in India’s Nagaland state.

Indian security forces opened fire on civilians late on Saturday in India’s remote northeast region, which borders Myanmar, according to local media reports.

“Based on a credible intelligence of likely movement of insurgents, a specific operation was planned to be conducted,” the army said in a statement on Sunday. “The incident and its aftermath is deeply regretted. The cause of the unfortunate loss of lives is being investigated at
the highest level and appropriate action will be taken as per the course of law.”

Her dream to teach English in Japan ended with a lesson for the country

By Emiko Jozuka, CNN

Updated 0028 GMT (0828 HKT) December 5, 2021

As a child, Wishma Rathnayake was fascinated with "Oshin," a popular 1980s' television drama about a young girl who rises from poverty to head a Japanese supermarket chain.

Urged by her father to emulate her hero, Rathnayake started learning Japanese with a dream of one day moving to Japan from the small Sri Lankan town of Gampaha, northeast of Colombo.

When her father died, the university graduate convinced her mother she could earn enough money working abroad as an English teacher to fund her retirement.

Military truck rams into group of Myanmar protesters in Yangon

Several people have been injured after a military truck rammed into a crowd of protesters in Myanmar's commercial capital, Yangon.

Eyewitnesses say the soldiers then opened fire on some fleeing protesters, and beat others.

Since February's coup, more than 1,200 people have been killed during protests and thousands more imprisoned.

The government has not commented on the latest incident, but previously accused protesters of instigating violence.