Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
AT LEAST one person has died in the UK after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant, prime minister Boris Johnson said.
The death on Monday (13) is the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain.
Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in Britain, Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and on Sunday (12) cautioned that the variant could overcome the immune defences of those inoculated with two shots of vaccines.
Britain gave no details on the death other than the person had been diagnosed in hospital. It was not clear if the patient had been vaccinated or had underlying health issues.
"Sadly at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron," Johnson told reporters at a vaccination centre in London.
"So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus - I think that's something we need to set (to) one side - and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population."
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the variant now accounted for 44 per cent of infections in London and would be the dominant strain in the capital within 48 hours. New Omicron infections are estimated at 200,000 per day, Javid said.
Before the death was announced, Britain said 10 people had been hospitalised with Omicron in various parts of England. Their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years and most had received two vaccination doses.
The UK health security agency said Omicron - first detected in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong in late November - can overcome the immunity of those who have had two shots of vaccines such as AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech .
South Africa's health ministry said it was unable to say with certainty if any of its Covid-19 deaths were caused by Omicron as deaths were not broken down by variant.
The WHO said on Sunday that while preliminary findings from South Africa suggest Omicron may be less severe than the Delta variant - currently dominant worldwide, and all cases reported in the Europe region have been mild or asymptomatic, it remains unclear to what extent Omicron may be inherently less virulent.
'Get booster vaccines'
Johnson, now grappling with a rebellion in his party over measures to curb Omicron and an outcry over staff parties at his Downing Street office during last year's lockdowns, said people should rush to get booster vaccines to protect "our freedoms and our way of life".
After Covid-19 was first detected in China in late 2019, he faced criticism for initially resisting lockdown.
He has also been criticised for overseeing mistakes in transferring patients into care homes, and for building a costly test-and-trace system that failed to stop a deadly second wave.
More than 146,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK.
Asked if he could rule out tougher restrictions in England before Christmas, Johnson avoided giving a direct answer. Health minister Javid said he knew of no plans for additional measures. "There are no plans that I am aware of for any further restrictions," Javid said.
Johnson faces growing anger from libertarians in his party over tougher curbs on daily life and sinking poll ratings.
He has also faced criticism over his handling of a sleaze scandal, the awarding of lucrative Covid contracts, the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, and a claim that he intervened to ensure pets were evacuated from Kabul during the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.
"The Covid vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queuing system," the NHS said on Twitter. It suggested trying again later.
Home testing kits were also unavailable to order.
NHS in crisis mode
Meanwhile, the NHS was put on a crisis footing as hospitals in England were told to discharge as many patients as possible while estimated daily Omicron cases hit 200,000, The Guardian reported.
Boris Johnson is braced for his biggest rebellion as prime minister on Tuesday (14), with about 80 Tory MPs confirmed to be preparing to vote against his proposed measures.
In a letter to hospitals, NHS England chiefs said patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds, should be.
The letter from NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, and medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the service was facing a level 4 “national incident”.
Hotels are already being turned into temporary care facilities staffed with workers flown in from Spain and Greece to relieve rising pressure on NHS hospital beds, the report added.
Hospitals and GPs have also been told to scale back normal services and limit care to those needing urgent attention so that NHS staff can be freed up to deliver boosters.
They have also been told to take ambulance-borne patients into A&E more quickly so that paramedics can get back on the road to answer more 999 calls, speed up efforts to bring in nurses from overseas to help tackle the NHS’s lack of staff, and send as many patients as possible for surgery at private hospitals.
A campaign to give boosters to more than one million people a day got under way, prompting the NHS website to crash and people to queue in the street for up to five hours for their jabs.
But the British Medical Association said the vaccination campaign would not be enough to stop the spread of Omicron, with one in four still not eligible for a booster.
According to the report, No 10 insisted that the booster campaign was its immediate priority, with a senior government source describing the main strategy as “keep on jabbing”.
Labour backed the government’s booster campaign and stopped short of calling for any new restrictions, with Keir Starmer saying it was Labour’s “patriotic duty” to vote for plan B.
BANGLADESH’s Election Commission (EC) on Thursday released a roadmap for the general election, expected to be held in February next year.
The poll schedule will be announced at least 60 days before the voting date, officials said.
“The Chief Adviser’s Office has asked us to hold the election before Ramadan. If I am not mistaken, Ramadan will begin on February 17 or 18. From this, you can calculate the probable election date,” EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters at a press briefing.
He said the commission was targeting the first half of February for the election. The roadmap, prepared in line with the directives of interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, received EC approval on Wednesday.
According to Ahmed, discussions with political parties and other stakeholders will be held by the end of September and could take “one to one and a half months” to complete.
The EC identified 24 key tasks in the roadmap, including amendments to laws such as the Representation of the People Order (RPO), the Delimitation of Constituencies Act, the Voter List Act, the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act 1991, and the Election Commission Secretariat Act 2009. Other tasks include finalising the voter list in phases, setting policies for domestic and foreign observers and journalists, and registering new political parties.
The commission expects to announce the election schedule in the second or third week of December.
In a televised address on August 5, Yunus had said the 13th parliamentary election would be held in February before Ramadan.
The roadmap announcement came as the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed this year with apparent support from Yunus, raised objections to the planned polls.
Shortly after the EC’s briefing, the NCP said the roadmap reflected a “breach of promise” by the interim government.
“Announcing the roadmap before declaring the implementation of the ‘July Charter’ is tantamount to breaking promises,” former Students against Discrimination (SAD) leader and NCP Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adeeb told a press conference. Flanked by other leaders, Adeeb warned that this could create “future crises for which the government must bear responsibility.”
The NCP, which emerged in February as an offshoot of SAD after leading the movement that forced Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League out of power on August 5 last year, has been demanding a new constitution through a Constituent Assembly, replacing the 1972 Constitution.
Jamaat-e-Islami has separately demanded that the polls be held under a proportional representation system to secure a larger stake in parliament. Both Jamaat and NCP have also called for the trial of Hasina and leaders of her regime for their alleged role in last year’s crackdown on the uprising.
Hasina is being tried in absentia at the International Crimes Tribunal on several charges.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as the largest party in the absence of Awami League, whose activities were disbanded by Yunus’s interim government.
Despite assurances by Yunus and his advisers of free and fair polls within the announced deadline, uncertainty has grown among political parties due to the stance of the NCP.
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International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the United Nations headquarters on January 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
A SECOND woman has accused Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of sexual misconduct, reported the Guardian.
The woman alleged that while working as an intern for Khan more than a decade ago, he repeatedly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances, abused his senior position, and pressured her into situations where she felt unsafe.
The latest allegations were passed to investigators from a UN watchdog earlier this summer. The body had already been examining an earlier complaint lodged by a member of Khan’s staff at the ICC.
According to the report, the second woman’s claims date back to 2009, when she was in her 20s and working unpaid for Khan in The Hague. At that time, Khan was a prominent defence lawyer, representing clients at the ICC and other international tribunals, including former Liberian president Charles Taylor.
Speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, the woman said she endured a “constant onslaught” of advances from Khan. “He shouldn’t have been doing it,” she told the newspaper. “He was my employer.”
She said she had not spoken publicly before because she was afraid of damaging her career, but came forward after hearing of similar allegations from the ICC staffer.
The woman, referred to as Patricia (not her real name), described one incident in which Khan allegedly groped her at the ICC offices. She also claimed that on several occasions Khan invited her to his home, where she says he touched and kissed her without consent and urged her to have sex.
Patricia told the Guardian she felt trapped, as she was paying her own costs during the internship and relied on Khan’s recommendation for her future career. She said she endured the situation because she believed quitting would harm her prospects. Eventually, she did receive a positive letter of recommendation, but described it as feeling like “a deal with the devil”.
She added that Khan later sent her messages, including one in 2019 thanking her for being “good company” and a “very good friend”. Patricia said she eventually asked him not to contact her again.
Lawyers for Khan, now 55, said he “categorically denies” ever engaging in sexual misconduct. In a statement, they said: “It is wholly untrue that he has harassed or mistreated any individual, or misused his position or authority. Mr Khan has provided evidence that clearly contradicts the allegations.”
They further claimed Khan had been the target of an organised campaign to undermine him following his decision to issue arrest warrants against high-profile political leaders, including Russian president Vladimir Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khan has stepped aside from his role at the ICC while the UN inquiry continues. His legal team have also voiced concerns about whether the process can guarantee “due process”.
Khan was elected in 2021 as the ICC’s chief prosecutor for a nine-year term. Since then, he has played a central role in raising the court’s global profile. But his leadership has been overshadowed by accusations of sexual misconduct.
The first complaint came from an ICC staff member, a lawyer in her 30s, who alleged that Khan engaged in coercive sexual behaviour between 2023 and 2024. She said the abuse occurred at the ICC offices, in hotel rooms during work trips, and at his home. She has described his behaviour as “ceaseless”.
Both the staffer and Patricia claim Khan often insisted they work at his private residence, where, they allege, he tried to touch or kiss them and urged them to lie down with him.
The UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is investigating both sets of allegations. Once the inquiry is complete, a panel of judicial experts will examine the findings and advise the ICC’s member states.
If Khan is found guilty of serious misconduct, ICC members could hold a secret ballot to decide whether to remove him from office – an unprecedented step in the court’s history.
Patricia said she decided to speak out after seeing Khan’s previous statement in which he insisted that in three decades of professional work “there had never been any such complaint”. She said that was when “her heart sank”.
“I felt I had to tell the truth,” she was quoted as saying.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
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Modi is on a two-day visit to Japan from August 29 to 30. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)
Modi says India and Japan will work together to “shape the Asian Century”
Japan to announce $68 billion investment in India over 10 years
Modi to attend SCO summit in China, meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin
India and Japan to deepen cooperation in trade, technology and security
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Japan will work together to “shape the Asian Century,” as he began a two-nation visit that will also take him to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Speaking at a business forum in Tokyo, Modi said, “India and Japan's partnership is strategic and smart. Powered by economic logic, we have turned shared interests into shared prosperity.”
“India is the springboard for Japanese businesses to the Global South. We will shape the Asian Century for stability, growth, and prosperity,” he added.
Modi is on a two-day visit to Japan from August 29 to 30. Reports said Japan will unveil 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) in investments in India over the next 10 years. Bilateral trade is currently worth more than $20 billion annually, with the balance in Japan’s favour.
Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said, “Japan and India are strategic partners who share common values such as freedom, democracy, rule of law, having cherished friendship and trust over many years.”
“Our economic relationship is expanding rapidly as Japan's technology and India's talented human resources and its huge market are complementing each other,” Ishiba told the forum.
Trade and investments
Modi and Ishiba were expected to announce that the number of Indians with specialised skills working or studying in Japan will double to 50,000 over the next five years. Investments will target areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and access to critical minerals.
On Saturday, the two leaders are scheduled to tour a semiconductor facility and a shinkansen bullet train factory. Japan is expected to assist India in its planned 7,000-kilometre high-speed rail network by 2047. A joint project to build the first high-speed rail link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has faced delays and cost overruns.
Both India and Japan have also been hit by tariffs imposed by the United States. A 50 per cent levy on many Indian imports into the US took effect this week. Japan’s auto sector continues to face 25 per cent tariffs as a July trade deal reducing them is yet to come into force.
India and Japan, along with the United States and Australia, are members of the Quad alliance. The two sides are expected to upgrade their 2008 declaration on security cooperation during the visit.
Next stop: China
After Japan, Modi will travel to Tianjin in China on August 31 and September 1 to attend the SCO summit hosted by President Xi Jinping and attended by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“From Japan, I will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping,” Modi said in his departure statement.
“India is an active and constructive member of SCO. During our presidency, we have introduced new ideas and initiated collaboration in the fields of innovation, health and cultural exchanges,” he said.
“I also look forward to meeting President Xi Jinping, President Putin and other leaders on the sidelines of the summit,” he added.
Focus on regional peace
The prime minister said he was confident that his visits to Japan and China would advance India’s national priorities.
“I am confident that my visits to Japan and China would further our national interests and priorities, and contribute to building fruitful cooperation in advancing regional and global peace, security, and sustainable development,” Modi said.
This will be Modi’s first visit to China since 2018. India and China, the two most populous nations, remain rivals competing for influence in South Asia and fought a deadly border clash in 2020. A thaw began in October last year when Modi and Xi met in Russia for the first time in five years.
(With inputs from agencies)
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People demonstrate near the Bell Hotel on July 20, 2025 in Epping, England. (Photo: Getty Images)
Government appeals against injunction blocking asylum housing at Bell Hotel in Epping
More than 32,000 asylum seekers currently housed in UK hotels
Labour pledges to end hotel use for asylum seekers before 2029 election
THE UK government on Thursday asked the Court of Appeal to lift a ban on housing asylum seekers at a hotel that has faced protests, warning the order could set "a precedent".
The Home Office is seeking to overturn a high court injunction issued earlier this month that requires authorities to remove migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping, northeast London, by September 12.
The decision was a setback for prime minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, which is already accommodating 32,345 asylum seekers in hotels across the UK as of the end of March.
Protests began in July outside the Bell Hotel after an asylum seeker staying there was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied charges of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, and harassment without violence.
Some of the protests turned violent and spread to other parts of the country. Epping Forest district council then took legal action against the ministry, arguing that the hotel had become a public safety risk and breached planning rules.
Other councils have suggested they may take similar steps, creating difficulties for the government, which is legally obliged under a 1999 law to house "all destitute asylum seekers whilst their asylum claims are being decided".
The Bell Hotel’s owner, Somani Hotels, and the Home Office argued that the site had previously housed asylum seekers between 2020-2021 and 2022-2024, and said the Epping protests were not linked to planning concerns.
Government official Becca Jones told the court that losing 152 spaces at the Bell Hotel would be "significant" for the limited accommodation pool.
"Granting the interim injunction ... risks setting a precedent which would have a serious impact on the secretary of state's ability to house vulnerable people," Jones said.
She added that the order could also encourage local councils looking to block asylum housing and "those who seek to target asylum accommodation in acts of public disorder."
Three senior Appeal Court judges said they would deliver their ruling at 2pm on Friday.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said councils run by his party would also pursue legal action against asylum housing.
Since Keir Starmer took office in July 2024, more than 50,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to the UK in small boats, adding pressure on the government and fuelling criticism from far-right politicians.
Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers before the next election, expected in 2029, to cut government spending.