The retirement of the Takale-Raud crew reshapes the H3 class contest, with focus now shifting to the remaining contenders as the Dakar Rally 2026 continues.
From January 2 to March 5, 451 cases of H3N2 have been reported in the country, according to data shared by the health ministry.
India has recorded its first two deaths due to seasonal influenza subtype H3N2, one each from Karnataka and Haryana, with the Union health ministry on Friday saying it is keeping a close watch on the situation and cases are expected to decline from the month-end.
State health secretary of Odisha on Sunday directed all district administrations to be vigilant and step up influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections surveillance at health facility level and community level.
One of them, a 74-year-old man, died of the H3N2 sub-type while the other victim was infected by Covid-19 as well as the influenza virus, state Health Minister Tanaji Sawant told the assembly on Wednesday.
As concerns mounted and some people wondered whether this could possibly turn out to be another Covid, pulmonologist Anurag Agrawal said he doesn't expect to see a massive wave.
With the COVID-19 cases under subsidence in the country, the viral infection has risen significantly due to the emergence of a new virus for which the experts are continuously advising to take precautions.
The states were requested to take a stock of hospital preparedness such as availability of drugs and medical oxygen, vaccination coverage against COVID-19 and influenza.
There has been a nearly 150 per cent rise in patients coming to outpatient departments with such complaints, they said.
India's D Gukesh outplayed Ding Liren to seize a 6-5 lead in the World Chess Championship final
The draw left both players on an identical tally of 6.5 points each, with just one game left in the 14-round classical time control format, still shy of 1 point in order to win the title.
Gukesh secured a decisive victory in just 37 moves, showcasing his exceptional tactical prowess and strategic acumen.
The drawn match left both the players on an identical tally of 4.5 points each, still shy of 3 points in order to win the championship.
China's Ding Liren stormed back in fine fashion with a victory against Gukesh Dommaraju in Game 12 of the World Chess Championship 2024 to level the match at 6-6.
Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, the youngest player ever to qualify for the World Chess Championship, held defending champion Ding Liren to a draw in their fourth-round encounter in Singapore on Friday.
The second, fourth, fifth and sixth games had ended in draws.
The H3N2, which has been in wide circulation for the past two-three months, causes more hospitalisations than other subtypes, said ICMR scientists who keep a close watch on ailments caused by respiratory viruses through the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network.
Even when China's widely-publicised exchange with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in response to the queries over the reports of surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza flu triggered the worldwide alert, including in India, China said the spike in respiratory diseases was due to an 'immunity gap'.
The renowned pulmonologist, who was part of the national COVID task force, highlighted the need for research on developing vaccines which will cover not only the current circulating strains but also from the emerging variants.
'The fortunate part is that the severity is less. New strains are continuously forming and the virus is getting less severe.'
India has recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.
Amid growing concerns of surging COVID-19 cases, the US has announced that it will waive the in-person interview requirement for a range of visa applicants during the entire year in 2022, including for H-1B workers and students, many of whom are from India. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Two US lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that aims at granting an automatic right to H-4 visa holders to work in the country, a move which will benefit the spouses of thousands of foreigners, including Indians, and also address the labour shortage affecting American businesses. H-4 visas are issued to dependent spouses and children who accompany H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, and H-3 visa holders to the United States. Many H-4 visa holders are highly skilled people in their own right and previously had careers of their own or worked to support their families.
Clearly,Trump will have a serious problem if it transpires that COVID-19's grandma, grandpa and great grandpa are actually domiciled in the US, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Did you realise that Hip Hip Hurray was 20 years ago?
Senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was today indicted for visa fraud and making false statements but can leave the US as she has been accorded diplomatic immunity.
Among Indian cars Vizag-based Stephen Panchigalla clocked 13.366s in his Skoda Octavia in the same J Class, which was run jointly for both Foreign and Indian cars, to ended up as the 'Fastest Indian Car.' Of the day.
Given the rising levels of pollution, air purifiers have now become a necessity. Manavi Kapur and Veer Arjun Singh check out some of the options in the market.
Satisfied with a draw in a tough opening match of the World Championships, Indian chess wizard Viswanathan Anand said he felt relieved to have pulled off the result after a rather wobbly start against title-holder Magnus Carlsen.
The 22-year-old Carlsen leads 5-3 and needs to score another 1.5 points in the next four games to wrest the title away.
The 2016 flagship from LG is no pushover and can give the Galaxy S7 handsets a tough fight, says Himanshu Juneja
World champion Viswanathan Anand, playing black, was involved in another draw with challenger Magnus Carlsen in the eighth game of the World Chess Championship, in Chennai, on Tuesday. The sharing of points enabled the Norwegian retain the lead at 5-3, with four games still to play in the 12-games match. Following are the moves in the eighth round, with analysis and quotes.
Defending champion Viswanathan Anand played out another tame draw as challenger Magnus Carlsen retained his two-point lead after the eighth game of the World Chess Championship.
Following are the moves in the seventh round of the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in Chennai on Monday with analysis.
China's Lu Shanglei and Wei Yi emphatically exhibited their rising chess prowess with convincing victories over Russians Vladimir Fedoseev, the top seed, and Mikhail Antipov, in the 10th round of the World Junior Chess Championships at Hotel Hyatt, in Pune, on Thursday. The victories ensured that the Chinese maintained joint-leader status with eight points each.
Padmini Rout's unbeaten run was halted by top seed Aleksandra Goryachkina in the eighth round of the LIC World Junior Chess Championships, at the Hotel Hyatt, in Pune, on Tuesday. After a day's rest, the girls' section was dominated by the higher-rated Russians in the fray, with Daria Pustovoitova defeating Anna Iwanow of Poland. Both the Russian girls and Anna Iwanow of Peru jointly lead the girls' section in the 77-player event with 6.5 points each.
S L Narayanan, a regular visitor to Pune for the Maharashtra Chess League, has a reputation for shocking seeded players. On Thursday, in the fourth round of the LIC World Junior Chess championships, at the Hotel Hyatt, the teenager from Kerala played true to his reputation and stunned Polish Grandmaster Kamil Dragun.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances