Briefly

SOUTH AFRICA

Fears mount as new virus variant detected

Scientists said on Thursday that they had detected a new COVID-19 variant with a large number of mutations, blaming it for a surge in infection numbers. The number of daily infections in South Africa has increased tenfold since the start of the month. In response, Britain, Israel and Japan have banned all travel from the country and five other southern African nations as concerns grow about the new variant, which scientists say could be more infectious than Delta and more resistant to current vaccines.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Leader blames foreign powers for unrest

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Friday blamed foreign interference behind anti-government protests, arson and looting that have ravaged the capital Honiara in recent days. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that Beijing condemns rioting in the Solomon Islands and would ensure the safety of its citizens there.

FRANCE

Johnson letter scuttles meeting on migrants

France on Friday scrapped planned talks with the UK about migrant crossings in anger at a letter by Britain's prime minister over the crisis, pushing relations to new lows following the deaths of 27 people in the English Channel this past week. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told UK counterpart Priti Patel she was no longer invited to talks at the weekend about the migrant crisis in the Channel with other European ministers. The row puts London and Paris at odds when they are searching for a coordinated response to the worst migrant tragedy in the Channel.

JAPAN

TEPCO finds melting of ice wall in Fukushima

An ice wall intended to halt the flow of groundwater at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant managed by Tokyo Electric, or TEPCO, may have partially melted, NHK reported on Friday. TEPCO plans to reinforce the wall as early as at the start of December and is considering further countermeasures, NHK said. The ice wall was built to prevent the contamination of groundwater at the wrecked nuclear power plant, part of a costly and troubled effort to secure the site following the 2011 earthquake.

Agencies - Xinhua