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An upward trend in new Covid-19 cases continued in India on Friday, with the country recording 7,584 new cases and 24 deaths. With this, active cases rose to 36,267. The total number of recoveries logged in the last 24 hours was 3,791, The Indian Express reported.

The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants are making their presence felt across various areas in the country with the daily Covid tally now showing a rise in the country. When contacted, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told The Indian Express that it could be the start of a mini wave. “The sub-variants that are emerging are more transmissible than the original Omicron BA.1 and there is a likelihood of waning immunity. It is a possibility that there could be mini waves every four-six months or so and hence, apart from all Covid-appropriate precautionary measures that need to be taken, it is important to also track the variant,” Dr Swaminathan said, according to The Indian Express.

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally fell everywhere except the Middle East and Southeast Asia last week, according to a World Health Organisation weekly report released Wednesday. In its latest weekly update on the pandemic, the UN health agency said confirmed cases dropped 12% to more than 3 million and reported deaths declined 22 per cent to about 7,600.

The government has decided to inoculate booster shots to all the children aged between 12 and 17 years, who were administered with Covid-19 vaccine three months ago, from today.

A meeting of the Health and Population held on Tuesday decided to administer booster shots from Friday.

The children were inoculated with Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Similarly, the government has started preparations to administer Covid-19 vaccine to the children aged between five and 12 from June 23. They will be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.

Britney Spears has married fiancé Sam Asghari, seven months after being freed from a conservatorship that she said had prevented her from getting wed, BBC reported.

The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Last year, the pop star, 40, told a court the controversial 13-year legal guardianship had meant she was "not able to get married and have a baby".

The arrangement ended in November and she later got pregnant, but announced in May she had suffered a miscarriage.

Shortly before the wedding, a former husband of the star was restrained outside her home after trying to gatecrash the event. Jason Alexander, who was married to Spears for just under 55 hours in 2004, managed to enter the property briefly, live-streaming himself as he passed a security guard and other people. There was no sign of the couple themselves.

Mr Alexander was arrested by Ventura County police on a warrant from a different county for an undisclosed offence, and officers had still to decide whether trespassing charges would be pressed, according to BBC.

Spears met 28-year-old personal trainer Asghari in 2016 on the set of her music video for the song Slumber Party.

In an interview with BBC Persian, conducted the month before her pregnancy announcement, Asghari said that marriage and plans to have children "should have happened three years ago".

The couple got engaged last September, two months before the end of the conservatorship, which had seen her father Jamie control many aspects of her life.

Her dad, mother and sister were reportedly not expected to be at the wedding ceremony. Among the guests seen arriving were socialite Paris Hilton and actress Drew Barrymore. 

Jamie Spears previously said the arrangement had been "necessary" for his daughter's mental health, but agreed it was time for her "to re-take control of her life".

Mr Asghari is the star's third husband. After Mr Alexander, she was married to Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007, BBC reported.

A person died when an excavator fell off a cliff in Gulmi.

The deceased has been identified as driver Yagya Oli (33) of Tilakpur, Shantinagar Rural Municipality-1, Dang.

The vehicle (Lu 1 Ka 4771) was heading towards Lumcha from Ratapani of Chatrakot Rural Municipality-2 of the district when the incident occurred, the District Police Office, Gulmi said.

DSP Madhav Raj Kharel of the District Police Office, Gulmi said that the excavator fell some 500 meters down the road.

Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall have caused damage in various places of Gorkha.

Ward Chairman Bhejraj Pandey said that the landslide swept away a house in Palungtar Municipality-6.

He said that the flood washed away a motorable bridge and thousands is ropanis of land in ward-9.

The flood swept away the house of local Keshav Bahadur Thapa at Kalleri in Palungtar-6.

Police said that the flood damaged the houses of Saraswati BK, Khel Bahadur Gurung, Padam Bahadur Thapa, Bir Bahadur Rana and Jyoti Rana among others.

Similarly, Ward Chairman Chet Bahadur Gurung said that four houses are at high risk of being swept away at Chapthok Ukhubari.

Likewise, a flooded river damaged the house of Rammaya Kunwar at Jogibesi in Palungtar-9.

Police said that the Chuti Khola washed away a bridge at Bardi.

Ward Chairman Gurung said that landslides have obstructed roads in various places.

Police said that the Abukhaireni-Manakamana road section has also been obstructed due to the landslide.

Vehicular movement along the Prithvi Highway has been obstructed after the road caved in near the dam of Abukhaireni Rural Municipality -5 of Tanahun.

Police said that two persons were found dead near the Marsyangdi River where the road was caved in.

Sub-Inspector Gokarna Nepal of the District Traffic Office, Tanahun said that the identities of the deceased have not been established yet.

A rescue team from Pokhara and Chitwan are searching the river as parts of a motorbike and a car were found in the river, he said.

Two persons died and nine others sustained injuries when a Bolero Jeep they were traveling in met with accident at Gorkhakot in Junichande Rural Municipality-5 of Jajarkot.

The identities of the deceased have not been ascertained yet.

Among the injured, five are in critical condition,    Chief District Officer Ram Bahadur Shahi said.

The incident occurred when the jeep (Karnali Province 02001 Cha 0341) was heading towards Junchande Rural Municipality from Surkhet.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand has directed to rescue the injured from the helicopter and make arrangements for their treatment.

Portugal and Spain picked up victories in the Nations League on Thursday to set up a battle between the Iberian neighbors for a spot in the Final Four, Associated Press reported.

Portugal took sole possession of the lead in Group 2 of the top-tier League A by defeating the Czech Republic 2-0, while Spain earned a first win and moved into second place by edging past struggling Switzerland 1-0 in Geneva.

Portugal, the inaugural champion in 2019, is two points ahead of Spain and three in front of the Czechs after three matches. Only the group winners make it to the Final Four, while the last-placed teams will be relegated.

“It’s still wide open,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said.

It was the second consecutive win for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal after it had opened with a draw against Spain, last year’s runner-up to France. 

The Spaniards ended their winless run with the victory over last-place Switzerland, which has lost all its matches. The Swiss hadn’t been beaten at home in eight years in a run of 23 matches, according to Associated Press.

“Professional soccer is about results,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said. “We were able to impose our style.”

Portugal opened the scoring with João Cancelo’s low shot from a narrow angle in the 33rd minute, and Gonçalo Guedes added to the lead five minutes later from inside the area after an assist by Bernardo Silva.

Defender Pepe made his 127th appearance, joining Luis Figo for third-best all-time for Portugal. The duo are behind the 145 appearances of João Moutinho and the 188 of Ronaldo. 

Spain got on the board in the 13th minute with Pablo Sarabia redirecting a cross by Marcos Llorente for a goal that had to be confirmed by video review to check for offside. 

“It was about time we won,” Sarabia said. “These three points are very valuable for us.”

It was the teams’ first meeting since Spain defeated the Swiss on penalties in the quarterfinals of the European Championship last year.

Portugal will close play in the June international window in Switzerland on Sunday, while Spain host the Czech Republic.

In the second-tier League B, Erling Haaland drew a blank in Norway’s 0-0 home draw with Slovenia. Haaland arrived as one of the Nations League’s leading scorers with three goals, Associated Press reported. 

Norway leads Group 4 while Slovenia, which was a man down from the 63rd after Miha Blazic was sent off, is in last place. Serbia won 1-0 at Sweden with a goal by Luka Jovic to jump to second place, three points ahead of the Swedes.

In League C, Kosovo defeated Northern Ireland 3-2, Greece routed Cyprus 3-0, Gibraltar drew 1-1 with Bulgaria and Georgia defeated North Macedonia 3-0.

Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Greece’s Tasos Bakasetas each scored Thursday to join Haaland and Turkey’s Serdar Dursun with three goals.

Estonia won 2-1 at Malta in League D, according to the Associated Press.