IRAN: the Iranian national headquarters fighting Covid-19 has announced that the  Delta variant of Covid-19 has spread to much of Iran, including the capital Tehran. The new variant of the virus entered Iran from its eastern and southeastern borders and has triggered a jump in the cases. "Given the highly infectious nature of this (new variant of) virus, it can further raise cases and hospitalisations," Alireza Raisi, spokesman of the headquarters, was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Xinhua reported.

In Iran, at least 92 cities, including Tehran, have been placed on red alert and 183 others on orange, according to the Iranian health authorities. The restrictions in cities on red alert need to be reinstated, with "at most 30 percent of government employees allowed in the workplace," said Raisi, according to a daily. Meanwhile, all the non-essential businesses are required to close down and travels to and from provinces coded as red and orange is also banned, he added.

During a meeting of the national headquarters fighting Covid-19 on Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said recent election campaigns, especially those held for city council elections, alongside some other occasions for social gathering, triggered the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Philippine Military Plane Crashes, Over 45 killed; country's worst military air disaster

17 Dead more than 40 wounded in Military Plane crashes in Philippines

Miracle: Fire erupts in water, people stunned to see video