From The Newsroom: AstraZeneca, Pfizer vaccines effective against Delta Covid-19 variant

In your evening news update, NCB takes Iqbal Kaskar into custody; 3 people died and 20 injured after a car bomb went off near Hafiz Saeed's house, AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccines remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants, say Oxford researchers and Prashant Kishor met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday said that it has taken underwood don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar into custody in a drug-related case.

Iqbal Kaskar was called to the NCB office in Mumbai. He was grilled after international links emerged during a series of investigations over the past year during which the federal agency busted several narcotics networks in Mumbai.

At least 3 people died and 20 others were injured after a powerful car bomb went off outside Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's house here on Wednesday, police said.

The blast took place at the BOR Society in Jauhar Town at the police picket outside Saeed's residence.

The Punjab police chief Inam Ghani said there could have been a "major loss" had there been no police picket outside Saeed's house.

AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccines remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants of the Covid-19 causing virus, which were first identified in India, according to a study by Oxford University researchers.

The study published in the journal Cell investigated the ability of antibodies in the blood from people, who were vaccinated with the two-shot regimens, to neutralise the highly contagious Delta and Kappa variants, a statement said.

"There is no evidence of widespread escape suggesting that the current generation of vaccines will provide protection against the B.1.617 lineage," the paper said, referring to the Delta and Kappa variants by a commonly used code. However, they cautioned that the concentration of neutralising antibodies in the blood was somewhat reduced, which may lead to some breakthrough infections.

Political strategist Prashant Kishor met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday. This comes a day after leaders of eight opposition parties gathered at Pawar's residence and discussed various issues facing the country.

According to sources, the closed-door discussions between Kishor and Pawar, held at the latter's residence in Delhi, lasted for about an hour. This was their third meeting in a fortnight.

These meetings with Pawar have fuelled speculations about the possibility of opposition parties coming together to form a third front against the BJP.

That’s all for today. For more news and updates log on to deccanherald.com. Have a great evening.

Sources: DHNS/ PTI/ Reuters