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Winter Session of Parliament; Opposition meet over suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs; Go Fashion shares to be listed; Last date for IPL franchises to retain players ahead of mega auction; World Chess Championship: Magnus Carlsen vs Ian Nepomniachtchi (Game 4)

• The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a "very high" global risk of infection surges that could have "severe consequences" in some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.
• The UN agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and, in anticipation of increased case numbers, to "ensure mitigation plans are in place" to maintain essential health services.
• "Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic," the WHO said. "Increasing cases, regardless of a change in severity, may pose overwhelming demands on healthcare systems and may lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The impact on vulnerable populations would be substantial, particularly in countries with low vaccination coverage," it said.
• To date, no deaths linked to Omicron had been reported, though further research was needed to assess Omicron's potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it added.
• India watch: Amid mounting fear overs Omicron, an expert committee on Covid immunisation is considering recommending an “additional dose” to those who are immunocompromised or are elderly and at high risk of infection or death due to Covid-19 infection, an official source said. A final decision on the issue, however, will be taken by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation next week, which will be then considered by the health ministry for approval. It would be too early as yet to speculate on just when the doses will be given.

British antitrust authorities are to block Facebook's acquisition of online gif platform Giphy, Financial Times reported, in what would mark the first such forced reversal of a Big Tech acquisition by the office.

• Facebook, now called Meta Platforms, bought Giphy in May last year to integrate it with its photo-sharing app, Instagram. The deal was then pegged at $400 million. The Competition and Markets Authority soon began investigating the acquisition.
• In August, it provisionally ruled Meta should be forced to sell Giphy, arguing it could cut off its rivals’ access to gifs and demand they hand over data to access gifs.
• It also said the acquisition removed a competitor to Meta in the display advertising market, citing Giphy's ad service in the US, though it was yet to be introduced in the UK.
• Meta said the findings had “fundamental errors of law and fact”. It argued, rather than growing, Giphy would have “continued in a diminished and underfunded state”.

In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison pressured Facebook over a proposed law that would make social media operators legally responsible for defamatory comments users post on their platforms. The "anti-troll law" would also ask platforms to share the identities of people with anonymous accounts if another person accuses them of defamation.

Nirmala Sitharaman. India does not have any plans to recognise Bitcoin as a currency, the finance minister informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. The statement came ahead of the introduction of a bill to ‘prohibit’ all private cryptocurrencies, while providing certain exceptions to “promote the underlying technology” and its uses. The RBI has recommended widening the definition of ‘bank note’ for the launch of Central Bank Digital Currency, junior finance minister Pankaj Chaudhary said.