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Dutch police arrest couple that fled COVID quarantine
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch military police on Sunday said they had arrested a married couple who left a hotel where they were in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, and were attempting to flee the...
Omicron variant detected in more countries as scientists race to find answers
LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Omicron coronavirus variant spread around the world on Sunday, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restriction to try to seal themselves off. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was not yet clear whether Omicron, first detected in Southern Africa, is more...
WHO says it is not yet clear if Omicron causes more severe disease
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that it is not yet clear if the new Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants or if it causes more severe disease. “Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be...
Botswana says 15 more cases of Omicron variant detected in country
GABORONE (Reuters) – Botswana’s health minister Edwin Dikoloti said on Sunday the country had detected 15 more cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, adding to the four confirmed cases it declared on Friday. The minister applauded its scientists for detecting the new variant in the country early, but stressed it did not emerge in Botswana...
Philippines tightens border controls to keep out Omicron variant
MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines on Sunday further tightened border controls to keep out the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, adding seven European countries to a travel ban that initially covered seven African nations. The Omicron https://www.reuters.com/world/new-coronavirus-variant-omicron-keeps-spreading-australia-detects-cases-2021-11-28 variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two each...
Maldives bans travellers from 7 African nations due to Omicron COVID variant
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Maldives said it was barring travellers from seven African countries from Sunday over concerns about the new Omicron https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/japan-tighten-border-controls-s-africa-others-new-virus-variant-jiji-2021-11-26 variant of COVID-19. Travellers will not be allowed into Maldives from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, the health ministry said in a statement. Travellers who arrived from these countries...
Australia to introduce new laws to force media platforms to unmask online trolls
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia will introduce legislation to make social media giants provide details of users who post defamatory comments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. The government has been looking at the extent of the responsibility of platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, for defamatory material published on their sites and comes after...
Indonesia bans arrivals from 8 African countries due to Omicron variant
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will ban the entry of travellers who have been in eight African countries and extend quarantine times for all arrivals to curb the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, officials said on Sunday. The ban extends to people who have been in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini...
Britain records third case of Omicron coronavirus variant
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has recorded the third case of the newly identified Omicron coronavirus variant, the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday, adding that the individual, who was no longer in Britain, was linked to travel to Southern Africa. UKHSA said that while in Britain, the individual was in Westminster in central London....
Australia police expect to charge woman with arson for COVID quarantine fire
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police said on Sunday they expect to charge a 31-year-old woman with arson after she allegedly set fire to the COVID-19 quarantine hotel where she and her two children were staying. No one was injured in the fire, which gutted much of the 11th floor of the Pacific Hotel Cairns, police...
Australia confirms two cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia confirmed on Sunday that two people arriving from southern Africa over the weekend had tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant, adding to a growing number of countries fighting the highly infectious strain. Health officials in New South Wales, the most populous state, said both passengers had arrived in the state capital,...
UK’s Johnson sets out more measures to fight new COVID variant
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled on Saturday new measures to try to stop the spread of a new coronavirus variant called Omicron, saying all arrivals would have to take a test and it was time to step up booster jabs. “We will require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by...
Spanish police march in Madrid to protest against ‘Gag Law’ reform
Thousands of Spanish police officers marched through Madrid on Saturday to protest against a proposed reform of a security law which they say will hamper their ability to do their work. Politicians from Spain’s three main conservative parties joined police officers in the protest against proposed changes to the 2015 Citizens Security Law, which critics...
Brazil expects to raise $116 billion in 10 years with oil produced in subsalt area
A Brazil’s state-controlled company that manages the government share of oil produced in the subsalt areas estimates the government will raise $116 billion selling oil through 2031. State-controlled PPSA CEO Eduardo Gerk estimates production of 8.2 billion barrels under the so-called production sharing contracts over the next 10 years, of which 1.5 billion barrels will...
Chevron, Exxon are among top spenders at Biden offshore auction
U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) were among the top buyers at a federal auction of oil leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday that generated more than $190 million – the highest since 2019. The auction was a boon for federal coffers, but a potential setback for the climate policies of...
OPEC+ to meet Dec. 1-2 to set policy, sources say
OPEC and its allies are to hold two meetings next week to set policy, with a gathering on Dec. 1 for OPEC members only and another on Dec. 2 for OPEC+, two sources from the producer group said on Wednesday. OPEC+ will hold its Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee meeting (JMMC) on Nov. 30, the sources...
28th November
EU proposes law preventing import of goods linked to deforestation
The European Commission proposed a law on Wednesday aimed at preventing the import of commodities linked to deforestation by requiring companies to prove their global supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 4% of a company’s turnover in an EU country. The...
Climate-friendly farming: Greenland’s melting glaciers offer an answer
On a shore near Greenland’s capital Nuuk, a local scientist points to a paradox emerging as the island’s glaciers retreat: one of the most alarming consequences of global warming could deliver a way to limit its effects. “It’s a kind of wonder material,” says Minik Rosing, a native Greenlander, referring to the ultra-fine silt deposited...
U.S. imposes travel ban from eight African countries over Omicron variant
The United States will bar entry to most travelers from eight southern African countries starting on Monday, after a potentially more-contagious new coronavirus variant was identified in South Africa, President Joe Biden said on Friday. The new variant, dubbed Omicron, poses a new challenge for Biden, who has had a mixed success getting Americans vaccinated...
What we know so far about El Salvador’s volcano-powered bitcoin bond
El Salvador plans to build the world’s first “Bitcoin City” with money from a $1 billion bitcoin-backed bond the country’s President Nayib Bukele said on Saturday. Here is what we know about the proposed bond and some of the details that still need to be filled in. WHAT WE KNOW Bukele said El Salvador planned to issue...
In muddle of Merkel exit, COVID’s fourth wave catches Germany out
For once, proverbially efficient Germany has dropped the ball. Seemingly endless queues all over the country for coronavirus booster shots and even for first vaccines are evidence that it has been caught out by a fourth wave of COVID-19, having led the world in its initial response to the pandemic early last year. Then, swift...
As cinema returns to Somalia, upcoming film Ayaanle rides the wave
In the new film “Ayaanle”, a Somali actor living in a poor neighbourhood in Nairobi dreams of a breakthrough role to take him to Hollywood, but is frustrated when he’s only ever cast as a pirate or terrorist. “I only have two lines,” the character – whose name, Ayaanle, is also the film’s title –...
Spain tightens COVID-19 restrictions for British tourists
British tourists will be admitted to Spain from next month only if they can show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, according to a Spanish government bulletin published on Saturday as the country tightened travel restrictions amid concern about the new Omicron coronavirus variant. Until now, Britons were admitted to Spain if they could show proof...
Erdogan orders probe into Turkish lira’s slump – Anadolu
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered an investigation into possible currency manipulation after the lira fell sharply to record lows against the dollar this week, the Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. It said Erdogan had tasked the State Supervisory Council, an auditing agency which reports to the presidency, to identify institutions that had bought...
Archaeologists find 800-year old mummy in Peru
A team of experts has found a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old on Peru’s central coast, one of the archaeologists who participated in the excavation said on Friday. The mummified remains were of a person from the culture that developed between the coast and mountains of the South American country. The...
Storm Arwen leaves two dead in UK, triggers power cuts
At least two people died and tens of thousands were left without power as Storm Arwen brought strong winds across many parts of the United Kingdom, with gusts of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph). One man died in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim when his car was struck by a falling tree on...
Dutch: Some of the 61 COVID cases from South Africa flights are new variant
Dutch health authorities said on Saturday they had detected 61 COVID-19 cases among people who flew from South Africa on Friday and believe at least some infections are of the new omicron variant. The cases were discovered among 624 passengers who arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on two flights on Friday before the Dutch government...
How worried should we be about the Omicron variant?
The new Omicron coronavirus variant – identified first in South Africa, but also detected in Europe and Asia – is raising concern worldwide given the number of mutations, which might help it spread or even evade antibodies from prior infection or vaccination. News of the variant prompted countries to announce new travel restrictions on Friday...
UK, Germany and Italy detect Omicron variant cases, Israel closes borders
LONDON/BERLIN/AMSTERDAM, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Britain, Germany and Italy detected cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa. The discovery of the variant has sparked global concern, a wave of travel...
Peru softens stance on mining permits that rattled sector
Peru’s government said on Wednesday that mining companies could seek permission to extend operations, a notable shift in stance after officials had appeared to rule out extensions for some key mines over environmental concerns, rattling industry advocates. The Andean country’s leftist President Pedro Castillo is seeking to shake up the mining sector after pledging to...
