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Omicron variant leads to travel chaos

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UK, Germany and Italy detect Omicron variant cases, Israel closes borders as the world waits

Summary:

  • Britain, Germany, Italy say Omicron cases detected
  • UK PM Johnson unveils new measures to prevent Christmas lockdown
  • Israel bans entry to all foreigners
  • Dutch authorities test air passengers for Omicron variant

Britain, Germany and Italy are detecting cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant as countries around the world reimpose travel restrictions..

The discovery of the variant sparked global concern, with a fresh wave of travel bans and a global sell-off on financial markets.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced new steps to contain the virus.

Face coverings will become mandatory again in shops and on public transport in England from next week.

More stringent testing

PCR tests for everyone entering the UK will be introduced and all contacts of new variant cases will have to self-isolate. 

The two linked cases of Omicron found in Britain are connected to travel to southern Africa.

But Boris Johnson is promising that Christmas will be “considerably better” than in 2020.

The measures are “temporary and precautionary”, he says.

The UK PM laid out measures which included stricter testing rules for people arriving in the country.

Mr Johnson said: “Our scientists are learning more hour by hour, and it does appear that Omicron spreads very rapidly and can be spread between people who are double vaccinated.”

Global disruption

Israel will ban the entry of all foreigners into the country and reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology to contain the spread of the variant.

In Germany, the health ministry announced two confirmed cases of the variant. The two people entered Germany at Munich airport on Nov. 24.

In Italy, the National Health Institute says case of the new variant had been detected in Milan.

New strain, old pain

Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, is  than previous variants of the disease.

Experts do not know yet if it will cause more or less severe COVID-19 compared to other strains.

The variant was first discovered in South Africa and had also since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

Epidemiologists say travel curbs may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State Department are advising against travel to eight southern African countries.

Ahron Young is an award winning journalist who has covered major news events around the world. Ahron is the Managing Editor and Founder of TICKER NEWS.

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TikTok CEO testifies as U.S. considers nationwide ban

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FBI says TikTok threatens U.S. national security

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in Washington D.C. on Thursday.

The hours-long fiery hearing on Capitol Hill was incredibly tense as Chew was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats.

With bipartisan support, both parties are pushing for a nationwide ban on the app which the FBI has said threatens the national security of the United States.

TikTok says it has 150 million America users – almost half the country.

The CEO gave testimony to try and reassure lawmakers and Americans that TikTok is not an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, but critics aren’t convinced.

Chew was bombarded with questions from representatives from both sides of the aisle about the company’s ties to the CCP, security, data storage, well-being, and mental health. 

Many lawmakers are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of answers from the company.

Congress is now weighing a nationwide ban on the popular social media platform amid concerns that it is used to harvest Americans’ information and harm children online.

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Protests continue across France over pension reforms

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Protestors blocked a terminal at an airport and sat on train tracks

The ongoing nationwide protests in France over plans by the government to raise the retirement age by two years saw another day of disruption – events which President Emmanuel Macron has recently compared to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters two years ago.

Protestors blocked a terminal at Paris’s Charles De Gaulle airport.

Protesters also sat on train tracks, and reportedly triggered a brief fire in the yard of a police station in once city.

Protests have been mostly peaceful, but tear gas has been used against them on occasions.

The plan is to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

For comparison, the U.S. is slowly raising its retirement age to 67 and the UK plans to go to 68.

Polls have long shown that a majority of voters in France oppose the move.

Macron earlier in the week said he was standing firm on the law and that it would come into effect by the end of the year.

The government says the change is needed to keep pension budgets from running a deficit – failure would create an annual deficit of about $14 billion by 2030.

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Prosecutors allege Donald Trump misled people on potential arrest

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The move prompted Republicans in Congress to interfere with the course of justice

Manhattan prosecutors say Donald Trump has misled people to expect he would be arrested, prompting Republicans in Congress to interfere with the course of justice.

A probe is currently under way into his alleged hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Saturday, the former President said he would be arrested on Tuesday.

This saw three Republicans launching an offensive against the District Attorney, who is a Democrat.

They accused him of abusing authority, while also seeking communications, documents and testimony.

A grand jury hearing evidence in the Stormy Daniels case is yet to issue an arrest warrant for Trump.

The attorney’s office has since sent the committee chairmen a letter.

It says the lawmakers’ accusations “only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation he would be arrested”.

It also confirms the attorney’s office is “investigating allegations that Donald Trump engaged in violations of New York State penal law.”

If indicted, Trump would be the first U.S. President to face criminal charges.

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