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With the help of sequencing, Dutch find 14 Omicron cases among SA passengers
Dutch authorities have ordered the 61 people who tested positive for COVD to remain in quarantine, and most of them are in a hotel near Schiphol Airport.
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Louis Vuitton to present final Virgil Abloh show in Miami following his death
The 41-year-old Abloh was Louis Vuitton's trailblazing head of menswear, the first black artistic director at a major French luxury label.
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WHO warns COVID variant Omicron risk 'very high'
The UN health agency said the COVID strain first discovered in southern Africa was a 'highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations... some of which are concerning and may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility.'
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Barbados to replace British Queen, becomes a republic
In October, Barbados elected Mason to become its first president, one year after Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared the country would "fully" leave its colonial past.
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G7 ministers meet as new COVID strain spreads around the globe
Omicron, first discovered in southern Africa, represents a fresh challenge to global efforts to battle the pandemic. Several countries have already re-imposed restrictions many had hoped were a thing of the past.
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Swiss voters back Covid pass law
Michelle Cailler, a spokeswoman for the Friends of the Constitution group which opposed the law, said that granting such powers to the government was "extremely dangerous for democracy".
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Dutch find 13 new COVID variant cases among South Africa passengers
Dutch authorities began testing for the Omicron variant after 61 out of 600 passengers on board two flights from South Africa to Amsterdam on Friday tested positive for COVID-19.
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UK to enforce new COVID rules from Tuesday
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing will return to shops and public transport in England, and told families to plan for Christmas "as normal", despite new rules to combat the Omicron variant.
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Swiss voters firmly back COVID pass law: projected results
Shortly after the polls closed , market researchers GFS Bern, who conducted the main polling throughout the campaign, projected that 63% of voters had backed the "yes" vote.
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Borders slam shut as world rushes to contain new COVID variant
The variant now known as Omicron has cast doubt on global efforts to fight the pandemic because of fears that it is highly infectious, forcing countries to reimpose measures many had hoped were a thing of the past.
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Online conspiracies fuel Dutch COVID unrest
A 50-year-old anti-vaccination activist administered a Facebook group with 10,000 followers, which had shared a call for a demonstration in Rotterdam that later turned violent.
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Australia detects first COVID Omicron infections
Both passengers came from southern Africa and arrived in Australia on a Qatar Airways flight via Doha, NSW Health said in a statement.
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Israel closes borders to all foreigners over Omicron
Israeli citizens will be required to present a negative PCR test and quarantine themselves for three days if they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus and seven days if they have not.
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UK confirms first two cases of new COVID strain
Britain has confirmed its first two cases of the new Omicron strain of COVID-19, both linked to travel from southern Africa, and expanded travel restrictions on the region.
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Travellers scrambling as SA criticises world's punitive reaction to new variant
Dirco says the latest round of travel bans was punishing South Africa for its ability to detect a new COVID variant.
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Dutch say 61 Covid positive on flights from S.Africa
All passengers who tested positive must stay in hotel quarantine for seven days if they show symptoms and for five days if they do not, the GGD said.
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Europe, Asia back vaccine equity as new variant emerges
The World Health Organisation states for every 100 people in high-income countries, 133 doses have been administered, while in low-income countries, only four doses per 100 people have been administered.
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Thailand bans travellers from 8 African countries over variant
The World Health Organization has named the new "variant of concern" Omicron, and scientists are racing to understand it and whether vaccines need adjustments.
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NZ school sorry after Sweeney Todd pupils' throats cut
WorkSafe ordered the school to apologise and make amends to the affected pupils, including an unspecified payment.
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Australia bans southern Africa flights over virus concerns
Scientists are racing to understand how it behaves, but there are fears the strain may be more transmissible or render existing vaccines less effective.
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Prime Minister tours flood-ravaged western Canada
Heavy rains hit British Columbia in mid-November, causing widespread flooding and mudslides that damaged or destroyed roads and bridges, forced thousands to evacuate their homes and left at least four dead and one missing.
