The new coronavirus variant — B.1.1.529 — is rapidly spreading in southern Africa.It prompted the European Commission to recommend a flight ban from the region.European Union member states have agreed to ban flights from southern African countries, citing the new coronavirus variant rapidly spreading there, Associated Press journalist Zeke Miller reported on Twitter. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had earlier on Friday recommended that the member states take action over concerns of the new variant. The World Health Organization has named it “Omicron” and classified it as a…
Read MoreDay: December 4, 2021
UK, Germany and Italy detect New Omicron Covid-19 Variant Cases
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 bans or curbs and a sell-off on financial markets on Friday as investors worried that Omicron could stall a global recovery from the nearly two-year pandemic. Israel said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country and…
Read More13 Air passengers in Netherlands found infected with new Covid-19 variant Omicron
Dutch health authorities said on Sunday they had discovered at least 13 cases of the new Omicron strain among passengers on two flights from South Africa. The infections were found after 61 out of 600 travellers on the two KLM planes tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Friday. It was “not unthinkable”that there were further cases of the infectious Omicron variant in the Netherlands, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said. “The Omicron variant has so far been identified in 13 of the positive tests. The…
Read MoreAfter Belgium, UK reports two Omicron variant cases
The British government on Saturday confirmed the existence of two cases of the Omicron variant in the country. UK had banned flights to South Africa after authorities revealed they had discovered the B.1.1.529 variant which reportedly has several mutations. According to UK health secretary Sajid Javid, the two people who were detected with the new virus variant have been self-isolating. The UK government said the two cases were linked to southern Africa as it moved to expand the travel ban to four more African countries namely Angola, Zambia, Mozambique and…
Read MoreEurope’s First Case Of New Covid Variant Detected In Belgium
Brussels: Belgium said Friday it has detected the first announced case in Europe of the new Covid-19 variant, in an unvaccinated person returning from abroad. “We have a case that is now confirmed of this variant,” B.1.1.529, first detected in southern Africa, Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told a media conference. The infected person tested positive on November 22 and had not had Covid-19 before, he added, without giving further details. A leading Belgian virologist, Marc Van Ranst, tweeted that the person had returned from Egypt on November 11. Vandebroucke said:…
Read MoreAmazon’s Black Friday Greeted by Climate Activists, Strikes in Europe
Climate activists targeted 15 Amazon depots across Europe on “Black Friday” and the world’s biggest e-commerce company also faced protests by workers and delivery drivers in Germany, France, and Italy. Amazon, based in Seattle, is facing criticism from climate activists who say excessive consumption harms the environment while an alliance of trade unions say the company does not pay workers enough nor enough tax to governments. “Black Friday epitomises an obsession with overconsumption that is not consistent with a liveable planet,” the Extinction Rebellion group said after blocking 13 Amazon…
Read MoreEU lawmakers oppose Super League-type breakaway competitions
European lawmakers voted their opposition to breakaway competitions on Tuesday following the aborted Super League project that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are still backing. Some of Europe’s biggest football clubs wanted to break away from the Champions League and run their own competition called the Super League, but it quickly collapsed within 48 hours of launch in April following protests by fans and governments. With 597 votes to 36 and 55 abstentions, members of the European Parliament said they want European sporting culture “to be aligned with EU values…
Read MoreNorway’s Oil Boom Is Only Just Beginning
Norway’s revenues from oil and gas production hit a record high this year and are showing no signs of slowing down.While Norway is a major supporter of clean energies, it is also a firm believer that the energy transition can only be achieved by using the profits from oil and gas production. The future is bright for Norway’s energy giant Equinor, which will be able to take advantage of growing energy demand and play a leading role in the coming energy transition. Norway’s oil and gas production is at an…
Read MoreSweden asks EU to ban Bitcoin mining because while hydroelectric power is cheap, they need it for other stuff
The directors general of Sweden’s Financial Supervisory Authority and Environmental Protection Agency have called upon both the EU and Sweden’s government to ban cryptocurrency mining. Since China banned Bitcoin ,wannabe get-rich-quick artists have been looking for somewhere else to squander squillions of megawatt-hours minting imaginary internet money. Cheap hydroelectric power makes the Nordics tempting, with Sweden alone using 1TWh on it last year, but they would rather keep it for other uses than ransoming encrypted files and buying illegal drugs. Some will doubtless call that selfish and short-sighted of them….
Read MoreNorway lauches World’s First Electric Autonomous Cargo Ship
Zero emissions and, soon, zero crew: the world’s first fully electric autonomous cargo vessel was unveiled in Norway, a small but promising step toward reducing the maritime industry’s climate footprint. By shipping up to 120 containers of fertilizer from a plant in the southeastern town of Porsgrunn to the Brevik port a dozen kilometres (about eight miles) away, the much-delayed Yara Birkeland, shown off to the media on Friday, will eliminate the need for around 40,000 truck journeys a year that are now fuelled by polluting diesel. “Of course, there…
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