BANGKOK, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Thailand said Monday that the country has found its first case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 after confirming that a U.S. visitor arriving from Spain tested positive. The 35-year-old traveler, flying from Spain by transiting through Dubai, entered with a negative RT-PCR test, but on-arrival test returned a positive result … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. – – – – CANBERRA — South Australian authorities have warned the state’s border could still be slammed shut to interstate travelers in response to the Omicron variant. South Australia (SA) Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said on … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,641,561 on Monday, as 8,306 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data. Besides, as many as 211 deaths due to the pandemic since Sunday morning took the total death toll to 473,537. … Read more
JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa confirmed on Saturday India will play three Test matches on their tour which starts later this month but “under the strictest Covid-19 guidelines”. The CSA added the tour will be delayed by a week to allow for “effective logistical planning” following an outbreak of the coronavirus Omicron variant in the host country. … Read more
WASHINGTON: The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could slow the global economic recovery, just as the Delta strain did, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday. “A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence and in that sense, we are likely to see some downgrades of our October projections for global growth,” she … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — India on Saturday reported its third case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, local media reports said. The case was detected in the Jamnagar district of the western state of Gujarat. “A man who returned from Zimbabwe has been found infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Gujarat’s Jamnagar,” … Read more
HOUSTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — The first possible case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been reported in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, local authorities said on Friday. The case was reported to be someone in the Greater New Orleans area who recently traveled within the United States, said the Louisiana Department of … Read more
LONDON: Oil rose for the second day on Friday after Opec+ said it would meet again to review output if the Omicron Covid-19 variant impacts demand, Arab News reported. Prices were still headed for the sixth week of declines on concern a steady increase in supply from the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including … Read more
LONDON: The Bank of England policymaker Michael Saunders, who voted for an interest rate hike last month, said on Friday he wanted more information about the impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant before deciding how to vote this month, Reuters reported. Saunders said Omicron might slow Britain’s economy but it could also add to inflation pressures … Read more
GENEVA, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said on Friday, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the spread of the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain. The United States and Australia became the latest countries to confirm their first locally transmitted … Read more
BERN, Switzerland, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – Switzerland announced Friday it was dropping 10-day quarantine rules for people flying in from countries where the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been detected. The wealthy Alpine nation — one of Europe’s top skiing holiday destinations — said the rule no longer made sense now that the variant is also … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – The United States and Australia announced their first locally transmitted cases of the Omicron variant as authorities worldwide rushed on Friday to stem the spread of the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain. The World Health Organization has warned it could take weeks to determine whether Omicron is more transmissible and whether it causes … Read more
HOEDSPRUIT – Sabine Stam didn’t expect to have her feet up, sipping white wine on the deck of a half-empty safari lodge near South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Her tour company was full of bookings for the December peak season. Then Omicron came. First reported by South African scientists to the World Health Organization on … Read more
Turmoil in global equity markets due to the new omicron variant could be an opportunity for investors to rebuild positions, JPMorgan, as saying. According to Bloomberg, the American investment bank suggested the latest evolution of the Covid-19 virus might ultimately be a positive for risk markets because it could signal that the end of the pandemic … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden announced Thursday a winter campaign against Covid-19, with new testing requirements for travelers and a surge in vaccination efforts as the new Omicron variant threatens to revive the pandemic. Biden has brought steady leadership after the chaotic Donald Trump years, but the mutating coronavirus continues to … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan confirmed on Thursday that no Omicron case has been detected in the country as of yet. “First of all no case of Omncron has been detected in Pakistan as of yet,” said SAPM Dr Sultan while talking to the media in Islamabad. The country’s health … Read more
LONDON: Opec+ sees the oil surplus worsening to 2 million barrels/day in January, 3.4 million bpd in February and 3.8 million bpd in March next year, an internal report seen by Reuters showed. “Generally, the impact of Omicron seems to be jet-fuel related for now, particularly in Africa and Europe,” the report said. [embedpost slug=”/opec-meets-under-pressure-from-biden-and-omicron/”]
DUBAI: The UAE confirmed its first case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant on Wednesday, Khaleej Times reported. The Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) said on Twitter that the variant was detected in an African woman who came from an unspecified African country. She was passing through an Arab country and had received two doses of a … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,606,541 on Thursday, as 9,765 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, the federal health ministry’s latest data showed. Besides, 477 deaths from the pandemic since Wednesday morning took the total death toll to 469,724. There are still 99,763 … Read more
LONDON: Global stock markets rebounded on Wednesday and oil prices surged; following Omicron-driven losses and on the eve of a key output meeting of Opec and its allies. The European equities advanced, mirroring most rebounding Asian bourses, as dealers temporarily set aside news of record-high eurozone inflation. Oil surged around 5 per cent, while the … Read more
KARACHI: As the government has introduced new measures to contain the Omicron variant of Covid-19, denial continues among the people of Karachi, the country’s most populous city. Taking the new virus variant threat lightly, many people believe that it is the “same conspiracy” as previous variants that halt all economic activity of the country and … Read more
RIYADH, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday the detection of its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The variant was detected for an inbound citizen coming from a North African country, the Saudi Health Ministry said, adding that the infected one was quarantined and those close … Read more
LONDON – European equities fell in opening deals on Tuesday after the head of Moderna warned current coronavirus vaccines might be less effective at fending off the Omicron variant. In initial trade, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index reversed 0.9 percent to 7,047.14 points. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX shed 0.9 percent to 15,137.86 points and … Read more
LONDON: Opec+ oil producers meet on Thursday under pressure from US President Joe Biden, who has opened up his country’s taps hoping to bring down crude prices, and a new Covid-19 variant that has complicated the equation. The meeting “is shaping up to be one of the most significant since the pandemic demand recovery began, … Read more
LONDON: British airline EasyJet warned on Tuesday that it was “too soon” to assess the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant on the aviation sector, after logging narrowing annual losses as skies reopened. The emergence last week of Omicron, a new concerning Covid variant first detected in southern Africa, has prompted some nations including Britain … Read more
DHAHRAN: Aramco’s CEO is optimistic about oil demand growth next year, despite fears over the new Covid-19 variant omicron, Arab News reported. The oil demand will be over 100 million barrels/day in 2022, reaching the pre-Covid-19 levels, Amin Nasser told Arab News during a media briefing at the company’s headquarters. On the Covid-19’s new strain, he said: “The markets … Read more
TOKYO – Tokyo stocks opened lower on Monday as scientists raced to learn more about the new Omicron Covid variant that has prompted countries to strengthen border control efforts. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 1.30 percent, or 374.67 points, to 28,376.95 in early trade. The broader Topix index slipped 1.43 percent, or 28.32 points, … Read more
MADRID: The coronavirus pandemic will cost the global tourism sector $2 trillion in lost revenues in 2021, the UN’s tourism body said on Monday, calling the sector’s recovery ‘fragile’ and ‘slow’. The forecast from the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization comes as Europe is grappling with a surge in infections and as a new heavily mutated … Read more
