• Jannik, 9, gets vaccinated in an airplane at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany. The city is hosting a special vaccination event for children aged 5 to 11 in a decommissioned Airbus A300 Zero G. EPA
    Jannik, 9, gets vaccinated in an airplane at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany. The city is hosting a special vaccination event for children aged 5 to 11 in a decommissioned Airbus A300 Zero G. EPA
  • People place candles in Neumarkt Square, Dresden to commemorate the 1,400 lives lost to the coronavirus in the German city. AFP
    People place candles in Neumarkt Square, Dresden to commemorate the 1,400 lives lost to the coronavirus in the German city. AFP
  • Pupils take a sample for a rapid test during the first lesson after Christmas holidays at the Freiherr-vom-Stein secondary school in Bonn, western Germany. AFP
    Pupils take a sample for a rapid test during the first lesson after Christmas holidays at the Freiherr-vom-Stein secondary school in Bonn, western Germany. AFP
  • Protesters demonstrate against Covid-19 measures and compulsory vaccination in Frankfurt, Germany. AP
    Protesters demonstrate against Covid-19 measures and compulsory vaccination in Frankfurt, Germany. AP
  • A cyclist rides past a tent where patients are undergoing coronavirus tests, at the Opera square in Paris. AFP
    A cyclist rides past a tent where patients are undergoing coronavirus tests, at the Opera square in Paris. AFP
  • A protestor in Nantes, France throws a tear gas canister during a demonstration against a bill that would transform the country's current coronavirus health pass into a 'vaccine pass'. Reuters
    A protestor in Nantes, France throws a tear gas canister during a demonstration against a bill that would transform the country's current coronavirus health pass into a 'vaccine pass'. Reuters
  • A group of young students wearing masks disinfect their hands before entering the Luis Amigo school after the Christmas holidays, in Pamplona, northern Spain. AP
    A group of young students wearing masks disinfect their hands before entering the Luis Amigo school after the Christmas holidays, in Pamplona, northern Spain. AP
  • A man receives a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at a Red Cross centre in Rome. Reuters
    A man receives a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at a Red Cross centre in Rome. Reuters
  • Traffic police check the green pass of public transport passengers in Turin, Italy. EPA
    Traffic police check the green pass of public transport passengers in Turin, Italy. EPA
  • Empty seats inside the stadium before a football match between Udinese and Atalanta, as coronavirus restrictions limit the capacity to 50 percent in Udine, Italy. Reuters
    Empty seats inside the stadium before a football match between Udinese and Atalanta, as coronavirus restrictions limit the capacity to 50 percent in Udine, Italy. Reuters
  • People sit in a waiting area in case of an immediate reaction after receiving booster shots at a Covid-19 vaccination centre set up in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. AFP
    People sit in a waiting area in case of an immediate reaction after receiving booster shots at a Covid-19 vaccination centre set up in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. AFP
  • People in Vienna scream at police as officers stop a demonstration against Austria's coronavirus restrictions. AP
    People in Vienna scream at police as officers stop a demonstration against Austria's coronavirus restrictions. AP

WHO: half of Europe will be infected with Omicron in weeks


Jamie Prentis
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron

More than 50 per cent of people in Europe will have contracted the Omicron variant within two months, the World Health Organisation has said.

WHO Europe director Dr Hans Kluge gave a warning of a “new west-to-east tidal wave” sweeping across the region amid the spread of the highly infectious variant of Covid-19.

It has forced countries around the world to reintroduce or harden restrictions in a bid to tackle the spread, as many hospitals in Europe struggle to cope with an influx of new patients.

At the current rate, Dr Kluge said, it is forecast that “more than 50 per cent of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks”.

The WHO's Europe region comprises 53 countries and territories including several in Central Asia. Dr Kluge said that 50 of them had confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.

He said there had been seven million new cases of Omicron across Europe in the first week of January alone.

“I am also deeply concerned that as the variant moves east, we have yet to see its full impact in countries where levels of vaccination uptake are lower and where we will see more severe disease in the unvaccinated,” he added.

Dr Kluge said the wave was “challenging health systems and service delivery in many countries where Omicron has spread at speed, and threatens to overwhelm in many more".

Referring to data collected over the last few weeks, Dr Kluge said Omicron was clearly more transmissible and “the mutations it has enable it to adhere to human cells more easily, and it can infect even those who have been previously infected or vaccinated.”

But he added that the available Covid vaccines do “provide good protection against severe disease and death, including for Omicron”.

The EU's drug regulator however has cautioned that more data is needed to understand how effective the current raft of vaccines are on Omicron.

Dr Kluge warned countries not yet hit by the surge of the variant that “there is a closing window of opportunity to act now and plan for contingencies".

Given how fast Omicron has spread, he said the WHO urged countries “to mandate the use of high quality masks in closed and indoor settings and ensure that vulnerable individuals have access to them, that people are supported to get their full vaccine series and booster dose as soon as it becomes available, making sure health workers and other essential workers have early access to booster doses to keep services going".

Governments have also embarked on campaigns to urge people to get their booster shots to add another layer of protection. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, whose country has introduced numerous social restrictions for the unvaccinated, said: “Most of the problems we are facing today depend on the fact that there are unvaccinated people.”

  • Images of NHS workers displayed on hoardings outside a temporary field hospital at St George's Hospital in London. The UK declared 141,472 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, a sharp reduction from the more than 200,000 reported daily over the Christmas and New Year period. Reuters
    Images of NHS workers displayed on hoardings outside a temporary field hospital at St George's Hospital in London. The UK declared 141,472 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, a sharp reduction from the more than 200,000 reported daily over the Christmas and New Year period. Reuters
  • Commuters wait to catch a London-bound train in Bracknell, Berkshire. Workers are returning to offices in the first full working week of 2022 even though guidance under England’s current plan B measures is to work from home. PA
    Commuters wait to catch a London-bound train in Bracknell, Berkshire. Workers are returning to offices in the first full working week of 2022 even though guidance under England’s current plan B measures is to work from home. PA
  • No lateral flow tests are available at this pharmacy in Chertsey, Surrey. PA
    No lateral flow tests are available at this pharmacy in Chertsey, Surrey. PA
  • A woman adds hearts to the National Covid Memorial Wall near St Thomas' Hospital in London. Getty Images
    A woman adds hearts to the National Covid Memorial Wall near St Thomas' Hospital in London. Getty Images
  • A shopper wearing a face covering browses clothes in a charity shop in north London. AFP
    A shopper wearing a face covering browses clothes in a charity shop in north London. AFP
  • Ambulances parked outside the Royal London Hospital in east London. AFP
    Ambulances parked outside the Royal London Hospital in east London. AFP
  • Fans show their coronavirus passes for checking outside Anfield stadium before the FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town, which the home side won 4-1. Reuters
    Fans show their coronavirus passes for checking outside Anfield stadium before the FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town, which the home side won 4-1. Reuters
  • People take part in the so-called Freedom Rally, an anti-vaccine demonstration organised by campaign group Scotland Against Lockdown, in Glasgow city centre. PA
    People take part in the so-called Freedom Rally, an anti-vaccine demonstration organised by campaign group Scotland Against Lockdown, in Glasgow city centre. PA
  • Staff working at a Covid-19 intensive care unit at Kings College Hospital in south London. PA
    Staff working at a Covid-19 intensive care unit at Kings College Hospital in south London. PA

British and Spanish officials are among those who have suggested that Covid-19 may soon be treated as an endemic illness, similar to the flu. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said it may be time to change how it tracks the evolution of the virus to instead use a method similar to flu, because its lethality has fallen.

But the WHO's senior emergency officer for Europe, Dr Catherine Smallwood, said “we’re still a way off” from describing Covid-19 as endemic.

She said there was still a large amount of uncertainty and the virus was evolving quickly and posing new challenges.

“Endemicity assumes that, first of all, this stable circulation of the virus at predictable levels, and potentially known and predictable waves of epidemic transmission,” said Dr Smallwood.

“But what we're seeing at the moment coming into 2022 is nowhere near that.""

“So we're certainly not at the point of being able to call it endemic.”

Speaking at a WHO media briefing Dr Smallwood said Covid-19 may become endemic in due course, but “pinning that down to 2022 is a little bit difficult at this stage”.

Reaching the endemic stage depended on an efficient response and widespread, equitable vaccine uptake, she added.

Meanwhile, one expert has suggested that the UK is the closest that any country is in the Northern Hemisphere to exiting the pandemic.

“In general, now, the countries that we know best in the Northern Hemisphere have varying stages of the pandemic,” Professor David Heymann, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told a webinar organised by the Chatham House think tank.

“And probably, in the UK, it’s the closest to any country of being out of the pandemic if it isn’t already out of the pandemic and having the disease as endemic as the other four coronaviruses.”

He pointed to recent government data that 95 per cent of England, and a little less in the rest of the UK, had an antibody to the infection by either catching the virus or being vaccinated. “That antibody is keeping the virus at bay. And it’s now functioning more like an endemic coronavirus than one that is a pandemic,” he said, adding that the “majority” in intensive care were unvaccinated.

Prof Heymann also predicted that Covid would resurge at points in the future, as would variants — although to what extent is unclear. “We’re fortunate in that we have vaccines which can be modified very rapidly, and put into production very rapidly to deal with an escapee,” he added.

But, for the global pandemic to be regarded as over, Prof Heymann said a scenario would not happen “until all countries have completed what they need to do to make this virus more tame and to become endemic”.

Worldwide, 5.5 million deaths have been associated with Covid-19.

The WHO says the real toll may be two to three times that figure.

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinFlx%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amr%20Yussif%20(co-founder%20and%20CEO)%2C%20Mattieu%20Capelle%20(co-founder%20and%20CTO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%20in%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5m%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venture%20capital%20-%20Y%20Combinator%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20Dubai%20Future%20District%20Fund%2C%20Fox%20Ventures%2C%20Vector%20Fintech.%20Also%20a%20number%20of%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESteven%20Knight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMark%20Ruffalo%2C%20Hugh%20Laurie%2C%20Aria%20Mia%20Loberti%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

T20 World Cup Qualifier

October 18 – November 2

Opening fixtures

Friday, October 18

ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya

Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan

Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

SQUADS

India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur

New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

While you're here
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

Updated: January 11, 2022, 4:08 PM