While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 29
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China put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown.
PHOTO: AFP
WHO warns of Omicron overload as China, Europe impose new curbs
The WHO warned Tuesday that the Omicron coronavirus variant could lead to overwhelmed healthcare systems even though early studies suggest it sparks milder disease, as China and Germany brought back tough restrictions to stamp out new infection surges.
China put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown, while infections hit new highs across Europe and in several US states.
Covid-19 surges have wreaked havoc around the world, forcing many nations to make tough choices between economically punishing restrictions and controlling the spread of the virus.
Biden announces end to Covid-related southern Africa travel bans
US President Joe Biden formally announced Tuesday he will lift a ban this week on travel from South Africa and other countries in the region, imposed due to fear of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
"The travel restrictions... are no longer necessary to protect the public health" and will end on Friday, Biden said in a proclamation.
The White House had already said it would end the restrictions but Biden's proclamation makes the decision effective at 12:01 am in Washington on Friday (0501 GMT).
Judge extends Maxwell deliberation hours, citing 'astronomical' Covid-19 spike
The judge in British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell's sex abuse trial said the jury would deliberate for at least one hour longer than usual if needed on Tuesday due to an "astronomical spike" in Covid-19 cases in the New York area.
"We now face a high and escalating risk that jurors and/or trial participants may need to quarantine," US District Judge Alison Nathan told prosecutors and defense attorneys outside the presence of the jury, which had begun deliberating again on Tuesday morning.
Maxwell, 60, is accused of recruiting and grooming four teenage girls to have sexual encounters with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Over a three-week trial, jurors heard emotional and explicit testimony from the women, three of whom said Maxwell herself touched their nude bodies.
Broadway's Music Man is latest Covid-19 victim as Hugh Jackman tests positive
Broadway's revival of The Music Man, the hottest ticket in town, on Tuesday (Dec 28) canceled performances for five days after star Hugh Jackman tested positive for Covid-19 .
In the latest New York City show to fall victim to the surging coronavirus, Jackman said on Twitter that he had only mild symptoms, including a scratchy throat and runny nose, and that as soon as he was cleared he would be back on stage.
Producers announced that all performances of the musical would be canceled through Jan 1.
Golf: Trump, PGA reach settlement over golf club snub that followed US Capitol siege
Former US President Donald Trump has resolved a dispute with the PGA of America over the golf association's decision earlier this year to pull a major professional tournament from a Trump-owned golf course, the PGA of America said.
In a press release, the PGA said it had reached a confidential settlement with the Trump Organisation that resolves legal claims stemming from its decision in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol to shun Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"While the terms of the settlement will remain confidential, representatives from both the PGA and the Trump Organisation expressed satisfaction with the agreement," the press release stated.
