The Omicron variant is “spreading at lightning speed” in Europe and will likely become dominant in France by the start of next year, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has warned.
He spoke on Friday, hours before France imposed strict travel restrictions on those entering from the United Kingdom.
The UK has so far been the hardest hit in the region, with nearly 15,000 confirmed Omicron cases on Friday.
Across the continent, health officials are bracing for a wave of infections.
Additional restrictions were announced in Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands on Friday as governments seek to stem the tide.
Europe has already seen more than 89 million case and 1.5 million Covid-related deaths, according to the latest EU figures.
But Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told reporters on Friday the country “must prepare for a challenge that we have not yet had in this form”, while its public health agency designated France, Norway and Denmark as “high risk” due to rising infections in those countries. Germany itself reported more than 42,000 cases on Saturday, down from 50,000 new infections recorded on Friday.
Photo – French Prime Minister Jean Castex. EPA-EFE/BENOIT TESSIER / POOL
Read more via BBC
Electrolux plans to lay off 1,700 people in Italy, more than 40% of its workforce in the country, and close one of its plants there, Italian trade unions said on Monday.
The Swedish ...
Updated
Government Unveils Healthcare Masterplan for New Gozo Hospital and St Luke’s Overhaul: Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela announced a long-term healthcare masterplan including a...
Updated
Government Unveils Healthcare Masterplan for New Gozo Hospital and St Luke’s Overhaul: Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela announced a long-term healthcare masterplan including a...
Updated 1220
Inflation Tops Maltese Concerns as Support for EU Remains Strong: People in Malta continue to show strong support for the European Union, despite growing worries over inf...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
Disinformation is no longer spreading only through fringe actors or political agitators, but through a digital system that rewards outrage, sensationalism and engagement above accuracy, ...
Electrolux plans to lay off 1,700 people in Italy, more than 40% of its workforce in the country, and close one of its plants there, Italian trade unions said on Monday.
The Swedish ...
Ship operators rely on a sludgelike substance known as bunker fuel to keep vessels running. The Iran war ‘s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off the supply of this fuel that po...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
The regeneration project of Birgu’s main square by Studjurban completed last year, gained further international attention with a Special Mention award at the internationally recognised A...
Malta Public Transport has launched a new digital signage system across key transport hubs in Malta and Gozo, providing passengers with real-time travel information. The system has been ...
The United States launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes against Iranian military targets after three US Navy destroyers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply ...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has no intention of ending the more than four-year-old war with his country and Kyiv was preparing for further attacks.
Zelen...
Ukraine struck Russia’s oil infrastructure in the Black Sea port city of Tuapse for the third time in a month, local authorities said Tuesday.
The city, which declared an environmenta...
