▪️A scientist was bitten twice by a laboratory mouse in Taiwan while conducting experiments with various variants of coronavirus in a high-security biolab, after which he was found to have a positive result for the virus. This is the first confirmed case of the disease on the island in the last month.
▪️The High Court of London has allowed the extradition of Wikileaks journalist Julian Assange to the United States. In January, a judge blocked Assange’s extradition due to concerns about his mental state. On Friday, the court said it had received appropriate assurances from the United States that he met the requirements for extradition.
▪️Seven thrice-vaccinated Germans were infected with the omicron variant in South Africa. 6 out of 7 had a booster (third) dose of mRNA from Pfizer/BioNTech.
▪️Putin: “The conflict in the east of Ukraine “looks like genocide.” Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis have reached an impasse, the Russian Foreign Ministry says.
▪️The Chinese giant Evergrande Group has officially declared default for the first time. Chinese real estate developer Kaisa also defaulted on a $400 million debt.
▪️”The sins of the flesh are not the most serious. Pride and hatred are the most serious (sins),” declared the head of the Catholic Church Francis on board the papal plane.
▪️A massive planet 10 times larger than Jupiter has been discovered by astronomers.
▪️Moderna announces “positive intermediate data of the first phase” for the mRNA vaccine against common influenza.
▪️A British study shows that the booster vaccine allegedly increases the level of protection against omicron to 70-75%
▪️ Reuters: Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect Covid-19 glowing under ultraviolet light.
▪️Former actor of the series “Empire” Jussi Smollett was convicted on charges that three years ago he staged an anti-gay and racist attack on himself, and then lied about it to the Chicago police.
▪️Austria will introduce a vaccine registry, fining unvaccinated residents up to $4,000.
▪️China has committed genocide against the Uighurs, a tribunal in the UK has ruled.
▪️Israeli warplanes are preparing to simulate an attack on Iran, while the heads of the country’s defense departments are meeting with the United States to plan a “worst-case scenario” for the destruction of Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
▪️WhatsApp will allow cryptocurrency payments through the Novi wallet in the USA.
▪️In the event of a war with Taiwan, China threatens to attack any US troops trying to defend it.
▪️Prosecutors dropped the case of sexual abuse of British socialite Gilane Maxwell two weeks later.
▪️The CDC reports that the majority of reported cases of omicron variant infections in the United States occurred with people who have been fully vaccinated.
A third of them received a booster dose of the vaccine.
▪️Omicron will become the dominant option in the UK by mid-December, according to the British Medical Safety Agency.
▪️The Governor of New York, Kathy Hokul, introduces a requirement in the state for the mandatory wearing of masks in the premises. A fine of up to $1,000 for each violation.