Yet another pandemic Christmas

SYDNEY, Dec 24 (AFP): Omicron's rise has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa's arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid restrictions.Festive jokes about reindeer having "herd immunity" and millions isolating "Home Alone" may be wearing thin, but the emergence of the ultra-infectious...

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US sets shorter Covid isolation rules for health workers

NEW YORK, Dec 24 (AP): Worried that a new COVID-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed U.S. hospitals, federal officials on Thursday loosened rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive.Those workers now will be allowed to come back to work...

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Russia still building up forces near Ukraine

New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking, reports Reuters.Reuters could not independently verify the latest images...

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