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Omicron variant fuelling ‘exponential’ rise in Covid cases, say South Africa officials

Omicron variant is rapidly becoming the dominant strain in South Africa

Dr Michelle Groome of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said there had been an “exponential increase” in infections over the past two weeks, from a weekly average of around 300 new cases per day to 1,000 last week, and most recently 3,500. On Wednesday, South Africa recorded over 8,000 cases.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Russia to stand down on its efforts to destabilize Ukraine adding there would be "severe consequences" for any Russian military action. His remarks come ahead of a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm.

And why Britain’s biggest spy agency, MI6, considers China its number one priority.

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  • Thu 2 Dec 2021 06:06GMT