TOP HEADLINES

· BioNTech and Pfizer said a three-shot course of their vaccine was able to neutralize the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test, an early signal that booster shots could be key to protection against infection from the newly identified variant.

The German and U.S. companies said two doses of their vaccine resulted in significantly lower neutralizing antibodies but could still be protective against severe disease.

"The first line of defense, with two doses of vaccination, might be compromised, and three doses of vaccination are required to restore protection," BioNTech Chief Medical Officer Ozlem Tuereci said at a press conference.

· Britain implored people to obey stricter restrictions to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant after revelations about alleged lockdown parties at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's residence provoked an outcry over hypocrisy.

Johnson imposed restrictions on England on Wednesday, just hours after apologizing for a video showing staff laughing about a party in Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas COVID lockdown when such festivities were banned for the population.

The rules, including an order to work from home, wear masks in public and use vaccine passes, fell short of a lockdown but angered some lawmakers in Johnson's party and the retail and leisure sectors which said they were being hammered.

But revelations of a series of 2020 Christmas gatherings - which Johnson's spokesman had denied were parties - provoked widespread anger, mockery, and disdain due to perceived hypocrisy at the heart of British power.

· Fighting the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest challenge for Germany's new government and Berlin must create fiscal reserves now to be prepared for the next crisis, Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the center-left Social Democrats said. 

Speaking at a ceremony to hand over the finance ministry to Christian Lindner, the fiscally more conservative leader of the Free Democrats (FDP), Scholz said the role of the finance minister within the three-way coalition was "very special" as he would have to deal with all aspects of the government's policies. 

· Germany has seen significantly more deaths than usual since the start of September in part due to the fourth wave of the pandemic, reaching as much as 17 percent above average in the second week of November, the Statistics Office said on Thursday.

About 7.5 percent more people died between March 2020 and February 2021, when Germany suffered its first two waves of the pandemic than in the previous 12 months, the Statistics Office said.

However, from February until a third wave hit in April, the mortality rates were lower than the average of the previous four years as the coronavirus lockdown meant that the country did not suffer from its usual number of winter deaths from flu.

· Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended her decision to order a nationwide cull across Denmark's mink farms a year ago over coronavirus concerns before appearing before a commission of inquiry.

The government ordered the cull of some 17 million mink to forestall the uncontrollable spread of a mutated variant of the coronavirus, all but destroying an industry recognized in the fashion industry worldwide for its high-quality furs.

"We were unfortunately forced to make a decision a year ago about the culling of all mink," she told reporters before entering the court where the commission is sitting. "It was the right decision, and now I will go in and answer the questions."

· Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin apologized to the public after a photo surfaced of her in a nightclub following the foreign minister testing positive for COVID-19.

"I did wrong. I should have considered the situation more carefully," Marin said in a television interview by public broadcaster Yle on Wednesday night.

Marin said she decided not to cut her night out short on Saturday after being told she had been exposed to the coronavirus the day before, she wrote on Facebook on Monday after a Finnish gossip magazine published a photo of her in a crowded nightclub.

On Sunday, Economic Affairs Minister Mika Lintila attended a floorball match between Finland and Latvia despite being advised to avoid contact with others, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

· Tottenham Hotspur's home Europa Conference League game against Rennes on Thursday has been called off due to the number of coronavirus cases in the Spurs squad, the Premier League club said. 

Coach Antonio Conte confirmed earlier that there had been 13 positive cases at Tottenham, eight players, and five staff members.

"We can confirm that our UEFA Europa Conference League Group G home fixture against Stade Rennais will not take place tomorrow after a number of positive COVID-19 cases at the club, the statement read," Tottenham said.

It is unclear when Tottenham will be able to play their match in third tier European competition.  

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