TOP HEADLINES

· The pandemic was continuing to crimp the UK's economy even before the emergence of the Omicron variant, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. GDP grew by just 0.1 percent in October, slowing sharply from monthly growth of 0.6 percent in September. That meager increase was propped up by an unexpected source. A continued rise in face-to-face appointments at doctors' surgeries in England, which had fallen sharply during the pandemic, count towards the dominant services sector and contributed to a 0.4 percent rise in output.

· Masks are required from today in most indoor venues in England. People must wear face coverings in locations including theaters, cinemas, places of worship, museums and indoor sport stadiums. 

· Romania has introduced new travel restrictions and isolation measures for people entering the country. They include proof of a negative COVID-19 test, quarantine for unvaccinated travelers — and depend on the epidemiological risk of the country from which they arrive. From December 20, passenger location forms will also be implemented to improve the traceability of infections.

· Israel decided on Thursday night to extend its tough travel restrictions, including its ban on entry for all foreign nationals for a further ten days. Under the current requirements, all Israelis returning from abroad must self-quarantine until they receive confirmation of a negative coronavirus PCR test result, while those arriving from high-risk countries are required to isolate at a state-governed quarantine hotel until they receive a negative PCR test result. Israel has identified at least 21 cases of the highly mutated Omicron variant first detected in southern Africa.

· In Hungary, however, the fourth wave of the pandemic appears to have peaked, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He added that Hungary would start inoculating children aged 5-11 next Wednesday. 

· And the Slovak government has allowed shops, ski resorts and churches to reopen to those who are vaccinated or have recovered from the virus, despite having the highest infection rate in the world. The government was responding to criticism that Slovaks were unable to go Christmas shopping or make plans for the holidays. "The Covid situation is still very serious but we have it under control," Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky said after the decision was announced.

· Tottenham's Premier League game at Brighton on Sunday has been postponed due to a severe outbreak at the north London club. Eight Tottenham players and five staff members have tested positive for the virus. In a statement, Tottenham said, "The Premier League Board took the decision to postpone the game following guidance from medical advisers, with the health of players and staff the priority. The fixture will be rescheduled in due course."

· In the UK, the so-called 'Partygate' continues to roil the Conservative government. British media reports claim that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's head of communications Jack Doyle attended another party last year to hand out awards, while restrictions at the time prevented social gatherings indoors of people not in the same household. The allegations follow Johnson's apology on Wednesday in response to a video of his staff laughing about having a Christmas party in his Downing Street offices last year.

· The pandemic seems to have been good news for Holland's famous cannabis 'coffeeshop' trade. Whether it is to calm their anxiety or ease the boredom of the past two years, many owners say their sales have increased during the pandemic. "Covid has been good for us," smiles Carmelita, the boss of No Limit coffeeshop in The Hague. Before coronavirus, the shop had 300 to 350 customers a day, she says. Now it is 500. "The only profession which is happy with Covid is coffeeshops," she told Agence France Presse.

· An Italian dentist who presented a fake arm for a Covid vaccine says he has since been jabbed and that the vaccine "is the best weapon we have against this terrible disease." Guido Russo faces possible criminal fraud charges for having worn an arm made of silicone when he first showed up at a vaccine hub in the northern city of Biella. Italy has required doctors and nurses to be vaccinated since earlier this year.

· And Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light. The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: EU regulator backs Roche's arthritis drug for treating severe COVID-19

CGTN America: Venezuela eases some COVID-19 restrictions ahead of holidays

CGTN Africa: Botswana reports 25 Omicron variant cases

CGTN Asia: Thailand confirms first case of Omicron variant