Protests against coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands turned violent for a second night as thousands more demonstrated peacefully across the country.
Violence also broke out earlier in the day in Vienna, the Austrian capital, where about 35,000 peole rallied. Demonstrators threw bottles at police, who fired pepper spray to disperse crowds.
In The Hague, fireworks and stones were thrown at police by a group of protesters. They set fire to at a pile of bicycles.
Officers in riot gear charged groups of protesters while mounted officers also patrolled the area. Police said in a tweet that seven people were arrested in The Hague and five officers were injured, one of them needing hospital treatment.
As Covid-19 spreads across Europe, a wave of anti-lockdown protests is also sweeping the continent.
Thousands marched in Croatia's capital Zagreb and in several cities in the Netherlands. Others rallies were held in Switzerland, Italy, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia.
Several thousand protesters gathered peacefully in Amsterdam. Another 1,000 people marched through the southern city of Breda near the Belgian border, carrying banners with slogans such as “No Lockdown".
In Austria, vehement protests erupted earlier on Saturday after the Alpine country ordered its fourth lockdown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands descended on the capital, Vienna, to protest against the three-week closure of most shops, restaurants, sporting venues and cultural institutions. A vaccine mandate planned for February will bar the unvaccinated from participating in various parts of public life.
Austria’s domestic intelligence service has warned that protesters may attempt to enter hospitals after calls for “action” in anti-vaccine social media groups.
Viennese police urged demonstrators to stay at home, warning that more than 1,300 officers would be on the streets.
Austria’s populist Freedom Party has been promoting Saturday’s rally for days. The demonstrations were planned after the government introduced measures targeted at the non-vaccinated — steps that have now been extended to all residents.
Austria’s daily Covid-19 cases have risen to record levels this month. Deaths, although not rising by as much, are the highest since last winter. Salzburg and Upper Austria currently have the highest seven-day Covid rate in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation.
Lothar Wieler, the head of the Germany’s public health institute, RKI, told the DPA newswire that contacts between citizens need to be rapidly reduced across the whole country to stem the surge of infections. He also called for vaccinations to be sped up.
About 68 per cent of Germans and 65 per cent of Austrians have been fully inoculated against Covid-19, below levels thought to create “herd immunity” from the virus.
They lag behind neighbours such as France and Italy, but vaccination levels in Eastern Europe are even far lower — from 59 per cent in the Czech Republic to 24 per cent in Bulgaria.
Pockets of unrest are spreading across Europe as governments return to strict measures such as lockdowns to reverse the latest coronavirus wave.
New infections are at record levels and some countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic and Greece, are clamping down on the unvaccinated as health services are pushed to the limit. Austria has gone further, with a nationwide lockdown to start Monday.
Violent demonstrations broke out in Rotterdam Friday night over the Netherlands’ virus restrictions. Police fired warning shots and broke up the crowd with a water cannon. At least seven injuries were reported.
Dutch lockdown protests turn violent — in pictures
The Dutch government has proposed excluding negative tests from the national health pass, allowing only vaccination or recovery from infection.
The state of Saxony in eastern Germany, one of the nation’s worst hit by the current wave of infections, announced tighter curbs on public life late on Friday. Christmas markets were cancelled and people who aren’t vaccinated face a curfew in hotspot areas. Bavaria has also set a mixture of lockdowns and curfews.
Hospitals and intensive care units in much of Europe are filling up, largely with the unvaccinated. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the country faces a “dramatic situation”.
In Greece, almost nine out of every 10 patients in intensive care units are unvaccinated, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a nationally televised address. It is a pattern that has been repeated in recent months, from Italy to the US to Australia.
UK yet to take action
Yet with rest of Europe on Covid red alert, the UK government is still to take action, even on mask wearing which a global study released on Thursday found to be the most effective means of preventing viral transmission.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Monday that Christmas restrictions might be considered if the Covid wave on the continent lands on the UK's shores.
The “if” was at odds with the epidemiological reality: the UK has contended with daily infections regularly exceeding 30,000 since July, thousands higher than anywhere else in Europe.
Additional reporting by PA
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
