Medics work at a Covid-19 ward in Israel. The country has recorded two cases of a new strain of coronavirus infection. AFP
Medics work at a Covid-19 ward in Israel. The country has recorded two cases of a new strain of coronavirus infection. AFP
Medics work at a Covid-19 ward in Israel. The country has recorded two cases of a new strain of coronavirus infection. AFP
Medics work at a Covid-19 ward in Israel. The country has recorded two cases of a new strain of coronavirus infection. AFP

World

Israel detects cases of new Covid variant

Two people suffering from the infection are recovering well, health ministers say

The National

March 16, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

A new Covid-19 variant has been detected in Israel, the country’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The department said it was unaware of the strain having been identified elsewhere in the world.

The strain, a combination of two subvariants of Omicron, was detected in two passengers arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, near Lod.

The ministry said there was no reason to suggest the strain could cause more severe illness than the globally dominant Omicron variant.

"The two cases of the combined strain, which have been discovered so far, suffered from mild symptoms of fever, headaches and muscle dystrophy, and do not require a special medical response," Israel's Health Ministry said.

Israel's pandemic response chief, Salman Zarka, played down the risks.

"The phenomenon of combined variants is well known," Mr Zarka told Army Radio. "At this stage, we are not worried about it leading to serious cases."

More than four million of Israel's population of 9.2 million have received three coronavirus vaccine shots.

A total of almost 1.4 million cases of Covid-19 infection and 8,244 deaths have been officially recorded in the country.

Students wear protective masks in a classroom at a school where a number of cases of the Omicron variant have been detected, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Reuters
Students wear protective masks in a classroom at a school where a number of cases of the Omicron variant have been detected, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Reuters
Sarah Santos Costa gets vaccinated in Sao Paulo. Getty Images
Sarah Santos Costa gets vaccinated in Sao Paulo. Getty Images
Deemah Al Sofyani, a pharmacist, prepares a Covid-19 vaccine does in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
Deemah Al Sofyani, a pharmacist, prepares a Covid-19 vaccine does in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
A health worker collects a swab sample from a child to test for Covid-19 at a hospital in Kolkata. AFP
A health worker collects a swab sample from a child to test for Covid-19 at a hospital in Kolkata. AFP
Pupils queue for a Covid-19 vaccine shot at Chogle High School in Borivali, Mumbai. India recorded 7,743 Omicron variant cases in the past 24 hours. EPA
Pupils queue for a Covid-19 vaccine shot at Chogle High School in Borivali, Mumbai. India recorded 7,743 Omicron variant cases in the past 24 hours. EPA
Yodit Ben Ari, 89, receives a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at a retirement home in Netanya after Israel approved a second booster shot for the immunocompromised, people over 60 and medical staff. Reuters
Yodit Ben Ari, 89, receives a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at a retirement home in Netanya after Israel approved a second booster shot for the immunocompromised, people over 60 and medical staff. Reuters
A health worker tests school pupils for Covid-19 during a surge in cases of Omicron in Karachi, Pakistan. The country has recorded more than 4,000 coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day. EPA
A health worker tests school pupils for Covid-19 during a surge in cases of Omicron in Karachi, Pakistan. The country has recorded more than 4,000 coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day. EPA
A man sits and waits after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster vaccine in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA
A man sits and waits after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster vaccine in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA
Employees work on the assembly line to produce self-testing kits at the NG Biotech factory in Guipry-Messac as France experiences a surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. Reuters
Employees work on the assembly line to produce self-testing kits at the NG Biotech factory in Guipry-Messac as France experiences a surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. Reuters
Lucas Sudo receives a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine as part of the first group of children under 12 to be immunised against Covid-19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Getty Images
Lucas Sudo receives a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine as part of the first group of children under 12 to be immunised against Covid-19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Getty Images
An injured 41-year-old man is pushed into the emergency ward at the main city hospital in Innsbruck, Austria. Fewer patients than usual were arriving due to a 10pm curfew as a precaution against the spread of the Omicron variant. Getty Images
An injured 41-year-old man is pushed into the emergency ward at the main city hospital in Innsbruck, Austria. Fewer patients than usual were arriving due to a 10pm curfew as a precaution against the spread of the Omicron variant. Getty Images
A boy is tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through site in Jerusalem. Reuters
A boy is tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through site in Jerusalem. Reuters
Even the statues are masked in Tokyo's Ginza district, as Japan reported a record high of new Covid-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. AFP
Even the statues are masked in Tokyo's Ginza district, as Japan reported a record high of new Covid-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. AFP
A health worker draws up a dose of a Covid-19 shot at a drive-through vaccination centre outside Ewood Park, Blackburn Rovers FC's ground, in north-west England. AFP
A health worker draws up a dose of a Covid-19 shot at a drive-through vaccination centre outside Ewood Park, Blackburn Rovers FC's ground, in north-west England. AFP
A woman receives a booster shot in Taipei, Taiwan. Reuters
A woman receives a booster shot in Taipei, Taiwan. Reuters
Testing schoolchildren in Karachi. EPA
Testing schoolchildren in Karachi. EPA
A weekly food distribution project in a Brooklyn community in New York City provides between 500 to 600 people with fresh vegetables, fruit and other items. More than 13. 8 million US households were described as food insecure in 2020. Inflation and job insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic have contributed to the issue. AFP
A weekly food distribution project in a Brooklyn community in New York City provides between 500 to 600 people with fresh vegetables, fruit and other items. More than 13. 8 million US households were described as food insecure in 2020. Inflation and job insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic have contributed to the issue. AFP
A testing centre in Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay near Nantes, France. Reuters
A testing centre in Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay near Nantes, France. Reuters

Last month, Israel announced that unvaccinated tourists would be allowed to enter as part of an easing of restrictions.

The country was seeing a "consistent decline in morbidity data", Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.

A previous effort to reopen Israel's borders foundered in November after only a few weeks because of the fast spread of the Omicron variant.

Israel was one of the first countries to launch a national vaccination campaign, doing so in December 2020.

The government this month announced it would provide fourth Covid-19 vaccine shots to people over 60 and health workers, amid a surge driven by the Omicron variant.

Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

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BMW M5 specs

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MATCH INFO

CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures

Tuesday:

Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)

Second legs:

October 23

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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On Women's Day
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

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  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

RESULT

Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')

Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)

EXPATS
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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

SPECS
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On Women's Day
While you're here
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Updated: March 16, 2022, 3:07 PM`
Israel