Talmoryair, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Summary: 

• With Omicron continuing to surge, holiday travelers were met with thousands of canceled flights across the US and Australia on Christmas Eve. 
• German-based Lufthansa, United Airways, and Delta airlines announced the cancellations after a large number of their pilots and flight crew were out sick, some due to COVID-related symptoms. 
• Australia also saw hundreds of flights canceled on Christmas Eve but a spokesperson for Australian-based, JetStar, stated most of the flights canceled were rebooked within hours to help ensure travelers arrived at their destination before Christmas. 
• Although experts state Omicron is milder than previous variants it is far more contagious with the UK, France, and Italy computing a record number of new infectious cases as of Thursday. 
• With the increase in cases, Italy, Spain, and Greece have all made wearing masks outdoors mandatory ahead of the holiday with the hopes to decrease the spread. 
• Northern Spain has implemented overnight curfews while the Netherlands is currently under strict lockdowns. 
• Many holiday messages from world leaders encouraged citizens to get vaccinated and/or the booster if they haven’t already done so. 
• Many European countries expect to impose stricter restrictions after the Christmas holiday. 

Tweets:

Other Headlines:

Hindu Religious Leaders Calling For Muslim Genocide Sparks Outrage

• An investigation has been opened against Hindu religious leaders in Haridwar, India after videos were released showing speakers at a 3-day conference calling for the genocide of Muslim Indians. 
• Various speakers were recorded inciting violence against Muslims in India, with one speaker stating Hindus should not fear being jailed for killing Muslims and that they should pray for victory.
• Police quickly launched a hate-speech investigation Friday although no charges have been filed as of yet. 
• The Indian Government has yet to comment on the inflammatory statements. 

Tweet:

Biden Signs Law Banning Goods from China’s Xinjiang Region

• As tense relations between China and Washington continue, US President Joe Biden has now signed a law banning goods made in China’s Xinjiang Region due to its oppression of the Uyghur Muslims. 
• Experts from the UN state that approximately over one million Uyghurs have been imprisoned in the Xinjiang region, furthermore the US and other Human rights groups claim this to be an act of genocide. 
• The Xinjiang region is a large supplier of cotton and solar panels and the region’s supplier will now be forced to prove that there is no forced labor involved in production. 
• Sources have previously stated that the US customs and Border Production estimates that in the last year alone about $9 billion of cotton was imported from China and $10 billion tomato products were imported. In its final days, the Trump administration had banned the import of cotton and tomatoes from China. 

Tweet:

Many Killed In Bangladesh Ferry Fire

• A ferry accident in the rural town of Jhalokati in southern Bangladesh has killed at least 39 people and has injured another 70 individuals. According to authorities, of the 39 people killed and found in the river, 2 had died from burn injuries. 
• The boat was carrying about 500 passengers when the fire broke out with many jumping into the cold water to escape.
• Ferries are a common form of travel in the country and many accidents have occurred due to the lack of safety rules and overcrowding. 
• Officials state it took over two hours for 15 fire engines to completely control the blaze and after being brought to shore it took another 8 hours to completely cool the vessel. 

Tweet: 

Japan Approves of $940 Billion Budget Aimed At Pandemic Relief

• On Friday, the Japanese cabinet approved a record $940 Billion budget for their fiscal year starting in April 2022 aimed to achieve wealth and economic distribution after Japan’s economy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The budget includes $43.7 billion towards emergency costs of COVID-19, a defense plan of $47 billion, the largest-ever welfare cost of $317 billion, and $212.7 billion for debt servicing.
• The record budget comes as many worry about Japan’s public debt that is now double the country’s $5 Trillion dollar economy. 
• The new budget must still be approved by the Japanese Parliament by March 2022 before it can go into effect. 

Tweet:

South Korea Pardon’s Corrupt Ex-President Park Geun-Hye

• In an effort to bring national unity amid COVID difficulties, South Korean President Moon Jae announced he has granted a special pardon to South Korea’s 1st ever female President, Park Geun-Hye, who is currently serving time for corruption charges. 
• The justice ministry states the pardon was discussed and approved during their annual amnesty review meeting held over a two-day period. 
• Park was arrested in 2017 and sentenced to 20 years in prison after a corruption scandal broke out that caused months of protests amongst South Korean citizens. 
• The pardon was unexpected by many but experts believe that the pardon will help current South Korean president, Moon Jae, secure a new presidential term in next year’s presidential elections. 

Tweet: