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13 SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — In Costa Rica, officials are encouraging those infected with the coronavirus to skip voting in upcoming national elections. On the other side of the world, Beijing is locking down residential communities as the country anxiously awaits the start of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 4. In Latin America and Asia, where the omicron variant is making its latest appearance, some countries are imposing such restrictions while others are loath to place new limits on populations already exhausted by previous constraints. Omicron quickly swept through the places it first hit, such as South Africa, the U.K. and the United States, pushing daily cases far higher than at any time during the pandemic. The Americas reported nearly 7.2 million new COVID infections and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths over the past week, the Pan American Health Organization said Wednesday. … [Read more...] about Latin America, Asia, latest to get hit with omicron surge

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is taking his squad to Saudi Arabia for a warm-weather training camp. (AFP Photo) LONDON: Eddie Howe confirmed on Friday that Newcastle would travel to Saudi Arabia for a training camp despite a fresh warning from Amnesty International that the kingdom was "trying to sportswash their appalling human rights record". Relegation-threatened Newcastle, who are 80% owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), will fly to the Middle East after their Premier League game at Leeds on Saturday. Amanda Staveley's consortium bought the club in October against a background of concern over the Gulf state's human rights record and accusations of "sportswashing". But Howe, who was appointed as Newcastle boss the following month, insisted the focus would be entirely on football. "It's a football decision," he told his pre-match press conference, confirming the trip, which had been widely reported. "We're doing it for the benefit of the players, the group, … [Read more...] about Howe defends Newcastle’s Saudi trip