Cryptocurrency Omicron in frenzy over coronavirus variant

Trading in the cryptocurrency Omicron exploded Monday and its value gyrated after the World Health Organization decided to use that name for the latest variant of COVID-19.

Obscure and relatively stable in recent weeks, the virtual unit jumped to nearly $700 early Monday, about 10 times its previous value, according to the crypto news website CoinMarketCap.

It later fell to $152 before rebounding and stabilising at around $350. 

The WHO on Friday gave the name Omicron to the latest variant of the coronavirus to worry officials, following its policy to name them after letters in the Greek alphabet.

The cryptocurrency Omicron was created in early November, with its founders making no reference to COVID-19 at the launch. 

Instead, they expressed hope that it could conserve purchasing power independently of the market's volatility.

Omicron isn't the only virtual unit to benefit from notoriety from the real world, only to see the gains collapse.

The Squid coin, created by fans of the TV series, rose from $0.70 at its launch on October 21 to a peak of $2.86 on November 1. 

It fell to $0.003 the following day. Traders discovered they couldn't cash out their profits and the creators disappeared from social media.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Marcus Smart's fourth-quarter surge helps Celtics beat Raptors

Marcus Smart scored eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and added eight rebounds and six assists as the visiting Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-97 on Sunday night.

Al Horford added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who ended a two-game losing streak.

Jayson Tatum was held to eight points, but had 10 assists for the Celtics, who have won two of their three games with the Raptors.

Josh Richardson contributed 18 points for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown added 16 points, Grant Williams 15 and Enes Kanter had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Fred VanVleet had 27 points for the Raptors, who dropped to 2-7 in home games. Scottie Barnes added 21 points for Toronto and Pascal Siakam had 18, and Svi Mykhailiuk 12.

Boston had a four-point lead after the third quarter and scored the first four points of the fourth quarter before Toronto cut the lead to one. Boston responded with a 9-0 run capped by Smart's 3-pointer with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Boston's lead reached 13 on Smart's 3-pointer with 6:21 to play. Richardson's driving layup with 2:31 to play restored the 13-point lead.

The Celtics led 27-26 after the first quarter.

The Celtics scored the first eight points of the second quarter, six by Richardson. Toronto cut the lead to one point on Siakam's dunk with 5:38 remaining in the first half. Horford's 3-pointer with 2:27 remaining completed a 7-0 run that gave Boston an eight-point lead. The Celtics led 54-51 at halftime.

VanVleet scored the first three points of the second half to tie the game. Toronto took a 71-70 lead on VanVleet's 3-pointer with 5:09 to play in the third quarter. The game was tied again when Horford made a seven-footer with 3:02 remaining. 

The Celtics scored the next five points, including Smart's 3-pointer. The lead reached six and Boston led 80-76 after three quarters. The score was tied six times in the quarter.

The Raptors were without OG Anunoby (hip pointer), Khem Birch (knee) and Gary Trent Jr.

The Celtics were without Robert Williams (illness) and Dennis Schroder (ankle).

-reuters

NBA: Sweet 16: Suns' hot streak continues with win over Nets

Devin Booker scored 30 points as the Phoenix Suns never trailed, survived a late comeback attempt by the Brooklyn Nets and pushed their winning streak to 16 games with a 113-107 victory Saturday night.

The Suns are on their second-longest winning streak in team history. Phoenix can match the 2006-07 team for the longest winning streak in franchise lore by beating the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Booker shot 9 of 18 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He did most of his scoring in the first and third quarters.

Chris Paul added 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Paul shot 9 of 19 and notched his 5,000th career rebound in the second.

Mikal Bridges added 13 while Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee contributed 10 apiece as Phoenix shot 44.6 percent.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 39 points, but Brooklyn saw its four-game winning streak stopped.

LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre' Bembry contributed 18 apiece for Brooklyn, which shot 50 percent but also committed 20 turnovers. James Harden finished with a triple-double of 12 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds despite shooting 4 of 15.

Booker scored 16 when the Suns sped out to a 21-8 lead midway through the first quarter and held a 14-point lead after the opening 12 minutes. He added 10 more in the third when the Nets got within seven early in the quarter and helped the Suns take a 90-72 lead into the fourth.

Brooklyn made one last charge, getting within 108-101 on Harden's layup that gave him the triple-double with 2:31 remaining. 

Durant's layup made it 110-103 with 45 seconds left and Harden's layup made it 111-105 with 32 seconds remaining, but Booker finished by hitting two free throws with 19 ticks left.

-reuters-

NBA: LeBron James fined for 'obscene gesture,' warned for swearing

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was slapped with a $15,000 fine for an "obscene gesture" and was warned for swearing during a news conference by the NBA's disciplinary officials on Friday.

"LeBron James has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture on the playing court and warned for using profane language during media availability," said league spokesman Byron Spruell in a news release.

This is the second time this week that league has disciplined James for an on-court incident. 

James was hit with a one-game suspension for a bloody altercation with Detroit Pistons' Isaiah Stewart in a game last Sunday. It was the first suspension of James' career.

The ban meant James missed the Lakers 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

He returned Wednesday to face the Indiana Pacers and scored 39 points in a 124-116 overtime win. Late in the fourth quarter James drew the ire of league officials for making an obscene gesture after sinking a three-point basket that extended the Lakers lead to six points. 

James slammed the one-game suspension after the Pacers game, describing the punishment to reporters as "some bull----".

The NBA on Friday also issued a warning to James against "using profane language during media availability."

In nine games this season, James is averaging 24.6 points, five rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Agence France-Presse

BioNTech/Pfizer expect new variant impact data 'within 2 weeks'

Germany's BioNTech said Friday it was urgently studying how well the coronavirus vaccine it developed with Pfizer protects against the new B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa.

"We expect more data from the laboratory tests in two weeks at the latest," a spokesperson said.

"These data will provide more information about whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally."

The discovery of the new variant by scientists in South Africa has sparked global alarm, amid concerns its many mutations could make it even more dangerous than the highly contagious Delta strain.

A number of countries including Britain, Italy, Germany and Singapore have moved to curtail travel from South Africa and several neighboring nations to prevent the variant's spread.

BioNTech said variant B.1.1.529 "differs significantly from previously observed variants as it has additional mutations located in the spike protein".

But it said that even if its jab -- which is based on novel mRNA technology -- needed to be tweaked, changes could be made quickly.

"Pfizer and BioNTech have taken actions months ago to be able to adapt the mRNA vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days in the event of an escape variant," the spokesperson said.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Trae Young’s double-double leads surging Hawks past Spurs

Trae Young scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists and keyed an early third-quarter run that broke open the game as the visiting Atlanta Hawks steamrolled the San Antonio Spurs, 124-106, on Wednesday to capture their sixth straight contest.

The Hawks led by seven points at the half and stretched that advantage to 17 by midway through the third period. Young had 10 points in that pivotal stretch and scored 17 of his points after halftime as Atlanta dominated in the second half and won on the road for just the second time this season.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points for the Hawks, with John Collins scoring 15, Lou Williams and Cam Reddish hitting for 12 apiece, Clint Capela tallying 11 points and taking 13 rebounds, and Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari scoring 10 points each.

Bryn Forbes led the Spurs with 23 points, while Dejounte Murray added 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl and Keldon Johnson scored 15 points each. Poeltl also grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which has lost six straight games and is off to its worst start since the 1996-97 season

The Spurs led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, thanks to Murray's 13 points, before two baskets by Young in the final 39.6 seconds evened the game at 27 at the end of the period. The game went back and forth in the second period before the Hawks took a 55-54 lead on Bogdanovic's 3-pointer at the 3:24 mark and pushed their advantage to 65-58 at the half as Young again hit two late baskets.

Murray led all scorers with 15 points at the half, with Poeltl adding 12 and Forbes contributing 11 points off the bench for the Spurs. San Antonio stayed close thanks to 13 second-chance points.

Young had 14 points at the half for Atlanta while Bogdanovic hit for 10. The Hawks outshot San Antonio 53.1 percent to 43.4 percent over the first two quarters.

Atlanta took charge of the game in the first half of the third quarter, as Young hit for 10 points and assisted on a dunk by Capela to help the Hawks go up 84-67 by the 6:12 mark.

-reuters- 

Football: Ronaldo sends Man United into last 16, Chelsea thrash Juventus

Manchester United booked their place in the Champions League last 16 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 2-0 victory at Villarreal on Tuesday, while holders Chelsea also reached the knockout phase by thumping Juventus.

Three-time European champions United went into their first game since sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the weekend needing a win to confirm a top-two finish in Group F.

But they were under massive pressure as defeat would have left their fate out of their own hands.

David de Gea made two crucial saves and United, with Michael Carrick in caretaker charge, took advantage through Ronaldo's 78th-minute lob.

Jadon Sancho, so often a peripheral figure since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in the close-season, capped a fine individual display with his first goal for the club late on.

"It's not an important result for me personally. It's an important one for the players and the club," said Carrick.

Ronaldo's goal was the 799th of his career, his 140th in the Champions League and his sixth in the competition this season.

The other qualification spot in the group remains up for grabs after Young Boys and Atalanta played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Bern.

Late goals from Vincent Sierro and Silvan Hefti gave the Swiss champions a 3-2 lead, but Luis Muriel struck in the 88th minute for the visitors.

Atalanta face a winner-takes-all match against Villarreal in Bergamo next month.

- Chelsea thrash Juve -

Chelsea romped into the last 16 and to the top of Group H with an impressive 4-0 thrashing of Juventus at Stamford Bridge.

Thomas Tuchel's men knew that qualification would be secured if they could avoid defeat or if Zenit Saint Petersburg failed to beat Malmo.

The Blues dominated the early stages and took the lead through young defender Trevoh Chalobah's third goal of the season.

Chelsea's defenders were consistently a menace from set-pieces, and Thiago Silva saw a header saved by Wojciech Szczesny early in the second period.

It was a defender who doubled Chelsea's lead in the 56th minute.

England right-back Reece James hammered a fine volley into the bottom corner to net for the fifth time already this term.

Chelsea grabbed their third goal less than two minutes later, Ruben Loftus-Cheek prodding the ball to Hudson-Odoi, who smashed home from close range.

There was still time for Timo Werner, making his first appearance since an injury layoff, to come off the bench and score in added time.

"We did really well, it is so tough to score goals against Juventus and we created so much," said Tuchel. "Full credit for an amazing performance and a fantastic result."

Zenit drew 1-1 with Malmo to secure a spot in the Europa League knockouts.

- Barcelona stutter -

Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Benfica at the Camp Nou in Xavi's second game as coach, but remain above the Portuguese side in Group E.

However, the Catalan club will have to beat Bayern Munich in Germany in their final group game to be sure of making the next round.

Benfica host already-eliminated Dynamo Kiev in their last match, trailing Barca by two points.

Barcelona endured a nervy first half which saw Gavi waste the only clear opportunity, blazing over from close range when Memphis Depay was waiting in the middle for a tap-in.

Xavi's men improved after the interval, though, with Frenkie de Jong's header forcing Benfica 'keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos into a flying save.

But it was Benfica who almost took a huge step towards the last 16 deep into injury time, only for Haris Seferovic to shoot wide when he should have scored.

"We played well but there's a bitter aftertaste because we were here to win tonight," Barca defender Ronald Araujo told uefa.com.

"In front of our fans, our people -– and now we simply must go and win in Munich."

The other game in Group E saw Bayern Munich wrap up top spot with a 2-1 victory at Dynamo Kiev.

Robert Lewandowski lit up a snowy evening in the Ukrainian capital by scoring a magnificent overhead kick, with Kingsley Coman also on the scoresheet for the six-time winners.

In Group G, Lille made Salzburg wait to reach the last 16 as Jonathan David scored a first-half winner in a 1-0 victory in France.

All four teams in the group can still go through, after Sevilla saw off Wolfsburg 2-0.

Agence France-Presse

Israel begins giving COVID shots to children age 5 to 11

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Tuesday began administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

The country recently emerged from a fourth COVID wave and daily infections have been relatively low for the last few weeks. But Health Ministry statistics show that a large share of the new infections have been in children and teenagers.

Children age 5 to 11 make up nearly half of active cases. Officials hope the new inoculation campaign will help bring down the numbers and perhaps stave off a new wave.

Israeli media reported low demand for the shots on the first day they were available to this age group. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accompanied his son David, 9, on Tuesday to get his jab in a bid to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

Bennett held his son’s hand as he received the shot. David Bennett said he was a little scared but the shot didn’t hurt. The prime minister urged all eligible children to get vaccinated: “It protects our children and also parents,” he said.

Israel, which has a population of more than 9 million, has had more than 1.3 million infections since the start of the pandemic and more than 8,100 deaths.

-Associated Press

BTS named artist of the year at 2021 American Music Awards

South Korean boy group BTS was named artist of the year at the American Music Awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21 — the top prize at the world’s largest fan-voted ceremony.

The K-pop group beat rival nominees Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

BTS and Swift were among the early winners at the American Music Awards, in a show hosted live by rapper Cardi B.

BTS was named favorite pop group, the first of three awards it was nominated for on the awards show.

“We’re just a small boy band from Korea which just united by the love of music and all we want to do is spread good vibes,” BTS singer Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM, said.

BTS joined Coldplay on stage for a rendition of their single “My Universe” in a post-pandemic return to live performances for the K-pop group, whose single “Butter” ruled the Billboard singles charts in the United States for 10 weeks this summer.

Swift, who did not attend Sunday’s ceremony, last year won the title for a record sixth time. On Sunday, she took home the trophies for favorite female artist and best pop album for her lockdown album “evermore.”

“I’m so lucky to be in your life and to get to have you in mine,” Swift told fans in a video acceptance speech.

First-time host Cardi B pulled off a series of extravagant costume changes and confessed she was worried about messing up.

“I’m a little nervous. I’m shaking,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said, sporting a head-to-toe black feather headdress.

Rodrigo, 18, who burst onto the charts in January, went into Sunday’s show with a leading seven nods including artist of the year, best new artist and favorite pop song for her debut single “drivers license.”

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd followed with six nominations, while Doja Cat, reggaeton star Bad Bunny and first-time nominee R&B singer Giveon had five each.

Doja Cat picked up three awards on Sunday, including for her “Kiss Me More” collaboration with SZA. Meanwhile, Megan Thee Stallion, who on Saturday pulled out of performing on the show citing personal issues, won for favorite female hip-hop artist.

Other artists due to perform later on Sunday include Jennifer Lopez, Latin star Bad Bunny, Italian Eurovision song contest winners Maneskin and country singer Carrie Underwood.

The nominees were based on Billboard music chart performance, streaming and album sales, radio play and social media engagement, and the winners were chosen entirely by fans.

-reuters

US authorizes COVID-19 boosters for all adults, recommends for over-50s

The United States authorized the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all people aged 18 and older on Friday, as the world's hardest-hit country enters a new winter wave of the pandemic.

Boosters were previously available to the immunocompromised, people over 65, those at high risk of severe disease, and people in high risk occupations.

The new decision "helps to provide continued protection against COVID-19, including the serious consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death," acting commissioner Janet Woodcock of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

A panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then ratified the decision to broaden eligibility, while explicitly recommending boosters for all people over 50, even absent underlying conditions.

"I am really glad that we have clarity and streamlining of the recommendations so that all Americans can understand the vaccines that are recommended for them at this time," said Camille Kotton, an infectious disease clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky formally signed off on the panel's recommendations, stating that boosters "are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays."

The FDA said it based its decision on data demonstrating a strong immune response to boosters from hundreds of people dosed with both brands of vaccines. 

Pfizer also carried out a clinical trial involving 10,000 people aged over 16 which found that the booster showed an efficacy against symptomatic infection of more than 95 percent compared to those who did not receive a booster.

Both vaccines are available to people six months after completing their primary series. 

Pfizer's vaccine is dosed at 30 micrograms, the same as the primary series, while Moderna's is 50 micrograms, half the primary series.

People who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine were already eligible for a booster of any brand two months after their first shot.

The booster decision comes as cases are rapidly rising nationally, reaching 88,000 new infections per day on average as the country enters its fifth wave, according to the latest data. 

America is officially the pandemic's hardest-hit country, with more than 760,000 deaths.

Many unknowns 

Prior to Friday's decision, some outside experts had expressed misgivings over widening boosters to all adults.

The vast majority of those people becoming hospitalized or dying with COVID are unvaccinated, and the best way to control the winter wave would be to reach those people, rather than topping up the vaccinated, the critics said.

A potential downside, they argued, was that vaccine holdouts might conclude the shots are ineffective. 

Another risk is a greater number of cases of vaccine-linked heart inflammation (myocarditis), especially among younger males. Accumulating evidence shows the risk may be greater for the Moderna vaccine compared to Pfizer, likely because of its higher dose.

Both companies are conducting post-authorization studies to assess the risks of myocarditis after third shots.

Overall, however, both health agencies took the view that the benefits outweigh the risks.

It is expected that boosters, by reducing symptomatic cases, will also help reduce community transmission, though the extent to which this might happen is not known.

It is also possible that, rather than considering the third dose a booster, the vaccines work optimally when administered three times— something that will become more clear over time as data accrues. 

Experts are in broad agreement, however, that boosters alone can't resolve the pandemic while the poorest countries, especially in Africa, remain stuck in the single-digit percentages for people covered by their initial shots. 

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried the fact that rich countries are administering six times more vaccine doses every day than low-income countries are delivering primary doses.

This increases the risk of new variants of concern emerging in those regions, which could eventually evade the protective action of current vaccines.

Agence France-Presse