Conspiracy theorists thrive in coronavirus crisis
Middle East
Israel announced a week-long ban on most passenger flights in a bid to slow the spread of new variants of the coronavirus. The restrictions will go into effect starting at midnight from Monday to Tuesday and remain in effect until January 31.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that some exceptions would be made for cargo flights as well as humanitarian cases like medical patients and people traveling for funerals.
The country also expanded its COVID-19 vaccination drive to include 16- to 18-year-olds. The government said it was to enable their attendance at school exams. Israel has the world s fastest vaccine distribution rate. It is hoping to begin reopening its economy next month.