Qatar Airways Just Quietly Re-Instituted An Omicron Ban On South Africans – On Sunday, Qatar Airways had been due to start carrying passengers out of South Africa again for the first time in weeks, dropping an important Omicron-related ban. But the airline suddenly abandoned that plan on the weekend. [businsider]

Julian Assange Can Be Extradited To The US, British Court Rules – The High Court overturned a previous ruling that blocked the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the US to face espionage charges. Assange and his team still have options to appeal. [vice]

Ramaphosa Tests Positive For Covid-19 – President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild Covid-19 symptoms after testing positive on Sunday (12 December). [btech]

The Five Scandals Swirling Around Boris Johnson After A Tumultuous Spell In British Politics – Boris Johnson must be sick of the sound of sleigh bells by now. [cnn]

Boris Johnson Pictured Hosting Number 10 Christmas Quiz ‘In Breach Of Covid Laws’ – Boris Johnson faces more questions over a Downing Street Christmas quiz he hosted while London was under strict Tier 2 “no mixing” restrictions – as staff knocked back Tesco booze. [mirror]

New Zealand Man Accused Of Getting Paid To Take Up To 10 COVID Shots A Day For Others – A New Zealand man is under investigation by the country’s Ministry of Health, accused of receiving up to 10 COVID-19 vaccinations in one day on behalf of those hoping to thwart strict vaccination requirements. [nw]

UCT Online High School Launches Game-Changing Rural Initiative – In its pilot phase, set for the 2022 school calendar, this important collaboration will focus on the communities of the Valley of a Thousand Hills, about 50 kilometres northwest of Durban. [here]

The Key Moments From Week Two Of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sex-Trafficking Trial – Here’s what happened during the second week of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial. [sky]

Watch These Excel Pros Duke It Out In A Financial Modeling Competition – Microsoft is sponsoring an esports competition with prizes totaling $10,000. The game? Well, it’s not exactly a game — it’s Microsoft Excel. [verge]

Miss SA Lalela Mswane Finishes Runner-Up At Miss Universe – Miss SA Lalela Mswane has finished second runner-up at the Miss Universe pageant, held in Israel on Monday. [tlive]

Keanu Reeves On Facebook’s Metaverse: ‘Can We Just Not’ – The star of The Matrix trilogy and upcoming sequel, Resurrections, made that clear in a recent interview with The Verge, which touched on technology topics du jour like NFTs and the metaverse. [mash]

Max Verstappen Wins First F1 World Title After Dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Ending – Max Verstappen clinched his first Formula One World Championship after beating Lewis Hamilton in a controversial season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. [cnn]

Wolff Urges Masi To Reinstate Hamilton As Winner – A furious Toto Wolff urged race director Michael Masi to revoke his controversial call in the closing stages in Abu Dhabi. [pf1]

Max Verstappen And His Model Girlfriend Kelly Piquet Embrace – After his triumph against Lewis Hamilton as the Brit is consoled by his dad at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. [dm]

Wolff: Nobody Will Ever Be Greater Than Schumi – Toto Wolff says that whatever the record books state, no F1 driver will ever be greater than Michael Schumacher. [pf1]

Maggie Gyllenhaal: From ‘Difficult’ Roles To Lauded Hollywood Director – With a string of plaudits for portraying complex characters, the actor is now focusing her ‘quiet fire’ behind the cameras with a stunning debut film. [guardian]

What You Can Learn From The Bitcoin Crash – Understanding what drives events like the weekend’s dip is exceptionally valuable to crypto investors. [here]

Candice Swanepoel Shows Off Her Toned Physique – In a barely-there black bikini from her own swimwear line during Miami getaway with pal Martha Graeff. [dm]

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