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The Abu Dhabi-based airline has announced that from 12 February it will begin to offer flights to Tel Aviv, Israel. The airline recently confirmed Athens as its inaugural destination, with flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport commencing from 15 January. This will also be followed by flights to Thessaloniki, starting on 4 February.

The tropical cyclone is predicted to make landfall in the area around Cardwell, in Australia's state of Queensland, on the evening of 18 January; a warning has been issued for an area covering from Port Douglas to Lucinda. The cyclone is expected to continue south-west and to cross the coast between Innisfail and Lucinda. Destructive wind gusts up to 150 kilometres per hour are predicted along with heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and flash flooding.

The national government of Australia has announced that it has now revoked a COVID-19 'hotspot' declaration for the Greater Brisbane area, after the state of Queensland recorded no new cases of the virus via community transmission. In Greater Brisbane there is still however a mask mandate in place and restrictions on venues, events and gatherings. Residents and visitors must wear a mask indoors at shopping centres, supermarkets, cinemas, on public transport, in taxis and rideshares, at the library and places of worship.

The country's government has updated its latest COVID-19 entry requirements, stipulating that all travellers arriving from outside the European Union are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test, undertaken within 72 hours prior to departure, to gain entry into France. Upon entry into France, those travellers are required to self-isolate for seven days and then undergo a second COVID-19 PCR test at the end of this period; self-isolation can take place at home. A nationwide curfew due to COVID-19 is in force from 18.00 to 06.00 (local time), with limited exceptions to the curfew permitted.

The government of the devolved UK nation of Scotland has announced that from today, 16 January, it will be tightening local COVID-19 restrictions around takeaway and click-and-collect services to further curb increases of cases of the virus. Only shops selling essential items - such as clothing, footwear, baby equipment, homeware and books - will be allowed to offer click and collect. Collections must also be outdoors, with appointments staggered to avoid queuing; takeaways can no longer allow customers indoors, and must instead operate from a hatch or doorway.

The government of the Australian state of Victoria have announced that residents and visitors from Brisbane, in the further north state of Queensland, will be able to now travel to Victoria without needing to apply for an exemption under a relaxation of the states' COVID-19 border restrictions. From 18.00 AEDT on 16 January, the local government areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan and Ipswich have been downgraded from a 'red zone' to an 'orange zone'. People travelling from 'orange zones' can apply online for a permit to enter Victoria. Arrivals need to get tested for COVID-19 within three days of arriving in Victoria, but only need to isolate until they get a negative result.

The country's government 14 January re-opened its borders to visitors from anywhere in the world on the condition that they have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination. In addition to the vaccine, arrivals must also produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure. Arrivals to the island nation must provide proof of the vaccination and negative test result via a qualifying certificate, and this will not be required to enter quarantine upon arrival.

The country's government on 12 January removed its COVID-19 PCR testing and/or quarantine requirements for tourist arrivals from high-risk nations and stopped the use of their ‘country lists’, which dictated which nations could visit under those requirements. Since the relaxation of the measures, foreign national arrivals from all nations are treated equally and not subjected to entry restrictions when travelling to Montenegro. Locally, the wearing of masks is required in all public spaces, both indoor and outdoor; a curfew is also in effect daily from 22.00 to 05.00 (local time).

The country's government has announced that it has extended its travel ban for arrivals from 30 countries until at least 31 January, due to the discovery of new COVID-19 variants. Under this measure, passengers from the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, the United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and Oman are prohibited from entering the Philippines.

The low-cost airline has announced an updated flight schedule plan for 2021 which will focus on a dedicated short-haul route network and suspend long-haul flight operations, as it plans a return from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the industry. Norwegian has said that it will focus on its core Nordics business, operating a European short haul network with narrow body aircraft.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will be suspending all flights to and from the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane until further notice due to unspecified operational reasons. Each route will operate its final outbound and inbound flight from Dubai between 16-20 January, and then will remain suspended until further notice. The airline will, however, continue to operate a twice-weekly service to the Australian city of Perth.

The country's government has announced that most passengers from South American countries are no longer permitted to enter the UK, amid fears over a new COVOD-19 variant first identified in Brazil. The measure, which also applies to Portugal and Cape Verde, came into force at 04.00 (GMT) on 15 January. Included among the suspension are people who have travelled from, or through, the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days. It also applies to Portugal because of its strong links to Brazil and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa, as well as Panama in central America. Exemptions apply to UK and Irish nationals, as well as third-country nationals with residence in the UK.

The UK government has published an update confirming that a requirement for all international arrivals to England, including UK nationals, to present a negative COVID-19 test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure, will now begin later than planned from 04.00 (GMT) on Monday 18 January 2021. The update also confirms clarified guidance on the types of tests required, the required evidence of a negative result and a limited number of exemptions by both destination and job role.

The country's government has announced that it is tightening its travel restrictions for visitors entering from South Africa, the UK and Ireland from 15 January 2021; while essential travel is still permitted, arriving passengers will need to submit two negative COVID-19 test results prior to departure.

The airline has announced that flights to and from South Africa will temporarily be suspended from 16 January to 28 January 2021 due to operational reasons. The last flights to the three South African gateways will be on 14 January. Customers holding tickets with final destinations in South Africa from 16 January to 28 January will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin. Affected customers should contact their travel agent or Emirates contact centre for rebooking options.

The Dutch airline has announced that due to regulations released by the country's government, it must cancel scheduled flights from South Africa to Amsterdam between the evening of Friday 15 January and the evening of Sunday 17 January. However, flights KL 592 from Johannesburg and KL 598 from Cape Town departing tonight, 14 January, will operate as planned.

The country's government has announced today that it has lifted a ban on passengers arriving from UK, the Netherlands and South Africa as of 14 January, until at least 11 April. The country imposed the ban on 23 December due to the discovery of the new variant in the three countries. Instead of the ban, passengers from the three countries have to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in Sudan; all passengers coming from abroad must also have a certificate showing a negative test for COVID-19 issued within 72 hours of travel. (REUTERS Newswire)

The country's government has announced that foreign tourists are no longer required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 quarantine upon arrival to Jordan from 13 January. When entering the country however, non-national visitors must present the results of a PCR test for COVID-19, made no later than 72 hours before departure. At the airport, passengers need to undergo repeated tests. If the test is positive, then the tourist will have to be in self-isolation, and then take the test again.

The country's government today announced tighter measures to tackle new COVID-19 variants, but opted not to impose a similar full 'lockdown' to neighbouring countries to control the pandemic. Among the measures will be the closure shops selling 'non-essential' supplies from 18 January, the requirement to work from home where possible, the closure of restaurants and sporting sites for a further five weeks and further limits on gatherings.

The country's government announced yesterday, 11 January, that it will tighten it's COVID-19 lockdown measures in the coming days to combat whelming curbs in recent infections. From 14 January a new 24 hour curfew will be in place until 05.00 (local time) on 25 January. The new measures also include stricter procedures at the airport for passengers arriving from Cairo, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Istanbul and Adana; those arriving from these destinations will have to quarantine for seven days at a hotel, while all others will quarantine for up to 72 hours.