EU-DIGEST

The Dutch government has announced that bars, restaurants, museums, theatres and other venues are to be allowed to re-open under conditions, loosening some of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions in Europe.

For more than a month, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues have been closed, while strict quarantine rules have shut a quarter of primary school classes in the Netherlands.

The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening comes despite record new coronavirus infection levels, as hospitalisations from the country's Omicron wave have been lower than initially feared.

Read more at: COVID-19 in Europe: Netherlands to allow bars, restaurants and cultural venues to reopen | Euronews

President Joe Biden is facing his first holiday season as commander in chief while confronting a slew of problems from the new variant of COVID-19 to stalled legislation and his own unpopularity.

The president could be bracing for a winter of discontent as the Omicron variant is expected to surge and efforts to pass the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act flounder due to opposition from Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV).

He may also have to sacrifice the enhanced child tax credit in the new year as part of a deal to pass Build Back Better—a key achievement that could further damage his standing with voters if it's not extended.

Read more at: Joe Biden's Winter of Discontent—Failed Bills, Terrible Polls and Now Omicron