The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November. The WHO has listed it as a ‘variant of concern’ and said it could take several weeks to know if there are significant changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada are countries where the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected.

The governing body of women's tennis took the decision after Peng made an allegation of sexual abuse against a Chinese official. WTA chairman Steve Simon said he worried about player safety at tournaments in China.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.

Nigeria had shut out more than 200 million people from the social networking site. Nigeria's IT development agency said the US tech company had met key conditions.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.

E-commerce giant Amazon will continue to accept UK-issued visa credit cards on its British website. The company emailed customers on Monday with the update. Back in November, the retail giant took the controversial step, saying it would ban the use of Visa credit cards because of high transaction fees. Since Brexit, the EU's enforced-cap on the fees charged by card issuers no longer applies in the UK.

After seven months, the Federal Government of Nigeria has finally lifted the ban on the microblogging site Twitter and its operations in the country. For all those months, GuardianTV takes a look at the economic losses.

There's unrest in India after students wearing headscarves are banned from classrooms in the state of Karnataka. For one newspaper, it's a worrying preview of PM Narendra Modi's increasingly nationalist and anti-Muslim agenda, 20 years after he was accused of turning a blind eye to Muslim killings as head of the state of Gujarat. In other news, the famed Australian soap "Neighbours" faces the axe. Finally, we bring you a bit of relationship advice!

In southern India, a debate is raging over whether the government can ban students from wearing hijabs and burqas in the classroom. Last month the Karnataka state government issued such a ban, spurring legal action and angry protests across the state.

The Indian state of Karnataka has seen major tensions after the regional government approved of a decision by schools to ban the hijab. Amid those tensions, some old videos have been doing the rounds. Also, on Saint Valentine's Day, heart-shaped icons and landscapes are being shared... but not all of them are real.

Comic actors Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes will host the Academy Awards ceremony in March, Hollywood publication Variety and other media outlets reported on Monday.