China to restrain from selling Beijing Olympics tickets to public

China announced on January 17, 2021 that it will not be selling tickets for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics to the general public.The move comes after the first Omicron variant was reported in the capital city. Several other Chinese cities are on a strict lockdown after community infections of the highly transmissible Omicron variant were discovered. The tickets for the sporting event are expected to be distributed to a limited number of people through state-run companies.

European Parliament to choose its President for 2nd half

The European Parliament is set to choose its President for 2nd half of the legislative term. The meeting to choose the president will be presided over by the Vice-President in accordance with the order of precedence. The newly-elected President, who will be appointed on January 18, 2022, may also then deliver an opening address and Appointments to Parliamentary Committee the next day. At the start of the 5-year term, all the elected offices in the Parliament are renewed and halfway through.