Breakfast briefing: Bug ‘biggest IT threat in years’, Omicron ‘deeply concerning’ and Russia sent warning

The world is facing the biggest threat to computer and internet security in years – because of a bug in the game Minecraft experts – are warning.

And Cabinet minister Michael Gove described the Omicron variant as a ‘deeply concerning situation’ after attending Friday’s Cobra meeting at Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, meanwhile, warned Russia it faced ‘severe consequences’ if it invaded Ukraine.

These are just some of the national and international news stories that are making the headlines this morning after breaking overnight. Others include:

• New Covid test can detect Omicron and is nearly 100% accurate
• MPs demand Met Police ‘institutional homophobia’ inquiry after Stephen Port

Read on to find out more.

Omicron crisis meeting at Downing Street leaves Minister ‘deeply concerned’

The Omicron variant is causing a ‘deeply concerning situation’, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has said after attending a crisis meeting at Downing Street.

It comes as the experts warned the new variant could become the dominant strain in the UK by mid-December, with a Cabinet minister saying everything is being kept “under review” in terms of measures to tackle the spread.

Analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines provided “much lower” levels of protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron compared to Delta.

‘Severe consequences’ for Russia if it invades Ukraine

Russia would face “severe consequences” if it invaded Ukraine, the Foreign Secretary has warned ahead of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Liverpool.

Liz Truss said the UK would aim to damage the Russian economy if it made an incursion into Ukraine, as she prepared to lobby allies during weekend talks to become less dependent on Moscow for cheap gas.

During the meeting as part of the UK’s year-long G7 presidency, the Cabinet minister will urge allies from the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan to present a united front against “malign” behaviour by Russia.

US intelligence officials say Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as soon as…