A regional center approved by the World Meteorological Organization began operating in Beijing on Friday to improve meteorological observing capabilities for Asian countries and regions.

The hub, known as Regional WMO Integrated Global Observing System Center, is operated by the China Meteorological Administration. It will support 35 Asian members of WMO to enhance their observing systems and abilities in weather, climate, hydrology and cryosphere, said the administration.

In 2017, the administration applied for hosting the center and in the following year, the center was put into a pilot operation.

Shi Lijuan from the CMA's Meteorological Observation Center, who also undertakes the center's operation, said the center will advance the regional implementation of WIGOS by offering data availability and quality management, coordination, technical guidance, and assistance to the members. The center will also spot and address data incidents in meteorological observation for them.

In September, the center found "suspicious air pressure data" in a weather station in a country in Asia and informed its National Focal Point — the local liaison officer.

"The air pressure data deviation would affect weather forecast's accuracy. The location information was not updated in the observing system after the weather station relocated so the data appeared abnormal," she said.

The National Focal Point corrected the location information and solved the problem.

Other factors that can affect data precision include external biological interference and facility failure, Shi said.

So far, WMO has approved just two such centers with the other one located in Tokyo.

THE HAGUE -- The Dutch government announced a stricter lockdown on Saturday out of fear for the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country.

"I stand here with a gloomy mind," Prime Minister Rutte said at a press conference in the Hague. "The Netherlands is going into lockdown again."

"That is inevitable. Omicron is spreading even faster than we feared. That is the complicated story we have to tell tonight," he said.

The new lockdown will take effect from 5 am Sunday morning local time and will remain in effect until Jan 14, 2022. According to Rutte, a hard lockdown is inevitable "because of the fifth wave that is approaching us with Omicron."

Only essential shops like supermarkets, medical contact professions and car garages remain open, but all other shops and all education, the catering industry, restaurants, museums, theaters and zoos must close.

Jaap van Dissel, the boss of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and member of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), which advises the government, was present at the press conference to explain his worries, although the infection figures are in decline with 14,742 positive tests from Friday to Saturday.

He expressed the expectation that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus will be dominant in the Netherlands shortly after Christmas.

On Dec 14, Rutte had announced the extension of the current measures, an evening lockdown between 5 pm and 5 am local time for non-essential shops, while primary schools had to close one week earlier before the Christmas holidays. Only four days later he concluded that this will not be enough to stop Omicron.