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World News in Brief: December 23

 
World News in Brief: December 23

As a surge in cases faces Americans with a second Christmas of disrupted holiday plans, the United States authorised Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 pill for people aged 12 and above at risk of severe illness, the first oral and at-home treatment.   

Data from South Africa suggests Omicron infections are 70% to 80% less severe than Delta, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said, but warned against extrapolating that to all countries.


* China hopes the United States could create conditions for both sides to expand trade cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday, when asked about the latest in the implementation of the Phase 1 trade deal.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday it was unfair to blame Moscow for record-high natural gas prices in Europe as Russia's Gazprom was meeting all of its supply obligations.

* China's northwestern city of Xian has imposed tight curbs on outbound travel and commutes in the city, with a lockdown on its 13 million residents, as a new COVID-19 outbreak sees community cases tick higher.

* Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet state chiefs on Thursday on measures to avert any surge of Omicron infections ahead of the festive season, as gatherings grow in markets and public spaces.

* The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in the United States increased by 25% from the previous week to about 149,300 cases per day, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday.

* Japan is not considering an immediate change to current curbs, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said a day after community transmission of Omicron was found.

* President Vladimir Putin said he hoped Russia could vaccinate enough people to reach collective immunity next year, urging more Russians to get inoculated as the death toll crossed 600,000.

* The Philippines approved emergency use of Merck's COVID-19 treatment pill for adult patients at risk of developing severe illness.

* Australia re-introduced curbs such as indoor mask-wearing, capacity limits and QR code check-ins to cover most of the population as daily infections hit a record.

* France on Wednesday reported 84,272 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, coming close to its all-time high of almost 87,000 cases in November 2020.

* A Bulgarian minister said elderly people who take a shot against COVID-19 would be eligible for a cash reward in a government drive to boost vaccination rates that are the European Union's lowest.

* Coronavirus infections have started rising again across the six Gulf Arab states after months of low or falling figures, data from health ministries showed on Thursday, as the Omicron variant spreads across the world.

* AstraZeneca and Novavax said their vaccines offered protection against Omicron, as British data suggested the coronavirus variant might lead to proportionally fewer hospital admissions than Delta, supporting conclusions reached in South Africa.

* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the South American nation had detected seven cases of Omicron.

* Canada will temporarily expand support programs to help people and businesses hit by Omicron.

* South Africa's health regulator approved the use of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine for a second dose or booster.

* Global shares extended a recent rally while safe-haven bonds and currencies eased as markets welcomed signs that Omicron might be less severe than feared, as well as robust US economic data.

* Russia wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, demanding an "immediate" response from the United States and its allies to Moscow's demand for security guarantees.

* Talks to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Monday, two parties to the talks said.

* The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it launched air strikes against a military camp in the capital Sanaa on Thursday, attacks which the Iran-aligned Houthis said hit a prison compound and a hospital.

* Hungary's government has decided to postpone investments worth 755 billion forints (2.3 billion USD) next year to cut the budget deficit and shore up finances after repeated warnings from the central bank that risks to the economy were growing.

* The Libyan parliament on Thursday ordered the formation of a committee to create a roadmap for the period following Dec. 24, when elections were meant to be held, and to submit their proposal within one week.


Reuters

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