Australian authorities on Monday warned the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots could unleash a new wave of infections amid the threat from the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus strain.   

Speaking ahead of a Russia-Ukraine new round of talks, the officials of the two sides suggested there could be positive results within days.

* The Ukrainian delegation is seeking a ceasefire and a troop withdrawal during the peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, also a member of the delegation, said Monday.

* China will ensure stable economic operations this year, keep economic growth, employment and prices within reasonable ranges, state media quoted the cabinet as saying on Monday.

* Most share markets firmed and oil slid on Monday on hopes for progress in Russian-Ukraine peace talks even as fighting continued to rage, while bond markets braced for rate rises in the United States and UK this week.

* The European Union will propose enhancing the security and defence of Western Balkans countries to "anchor" the region firmly within the 27-member bloc amid concern about threats from Russia, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Monday.

* Germany will purchase F-35 fighter jets built by US firm Lockheed Martin LMT.N to replace its ageing Tornado aircraft, according to two government sources, with one of the sources saying Berlin aims to buy up to 35 of the stealth jets.

* The United States needs to make a decision to wrap up a deal to salvage Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday amid fears that arduous talks in Vienna might collapse.

* Spain expects "in the coming hours" to approve emergency purchases of corn from Argentina and the United States for animal feed after supply gaps left by Russia-Ukraine crisis, Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said on Monday.

* Sri Lanka's finance minister held talks with a top International Monetary Fund (IMF) official on Monday, two sources said, as the island nation seeks help to deal with its plunging reserves, a sliding currency and surging inflation.

* Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Monday he had discussed the Iran nuclear talks now underway in Vienna with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a visit to Moscow.

* International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol on Monday urged oil-producing countries to pump more to stabilise markets affected by the war in Ukraine.

* The Sri Lankan government said it plans to create 1 million new job opportunities for young people through a program called "Hope for Sri Lanka" as the country looks to return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported here Monday.

* Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Sunday stressed taking the most thorough epidemic response measures to stem the COVID-19 outbreaks in northeast China's Jilin Province.

* India's COVID-19 tally rose to 42,993,494 on Monday, as 2,503 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.

* The Republic of Korea's health authorities said Monday that it will administer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5-11 later this month to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.

* Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine produced by US biotech firm Novavax NVAX.O has been underwhelming in the European Union's main countries in the early rollout, so far undermining hopes that it could convince vaccine sceptics to get a shot.

Xinhua/Reuters/VNA