KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

Pos   /   Country   /   New Daily cases   /   Total Deaths   /        Daily Deaths /           Active Cases   /           Deaths/1M Pop.

               World    6,43,049              /             52,41,176            /             7,814     /             2,04,89,394               /             672.4

1             USA        1,05,933              /             8,04,782              /             1,414     /             94,89,103               /             2,411

2             UK          48,374   /             1,45,140              /             171        /             10,34,884            /               2,122

3             Russia    32,837   /             2,76,419              /             1,226     /             10,28,367            /               1,893

4             Germany              71,887   /             1,02,552              /             415        /             9,13,158               /             1,219

5             Netherlands        18,515   /             19,459   /             45           /             5,21,900              /               1,132

6             France   49,610   /             1,19,227              /             96           /             4,68,375              /               1,821

7             Poland   29,064   /             84,153   /             570        /             4,36,456              /               2,227

8             Belgium               16,566   /             27,015   /             49           /             3,98,104              /               2,317

9             Ukraine 11,960   /             86,532   /             557        /             3,91,617              /               1,996

10           Turkey   22,556   /             77,038   /             196        /             3,90,612              /             900

11           Mexico  3,307     /             2,94,246              /             296        /             3,48,408              /               2,249

12           Czechia 21,973   /             33,186   /             54           /             2,77,978              /               3,091

13           Honduras                            /             10,403   /                            /             2,47,177              /               1,027

14           Vietnam               14,508   /             25,448   /             196        /             2,35,090              /               258

15           Italy       15,085   /             1,33,931              /             93           /             1,99,783              /               2,220

16           Hungary               11,152   /             34,713   /             192        /             1,87,856              /               3,606

17           Norway 3,780     /             1,092     /             6             /             1,81,579              /             199

18           Spain     10,536   /             88,080   /             28           /             1,62,089              /               1,883

19           Brazil     11,413   /             6,14,964              /             210        /             1,51,790              /               2,864

20           Switzerland         4,902     /             11,566   /             15           /             1,46,175              /               1,323

27           India      8,796     /             4,69,247              /             109        /             99,023   /             336

72           Pakistan               414        /             28,737   /             9             /             14,163   /             127

90           Bangladesh         282        /             27,983   /             2             /             7,235     /             168

WHA AGREE TO FORGE A PANDEMIC ACCORD

The World Health Assembly (WHA) took the historic decision to form a global treaty to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” in its session held between November 29 and December 1, 2021.

An intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) will be responsible for drafting and negotiating a treaty under Article 19 of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Constitution.

The INB will hold its first meeting March 1, 2022 to decide on timelines and working ways. It will hold its second meeting on where the working draft stands August 1, 2022.

The launch of putting together this accord is the second such initiative taken under Article 19. The article essentially allows for the adoption of conventions or agreements by the WHA “on any matter within WHO’s competence.”

The first intiative was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which came into effect in 2005. It has since “made a significant and rapid contribution to protecting people from tobacco.”

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to better prepare the global healthcare system in the face of future pandemics or other health emergencies.

He noted that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has shone a light on the many flaws in the global system to protect people from pandemics: The most vulnerable people going without vaccines; health workers without needed equipment to perform their life-saving work; and ‘me-first’ approaches that stymie the global solidarity needed to deal with a global threat.

EU PLANS €300 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE FUND TO COUNTER CHINA’S BRI

The European Commission announced on Wednesday a plan to mobilise €300 billion ($340 billion) in public and private infrastructure investment around the world, a move seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.

“Global Gateway will aim at mobilising investments of up to 300 billion euros between 2021 and 2027... bringing together resources of the EU, member states, European financial institutions and national development finance institutions,” a commission document said.

The Global Gateway plan does not mention China’s rival and longer-standing international infrastructure strategy by name — but EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called it a “roadmap for major investment in infrastructure development around the world.”

The money to be made available will not come from EU and member state coffers, and the plan will need funding from international institutions and from the private sector if it is to get anywhere near its target.

China launched its global investment strategy known as Belt and Road, a flagship project of President Xi Jinping, in 2013. Beijing has said it had invested $139.8 billion by 2020, including $22.5 billion last year alone.

The West, however, sees it as a tool for China to influence poorer countries. They criticise Beijing for inciting emerging economies to take on too much debt, and allege the secretive tender process is prone to corruption.

FIRST CASE OF OMICRON VARIANT IN U.S. IDENTIFIED

A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new virus strain.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters that the person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29. Dr. Fauci said the person was vaccinated but had not received a booster shot and was experiencing “mild symptoms.”

The Biden administration moved late last month to restrict travel from Southern Africa where the variant was first identified and had been widespread. Clusters of cases have also been identified in about two dozen other nations.

“We knew that it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States,” Fauci said.

Officials said they had contacted everyone who had close contact with the person and they had all tested negative.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking steps to tighten U.S. testing rules for travelers from overseas, including requiring a test for all travelers within a day of boarding a flight to the U.S. regardless of vaccination status. It was also considering mandating post-arrival testing.

Officials said those measures would only “buy time” for the country to learn more about the new variant and to take appropriate precautions, but that given its transmissibility its arrival in the U.S. was inevitable.

TWITTER BANS SHARING IMAGES, VIDEOS OF PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT CONSENT IN LATEST POLICY UPDATE

Twitter clarified that it may remove content intended for harassment in line with its existing policies against abusive behaviour, which also ban sharing non-consensual nude images.

With Parag Agrawal becoming the new CEO of Twitter, the company seems to be making new policy changes.

According to TechCrunch, Twitter has updated its private information safety policy to ban sharing images or videos of private individuals without their consent.

The update was announced on the official account of Twitter Safety.

"Sharing images is an important part of folks' experience on Twitter. People should have a choice in determining whether or not a photo is shared publicly. To that end we are expanding the scope of our Private Information Policy. Beginning today, we will not allow the sharing of private media, such as images or videos of private individuals without their consent. Publishing people's private info is also prohibited under the policy, as is threatening or incentivizing others to do so," the post read.

WTA SUSPENDS CHINA TOURNAMENTS

The Women's Tennis Association has announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.

Peng, 35, disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assault.

WTA chief Steve Simon said he had "serious doubts" that Peng was "free, safe and not subject to intimidation".

"In good conscience, I don't see how I can ask our athletes to compete there," he said.

The WTA has repeatedly called for a full investigation into Peng's claims.

"If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded - equality for women - would suffer an immense setback.

"I will not and cannot let that happen to the WTA and its players."

The suspension also includes tournaments in Hong Kong.

CHINA IS TRYING TO DRIVE AUSTRALIA TO ITS KNEES: U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s top Pacific envoy on Wednesday accused China of trying to “drive Australia to its knees” through a barrage of sanctions that amounted to “economic warfare”.

In remarks to the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell lampooned Beijing for strong-arm tactics.

Painting China as increasingly bellicose and determined to impose its will overseas, Campbell said Beijing had engaged in “really dramatic economic warfare — directed against Australia”.

Over the last two years, China has introduced a raft of punitive sanctions on Australian goods in a fierce political dispute that has frozen ministerial contacts and plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

“China’s preference would have been to break Australia. To drive Australia to its knees,” said Mr. Campbell, who currently serves as the White House Indo-Pacific coordinator.

CANADIAN MPS VOTE TO BAN LGBT 'CONVERSION THERAPY'

Canada's House of Commons has voted unanimously to ban so-called LGBT conversion therapy.

The legislation would make it illegal to have a child undergo the practice or have anyone unwillingly undergo it.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals proposed the measure, though its passage prompted applause on both sides of the aisle.

The bill must now be approved by the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate.

Conversion therapy, which purports to change individuals' sexuality or gender identity, has been widely discredited.

The House passed an earlier version of the bill in June, but it failed to clear the Senate before Mr Trudeau called an election in September.

In emotional scenes on the House floor on Wednesday, Liberal MPs crossed the aisle to shake hands with and even hug their Conservative counterparts, reports CBC News.

TEL AVIV HAS OVERTAKEN HONG KONG, PARIS AS MOST EXPENSIVE

Tel Aviv is the world's most expensive city in the world to live in as soaring inflation has pushed up living costs globally, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said that rising shekel and price increases for goods were the main factors in Israel’s Tel Aviv taking the top spot. Tel Aviv climbed from fifth place last year to top the Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 report for the first time.

“Although most economies across the world are now recovering as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out, many major cities are still seeing spikes in cases, leading to social restrictions,” Upasana Dutt, head of worldwide cost of living at EIU, said in a statement.

The remaining top 10 cities include 2. Paris and Singapore, 5. Zurich and Hong Kong, 6. New York, 7. Geneva, 8. Copenhagen, 9. Los Angeles and 10. Osaka, Japan.

PAKISTAN PM IMRAN KHAN BARS MINISTERS FROM FOREIGN VISITS: REPORT

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has barred members of the federal cabinet from travelling abroad without permission, stating that he himself was not undertaking foreign visits, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to The Express Tribune, National Assembly Member (MNA) Riaz Fatyana's trip to Glasgow for the global climate summit and his allegations of a brawl were among matters that came in for discussion during the cabinet meeting.

The Prime Minister said that when he was not undertaking foreign visits, the ministers of his cabinet should also avoid such visits.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said that MNAs and senators travel abroad more than the ministers.

Responding to this, Imran Khan said that even the government MNAs and senators should not go on foreign trips. "Government affairs should be the first priority for us," the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

Meanwhile, alarmed over the Omicron strain of Covid-19, Pakistan has announced a new vaccination plan to counter the global threat under which booster shots will be given to immunocompromised people, healthcare workers and those aged over 50 years, according to The News International.

TALIBAN URGE U.S. TO RELEASE FROZEN FUNDS

The Taliban renewed its call for the U.S. to release billions of dollars in frozen funds after two days of talks in Doha as aid-dependent Afghanistan grapples with economic crisis.

The Afghans also called for an end to blacklists and sanctions in meetings led by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan.

It was the second round of talks between the two sides in Qatar since the U.S. exit.

“The two delegations discussed political, economic, human, health, education and security issues as well as providing necessary banking and cash facilities,” tweeted Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi.

“The Afghan delegation assured the U.S. side of security and urged that Afghanistan’s frozen money should be released unconditionally, blacklists and sanctions must end and human issues be separated from political ones.”

Washington seized nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank also suspended activities in Afghanistan, withholding aid as well as $340 million in new reserves.