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

               World    5,83,378              /             53,01,746            /             6,710     /             2,16,86,107        /             680.2

1             USA        99,513   /             8,15,036              /             884        /             98,46,839            /             2,442

2             UK          50,867   /             1,46,135              /             148        /             11,36,681            /             2,137

3             Germany              16,295   /             1,05,010              /             78           /             10,25,178            /             1,248

4             Russia    30,209   /             2,86,004              /             1,181     /             10,01,941            /             1,959

5             France   56,854   /             1,20,168              /             136        /             7,33,105              /             1,835

6             Netherlands        19,763   /             19,919   /             77           /             6,04,482              /             1,159

7             Belgium               18,714   /             27,416   /             56           /             4,68,030              /             2,351

8             Poland   27,458   /             87,357   /             562        /             4,61,133              /             2,312

9             Turkey   19,696   /             78,602   /             195        /             3,62,020              /             918

10           Mexico  3,215     /             2,95,893              /             292        /             3,48,056              /             2,261

11           Ukraine 12,376   /             89,901   /             465        /             3,08,486              /             2,074

12           Czechia 16,179   /             34,129   /             47           /             2,91,376              /             3,178

13           Vietnam               15,311   /             27,186   /             256        /             2,89,268              /             276

14           Italy       12,527   /             1,34,551              /             79           /             2,54,553              /             2,230

15           Honduras             26           /             10,416   /                            /             2,45,535              /             1,028

16           Spain     13,957   /             88,321   /             50           /             2,43,261              /             1,888

17           Norway 2,789     /             1,135     /             1             /             2,12,715              /             207

18           Switzerland         4,892     /             11,736   /             9             /             2,00,870              /             1,342

19           Hungary               7,310     /             36,263   /             215        /             1,84,527              /             3,768

20           Brazil     9,278     /             6,16,457              /             159        /             1,52,903              /             2,871

26           India      9,342     /             4,74,111              /             82           /             94,742   /             339

75           Sri Lanka              744        /             14,555   /             22           /             12,294   /             676

76           Philippines           562        /             49,936   /             176        /             12,169   /             447

80           Pakistan               350        /             28,803   /             10           /             9,829     /             127

87           Bangladesh         262        /             28,016   /                            /             7,043     /             168

NO EVIDENCE YET THAT VACCINES WON'T PROTECT AGAINST OMICRON - WHO AFRICA

Although Covid cases with Omicron are rising rapidly signalling its high transmissibility, the variant of concern is not causing severe disease or hospitalisations. There is also no current suggestion that vaccines are ineffective against Omicron, WHO Africa experts said.

On Thursday, Coordinator for Immunisation and Vaccine Development, WHO Africa Region Richard Mihigo said, “Encouragingly, emerging data from South Africa suggests the Omicron variant may cause less severe disease. Data on hospitalisations across the country between November 14 and December 4 found ICU occupancy at only 6.3 pc, which is very low compared to the same period when South Africa was facing a peak with the Delta variant in July.”

Mihigo said this was the preliminary analysis. He also said researchers were working around the clock to determine whether Omicron was more contagious, caused more severe illness or if it had any impact on vaccines and treatment.

“There is an assumption that the current vaccines may not protect people against Omicron but so far there is no conclusive evidence that vaccines are ineffective against this new variant. Vaccines have protected people from severe disease and hospitalization due to other VOCs so far and there has been no need for modifying these vaccines so far,” Mihigo assured.

The WHO expert said researchers will need two to three weeks to determine the full effects of Omicron. “WHO is improving its genomic surveillance to detect other variants of concern,” he said.

As of Thursday, Omicron has spread to 60 countries worldwide. Ten of these are in Africa.

BIDEN CALLS ON WORLD TO FIGHT AUTHORITARIANISM, CORRUPTION AT INAUGURAL SUMMIT

U.S. President Joe Biden gathered over 100 world leaders at a summit on Thursday and made a plea to bolster democracies around the world, calling safeguarding rights and freedoms in the face of rising authoritarianism the "defining challenge" of the current era.

In the opening speech for his virtual "Summit for Democracy," a first-of-its-kind gathering intended to counter democratic backsliding worldwide, Biden said global freedoms were under threat from autocrats seeking to expand power, export influence and justify repression.

"We stand at an inflection point in our history, in my view. ...Will we allow the backward slide of rights and democracy to continue unchecked? Or will we together have a vision...and courage to once more lead the march of human progress and human freedom forward?," he said.

“Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. And we have to renew it with each generation," he said. "In my view, this is the defining challenge of our time."

Biden did not point fingers at China and Russia, authoritarian-led nations Washington has been at odds with over a host of issues, but their leaders were notably absent from the guest list.

The number of established democracies under threat is at a record high, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance said in November, noting coups in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Mali, and in backsliding in Hungary, Brazil and India, among others.

The White House on Thursday issued a statement of support for legislation introduced by Democratic lawmakers that would put new limits on the use of presidential pardons and strengthen measures to prevent foreign election interference, among other measures intended to safeguard U.S. democracy.

IMRAN, WHO SKIPPED BIDEN SUMMIT, SAYS PAK WANTS TO BRIDGE US-CHINA GAP

A day after declining to participate in President Joe Biden’s democracy summit, Pakistan PM Imran Khan said on Thursday that his country desired not to become part of any political bloc but instead wanted to play a role in bridging gaps between the US and China. “The situation is going towards a new Cold War and blocs are forming. Pakistan should try its best to stop the formation of these blocs because we should not become a part of any bloc,” Khan said while addressing the Islamabad Conclave 2021.

The US invitation to the virtual democracy summit had put Pakistan in a difficult situation as Washington had invited Taiwan, instead of Beijing, to represent China. Islamabad could not risk upsetting China, its closest ally.

Moving to regional challenges, Khan said the biggest problem keeping South Asia hostage was the “Kashmir issue”. He said his government had reached out to India for peace but did not get a positive response.

Meanwhile, Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf asserted during a BBC interview that the country has not offered any military bases to China in the strategic Gwadar port. “There are economic bases of China in Pakistan, where any country in the world can invest…the same were also offered to US, Russia and the Middle East. We are open to all countries.”

NATIONS LAUNCHING DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT OF OLYMPICS WILL ‘PAY THE PRICE’: CHINA

China on Thursday said that the United States and the three other Western nations which joined it in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics will “pay the price”. Warning the nations that they would “inevitably” regret launching the joint diplomatic boycott of the multi-sports event next winter, China said that using the Olympic platform for “political manipulation” is “unpopular and self-isolating”.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “The US, Australia, Britain, and Canada's use of the Olympic platform for political manipulation is unpopular and self-isolating, and they will inevitably pay the price for their wrongdoing.”

The athletes from all these countries would still be able to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics since the boycott is only limited to the level of diplomatic representation, according to the Olympic committees of the respective nations.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, his spokesman said.

DELTA STILL IMMINENT THREAT IN US AS IT SEES 1.2L CASES/DAY

Health officials may be bracing for the Omicron variant to sweep through the country, but the Delta remains the more imminent threat. More than 55,000 Covid patients are hospitalised nationwide, far fewer than in September, but an increase of more than 15% over the past two weeks. The US is averaging about 1,21,300 cases a day, an increase of about 27% from 2 weeks ago, and deaths are up 12%, to an average of about 1,275 per day.

TTP DECLARE END TO CEASEFIRE

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan said on Thursday that they will not extend a ceasefire agreed to last month, accusing the government in Islamabad of not honouring the truce and failing to release 102 of their fighters.

A statement from TTP spokesman said the government had not released the prisoners as promised and had not appointed negotiating teams to conduct peace talks. It also said security forces had carried out raids while the ceasefire was in force. “In these circumstances, it is not possible to advance the ceasefire,” it said.

The truce — which was arranged with the aid of the Afghan Taliban — expired at midnight.

An official, however, was quoted by the newspaper ‘The News’ as saying: “Pakistan freed 30 prisoners last Friday, 12 on Tuesday and 50 on Wednesday. As many as 46 more prisoners are expected to be freed on Thursday.” But the official admitted that key prisoners were yet to be released.

‘ALL LOVE RELATIONSHIPS ON EQUAL FOOTING,' SAYS CHILE PREZ, BRINGS LAW TO LEGALISE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Chile's center-right President Sebastián Piñera signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Thursday, days after it was approved by Congress in a historic vote.

The law "puts all love relationships between two people on an equal footing," Piñera said at a ceremony at La Moneda government palace together with LGBT activists, representatives of civil society, legislators and officials.

Lawmakers passed the law Tuesday, in a milestone for the conservative South American nation after a decade-long legal battle and with the country delicately poised ahead of a crossroads election this month.

"All couples who so wish, regardless of their sexual orientation, will be able to live love, marry and form a family with all the dignity and legal protection they need and deserve," Piñera said.

Chile has long had a conservative reputation even among its strongly Roman Catholic peers in Latin America. Still, most Chileans now support same-sex marriage and have shown signs of becoming more liberal on social and cultural issues in recent years.

NEW ZEALAND EYES PHASING OUT SMOKING BY BANNING CIGARETTES FOR FUTURE GEN

New Zealand’s government believes it has come up with a unique plan to end tobacco smoking — a lifetime ban for those aged 14 or younger. Under a new law the government announced on Thursday and plans to pass next year, the minimum age to buy cigarettes would keep rising year after year.

That means, in theory at least, 65 years after the law takes effect, shoppers could still buy cigarettes — but only if they could prove they were at least 80 years old. Indeed, the plan sets a goal of having fewer than 5% of New Zealanders smoking by 2025.

Because the current minimum age to buy cigarettes in New Zealand is 18, the lifetime smoking ban for youth wouldn’t have an impact for a few years. “We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply tobacco products to the youth,” New Zealand’s associate health minister Ayesha Verrall said. Currently,11.6% of all New Zealanders aged over 15 smoke, a proportion that rises to 29% among indigenous Maori adults, according to government figures. The restrictions would then be rolled out in stages from 2024, beginning with a reduction in the number of authorised sellers, followed by reduced nicotine requirements in 2025 and the creation of the “smoke-free” generation from 2027.

MYANMAR TROOPS BURN ALIVE 11 CIVILIANS

Myanmar government troops raided a small northwestern village, rounding up civilians, binding their hands and then burning them alive in apparent retaliation for an attack on a military convoy, according to witnesses and other reports.

A video of the aftermath of Tuesday’s attack showed the charred bodies of 11 victims, some believed to be teenagers, lying in a circle in Done Taw village in Sagaing region.

Outrage spread as the graphic images were shared on social media over what appeared to be the latest of increasingly brutal military attacks in an attempt to put down stiffening anti-government resistance following the army takeover in February.

Human Rights Watch called for the international community to ensure that commanders who gave the order are added to targeted sanctions lists, and more broadly, efforts are stepped up to cut off any source of funding to the military.

“Our contacts are saying these were just boys and young people who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time,” a spokeswoman for the group, Manny Maung, said.

US TO RENAME STREET IN FRONT OF SAUDI EMBASSY ‘JAMAL KHASHOGGI WAY’

The street in front of the embassy of Saudi Arabia will be called "Jamal Khashoggi Way," after the Washington city council voted to honor the Saudi journalist murdered by government agents.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday to symbolically name the 700-foot (213-meter) stretch of New Hampshire Avenue that runs between the embassy and the Watergate complex for Khashoggi, a dissident journalist working for The Washington Post at the time of his murder in Turkey.

"Through his journalism, Jamal Khashoggi was a fierce advocate for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law," said a council report on the bill.

"By designating the street fronting the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia after Jamal Khashoggi, the District is creating a memorial in his honor that cannot be covered up or repressed," it said.