KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    15,86,732            /             54,38,159            /             6,910     /             2,70,31,830               /             697.7

1             USA        4,64,135              /             8,44,159              /             1,666     /             1,24,07,305               /             2,528

2             UK          1,83,037              /             1,48,089              /             57           /             21,82,276               /             2,164

3             France   2,08,099              /             1,23,372              /             184        /             14,28,388               /             1,884

4             Spain     1,00,760              /             89,331   /             78           /             9,94,330              /               1,910

5             Russia    21,119   /             3,07,022              /             932        /             7,71,026              /               2,102

6             Germany              41,816   /             1,12,133              /             381        /             7,11,629               /             1,332

7             Italy       98,030   /             1,37,091              /             136        /             6,74,865              /               2,272

8             Netherlands        15,708   /             20,852   /             49           /             4,80,190              /               1,213

9             Poland   15,571   /             95,707   /             794        /             3,81,873              /               2,533

10           Vietnam               13,889   /             31,877   /             245        /             3,60,455              /               323

11           Mexico  4,426     /             2,98,944              /             125        /             3,53,392              /               2,283

12           Belgium               9,965     /             28,250   /             32           /             3,43,809              /               2,422

13           Turkey   36,684   /             82,059   /             142        /             3,05,534              /             958

14           Norway 4,407     /             1,305     /             47           /             2,96,939              /             238

15           Switzerland         10,661   /             12,247   /             5             /             2,82,644              /               1,400

16           Honduras             126        /             10,434   /             2             /             2,44,950              /               1,029

17           Brazil     9,128     /             6,18,870              /             147        /             2,30,646              /               2,881

18           Canada 32,017   /             30,248   /             42           /             2,12,489              /             791

19           South Africa       9,020     /             90,935   /             81           /             1,97,076              /               1,505

20           Finland  2,584     /             1,548     /             22           /             1,91,791              /             279

35           India      9,195     /             4,80,502              /             96           /             77,002   /             343

82           Sri Lanka              1,597     /             14,944   /             21           /             11,154   /             694

87           Philippines           889        /             51,241   /             28           /             10,418   /             459

88           Pakistan               348        /             28,918   /             6             /             10,065   /             127

93           Bangladesh         495        /             28,063   /             1             /             8,039     /             168

WHO WARNS OF COVID ‘TSUNAMI’ OVERWHELMING HEALTH SYSTEMS

A “tsunami” of Omicron and Delta COVID-19 cases will pile pressure on health systems already being stretched to their limits, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.

The WHO said the Delta and Omicron variants of concern were “twin threats” that were driving new case numbers to record highs, leading to spikes in hospitalisations and deaths.

The WHO said new global cases had risen by 11% last week, while the United States and France both registered record daily case numbers on Wednesday.

“I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

“This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers, and health systems on the brink of collapse.”

He said the pressure on health systems was not only due to new coronavirus patients, but also large numbers of health workers falling ill with COVID.

Mr. Tedros slammed the attitude of richer countries accusing them of hogging the weapons to combat COVID-19 — and leaving the back door open for the virus.

“Populism, narrow nationalism and hoarding of health tools, including masks, therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines, by a small number of countries, undermined equity, and created the ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants,” he said.

PAKISTAN CONFIRMS RAISING SQUADRON OF CHINESE J-10C IN RESPONSE TO INDIA'S RAFALE JETS

Putting the speculations to rest, the government of Pakistan has confirmed the acquisition of at least 25 Chinese J-10C fighter jets for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rashid told reporters in Rawalpindi on Wednesday that a squadron of 25 China-made jets would participate in a fly-past on 23 March. The minister touted the Chinese jets as "an answer to India's Rafale jets".

However, the minister misarticulated the name of the jets repeatedly during his interaction, referring to the jets as "Chinese JS-10". While rumours of Pakistan acquiring Chinese jets have been doing rounds for a long time, a big question mark remains over the claims of the Chinese jets competence against the advanced French Rafale.

Although China has been using the J-10C multirole fighter aircraft to replace its much older J-7E fighters at the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF's) brigades, it relied on its much-advanced J-20 stealth jets when it came to monitoring of the crucial Taiwan Strait and East China Sea.

The J-10C is considered a capable workhorse of the Chinese air force, but it falls below the cutting-edge capabilities of the Rafale. Commentary in Chinese state media often looks to place the mid-sized fighter jet closer to the Rafale but Rafale's integrated architecture, superior sensors and overall combat capabilities set it apart.

The J-10C jets have been sighted during the China-Pakistan joint air exercises recently. Weeks before the formal announcements, the J-10C model was spotted in the pictures of the Pakistan Air Force Chief's office.

The Imran Khan Government's intentions to acquire the Chinese jets have already been questioned by the opposition. "I don't think the J-10C is as good as the Rafale also. We should have invested this money in building Project Azm and enhancing JF-17 capabilities," Dr Afnan Ullah Khan had posted on Twitter, earlier this month.

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAKES RARE VISIT TO ISRAEL FOR TALKS

Israel unveiled a package of “confidence-building measures” for the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, after Defence Minister Benny Gantz hosted talks with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on his first visit in years.

Mr. Abbas, on his first visit to Israel for an official meeting since 2010, held talks with Mr. Gantz at his home in the central town of Rosh HaAyin, according to Israeli sources and media.

“We discussed the implementation of economic and civilian measures, and emphasised the importance of deepening security coordination and preventing terror and violence,” Mr. Gantz said after the meeting on Tuesday evening.

These included a $32 million (100 million shekel) advance payment to the PA in taxes collected on its behalf by Israel, and the granting of 600 extra permits allowing Palestinian businessmen to cross into Israel.

It also announced the regularisation of 6,000 more Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, which has been under Israeli control since the Six-Day War of 1967.

UAE LOGS 2,000+ CASES FOR FIRST TIME IN 6 MONTHS

above 2,000 for the first time in six months, prompting Abu Dhabi and Dubai to tighten rules to curb the spread of infections. The Gulf nation, which has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, reported 2,234 cases on Wednesday. Daily cases had fallen to below 50 at the start of December. So far, the UAE has managed to avoid curbs, unlike most cities around the world. The country is now administering booster to its population of 10 million, and has so far covered over 32%. Abu Dhabi on Tuesday tightened requirements to enter the sheikhdom and decided to opt for full distance learning in schools and colle ges during first two weeks of January.

3 YRS AFTER DEADLY CRASH, INDONESIA LIFTS BAN ON BOEING 737 MAX FLIGHTS

Indonesia said on Wednesday it is lifting its ban on Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft, three years after one crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff killing all 189 people on board. The transportation ministry said in a statement the aircraft will be permitted to fly in Indonesia, but only after airlines carry out airworthiness directives.

The ministry will also conduct inspections before the aircraft are allowed to operate in the country, said Novie Riyanto, the ministry’s director general of civil aviation. “Several flight operators have stated that they have carried out airworthiness orders for 737 MAX aircraft, in accordance with FAA provisions and will prepare training and simulators at the nearest facility, in Singapore,” Riyanto said.

Governments grounded the Boeing 737 Max after a total of 346 people were killed in the crashes of the Lion Air flight in Indonesia on October 29, 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines flight on March 10, 2019. Investigators blamed a computer system that pushed the plane’s nose downward in flight and couldn’t be overridden by pilots. Boeing has carried out technical upgrades to fix such problems.

Earlier this month, China became the last major market to approve the Boeing 737 Max after the US allowed flights to resume in December 2020.

KUWAIT SWEARS IN FOURTH GOVERNMENT IN TWO YEARS

A new Kuwaiti government was sworn in on Wednesday, the country’s fourth in two years, after the last one resigned in November amid political deadlock. Kuwait has been shaken by disputes between elected lawmakers and successive governments dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family for more than a decade, with parliaments and Cabinets dissolved several times.