KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    7,95,843                           54,60,083                         2,813                  3,05,92,881                            700.5

1             USA        1,69,351                           8,47,388                           142                     1,37,23,916                            2,538

2             UK          1,37,583                           1,48,851                           73                        26,76,277                            2,176

3             France   58,432                1,23,942                           91                        19,79,539                           1,893

4             Spain                                 89,405                                            11,48,385                           1,911

5             Italy       61,046                1,37,646                           133                     10,70,537                           2,282

6             Russia    18,233                3,10,518                           811                     7,03,409                             2,126

7             Germany              12,636                1,12,878                           52                        6,54,912                            1,341

8             Netherlands        17,478                20,957                6                          4,59,524                             1,219

9             Mexico  9,193                  2,99,525                           97                        3,79,256                             2,287

10           Poland   7,179                  97,592                33                        3,69,392                             2,583

11           Turkey   33,520                82,635                129                     3,61,368                           964

12           Vietnam               16,948                32,831                221                     3,57,513                             333

13           Belgium                                           28,331                                            3,39,285                             2,429

14           Canada 34,452                30,352                13                        3,35,294                           794

15           Norway                             1,305                                              3,06,158                           238

16           Switzerland                                     12,284                                            2,69,898                             1,404

17           Honduras                                         10,434                                            2,44,937                             1,029

18           Argentina            20,502                1,17,204                           23                        2,41,703                            2,558

19           Ireland                              5,912                                              2,33,776                             1,178

20           Greece  17,633                20,910                61                        2,14,133                             2,021

26           India      33,750                4,81,893                           57                        1,45,582                             344

70           Philippines           4,600                  51,570                25                        21,418                461

87           Sri Lanka              339                     15,019                22                        11,967                697

90           Pakistan               594                     28,941                8                          10,562                127

95           Bangladesh         557                     28,077                1                          8,832                  168

OMICRON-RELATED DISRUPTIONS CAUSE OVER 3,800 FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS TO KICK OFF 2022

Over 3,800 flights were cancelled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them U.S. flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and the surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant.

The flights cancelled by 8 pm GMT on Sunday included over 2,200 entering, departing from or within the United States, according to tracking website FlightAware.com. Globally, more than 11,200 flights were delayed.

Among the airlines with most cancellations were SkyWest (SKYW.O) and SouthWest (LUV.N), with 510 and 419 cancellations respectively, FlightAware showed.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are typically a peak time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights as pilots and cabin crew quarantine.

Transportation agencies across the United States were also suspending or reducing services due to coronavirus-related staff shortages.

CHINA DEVELOPERS STARE AT A $197-BN PROBLEM AS DEBT AND WAGES PILE UP

China’s property developers have mounting bills to pay in January and shrinking options to raise necessary funds.

The industry will need to find at least $197 billion to cover maturing bonds, coupons, trust products and deferred wages to millions of migrant workers, according to Bloomberg calculations and analyst estimates. Beijing has urged builders like China Evergrande Group to meet payrolls by month-end in order to avoid the risk of social unrest.

Policy for the property market remains tight even after China in December pivoted toward supporting economic growth. Future focus is likely to be on ensuring homes are delivered, and the country’s central bank is encouraging financial firms to help acquisition activity in the real estate sector. Bond payments for stressed firms are larger this month than November and December combined.

IN BRITAIN, FACE MASKS MADE MANDATORY IN SCHOOLS AS CASES SURGE

Secondary school students in England will be required to wear face coverings in classrooms amid the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the UK Government said on Sunday.

The rules, which bring England in line with other parts of the United Kingdom, are to be brought in on a temporary basis in time for students to return to classrooms after the Christmas holidays next week.

Pupils are also being asked to take part in on-site rapid Covid tests and to get their vaccines, if due, before the start of the new term.

“PM Johnson and I have been clear that education is our number one priority. These measures will bolster our support to schools as we do everything in our power to minimise disruption,” said UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.

“There is no doubt that the Omicron variant presents challenges, but the entire education sector has responded with a Herculean effort, and for that I thank each and every one of you,” he said.

The classroom rule, which does not include teachers, will apply until a review planned for January 26. The government also announced it would be making 7,000 air cleaning units available to schools and colleges as part of efforts to tackle the spread of Omicron.

FRANCE REMOVES EU FLAG FROM ARC DE TRIOMPHE

French authorities took down a temporary installation of the European Union flag from the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris on Sunday, after rightwing opponents of President Emmanuel Macron accused him of “erasing” French identity.

The giant blue flag was raised in place of a French flag on New Year’s Eve to mark France’s turn at the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

The arch, a monument to war dead, and other landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and the Pantheon are also being illuminated with blue lights for the remainder of this week.

But Macron’s rightwing rivals for the presidential election four months away seized on the removal of the tricolor flag, calling it an affront to France’s heritage and its veterans.

“Preside over Europe yes, erase French identity no!” tweeted Valerie Pecresse, the conservative candidate who polls indicate could be the main challenger to Macron in the upcoming vote.

She urged him to restore the French flag, saying, “We owe it to our soldiers who spilled their blood for it.”

SOUTH AFRICA PARLIAMENT: MAN ARRESTED OVER MASSIVE FIRE

A man has been arrested after a large fire severely damaged the Houses of Parliament in the South African city of Cape Town.

A police spokesperson said the man was facing charges of arson, housebreaking and theft, and would appear in court on Tuesday.

Firefighters have been working for hours to extinguish the blaze.

President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a "terrible and devastating event", as he vowed parliament's work would continue.

Footage from the scene on Sunday showed a plume of black smoke filling the sky, with huge flames coming out from the roof of the building.

Officials said the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread to the National Assembly (the parliament's lower house) chamber, reports the BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Cape Town.

The parliament is not currently in session because of the holidays, and no injuries were reported.

Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said the suspect is also expected to be charged under the National Key Points Act, which protects sites of strategic importance. Further details were not immediately available.

PILGRIMS FROM INDIA, US, UAE PRAY AT 100-YR-OLD RENOVATED TEMPLE IN PAK

Over 200 Hindu pilgrims from India, the US and the Gulf region prayed at the 100-year-old renovated Maharaja Paramhans Ji mandir in Pakistan on Saturday amid tight security, a year after the temple was demolished by a mob belonging to a radical Islamist party.

The delegation of Hindus consisted of nearly 200 devotees from India, 15 from Dubai, the rest from the US and other Gulf states.

The temple and “Samadhi” of Paramhans Ji in Karak district’s Teri village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa underwent extensive repair last year after it was demolished by an angry mob in 2020, an incident that was condemned globally.

The programme has been organised by the Pakistani Hindu Council in collaboration with the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines.

NEW DUTCH GOVT TO HAVE RECORD NO. OF WOMEN

A record number of women are due to make up the next Dutch government after the incoming coalition published its list of ministers and secretaries of state on Sunday. An unprecedented 14 of the 29 ministers and secretaries of state will be women, including 10 of the 20 ministers. The four-party coalition will be sworn in on January 10 after reaching a deal in December — a record 271 days after elections in March — handing PM Mark Rutte a fourth term in office.

Previous finance minister and centre-right leader Wopke Hoekstra, known for his hawkish stance on spending, will become foreign minister. Former foreign minister Sigrid Kaag will replace him in the exchequer brief. Ernst Kuipers, who was responsible for moving coronavirus patients around the country, will replace Hugo de Jonge as health minister.