KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    18,51,531            /             55,62,795            /             4,717     /             5,64,81,794               /             713.7

1             USA        2,76,880              /             8,74,115              /             419        /             2,33,59,043               /             2,617

2             France   1,02,144              /             1,27,263              /             296        /             49,47,974               /             1,943

3             UK          84,429   /             1,52,075              /             85           /             36,55,733            /               2,222

4             Spain     1,10,489              /             90,993   /             78           /             30,02,335            /               1,945

5             Italy       83,403   /             1,41,391              /             287        /             25,55,278            /               2,344

6             India      2,38,018              /             4,86,761              /             256        /             17,36,628               /             347

7             Australia              73,258   /             2,699     /             31           /             11,34,657            /               104

8             Germany              53,916   /             1,16,411              /             143        /             9,28,937               /             1,383

9             Argentina            1,02,458              /             1,18,231              /             191        /               8,85,619              /             2,580

10           Brazil     76,345   /             6,21,261              /             162        /             7,51,205              /               2,891

11           Turkey   64,935   /             84,920   /             162        /             6,99,569              /             990

12           Netherlands        42,352   /             21,158   /             3             /             6,44,604              /               1,231

13           Russia    30,726   /             3,21,990              /             670        /             6,33,899              /               2,205

14           Mexico  19,132   /             3,01,410              /             76           /             6,23,020              /               2,301

15           Switzerland         8,452     /             12,596   /             2             /             5,43,963              /               1,439

16           Ireland  6,329     /             6,035     /                            /             4,58,342              /               1,202

17           Norway 11,031   /             1,382     /             1             /             4,33,090              /             252

18           Poland   10,445   /             1,02,309              /             4             /             4,21,122              /               2,708

19           Belgium                              /             28,612   /                            /             4,20,571              /               2,452

20           Finland  22,217   /             1,753     /             29           /             3,45,599              /             316

26           Philippines           37,070   /             52,929   /             23           /             2,90,938              /               473

69           Bangladesh         6,676     /             28,154   /             10           /             42,913   /             168

76           Pakistan               4,340     /             29,019   /             7             /             35,677   /             128

102        Sri Lanka              688        /             15,218   /             7             /             13,444   /             706

UAE SAYS IT SUSPECTS DRONES CAUSED ABU DHABI FIRES, YEMEN HOUTHIS CLAIM ATTACK

At least 3 people were killed as the United Arab Emirates experienced an attack on Monday when two fires were reported in the capital Abu Dhabi that were possibly caused by drones. According to Abu Dhabi Police, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for the attack. As per reports, 6 other have been wounded due to the attack.

Abu Dhabi police, in a statement on state news agency WAM, said three fuel tankers had exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC and that a fire had broken out at a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport, reported news agency Reuters.

Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE. He did not provide further details, saying a statement would be released soon, reported news agency AP.

The police have confirmed that the use of drones was made in case of an explosion on three oil tankers and a minor fire at the airport extension. Abu Dhabi police said preliminary investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire.

CHINA VIRUS CASES AT HIGHEST LEVEL IN NEARLY TWO YEARS

The number of daily Covid-19 cases in China reached its highest level since March 2020 on Monday, as Beijing races to smother outbreaks just three weeks before hosting the Winter Olympics.

China has stuck to a strict policy of targeting zero Covid cases. But its approach has come under sustained pressure in recent weeks with multiple clusters in key cities just as the Games are about to get underway in Beijing. Omicron has breached the political, financial and technology centres of China for the first time.

Athletes and officials have already started to land in the capital ahead of the February 4 games, immediately entering a tightly controlled bubble. China had already barred foreign spectators from the event. On Monday, it announced tickets will be distributed to “targeted” groups and will not be sold to the public. Also, the city is now demanding a negative test before travel and a follow-up test after entering, with locals urged not to leave for the Lunar New Year.

VACCINATE WHOLE WORLD TO END PANDEMIC, UN CHIEF TELLS DAVOS

UN chief Antonio Guterres told the all-virtual Davos forum on Monday that the world must vaccinate everybody against COVID-19 to ensure a way out of the pandemic.

The face-to-face gathering of political and corporate power players in the Swiss Alps is online for the second year in a row due to a pandemic that shows no sign of abating.

“The last two years have demonstrated a simple but brutal truth — if we leave anyone behind, we leave everyone behind,” the United Nations Secretary-General said.

“If we fail to vaccinate every person, we give rise to new variants that spread across borders and bring daily life and economies to a grinding halt.”

Mr. Guterres said the international community needs to “confront the pandemic with equity and fairness.”

He noted that the World Health Organization unveiled a strategy last autumn to vaccinate 40% of the planet’s population by the end of 2021 and 70% by the middle of this year. “We are nowhere near these targets,” Mr. Guterres told the World Economic Forum.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS: UK SENDING WEAPONS TO DEFEND UKRAINE, SAYS DEFENCE SECRETARY

Britain is supplying Ukraine with short-range anti-tank missiles for self-defence after Russia amassed about 100,000 troops on its border, the defence secretary said.

Ben Wallace told MPs a small team of British troops would also be sent to Ukraine to provide training.

He said there was "legitimate and real cause for concern" the Russian troops could be used for an invasion.

Russia denies any invasion plans and accuses the West of aggression.

Dozens of British troops have been in Ukraine since 2015 to help train their armed forces, and the UK has also made a commitment to help rebuild Ukraine's navy following Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014.

But Mr Wallace said the UK would be providing extra help with security in the light of Russia's "increasingly threatening behaviour".

The first batch of light anti-armour weapons was sent on Monday, although the defence secretary did not specify the type.

"Let me be clear: this support is for short-range and clearly defensive weapon capabilities; they are not strategic weapons and pose no threat to Russia; they are to use in self-defence."

BEIJING: WON'T 'BULLY' NEIGHBOURS OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA

China will not use its strength to "bully" its smaller neighbours, including the Philippines, its Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, as he highlighted the importance of settling disputes in the South China Sea peacefully.

"Stressing only one side's claims and imposing one's own will on the other is not the proper way for neighbours to treat each other and it goes against the oriental philosophy of how people should get along," Yi, Chinese government's top diplomat, said at a virtual forum organised by China's embassy in Manila and a local advocacy group.

His remarks come less than two months after the Philippines condemned China's blocking of a military resupply ship in the South China Sea, which prompted a warning from the United States.

China's extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea, which it says are based on historic maps, have put it at odds with Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, which have competing claims to islands and features.

China has been accused by Western countries of aggression and provocations by deploying hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in the exclusive economic zones of its neighbours, including the Philippines, far off its mainland.

AT WEF, XI CALLS FOR END OF ‘COLD WAR MENTALITY’ AMID TENSIONS WITH US

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Monday for greater world cooperation against COVID-19 and pledged to send an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine to other countries, while urging other powers to discard a “Cold-War mentality” at a time of rising geopolitical tensions — a veiled swipe at the U.S.

The Chinese leader touted his country’s efforts to share vaccines, fight climate change and promote development at home and abroad as he delivered the opening speech of a virtual gathering hosted by the World Economic Forum. The online event is being held in place of its annual January meeting in Davos, Switzerland, because of health concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

He touched on standard themes from his previous talks to international audiences, including responding to complaints by China’s trading partners by promising to open its state-dominated economy wider to private and foreign competition.

“We need to discard Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes. Our world today is far from being tranquil,” said Mr. Xi, through a translator. “Protectionism and unilateralism can protect no one. They ultimately hurt the interests of others as well as one’s own. Even worse are the practices of hegemony and bullying, which run counter to the tide of history.

“A zero-sum approach that enlarges one’s own gain at the expense of others will not help,” he added. “The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation.”

TONGA TSUNAMI: ANXIOUS WAIT FOR NEWS AFTER TONGA CUT OFF

Tongans living overseas are facing an anxious wait for news of loved ones after a volcano triggered a tsunami.

The underwater volcano erupted on Saturday, about 65km (40 miles) north of the capital Nuku'alofa.

The eruption, which was heard as far away as the US, caused waves higher than a metre to crash into Tonga.

Local authorities have not confirmed any deaths but communications are crippled, making it difficult to establish the scale of the destruction.

However, the brother of a British woman said she died after being swept away in the waves. Angela Glover, 50, was washed away while trying to save her dogs.

More than 10,000km away, two people drowned off a beach in northern Peru amid abnormally high waves.

Both New Zealand and Australia sent surveillance flights to find out more, with New Zealand saying there had been "significant damage" along the western coast of Tongatapu, Tonga's main island.

But the Red Cross gave some cause for hope, saying reports suggested the damage was not as bad as had been feared.

DIPLOMATS BACK IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR OIC POSTS: IRAN

Iranian diplomats are in Saudi Arabia to start work at a global organisation representing Muslims, a first since the two rivals cut ties in 2016, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

“The delegation is now in Jeddah to start its work at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” Saeed Khatibzadeh said in his weekly press conference.

‘Good prelude’

This “can be a good prelude for the two sides to send delegations to visit their embassies,” he added.

Shiite-majority Iran and the Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are both members of the pan-Islamic body of 57 member states. The two regional rivals have so far held four rounds of talks since April to improve relations.

ANNE FRANK BETRAYAL SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AFTER 77 YEARS

A new investigation has identified a suspect who may have betrayed Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis.

The Jewish diarist died in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, aged 15, after two years in hiding.

Her diary, published after her death, is the most famous first-hand account of Jewish life during the war.

A team including an ex-FBI agent said Arnold van den Bergh, a Jewish figure in Amsterdam, probably "gave up" the Franks to save his own family.

The team, made up of historians and other experts, spent six years using modern investigative techniques to crack the "cold case". That included using computer algorithms to search for connections between many different people, something that would have taken humans thousands of hours.

Van den Bergh had been a member of Amsterdam's Jewish Council, a body forced to implement Nazi policy in Jewish areas. It was disbanded in 1943, and its members were dispatched to concentration camps.

But the team found that van den Bergh was not sent to a camp, and was instead living in Amsterdam as normal at the time. There was also a suggestion that a member of the Jewish Council had been feeding the Nazis information.

"When van den Bergh lost all his series of protections exempting him from having to go to the camps, he had to provide something valuable to the Nazis that he's had contact with to let him and his wife at that time stay safe," former FBI agent Vince Pankoke told CBS 60 Minutes.

CHINA’S BIRTH RATE DROPS TO RECORD LOW

Mainland China’s birth rate dropped to a record low in 2021, data showed on Monday, extending a downward trend that led Beijing last year to begin allowing couples to have up to three children. China scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit to try to avoid the economic risks from a rapidly aging population, but the high cost of urban living has deterred couples from having more children. The 2021 rate of 7.52 births per 1,000 people was the lowest since 1949, when the National Statistics Bureau began collating the data. The natural growth rate of China’s population, which excludes migration, was only 0.034% for 2021, the lowest since 1960, according to the data. There were 10.62 million births in 2021, the data showed, compared with 12 million in 2020. The birth rate in 2020 was 8.52 births per 1,000 people.

ASTEROID TWICE THE SIZE OF BURJ KHALIFA TO FLY PAST EARTH ON JANUARY 18

A huge asteroid bigger than the size of Burj Khalifa is set to fly past Earth at a 1,230,000-mile distance on January 18. The asteroid 7482, also known as 1994 PC1, is about 1.6 km wide and has been categorised by US space agency Nasa as a “potentially hazardous object” due to its relative proximity to the Earth while shooting past.

Nasa identifies asteroids as potentially hazardous if the asteroids are more than about 140 meters in size with orbits that bring them as close as within 4.6 million miles of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. It is also a Near-Earth Object since it is closer than 1.3au astronomical units, little over the distance between the Earth and the Sun. One au is the equivalent of 93 million miles.

While an asteroid of such size can cause huge damage on Earth, Nasa assured that 1994 PC1 will safely fly past the planet 1.2 million miles away.

The closest approach of the potentially dangerous asteroid to Earth will occur at 4.51pm EST on January 18 (3.21am IST on January 19). It will be the closest for this asteroid for at least the next 200 years for which astronomers have calculated its orbit, according to EarthSky.

The most recent asteroid to hit the planet was eight years ago in Russia which exploded in the atmosphere.