KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    35,24,641            /             56,44,888            /             10,352   /             6,98,15,817               /             724.2

1             USA        5,33,313              /             8,98,680              /             3,143     /             2,78,56,405               /             2,690

2             France   4,28,008              /             1,29,747              /             258        /             65,47,060               /             1,981

3             Spain     1,33,553              /             92,591   /             215        /             37,03,788            /               1,979

4             UK          1,02,292              /             1,54,702              /             346        /             32,13,305               /             2,260

5             Italy       1,67,206              /             1,44,770              /             362        /             27,16,581               /             2,400

6             India      2,86,402              /             4,91,700              /             496        /             22,02,472               /             351

7             Brazil     2,19,878              /             6,24,507              /             606        /             18,93,275               /             2,906

8             Germany              1,88,759              /             1,17,883              /             184        /               16,39,591            /             1,400

9             Netherlands        58,616   /             21,239   /             12           /             9,90,621              /               1,235

10           Russia    74,692   /             3,28,105              /             657        /             8,87,759              /               2,247

11           Argentina            88,503   /             1,20,019              /             316        /             8,47,423               /             2,618

12           Belgium               47,493   /             28,863   /             28           /             8,30,307              /               2,474

13           Switzerland         21,773   /             12,751   /             3             /             7,76,780              /               1,457

14           Israel     76,155   /             8,513     /             25           /             7,25,754              /             913

15           Sweden                /             15,734   /                            /             6,78,830              /               1,543

16           Poland   53,420   /             1,04,373              /             276        /             6,64,748              /               2,763

17           Mexico  44,902   /             3,03,776              /             475        /             6,18,865              /               2,318

18           Norway 24,677   /             1,439     /                            /             5,99,853              /             262

19           Turkey   77,434   /             86,487   /             188        /             5,97,238              /               1,008

20           Portugal               65,578   /             19,703   /             42           /             5,15,962              /               1,941

31           Philippines           15,789   /             53,664   /             66           /             2,30,410              /               480

43           Bangladesh         15,527   /             28,273   /             17           /             1,43,245              /               169

55           Pakistan               5,196     /             29,137   /             15           /             86,124   /             128

112        Sri Lanka              927        /             15,346   /             16           /             12,454   /             712

US RUSHES MISSILES TO UKRAINE AMID SANCTION THREAT TO PUTIN

In pictures evocative of the American intervention in Afghanistan more than 40 years ago, the US has rushed Stinger missiles and Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as both sides embark on a slippery slope to a war that US President Joe Biden said would have enormous consequences worldwide.

Both sides continue to accuse the other of provocative actions — the US and its allies pointing to aggressive Russian troop movements, and Moscow countering that it was US/Nato that is bringing war and confrontation to its borders by arming states formerly in its sphere of influence and shepherding them into Nato.

Despite being hamstrung by domestic disquiet over any US intervention and differences among some of its Nato allies (Germany is a notably reluctant partner because of its dependence on Russian gas for its energy needs), Biden warned of enormous economic and political consequences if Putin invaded Ukraine, fully or in part. “If he were to move in with all those forces, it’d be the largest invasion since WWII. It would change the world,” he noted amid a fervid debate about how far the US would go to defend Ukraine. US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman said earlier on Wednesday the US believes Putin remains poised to use force against Ukraine “perhaps (between) now and the middle of February”. The statement came as officials in Kyiv urged US citizens to “consider departing now”.

SOME EUROPEAN NATIONS PLAN TO EASE COVID CURBS, OTHERS TO TIGHTEN THEM

Denmark and Austria on Wednesday became the latest countries to ease Covid-19 restrictions, following similar moves by Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands, while other countries in Europe planned new measures to battle record numbers of infections.

Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech republic, Bulgaria and Romania all reported record daily infection totals on Wednesday and the German parliament prepared to debate vaccine mandate proposal. Poland will move older school students to remote learning from Thursday and Sweden said it would extend its current Covid measures by another two weeks.

With over 10 million new cases, infections in Europe rose 13% last week, according to WHO data, with France, Italy and Germany logging the highest numbers. Weekly deaths in the region, however, decreased by 5%.

WTO LETS CHINA IMPOSE TARIFFS ON US IN OBAMA-ERA CASE

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) authorised China on Wednesday to impose $645 million of compensatory tariffs against the United States in a ruling likely to receive a cool reception in Washington.

China went to the WTO in 2012 to challenge anti-subsidy tariffs the United States imposed between 2008 and 2012, mainly during the term of US President Barack Obama, on 22 Chinese products ranging from solar panels to steel wire.

The decade-long case into alleged subsidies has centred on whether the United States could treat Chinese companies in which the government owns a majority stake as controlled by the state.

US officials have argued that China benefits from easier treatment at the WTO, while subsidising manufactured goods and dumping them on world markets.

China had initially asked the three-person WTO panel to award it the right to impose tariffs on $2.4 billion of US goods.

The actual award is dwarfed by US tariffs on more than $300 billion of Chinese goods imposed by former US President Donald Trump, most of which are still in place.

However, it is another symbolic victory for Beijing at the Geneva-based trade body. In November 2019, the WTO awarded China the right to retaliatory tariffs of $3.58 billion after finding fault with the way Washington determined if Chinese products are being dumped on the US market.

COVID-19: 'FLURONA' ISN'T REAL, PEOPLE CAN GET CO-INFECTION, SAY RESEARCHERS

The reports about ‘flurona’ - double infection of Covid-19 and influenza - surfaced on social media. They claimed that the infection surfaced in Israel and that it is severe. The healthcare experts, however, rubbished these reports and said co-infections can happen to anyone.

The reports about ‘flurona’ - double infection of Covid-19 and influenza - surfaced on social media. They claimed that the infection surfaced in Israel and that it is severe. The healthcare experts, however, rubbished these reports and said co-infections can happen to anyone.

But healthcare experts have now dismissed this, saying it’s not a different thing.

“The contractions like ‘flurona,’ I think they’re very misleading to people. It presents the idea two viruses have somehow merged into one, which is not at all the case,” Dr Ellen Foxman, an immunologist at the Yale School of Medicine, told NBC News. “Somebody got a co-infection. People get co-infections all the time.”

Other researchers too agree with Dr Foxman. Dr Guy Boivin, a clinical virologist in Quebec, explained that co-infection can result in three outcomes: Little or no symptoms, severe illness due to virus attacks at the same time or one infection could block another.

XI OFFERS CENTRAL ASIAN NATIONS $500 MN

Two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, hosts India’s first virtual summit with Central Asian leaders, China’s President Xi Jinping offered $500 million in assistance to the region and pledged to ramp up trade.

Mr. Xi on Tuesday chaired his own virtual summit with Central Asian leaders, two days ahead of Mr. Modi hosting a first-of-its-kind virtual summit with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Xi’s virtual summit with the same five countries was held “to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations”, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The Chinese President pledged to “import more quality goods and agricultural products from countries in the region” and “strive to increase the trade between the two sides to $70 billion by 2030.” China’s trade with the five countries crossed $40 billion in 2018, roughly 20 times India’s trade with the region that year.

He said the China-Europe Railway Express which runs through Central Asia “has seen rapid growth” since the launch of his Belt and Road Initiative, which was first announced by Mr. Xi during an official visit to Kazakhstan in 2013. Mr. Xi announced China would “provide a grant assistance of US$500 million to Central Asian countries in support of livelihood programs”.

POPE TO PARENTS: SUPPORT YOUR KIDS IF THEY ARE GAY

Vatican City: Pope Francis said on Wednesday that parents of gay children should not condemn them but offer them support. He spoke in unscripted comments at his weekly audience in reference to difficulties that parents can face in raising offspring. Those issues included “parents who see different sexual orientations in their children and how to handle this, how to accompany their children, and not hide behind an attitude of condemnation,” Francis said. He has previously said that gays have a right to be accepted by their families. He has also said that while the Church cannot accept same-sex marriage it can support civil union laws.