Argentina imposes a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination certificate for people over the age of 13 years to participate in many types of activities, both indoors and outdoors. (Buenos Aires Times)
Australia reports a record for the twelfth consecutive day of 35,326 new cases of COVID-19. New South Wales, Victoria and other states report record numbers of new cases. (The Guardian)
Austria legalizes assisted suicide for people over the age of 18 years who are terminally ill or who suffer from a permanent, debilitating condition. (BBC News)
Bahrain authorizes the emergency use of Pfizer's anti-viral oral drug Paxlovid for adults over the age of 18 years. (Arab News)
Birth control in France France begins to introduce free birth control to women aged 18 to 25 years to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. Up to three million women will receive enhanced access to contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, patches and injectables. (DW)
England reports a record 162,572 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Independent)
France begins to introduce free birth control to women aged 18 to 25 years to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. Up to three million women will receive enhanced access to contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, patches and injectables. (DW)
France surpasses 10 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the sixth country to reach the milestone. (Reuters)
Israel reports the world's first case of "florona," which is believed to be a double infection of COVID-19 and influenza, in an unvaccinated pregnant woman who was admitted to the Rabin Medical Center to give birth. (Hindustan Times)
The Republic of Ireland reports a record 23,281 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Irish Independent)
The United Arab Emirates announces that unvaccinated citizens will be banned from travel and that vaccinated citizens will need to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on January 10. (Gulf News)
A South Korean citizen crosses the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone in a rare case of defection to North Korea from the South. (BBC News)
Bulgaria reports its first 12 cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in five vaccinated people and seven unvaccinated people, most of whom had not travelled abroad. (Metro)
Eight people are killed and 19 injured after a heavy-duty tanker semi-trailer collided with a bus in Sichuan Province, China. (Xinhua)
North Korea–South Korea relations A South Korean citizen crosses the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone in a rare case of defection to North Korea from the South. (BBC News)
Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung reports that Mossad was responsible for three bombings of German and Swiss firms in 1981 to try to halt Iranian and Pakistani development of nuclear weapons. (The Jerusalem Post)
Chinese property developer Evergrande Group suspends trading of its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ahead of a planned restructuring of the firm. (BBC News)
Evergrande liquidity crisis Chinese property developer Evergrande Group suspends trading of its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ahead of a planned restructuring of the firm. (BBC News)
France begins to require children over the age of 6 years to wear masks while indoors and also reduces the self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people to seven days and five days if a person has received a negative PCR or antigen test due to a record number of COVID-19 cases driven by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Hill) (Politico.eu)
Scotland reports a record 20,217 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Independent)
South Korea reports its first confirmed deaths related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two people in their 90s who died last week at a senior care hospital in Gwangju. (Yonhap News Agency)
Taiwan reports its first two locally transmitted cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Taiwan News)
The Food and Drug Administration authorizes the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for children between the ages of 12 and 15 years, becoming the world's first vaccine to be authorized as a booster shot for this age group. (ABC News)
The Metro Manila Council passes a resolution imposing a lockdown on all unvaccinated and partially vaccinated residents and minors due to an increase in the number of cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Rappler)
A blast hits a vehicle for the Sodicars Racing team as it leaves a hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, two days prior to the Dakar Rally, critically injuring French driver Philippe Boutron, who is in a medically-induced coma. (BBC News)
A search continues for 14 people missing at sea in the Solomon Islands, after their boat failed to reach the Shortland Islands. Efforts were called off yesterday due to bad weather. (RNZ Pacific)
Argentina reports a record 81,210 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 5.82 million. (Buenos Aires Times)
Australia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 47,738 new cases of COVID-19 and surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Nine News) (SBS World News)
China orders 1.1 million people in Yuzhou, Henan to stay at home after three asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported. (BBC News)
Cyprus reports a record 5,457 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 183,178. (Cyprus Mail)
France reports a record 271,686 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News)
France reports the first discovery of a new variant called the Lineage B.1.640.2 IHU variant in 12 patients near Marseille which contains 46 mutations. (Firstpost)
Greece reports a record 50,126 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,344,923. (Kathimerini)
Italy reports a record 170,844 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6.57 million. (Reuters)
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden test positive for COVID-19. (The Hill)
Mexico surpasses four million cases of COVID-19. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Morocco reports its first confirmed death related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in an elderly woman who had not received the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Morocco World News)
Rio de Janeiro cancels the 2022 edition of its world-famous carnival street parade, which was scheduled to be held from February 25 to March 1, amid the surging COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Radio France Internationale)
Sweden reports a record 11,507 new cases of COVID-19 on December 30 due to delayed records of additional cases that were added in the previous days. (The Local Sweden)
The United Kingdom reports a record 218,724 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which includes backlog data from Northern Ireland for the past four days and from Wales for the past two days. (The Independent)
A nationwide state of emergency is declared in Kazakhstan. (Sky News)
Argentina confirms their first locally transmitted cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Buenos Aires Times)
Argentina reports a record for the second consecutive day of 95,159 new cases of COVID-19. (India Today)
Australia announces rapid antigen tests will be made free to concession card holders amid a nationwide shortage, but resists calls for universal free access. (The Guardian)
Fourteen people are killed and three others are injured by a landslide at a construction site in Bijie, Guizhou, China. (Al Jazeera)
Iloilo City reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a 46-year-old man who traveled from Kenya. (Rappler)
India reports its first confirmed death related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 73-year-old man who died last week at a hospital in Udaipur, Rajasthan. (The Economic Times)
Israel reports a record 11,978 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,423,289. (Al Arabiya)
Italy reports a record for the second consecutive day of 189,109 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6,566,947. (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata)
South Korea signs an agreement to buy an additional 400,000 doses of Pfizer's Paxlovid COVID-19 drug. (CNA)
The Draghi Cabinet signs a decree that makes COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people over the age of 50 years and also mandates that public and private sector workers of this age group need to show proof of vaccination or recovery or face fines of between €600 and €1,500 beginning on February 15. (The Guardian)
The Netherlands reports a record 24,590 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (NL Times)
A 79-year-old man in Buckfastleigh, Devon, becomes the first person in the United Kingdom to test positive for bird flu. (The Guardian)
Argentina surpasses 6 million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record for the third consecutive day of 109,608 new cases of COVID-19. (NHK World-Japan)
Density limits are reintroduced to hospitality and entertainment venues and non-urgent elective surgeries are paused as cases and hospitalisations rise in the state. (The Guardian)
Explosions and heavy gunfire are reported near the main Republic Square in Almaty. (The Independent)
High-risk establishments such as bars and gyms will be closed from January 7, while dining in restaurants will be banned after 6 p.m. (South China Morning Post)
Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam announces a travel ban from eight countries with high SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases from January 8 to January 21. (Al Jazeera)
Iraq reports its first five cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in the northern city of Duhok, in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Al Arabiya)
Israel reports a record for the second consecutive day of 16,115 new cases of COVID-19. (The Jerusalem Post)
Italy reports a record for the third consecutive day of 219,441 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6.97 million. (Anadolu Agency)
Malaysia grants conditional approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be used in children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (New Straits Times)
Thailand raises its COVID-19 Alert level to level four following a rapid increase in cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Bangkok Post)
The Northern Territory imposes a lockdown until Monday for people over the age of 16 years who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 after the territory reported a record 256 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News)
Turkey reports a record for the second consecutive day of 68,413 new cases of COVID-19. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Argentina reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 110,553 new cases of COVID-19. (Infobae)
Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer tests positive for COVID-19 and begins a period of self-isolation. (Politico.eu)
Bulgaria imposes a rule that requires almost all travellers aged above 12 years from the European Union and the United Kingdom to have a negative PCR test in the previous 72 hours along with a valid COVID-19 certificate prior to arrival, in order to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Euronews)
Chongqing explosion Sixteen people are killed and 10 others injured by a gas explosion in Chongqing, China. (CNN)
COVID-19 testing The Food and Drug Administration begins accepting requests for certification of COVID-19 antigen test kits for home use. Previously, antigen test kits were only available for professional use. (CNN Philippines)
German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of 16 states agree to reduce the isolation period for people who have received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and also toughen the requirement to enter bars and restaurants to include a booster shot or a negative test result in addition to proof of vaccination or recovery as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the country. (ABC News)
Murder of Ahmaud Arbery The three defendants convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are sentenced to life in prison. Travis and Greg McMichael are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, while William Bryan is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. (NBC News)
New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet announces that the state will suspend elective surgeries as well as ban singing and dancing in hospitality venues, entertainment facilities and major recreation facilities due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. These restrictions will be in effect until January 27. (News.com.au)
Nine people are killed and two injured after a truck and minibus collided at on Highway 90, Palestine. (BBC News)
Sixteen people are killed and 10 others injured by a gas explosion in Chongqing, China. (CNN)
