WORLD

At a Chilean zoo, a Bengal tiger named Charly and a Bornean orangutan named Sandai were both given COVID-19 vaccines. This viral infection has been found in zoo monkeys, apes, and large cats, as well as wild deer, domestic pets, and minks, and has took the lives of over 5.4 million people worldwide. Three lions, two extra tigers, and three pumas, as well as Charly, three, and Sandai, 26, received their second dose of a unique vaccine created especially for wildlife but has not yet been allowed for purchase, along with three lions, two further tigers, and three pumas. They received their first vaccinations on December 13th.

France on Tuesday reported 271,686 new cases of Covid-19, detected in the last 24 hours, the highest daily record since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. According to data released by the French Public Health Agency, a total of 20,186 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized and 3,665 of them are in intensive care, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon to the French National Assembly, Health Minister Olivier Veran stressed the importance of vaccination, citing that vaccination helps people not to develop severe symptoms.

China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin on Monday.

It said that the five countries - which are the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - consider it their primary responsibility to avoid war between the nuclear states and to reduce strategic risks, while aiming to work with all countries to create an atmosphere of security.

"We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," the English-language version of the statement read.

President Joe Biden conferred on Sunday with Ukraine's leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, promising that the US and allies will act "decisively" if Russia further invades Ukraine.

Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call came as the US and Western allies prepared for a series of diplomatic meetings to try to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow said could rupture ties with Washington.

"President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement following the call.

2022 is going the way of 2020 too. A third year of global pandemic is on the cards with more than half million new Covid-19 cases recorded in the US heading into the new year. With more than 580,000 infections, the country shattered its own record for new daily cases - beating a milestone it already broke just the day before. Thursday's count, according to NYT database, toppled the 4,88,000 new cases on Wednesday, which was nearly double the highest numbers from last winter. The only silver lining is that the Omicron strain is causing milder illness and less hospitalisation, particularly among the vaccinated.