The US set a new record high of over 640,000 daily Covid-19 cases, according to latest data of Johns Hopkins University. ....

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition leader in National Assembly (NA), Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday lashed out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that he had surrendered to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the economic war, Dunya News reported. ....

The death toll in the Quetta bomb explosion has increased to six as two injured succumbed to their injuries on Friday, Samaa TV reported. ....

Amidst severe warnings by health experts and medical practitioners, Sri Lanka on Friday reported 41 news cases of Covid's Omicron variant taking its tally to 45. ....

Some residents in the Chinese city of Xi'an, where a lockdown has been enforced in the wake of an ongoing Covid-19 resurgence, have said that they do not have enough food, even as officials insist there are adequate supplies, the BBC reported. ....

San Francisco has announced the cancellation of the city's annual New Year's Eve fireworks show as holiday gatherings and travel have expedited the spread of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant. ....

Four people were killed after a small plane crashed in California, according to authorities. ....

The overall risk associated with the Omicron variant remains 'very high' which could cause widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned. ....

As Qatar and Turkey seek to take control of operations at the Kabul airport, Afghan businessmen are urging the government to sign a contract with a company from the United Arab Emirates instead, as many Afghans have investments in the UAE and they fear access will be restricted, Tolo News reported. ....

At 30 people were killed and over 200 others injured after a massive blaze ripped through a passenger ferry in Bangladesh, officials said. ....