WORLD

Warsaw, Poland | Xinhua |  Several European countries have seen record COVID infections in the post-Christmas days. During the holidays, surging numbers and ramped-up restrictions have led to dissatisfaction and criticism among experts and citizens. CELEBRATION AND INFECTION France has seen a sharp increase since Christmas, with 208,099 cases detected …

New York, US | Xinhua | Over 2,000 flights have been canceled on New Year’s Day as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to upend airline operations during the holiday travel season in the United States. According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, 2,311 flights entering, leaving or within the United …

Jakarta, Indonesia | Xinhua | The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the world’s largest trade deal so far, enters into force on Saturday. The mega free trade agreement has been applauded by the Asia-Pacific region as an important step toward deeper regional integration and a renewed worldwide momentum for free …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The Biden administration’s foreign policy has diminished the U.S. global standing with “repeated blunders,” Fox News has reported, citing foreign policy experts and lawmakers. “The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 drew global backlash after the Taliban swiftly seized control of Kabul,” said the …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reject former President Donald Trump’s bid to block the release of his White House’s records requested in the ongoing probe. Lawyers for the select committee in a brief …

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned on Wednesday that the more transmissible Omicron together with the currently circulating Delta variants might lead to “a tsunami of cases,” putting immense pressure on national health systems. Recapping WHO’s response since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Director-General …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The United States and European countries have shattered records for daily COVID-19 cases, driven by the Omicron variant that is sweeping the globe and hampering global efforts to tame the coronavirus. U.S. CASES HIT RECORD HIGH The lightning spread of the Omicron variant in the United …

United Nations | Xinhua | In his message for the New Year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged everyone to strive for recovery that benefits people, the planet, and prosperity. “The world welcomes 2022 with our hopes for the future being tested by deepening poverty and worsening inequality… an …

COMMENT | Ren Ke & Zhang Yuan – XINHUA | After 16 years in office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes off duty after a new German federal government is formed after the Bundestag election. No matter which party will govern after the election, China policy is one of the top …

New York | Xinhua |  The holiday season travel stress has only escalated amid the surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, with several airlines reporting staff shortages from the spread of the coronavirus, leaving passengers with delayed or cancelled flights. According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site, 880 flights within, …