The Omicron variant, fast-spreading as it may be, is now being treated more as flu, albeit a respect-worthy flu, with the majority of people still wearing masks but going about their daily tasks unrestricted.

North Korea confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, calling it the "gravest national emergency".

China on Tuesday extended restrictions on transportation in Shanghai after a day of intensive testing in the country’s financial hub saw new cases surge to more than 13,000.

Around 10,000 people have taken to the streets of Vienna to protest against the government’s mandatory vaccinations plan and strict measures.

US President Joe Biden, early in his tenure, said he had been elected to solve problems and to reverse the damage caused by his megalomaniac predecessor, Donald Trump, at home and abroad.

EU officials claim those refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are contributing to economic uncertainty across the 27-country bloc.

Strikes, protests and parliamentary disunity have shown that opposition to President Emmanuel Macron’s pandemic policies have reached unprecedented levels.