In Bangladesh,at least 39 people were killed and more than 70 injuried as a passenger ferry caught fire midstream in the Sugandha river.

US President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that bans import of goods from China's Xinjiang province. 

In response to the surge in Covid cases,countries are also looking to shorten the time between second vaccination shots and boosters.

Omicron variant is spreading at unprecedented speed and has already been detected in 106 countries.

South Korea set a new record for COVID deaths and the highly transmissible Omicron variant could soon become the dominant strain.

In Germany, new restrictions will begin after Christmas to slow the spread of the new Omicron variant,