


Clashes, Arrests As New Zealand Police Clear COVID Protest
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police and anti-vaccine protesters clashed on the grounds of New Zealand's parliament Thursday, with more than 50 arrested after demonstrators who camped outside the legislature for three days were ordered to move on.

Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Top 400 Million: US University
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Cumulative novel coronavirus cases worldwide have exceeded 400 million, the US-based Johns Hopkins University said.

China Locks Down Southern City As Omicron Variant Surges
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China has ordered inhabitants of the southern city of Baise to stay home and suspended transportation links amid a surge in COVID-19 cases at least partly linked to the omicron variant.

New Zealand PM Warns of More COVID Variants in 2022
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant and New Zealand will have to prepare for more variants of the virus this year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday in her first parliamentary speech for 2022.

Easing Curbs in 'COVID-Zero Regions' Could Cause 2 Million Deaths in A Year: China Study
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Restoring normal population mobility to "COVID-zero regions" like China will cause some 2 million deaths in a year and the key to controlling the virus is developing vaccines that are better at preventing infection, Chinese researchers said.

Ottawa Mayor Declares State of Emergency to Deal with Trucking Blockade
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Sunday declared a state of emergency to help deal with an unprecedented 10-day occupation by protesting truckers that has shut down much of the core of the Canadian capital.

Turkish President Erdogan Tests Positive for Omicron Two Days after Meeting Zelensky in Kiev
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Turkish President took to Twitter to announce that he and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus and have mild symptoms.

Russia Sees New Record of Daily COVID-19 Cases
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia has registered 177,282 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day increase to date, taking the national tally to 12,630,047, the official monitoring and response center said Saturday.

COVID-19 Protest: Ottawa Police Vow Crackdown on Truckers Blockading City Center
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ottawa police vowed on Friday to crack down on an "increasingly dangerous" protest by hundreds of truckers who have shut down the centre of the Canadian capital for eight days to demand an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

US Coronavirus Deaths Surpass 900,000, Driven in Part by Omicron Surge
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The coronavirus pandemic reached a grim new milestone in the United States on Friday with the nation's cumulative death toll from COVID-19 surpassing 900,000, even as the daily number of lives lost has begun to level off.

Canada Police Warn of Guns at Trucker Protest against Vaccine Mandate
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police in Ottawa see signs that guns have been brought into a truckers' protest against vaccine mandates that has paralyzed the Canadian capital, the police chief said on Wednesday, adding that calling in the military would pose major risks.

Beijing Says COVID-19 Situation 'Controllable,' 'Safe'
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Beijing reported three new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as officials said the virus situation was under control with the Olympic Games set to open later in the week.

Tokyo’s Daily COVID-19 Infections Exceed 20,000 for First Time
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tokyo’s new COVID-19 cases exceeded 20,000 for the first time on Wednesday, dimming hopes that an omicron-fueled wave of infections is peaking out in Japan.

Huge Volumes of COVID Hospital Waste Threaten Health: WHO
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles from the COVID-19 pandemic have piled up to create tens of thousands of tones of medical waste, threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report said on Tuesday.

Beijing Olympics Says Growing COVID Cases Are ‘within Controllable Range’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The COVID-19 situation at the Beijing Winter Olympics is within the "expected controllable range", despite increasing positive cases being detected, a senior official at China's Olympics Pandemic Prevention and Control Office said on Tuesday.

Thousands Protest over COVID Restrictions in Czech Republic
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Thousands of people took part in a protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Prague, the Czech Republic, on Sunday, claiming that current restrictions are a “road to hell.”

Canadian PM Moved to Secret Location As Anti-COVID Rules Protests Flare-Up
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family have left their home in the country's capital and shifted to a secret location after a large-scale protest opposing COVID vaccine mandates converged on Parliament Hill, media reports said on Saturday.

Chinese Mainland Records 59 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Chinese mainland recorded 59 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, with 37 linked to local transmissions and 22 from overseas, data from the National Health Commission showed on Saturday.
