WORLD

China is likely experiencing 1 million Covid infections and 5,000 virus deaths every day as it grapples with what is expected to be the biggest outbreak the world has ever seen, according to a new analysis.

The situation could get even worse for the country of 1.4 billion people. This current wave may see the daily case rate rise to 3.7 million in January, according to Airfinity Ltd., a London-based research firm that focuses on predictive health analytics and has been tracking the pandemic since it first emerged. There'll likely then be another surge of infections that will push the daily peak to 4.2 million in March, the group estimated.

Its modeling of the scale and toll of China's outbreak, which uses provincial data, shows the impact of the country's abrupt pivot away from Covid Zero far exceeds the government's tally.

In a first, an Indian Buddhist organisation on Tuesday (December 20, 2022) passed a resolution calling for no interference when it comes to the succession of the 14th Dalai Lama and appointment of the next (15th) Dalai Lama.

The Indian Himalayan council of the Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT) in a resolution said, "If the government of the People's Republic of China, for political ends, chooses a candidate for the Dalai Lama, the people of the Himalayas will never accept it, never pay devotional obeisance to such a political appointee and publicly denounce such move by anyone".

The one-page resolution said, "System of recognizing reincarnated spiritual beings is a religious practice unique to Nalanda Buddhism and the philosophy of the principle of life after death."

America shares multifaceted relationships with India and Pakistan and does not want to see a "war of words" but a constructive dialogue between the two nations for the betterment of their people, a top US official has said. Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

"We have a global strategic partnership with India. I have also spoken about the deep partnership we have with Pakistan. These relationships in our mind are not zero-sum. We do not view them in relation to one another," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday when asked about the recent outburst against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in New York.

Donald Trump accused House lawmakers on Monday of recommending "fake charges" against him as part of an attempt to prevent him from running for the White House again.

"The Fake charges made by the highly partisan Unselect Committee of January 6th have already been submitted, prosecuted, and tried in the form of Impeachment Hoax #2," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "I WON convincingly."

"This whole business of prosecuting me is just like impeachment was -- a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party," he said.

A day after India launched a no-holds-barred attack on Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his "uncivilised" outburst against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the former called PM Modi "butcher of Gujarat", Pakistan minister Shazia Marri has now threatened India with "nuclear war." 

In a news conference on Saturday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Shazia Marri said, "Pakistan knows how to answer. India should not forget that Pakistan has an atom bomb. Our nuclear status is not meant to remain silent. We will not back down if the need arises."

Pakistan Minister Shazia Marri threatened India, saying the "country will not sit back if it is slapped. Pakistan will respond with equal intensity."