World Coronavirus Dispatch: Relatives of victims to sue Italian politicians

Japan's new PM faces public ire over meal with celebs, Experts warn against hasty travel bans, Spain's Christmas lottery brings cheer, and other pandemic-news across the globe

Experts warn against hasty travel bans

Alarmed by the new coronavirus variant that has found in UK, many nations in Europe and elsewhere suspended travel links to and from the country. But experts are skeptical of imposing the travel bans, that have devastating economic consequences. They say countries are imposing restrictions from an assumption that the virus was already not circulating widely everywhere. But that might not be entirely true as the variant might have already spread in different countries, but it will not be detected due to the weak surveillance systems that many countries have. Read here 

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 78,028,353

Change Over Yesterday: 546,081

Global deaths: 1,717,510

Nations with most cases: US (18,236,615), India (10,099,066), Brazil (7,318,821), Russia (2,878,382), France (2,547,577).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.

Japan’s new PM facing public anger over meal with celebrities

Japan's new prime minister Yoshihide Suga's popularity has taken a hit recently over his dinner with celebrities, that was apparently held by breaking the country's Covid-19 protocols. As cases rise in Japan, many are questioning his double standards, and why is he asking people to stay at home. With Tokyo assembly elections scheduled in the summer, political analysts are doubting whether he would be able to get people behind him. A recent poll revealed 40 per cent opposed his government, and 38 per cent showed their support. Read here

Relatives of Covid victims to sue Italian politicians

Many relatives of people who died due to coronavirus have come together to sue Italy's leading politicians including the prime minister and health minister. They say the country's rulers were responsible for the disaster that unfolded in the country and there was no clear cut plan to stop the spread of the virus. They also allege that the country's "severely outdated" plan, had never been tested to establish if it is acutally the right strategy. The lawsuit will focus on the responsibility of the state and admission of it. Read here

Spain’s Christmas lottery brings cheer in a difficult year

Like elsewhere, 2020 was a daunting year those in Spain. The holiday season didn't offer much to look to forward to either. As authorities urged caution because of the virus, the usual bustling streets with sparkling wine were missing. But the country's popular lottery had brought smiles to many as it will roll out a total of $2.9 billion in smaller prizes to hundreds of lucky ones who got the right tickets. Read here

Australia wants students back

A hub for higher education, the coronavirus has severly dented the education tourism in Australia due to travel restrictions. Having contained the outbreak relatively well, the authorities are now planning to woo foreign students back into the country. They launched a limited pilot programme that allow students gradually. There are strict quarantine rules for those who come in before taking any classes. Australia has a high number of international students per capita among English-speaking countries. Read here