Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Johnson 'Unfit For Job'
Dominic Cummings, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's former top aide, told lawmakers that "tens of thousands of people died" needlessly because of the government's disastrous handling of the pandemic. He said Johnson was "unfit for the job" and "changed his mind 10 times a day".
China Needles Taiwan
Beijing is accused of trying to block Taiwan from getting Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from Germany, with President Tsai Ing-wen condemning what she described as Chinese interference.
EU-AstraZeneca Court Battle
The European Union (EU) accuses AstraZeneca of a "flagrant violation" of its contract to provide vaccines for the bloc as it demands judges hit the drugs giant with big penalties.
J&J Jab Age Limit
Belgium temporarily limits Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine to people over 41 after the death of a woman who received the jab.
India Variant Spreads
The variant first detected in India has now been officially recorded in 53 territories, a World Health Organization (WHO) report shows.
Cancellation Chorus
Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper, an official Tokyo Olympics sponsor, calls for the Games to be cancelled in the latest sign of opposition less than two months before the opening ceremony.
Bleak Outlook In Brazil
The virus death toll in Brazil surpasses 450,000 as delays plague the hard-hit country's vaccine rollout and epidemiologists warn a new surge of infections could be coming
Germany's Fun Fund
Germany unveils a 2.5-billion-euro (US$3 billion) fund to revive the country's virus-hit cultural sector and encourage organisers to start planning events again.
Stadium Scare
Thousands of Australian sports fans are told to self-isolate and get tested after an infected spectator attended an Australian Rules football match in Melbourne, with the city racing to avoid another lockdown.
Pfizer For Teens
The European Medicines Agency will announce on Friday whether it has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech jab for 12- to 15-year-olds.
3.48 Million Dead
The pandemic has killed at least 3,487,457 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.
The US is the worst-affected country with 590,941 deaths, followed by Brazil with 452,031, India with 311,388, Mexico with 221,960 and Britain with 127,739.
The figures are based on reports by the health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies.
The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest. – AFP