Here’s a roundup of the top developments from around the world today.
1. WHO recommends drugs from Eli Lilly, GSK-Vir, expands COVID-19 treatment pool
A panel of the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of two drugs by Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology. COVID-19 Rapidly expanding treatment options, connecting patients omicron The version provides several ineffective. WHO data shows that Omicron, which is evading the protection provided by many vaccines and treatments, has been identified in 149 countries.
The panel on Thursday strongly recommended Lilly’s baricitinib, sold under the brand name Olumiant, for patients with severe COVID-19 in combination with corticosteroids, while GSK-Vir for non-serious patients at highest risk of hospitalization. is in. is in. Conditionally supported antibody therapy. So far, GSK-Vir’s monoclonal antibody therapy is the only one that has shown effectiveness against Omicron in laboratory trials, while similar treatments from Eli Lilly & Company and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals have provided less protection in such trials.
2. Pakistan Passes Controversial Finance Bill
Pakistan’s National Assembly on Thursday passed the controversial Finance (Supplementary) Bill, also known as the “mini budget”, despite strong opposition from opposition parties. The government on December 30 approved a $6 billion expanded funding facility by the International Monetary Fund, aimed at raising more taxes and duties and empowering the central bank to meet a key condition.
The opposition claimed the additional taxes would harm an already burdened public, while the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2021, which was passed along with the Finance Bill, made the central bank stronger than the government and its will. Will give will work with
3. Last year was world’s sixth warmest on record, say US scientists
Last year ranked as the sixth warmest year on record, causing extreme weather events around the world and providing evidence that the world has been warming for a long time, according to an analysis released Thursday by two US government agencies. Is. Is. Data compiled by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA also showed that the past eight years were the eight warmest and the previous decade was the warmest since record-keeping began in 1880, officials said.
Warming in 2021 occurred despite the presence of La Nia in the eastern Pacific Ocean, a cooling trend that generally lowers global temperatures. Last year, a severe heat wave in the US Pacific Northwest, heavy rain from Hurricane Ida and flooding in Germany and China were linked to global warming, agencies said.
4. Britain’s Prince Andrew loses royal and military contacts
Prince Andrew’s own military ties and royal patronage were removed on Thursday and will no longer be referred to as “His Royal Highness”, Buckingham Palace said, as Queen Elizabeth’s son accused the US of sexually assaulting him. was sued. fights. has been accused of.
Andrew, 61, Duke of York, was forced to step down from public duties in 2019 due to his relationship with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and what to expect from the prince after a devastating BBC TV interview Your name will be clarified. The royal family’s move on Thursday means he will now lose all royal connections.
5. Blinken says US working on Havana syndrome after diplomats’ illnesses in Paris, Geneva
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview on Thursday that the US still does not know what causes or is responsible for the disease called Havana syndrome, even after more US diplomats in Paris and Geneva have become ill. Blinken said the entire federal government is working to get to the bottom of the disease, which has afflicted nearly 200 American diplomats, officials and family members abroad.
“To this day, we don’t know exactly what happened and we don’t know who is responsible,” Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported additional illnesses among officials serving in US diplomatic missions in Paris and Geneva, where the United States and Russia held security talks on Monday over building Moscow’s military near the border with Ukraine.