Drug regulators in India have authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, Corbevax and Covovax, for emergency use.
Why it matters: The Omicron strain of the coronavirus vaccine has led to global records of daily cases. These new vaccines could serve as potential lifelines for low- and middle-income countries that have been left behind in global vaccination, depending on how effective the vaccines are.
China, in a report filed to the United Nations earlier this month, accused SpaceX of endangering the country's new space station and taikonauts on board through close encounters with at least two of the company's Starlink internet satellites.
Why it matters: China also accused the U.S. of failing to meet its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty and said it isn't doing enough to ensure that the California-based company complies.
An international aid group Saturday accused Myanmar's military of killing more than 30 people, including women and children, during an attack in Kayah state on Christmas Eve.
Driving the news: Aid group Save the Children confirmed Tuesday that two members of its staff were killed in the attack.
U.S. and Russian officials have agreed to hold security talks on Jan. 10 amid escalating tensions over Ukraine, a National Security Council spokesperson confirmed Monday.
It may not be long before President Biden has to grapple with a North Korea crisis.
The big picture: Dictator Kim Jong-un has remained relatively quiet during Biden's presidency so far, keeping his threats and missile testing well below the “fire and fury” levels of the early Trump administration. But a quieter North Korea is not necessarily a less dangerous one.
A recent Delta flight from Seattle to Shanghai turned back midair due to new pandemic-related cleaning rules at the Shanghai airport, Delta confirmed Monday.
Driving the news: The new cleaning requirements, which Delta said were issued on Dec. 21, "require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta," the airline said in an emailed statement.
Israel started a trial of a fourth dose of a coronavirus vaccine Monday, becoming what's believed to be the first country to study an additional booster dose, according to AP.
Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last week ordered the rollout of a fourth dose of the vaccine to certain individuals in response to the threat of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
Ten of 2021's most extreme weather events in the world were driven by climate change and caused a total of $170.3 billion in damage — with the deadly Hurricane Ida that struck the U.S. the most costly, per a new study.
Why it matters: Each of the 10 most destructive weather events caused at least $1.5 billion in damage, and Ida cost $65 billion, according to the study by U.K. charity Christian Aid.
Heavy rains and flooding in northeastern Brazil have killed at least 18 people, wounded 286 others and displaced some 35,000 residents, AFP reported Sunday.
The big picture: The Brazilian state of Bahia has been pummeled by heavy rains since early November, causing two dams to burst over the weekend as more deaths from the extreme weather were confirmed, Reuters notes.
