The UK has started rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first Western country to begin vaccinating its population against infection from the new coronavirus.
Meanwhile in the US, Anthony Fauci, the countrys top infectious disease expert, warned that the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday season may be worse than the recent Thanksgiving season in terms of spreading the virus.
And Japan announces fresh $708bn economic stimulus package to speed up the recovery from the countrys deep coronavirus-driven slump.
Here are the latest updates:
8 mins ago (08:06 GMT)
Fauci warns of post-Christmas COVID-19 surge in the US
Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, has warned that the upcoming holiday season may be even worse than Thanksgiving in terms of spreading the coronavirus.
Fauci told CNN that because the traditional Christmas season is an extended period that stretches into New Years, the prospects for spreading the virus as people travel may be even more compounded than what we saw at Thanksgiving.
After millions ignored expert advice and travelled for the Thanksgiving holiday in November, Fauci anticipated Americans would once again behave recklessly during Christmas and New Years Eve festivities.
13 mins ago (08:00 GMT)
Turkey could start Chinese COVID-19 vaccination this month: report
Turkey could start administering Chinas Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month after analysis for domestic licensing is complete, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca was quoted as saying by Sozcu newspaper.
Koca said shipments of Sinovacs Coronavac vaccine will arrive after December 11. The vaccine, which has been undergoing Phase 3 trials in Turkey and other countries, will need another two weeks of testing and analysis, the paper said.
In November, Turkey signed a contract to buy 50 million doses of Coronavac, to be delivered in batches between December and February.
17 mins ago (07:57 GMT)
UKs Johnson thanks health workers after COVID vaccine launch
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the start of a COVID vaccination programme and thanked health workers, scientists and people who had volunteered for testing.
We will beat this together, Johnson said in a message on social media, and urged the public to continue to follow guidance aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
60 mins ago (07:14 GMT)
British grandmother is the first person to get Pfizer vaccine outside trial
Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Britain, has become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside of a trial following its rapid clinical approval, Reuters reported.
Keenan received the jab at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, on Tuesday morning at 06:31 GMT, a week before she turns 91.
I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19, said Keenan.
1 hour ago (07:09 GMT)
India reports lowest daily rise in COVID-19 cases since July
India has reported 26,567 new coronavirus infections, data from the health ministry showed, the lowest daily increase since July 10, according to a Reuters tally.
Daily cases have been falling in India since hitting a peak in September. The country has 9.7 million cases, second-highest caseload in the world after the US.
Deaths rose by 385, the health ministry said, with the total now at 140,958.
1 hour ago (07:09 GMT)
Australias western state removes quarantine requirements for more travellers
The state of Western Australia has begun allowing travellers from Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) to enter without having to quarantine for the first time in eight months, the latest sign the country is returning to some kind of normalcy.
Passengers on a Qantas flight arrived in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, from Sydney to emotional scenes of families reuniting after months of separation.
The move comes as Australias two most populous states have seen little to no new cases in recent weeks, and underscores Australias success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide.
1 hour ago (07:09 GMT)
Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 14,054: RKI
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has increased by 14,054 to 1,197,709, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases show.
The reported death toll rose by 423 to 19,342, the tally showed.
1 hour ago (07:09 GMT)
Japan unveils $708bn in fresh stimulus for COVID-19 recovery
Japan has announced a fresh $708bn economic stimulus package to speed up recovery from the countrys deep coronavirus-driven slump, while targeting investment in new growth areas such as green and digital innovation.
The new package will include about 40 trillion yen ($384.54bn) in direct fiscal spending and initiatives aiming to reduce carbon emissions and boost the adoption of digital technology, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a meeting with ruling party executives.
Policymakers globally have unleashed a wall of monetary and fiscal stimulus to prevent a deep and prolonged recession as the coronavirus closed international borders and sent millions out of work.