9 STATES IN INDIA HAVE NOW CONFIRMED BIRD FLU

Delhi and Maharashtra have confirmed bird flu amid nationwide efforts to contain the spread. Seven other states including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat - had earlier confirmed Avian Influenza as the cause of the recent bird deaths.

US DEMOCRATS ARE PREPARING FOR TRUMP'S IMPEACHMENT OVER CAPITOL RIOTS

US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has shared her plans with the lawmakers to start the process. They are going to introduce a charge of "Incitement of insurrection" against Trump. Mr Trump has been accused by Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans of encouraging last Wednesday's riot in Congress in which five people died.

INDONESIAN LANDSLIDE TOOK AWAY THE LIVES OF 11 PEOPLE & 18 GOT INJURED

On Sunday, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management confirmed that the landslide caused by heavy rains in West Java's Village took away lives. Analysts reveal that the first landslide was triggered by high rainfall and unstable soil conditions. The landslide occurred while officers were still evacuating victims around the first landslide area.

CHINA CALLS FOR INSTANT RETURN OF ITS SOLDIER FROM THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY HELD BY THE INDIAN ARMY

A Chinese soldier was seized by the Indian Army in eastern Ladakh after he transgressed across the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). An official website of the PLA said that this occurred due to complicated geography. The Indian Army announced in a statement that the PLA soldier has been taken into custody. The soldier will be dealt with as per protocol. The basis of the circumstances under which he crossed the LAC is currently being investigated.

US HAS LIFTED THE LONG STANDING, SELF IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON CONTACTS WITH TAIWAN

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced that the "self-imposed" restrictions, introduced decades ago to appease the mainland Chinese government are now "null and void". He added that Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and a reliable US partner. This move will possibly increase tensions between Beijing and Washington.Tensions between Taiwan have increased in recent years. Beijing has tried to limit Taiwan's international activities. However, Taiwan seems to have strong commercial links with many countries.

THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT INDIA WILL LAUNCH ITS VACCINATION DRIVE AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS ON 16TH JANUARY.

PM Narendra Modi called it a "landmark step" and said the aim was to vaccinate 300 million people by July. India has a population of 1.3 billion. Healthcare staff and frontline workers will be among the first to receive doses, he added. India has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, after the US. The country's drugs regulator has given the green light to two vaccines - one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University (Covishield) and one by Indian firm Bharat Biotech (Covaxin).

A GLOBAL RACE IS ON TO VACCINATE PEOPLE AGAINST COVID-19. WITH INFECTIONS SOARING IN EUROPE MANY HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE ROLL-OUT IS TOO SLOW IN THE EU.

Member states decide individually who to vaccinate, when and where, but the EU is coordinating strategy and buying vaccines in bulk. On Friday, the EU Commission agreed to buy an extra 300 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - that would give the EU nearly half of the firm's global output for 2021.

FLEXING THE CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN RULES COULD BE FATAL, THE BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY HAS WARNED.

It comes after almost 60,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the UK on Saturday and the number of deaths after a positive test passed 80,000. Scientist Prof Peter Horby warned the UK was in "the eye of the storm". The UK recorded another 563 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Sunday, down from 1,065 deaths on Saturday. However, there tend to be fewer deaths reported on Sundays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend. There were also further 54,940 in daily cases.

CHINESE CORONAVIRUS STUDY FINDS THAT MANY PATIENTS SHOW SYMPTOMS SIX MONTHS LATER

Researchers who closely studied Covid patients in China found that three-quarters of them showed at least one symptom six months after falling ill. Two-thirds suffered from fatigue and muscle weakness. Over a quarter said that they had difficulty sleeping. More women than men have shown these lingering symptoms. The co-author of the study expressed deep concern about the unknown future of the patients' recovery.

PHILIPPINE LAWMAKER TO OPEN TALKS ON AMENDING CONSTITUTION

Philippines House Speakerrenewed a proposal to amend the country's Constitution by lifting restrictions from economic provisions in order to attract FDI. Mr Velasco said that a resolution from the Senate and the House of Representatives seeks to insert the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law" to several sections of the Constitution. This amendment will allow congress to free up the economy for foreign investors. The laws will also prohibit the president from appearing for re-election after a term of six years. There are different opinions on the proposed amendment but they are likely to come to a conclusion by the end of this year alongside the election of a new leader in 2021.