Daily roundupTuesday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Luxembourgish Ministry of Health report that 961 new cases of coronavirus were detected over the last 24 hours.

• On Monday, the state council published it’s formal assessment of the amendment. As expected, the law passed with the votes of the majority parties Tuesday evening.

• Last week, the Green Party officially announced that it is in favour of a vaccine mandate for everyone from the age of 18.

• There are cases in which parents of primary school pupils have decided to homeschool their children because of the coronavirus restrictions in Luxembourg’s schools.

• The Ministry of Internal Security assures that it intends to be “adequately prepared” for the next demonstrations against the Covid-19 measures, notably for those that are to take place in front of hospitals.

• As of Monday, new procedures came into effect for those who get a positive result in a rapid test in class.

And Abroad

• US stocks mostly rose Tuesday as US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell vowed to be tough on inflation on the eve of the latest US inflation data.

• More than half of people in Europe are projected to catch Omicron by March, the WHO said Tuesday, as the World Bank warned the contagious variant could hamper the global economic recovery.

• Pfizer expects a Covid-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant to be ready in March, the company’s head said Monday.

• Israel‘s response to the Covid pandemic has been closely watched worldwide, notably for its rapid vaccine rollout and early decision to offer booster shots before there was broad scientific support for a third dose.

• World number one Novak Djokovic’s saga throws light on migrants’ ordeal in Australia.

• Heathrow on Tuesday said the number of passengers passing through London‘s main airport dropped more than 12 percent last year, with the Omicron coronavirus variant stalling recovery prospects.

• US Open champion Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open warm-up tournament lasted just 55 minutes after she was thrashed 6-0, 6-1 by Elena Rybakina at the Sydney International on Tuesday.

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was embroiled Tuesday in another scandal over his government’s alleged lockdown breaches as police said they were investigating a Downing Street gathering attended by dozens of top officials.

• More than 100,000 people have died in Poland from Covid since the start of the pandemic, the government said Tuesday, as the mortality rate in the country is among the highest in the world.

• Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic trained at the Australian Open venue Tuesday in search of a record 21st Grand Slam but his dream hung in the balance as the government pondered cancelling his visa, again.

• Every dog must have its day, but one young pup in India landed her human companions in hot water after police raided a Covid rule-breaking party staged for the coddled canine.

• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will highlight the central bank’s efforts to fight inflation and stabilize the US economy at his confirmation hearing, according to testimony released Monday.

• Bolivia‘s vice president David Choquehuanca, who touts indigenous treatments for Covid-19, has contracted the virus for a third time, the government said Tuesday, with six government ministers also testing positive.

• Japan will extend measures barring almost all new foreign arrivals until the end of February and reopen mass-vaccination centres as it battles an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus surge, the government said Tuesday.

• Cathay Pacific is being investigated and faces possible legal action over an Omicron variant coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong that began with the airline’s employees, the city’s leader said Tuesday.

• For Indian travel start-up founder Kovid Kapoor, it has made him a social media sensation.

• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he had Covid-19 for a second time and was experiencing mild symptoms, as the hard-hit country battles another wave of infections

• Five million residents of a central Chinese city were confined to their homes Tuesday while another megacity shuttered all non-essential businesses, as the country battles a spate of coronavirus outbreaks including from the Omicron variant.

• EuropeanParliament President David Sassoli, who died Tuesday at the age of 65, was a former television journalist who turned to politics a decade earlier as a centre-left MEP.

• Cubans are no strangers to queuing for everything from bread to toothpaste, often standing for hours under a blazing sun with no access to a toilet or drinking water, and always with the fear of leaving empty-handed.