United States jobless claims – a proxy for layoffs – climbed by 23,000 last week to 230,000 for the week ending January 8The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose in the first week of January amid raging COVID-19 infections, but that number still remains low by historical standards.

Freezing temperatures and frozen assets are a lethal combination for the people of AfghanistanThe UN secretary-general has warned that millions of Afghans are on the “verge of death” - urging the international community to fund the UN’s $5 billion humanitarian appeal, release Afghanistan's frozen assets, and jump-start its banking system to avert economic and social collapse.

COVID-19 cases reported in almost all Caribbean cruisesAlmost all of the 89 cruise ships currently sailing through the Caribbean have travelers with Covid-19, specified a note from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

​Prior to the attack, the Prime Minister attended a Te Deum at the cathedral in the city of Gonaïves​The Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, escaped unharmed Saturday from an attack that occurred while he was participating in a ceremony to commemorate 218 years of national independence.