World News Roundup: Russia's total number of COVID-19 cases crosses 3 million mark; Thai protest demands help for shrimp sellers after virus outbreak and more

Infections of the virus that causes COVID-19 hit a record 949 in the capital just as Japan heads into New Year holidays that normally see people stream from the capital into the provinces.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russia's total number of COVID-19 cases crosses 3 million mark

The total number of cases of coronavirus infections in Russia crossed the 3 million mark for the first time on Saturday after officials recorded 29,258 new cases in the preceding 24 hours and 567 deaths. This brought the total number of cases of coronavirus in Russia since the start of the pandemic to 3,021,964, according to official data.

Thai protest demands help for shrimp sellers after virus outbreak

Thai protesters demonstrated on Saturday to demand more action to help seafood sellers hit by a COVID-19 outbreak as the government urged people to eat more shellfish. Thailand's worst outbreak of the new coronavirus was reported just over a week ago, with more than 1,500 infections now linked to a shrimp market outside Bangkok. Most of those infected have been migrant workers from Myanmar.

First case of new COVID variant found in France as cases rise

France recorded its first case of the new variant of coronavirus, as the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 mounted in the country, increasing concerns of a new wave of the virus hitting the euro zone's second-biggest economy. The French health ministry said a Frenchman who recently arrived back in France from London had tested positive for the new variant of the coronavirus. India detains 75 in Kashmir after local election

India's government detained at least 75 Kashmiri political leaders and activists to forestall political unrest after an alliance of Kashmir's regional political parties won a local election, leaders and a police official said on Saturday. The District Council election, concluded early this week, was the first such exercise since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government last year revoked the special status of the Muslim-majority, Indian-controlled region. New Delhi then cracked down on the opposition and rounded up hundreds of people to preempt protests and violence. U.N. peacekeepers killed in Central African Republic before election

Three United Nations peacekeepers were killed in Central African Republic, the U.N. mission there said on Saturday, as the government and its allies tried to fend off a rebel offensive ahead of Sunday's presidential and legislative elections. The Burundian peacekeepers were killed on Friday by unidentified assailants in Dekoa, about 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital Bangui, according to the U.N. mission, known as MINUSCA. Two more were injured, it said. Tokyo COVID-19 cases hit record, new strain arrives before New Year holiday

Tokyo reported a record rise in coronavirus cases on Saturday, as Japan experiences a surge that now includes a new, fast-spreading strain while the government urges people to stay home. Infections of the virus that causes COVID-19 hit a record 949 in the capital just as Japan heads into New Year holidays that normally see people stream from the capital into the provinces. U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden's wife shares photos of their new son

U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden's wife has given birth to a son, photographs posted on her social media page on Saturday showed. "Happy Holidays from our newly expanded family," Lindsay Mills wrote, sharing photographs on Instagram of the couple holding the newborn. Britain and EU publish text of narrow Brexit trade deal

Britain on Saturday published the text of its narrow trade agreement with the European Union just five days before it exits one of the world's biggest trading blocs in its most significant global shift since the loss of empire. The text includes a 1,246-page trade document, as well as agreements on nuclear energy, exchanging classified information, civil nuclear energy and a series of joint declarations. China reports 20 new COVID-19 mainland cases vs 14 a day earlier

Mainland China recorded 20 new COVID-19 cases on Dec. 25, compared with 14 cases the previous day, the country's health authority said on Saturday. The National Health Commission said in its daily bulletin that 12 of the new cases were imported. Of the eight locally transmitted cases, six came from the northeastern province of Liaoning and two from the capital Beijing. George Blake, last in line of Cold War spies who betrayed Britain, dies at 98

George Blake, who died in Russia on Saturday at the age of 98, was the last in a line of British spies whose secret work for the Soviet Union humiliated the intelligence establishment when it was discovered at the height of the Cold War. Britain says he exposed the identities of hundreds of Western agents across Eastern Europe in the 1950s, some of whom were executed as a result of his treason.