Reuters World News Summary

South Africa's total COVID-19 cases cross 1 million mark South Africa's total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday, its Health Ministry said, just days after a new faster spreading variant was confirmed to be present in the country.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Storms kill 12 climbers in Iran, capsized ship crew missing in Gulf

Heavy snowfall has killed 12 climbers in mountains north of Iran's capital, Tehran, while rough waters capsized a ship in the Gulf and left its crew missing, state media reported on Sunday. Heavy snow and high winds in several parts of Iran in the past few days have closed many roads and disrupted transport. Sudan deploys troops in South Darfur after tribal violence - report

Sudan will deploy "large numbers" of troops to South Darfur state after the killing of 15 people in tribal violence recently, the state news agency cited the state governor as saying on Sunday. The state is part of the restive Darfur region, in the west of Sudan, which suffered a bitter conflict that erupted in 2003. UK reports 30,501 new COVID cases on Sunday

The United Kingdom on Sunday reported 30,501 new COVID-19 cases, government statistics showed, with a further 316 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. The government's coronavirus portal said the figures reflected data from England and Wales but said there was no new data from Northern Ireland and no new deaths data from Scotland owing to the Christmas holidays. South Africa's total COVID-19 cases cross 1 million mark

South Africa's total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday, its Health Ministry said, just days after a new faster spreading variant was confirmed to be present in the country. The grim milestone comes nine days after the country, the worst hit in Africa, reported 900,000 cases. The country had taken two weeks to reach 900,000 from the 800,000 seen early in December. Europe rolls out 'new weapon' vaccines in bid to slay COVID

Europe launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive on Sunday with pensioners and medics lining up to get the first shots to see off a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide. "Thank God," 96-year-old Araceli Hidalgo said as she became the first person in Spain to have a vaccine at her care home in Guadalajara, near the capital Madrid. Cold chain doubts delay COVID-19 vaccinations in some German cities

Germany's coronavirus vaccination campaign faced delays in several cities on Sunday after temperature trackers showed that about 1,000 of the shots made by BioNTech and Pfizer may not have been kept cold enough during transit. "When reading the temperature loggers that were enclosed in the cool boxes, doubts arose about the compliance with the cold chain requirements," the district of Lichtenfels in the north of Germany's largest state, Bavaria, said in a statement. Turkey says delivery of Sinovac vaccines postponed due to COVID-19 case in Beijing customs

The delivery of the first shipment of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine from China to Turkey has been postponed "1-2 days" due to a case of the coronavirus in Beijing customs, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Sunday. Turkey has agreed to purchase 50 million doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac and was expecting the first delivery of 3 million doses on Monday. It will also procure 4.5 million doses of the vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pifzer, with an option to get 30 million more doses later. Uganda's Bobi Wine says bodyguard killed by police who deny charge; three reporters hurt

Ugandan presidential candidate and pop star Bobi Wine said one of his bodyguards was killed on Sunday when military police ran him over while Wine's convoy was taking a journalist wounded by police to seek medical help. The military police said the bodyguard had fallen from a speeding car. Israel speeds vaccines, locks down in hope of March exit from pandemic

Israel began what officials hope will be its last coronavirus lockdown on Sunday as they ramp up vaccinations to a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said may allow an emergence from the pandemic by March. If realised, that could help Netanyahu's re-election hopes after missteps that include lifting a first lockdown with a premature declaration of victory in May, inconsistent enforcement of curbs and sluggish economic relief. Italy kicks off vaccinations against COVID-19 in Rome

Almost 10 months after the first Italian patient tested positive for the new coronavirus, Italy on Sunday vaccinated the first residents against COVID-19. Three health workers at the Rome Spallanzani hospital were inoculated shortly before 0700 GMT with the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a statement by the commissioner for the epidemic Domenico Arcuri said.