FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic won the right to take his fight against deportation from Australia to a Federal Court on Saturday after the government cancelled his visa for the second time over COVID-19 entry regulations. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a revolt by grassroots Conservative supporters who want him to resign after a series of revelations about parties held at his official Downing Street residence during national coronavirus lockdowns.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office apologised to Queen Elizabeth after it emerged that staff had partied late into the night in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, at a time when mixing indoors was banned.

* German health officials warned on Friday the coronavirus remained a serious threat as the Omicron variant is set to completely replace Delta in the coming days in a nation whose vaccination rates lag much of western Europe. * The UK Health Security Agency on Friday said it was increasingly confident that the Omicron coronavirus variant was less severe for adults, as it published its updated briefing on the variant.

* Thirteen of the 17 members of Poland's Medical Council advising the prime minister on COVID-19 resigned, state-run news agency PAP reported, condemning what they said was a lack of scientific influence on policy. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not been communicating well enough with educators, teachers unions say, as COVID-19 hospitalizations hit records in the country. * The Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator said that U.S. states now have more authority to use the National Guard to respond to the pandemic.

* The U.S. Treasury said it told Arizona officials the state's proposed COVID-19 education assistance programs targeted at schools without mask mandates violate usage rules for federal aid money to state and local governments, and the department may claw back funding. * Brazil is suffering a sharp rise in cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the country, putting pressure on health services and weighing on an already sputtering economy.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Bhutan has reported its first 14 cases of Omicron variant, a health official said, amid a surge of the pandemic in the Himalayan kingdom that has so far been relatively successful at keeping the disease at bay.

* China suspended four more incoming U.S. flights, bringing the total cancellation this year to 74, as infections caused by the Omicron variant soared to record highs in the United States. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Ethiopia demands that the World Health Organization investigate its leader for supporting rebellious forces fighting the Ethiopian government, the foreign ministry said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc said it has applied for Japanese government approval for its oral COVID-19 treatment. * A Johnson and Johnson vaccine booster shot is 85% effective in protecting against being hospitalised by the Omicron variant for 1-2 months after it is received, the head of South Africa's Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Global stock markets stumbled again and U.S. Treasury yields climbed as cautious investors considered imminent U.S. interest rate hikes and the uncertainty of their impact on the economy.

* European stocks slumped, with the STOXX 600 set for its biggest weekly loss since November, and Wall Street futures pointed to a mixed opening in the United States as investor expectations firmed for U.S. rate hikes to begin in March. * China posted a record trade surplus in December and in 2021, as exports outperformed expectations during a global pandemic.

(Compiled by Alexander Kloss and Marta Frackowiak; Edited by Milla Nissi, William Maclean)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)