January 12, Wednesday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.The World Health Organization has warned that more than half of the population in Europe, Russia and Central Asia could be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the next six to eight weeks.
2.The head of the US Federal Reserve says the economy no longer needs the same supports the central bank introduced during the pandemic. Jerome Powell warned of the “severe threat” posed by high inflation. He said the Fed would be prepared to raise interest rates repeatedly if it sees persistent inflation.
3.Japan’s foreign ministry says more than 3,600 people at US military facilities in Japan were infected with the coronavirus as of Monday afternoon. Over 60 percent of the cases were in the southern prefecture of Okinawa.