Briefly

UNITED STATES

Democratic-led states drop mask mandates

Several Democratic-run US states have announced plans to lift mask mandates in indoor places and schools, as coronavirus infections decline in the United States. The announcements signaled a move toward a policy of accepting COVID-19 as part of everyday life. However, the World Health Organization lamented on Tuesday that half a million COVID-19 deaths had been recorded since the Omicron variant was discovered, calling the toll "beyond tragic".

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Gas explosion raises jitters after attacks

A gas blast in downtown Abu Dhabi prompted a warning of a possible attack early on Wednesday following a series of drone and missile assaults by Yemeni militias. The US embassy issued a security alert after the blast in a building just after midnight sent a fireball into the sky and set off a blaze. But emergency teams in the UAE capital "put out a fire caused by a gas cylinder explosion", the official WAM news agency said in a statement.

SWITZERLAND

Nation eyes clampdown on tobacco advertising

The Swiss will vote on Sunday on whether to tighten their notoriously lax tobacco laws by banning virtually all advertising of the health-hazardous products. Switzerland lags far behind most wealthy nations in restricting tobacco advertising－a situation widely blamed on hefty lobbying by some of the world's biggest tobacco companies headquartered in the country. Currently, most tobacco advertising remains legal at a national level, except on television and radio, or ads that specifically target minors.

Agencies via Xinhua