Sydney

The hard-hit United States has passed a hopeful milestone as half its adults have had at least one Covid vaccine dose and from Monday all its over 18s will be eligible to get their shot, AFP reported.

Torrential rain lashed Australia's southeast again on March 22, worsening once-in-a-century flooding that has forced 18,000 people to evacuate their homes and shuttered hundreds of schools.

The days-long deluge has inundated coastal areas of New South Wales, the country's most populous state, including parts of Sydney.

Australia's most populous state of New South Wales on March 21 issued more evacuation orders following the worst flooding in decades.

The New South Wales State Emergency Services responded to 640 calls for help on March 20 night, including 66 for flood rescues.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that hundreds of people have been rescued from the waters.

The incident occurred in Sydney, Australia

The finishing touches were being put on a glitzy show at the Sydney Opera House on Jan. 2, as the venue prepared to host an opera crowd for the first time since March.

"The Merry Widow" will open on Jan. 5 to masked audiences up to 75 percent capacity, in a sign of hope for a performing arts industry crippled by the pandemic, artistic director Lyndon Terracini told AFP.

From Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Acropolis, fireworks burst in skies above eerily deserted landmarks as the world ushered in the New Year with muted celebrations and said good riddance to a pandemic-ridden 2020.

Restrictions are being placed on New Year festivities around the world as many countries struggle to curb new spikes in coronavirus cases.

Fireworks displays and other public gatherings have been cancelled from Sydney to New York.

Festivities are being particularly muted in Europe, amid fears over a new more contagious strain of the disease.

This New Year's Eve is being celebrated like no other, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many people bidding farewell to a year they'd prefer to forget.

President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR), Mihai Covaliu, told AGERPRES that the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games could represent "the light at the end of the dark tunnel" the COVID pandemic has driven humanity into. "Team Romania's top performance athletes show us that they know how to face challenges.

The European Union began a vaccine rollout on Dec. 26, even as countries in the bloc were forced back into lockdown by a new strain of the virus, believed to be more infectious, that continues to spread from Britain.