EUROPE

* German police have unleashed water cannon and pepper spray in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry about new coronavirus restrictions.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his government's handling of the procurement of protective equipment, after a spending watchdog said suppliers with political links were fast-tracked.

* Ukraine faces a "very severe" period of cases but says it will not tighten lockdown restrictions because measures taken last week should stabilise the situation.

* Portugal has set up a vaccination task force and hopes to start distributing shots as early as January.

AMERICAS

* The US death toll approaches 250,000, with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing the country's largest school district will halt in-person learning.

* Pressure for a fresh relief bill is mounting on Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress, as a top Wall Street figure lambasts lawmakers as "childish" for not moving forward with assistance.

* Vaccinating 20 per cent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean will cost more than $US2 billion ($A2.7 billion) but low-income countries will receive assistance, the World Health Organisation says.

* Canada, which has reserved enough doses to vaccinate residents several times over, is reportedly in talks about a plan to donate shots to lower-income countries.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Daily cases in Tokyo and South Korea have hit fresh highs, as pollution-cloaked New Delhi struggles with rising cases and Australia reports a highly contagious strain which forced a state-wide lockdown.

* Taiwan will from next month require almost all visitors to have negative tests before arriving.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Total cases in Africa have surpassed the 2 million mark despite the slow addition of reported infections.

* Iran has registered 13,421 new infections in 24 hours, a new daily record.

* Turkey's government is urging "tight discipline" as the country prepares for new weekend curfews, online schooling and limits on restaurants and cafes.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Sinovac Biotech's experimental vaccine has triggered a quick immune response but the level of antibodies produced is lower than in people who recover from the disease.

* Governments and officials are voicing hopes vaccines could bring "herd immunity" but some experts say such expectations are misplaced.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Global shares have hit a record for a third straight day while the dollar moved off earlier lows as further positive vaccine news helped temper concerns about rising infections.

* Global debt is expected to soar to a record $277 trillion by the end of the year as governments and companies continue to spend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian Associated Press