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Vaccine record reached: 1

Pakistan’s planning minister says his country has achieved a goal of fully vaccinating 70 million people by the end of 2021. The announcement Friday comes as Pakistan has recently stepped up its vaccination campaign as the new omicron variant spreads.

Infections soar: New coronavirus 2 infections soared again in Australia on Friday to a record of more than 32,000, just days after surpassing 10,000 for the first time. Experts say the explosion is being driven by the highly contagious omicron variant and a recent relaxation of restrictions in Sydney and other areas.

Factory activity up: Chinese

3 factory activity edged higher in December as supply disruptions eased and export demand weakened, a survey showed Friday. The monthly purchasing managers’ index issued by the national statistics agency and an industry group gained to 50.3 from November’s 50.1 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity accelerating.

Arson suspect dies: A 61-year4 old man whom the police suspected of setting the fire that killed 25 people this month at a psychiatric clinic in Osaka has died in a hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for smoke inhalation. Surveillance footage put the suspect, Morio Tanimoto, at the clinic just before the fire started Dec. 17. Cameras captured him earlier leaving his home on a bicycle, carrying two large bags that police believe contained gasoline.

Pope cancels visit: Pope Francis 5 canceled his New Year’s Eve tradition of visiting the life-sized Nativity scene set up in St. Peter’s Square to discourage large crowds from forming. Meanwhile, major Italian cities scrapped their traditional Dec. 31 open-air concerts as Italy battles a recordsetting surge in coronavirus cases.