FACTBOX - Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

AUSTRALIAN employment surged in February as the economy recovered surprisingly quickly from an Omicron outbreak, driving unemployment down to lows not seen since 2008 and piling on pressure for an early rise in interest rates. Read full story

EUROPE

* The WHO has delayed its ongoing assessment of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

* U.S. drugmaker Merck MRK.N said it would not make further investments in Russia but continue to supply life-saving medicines and vaccines to the country, as well as delivering 135,000 courses of its COVID-19 pill to Ukraine.

* In Kharkiv, critical COVID-19 patients are at the mercy of Russian bombardment.

* Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday night in Washington, complicating plans to appear alongside U.S. President Joe Biden at St. Patrick's Day events at the White House.

AMERICAS

* Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus.

* COVID-19 infections and deaths are declining in most of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization said, with the exception of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands.

* Canada will remove the need for incoming fully vaccinated travellers to get tested for COVID-19 before entering the country, starting on April 1, a source familiar with the plan said.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* The major Chinese technology hub of Shenzhen will allow its firms to resume work in an "orderly" manner after the suspension of non-essential businesses in an effort to contain an outbreak of COVID-19, a city official said.

* South Korea recorded a record 621,328 new daily COVID-19 cases and a daily record 429 deaths, authorities said on Thursday, as the country which once took an aggressive anti-pandemic approach is set to end COVID restrictions.

* Tesla TSLA.O said it was doing its best to keep production going at its Shanghai factory while it cooperates with China's COVID-19 prevention measures.

* Cambodia dispensed with a requirement for visitors from overseas to take COVID-19 tests, as the country moved ahead of most neighbours by relaxing most restrictions to spur more investment and tourism, officials said.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* The United Nations seeks to raise nearly $4.3 billion at a pledging event for Yemen, as aid agencies have been forced to cut back or stop vital health assistance after funding dried up - even before global attention turned to the conflict in Ukraine.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd's SVA.O COVID-19 vaccine was 38.2% effective in preventing infections during the Omicron wave in children aged three to five years, a study in Chile showed.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Japanese households accumulated a record $17 trillion in financial assets as of December last year, roughly four times the size of its economy, as the COVID-19 pandemic kept consumers housebound, saving their money instead of spending it.

* New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP) returned to growth in the final quarter of 2021 as the economy emerged from COVID-19 lockdowns, and economists said the data supported expectations the central bank would raise interest rates further.

* Japan and Hong Kong led a jump in regional stocks on Thursday, joining a rally on Wall Street overnight as potential risks from Federal Reserve monetary tightening to the Ukraine war and a slowdown in China became less murky.