TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday that Japan will release oil, which would be the first time for the resource-poor country, to try reducing prices by tapping oil reserves.

"Japan has decided to act in tandem with the United States and sell a portion of the state-owned stockpiles in a manner that does not violate the oil stockpiling law," said Kishida. (Japan-Release Oil)

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WELLINGTON -- Fully vaccinated New Zealanders will find it easier to come home from January 2022, with foreign nationals to follow from April onwards, as the government removes the requirement for managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) for most travelers, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.

Fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travelers can travel to New Zealand from Australia without staying in MIQ from 11:59 p.m. local time on Jan. 16, 2022, according to a plan announced by Hipkins at a press conference. (New Zealand-COVID-19)

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CANBERRA -- The Australian government has announced it will establish a new commission to help end violence against women and children.

With 22.4 million Australian dollars (16.1 million U.S. dollars) in funding over five years, the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission will be tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent violence and developing policy to address violence against women. (Australia-Domestic Violence-Prevention)

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NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 34,535,763 on Wednesday, as 9,283 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.

Besides, 437 deaths due to the pandemic since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 466,584. (India-COVID-19 Cases-Update)