World News Roundup: Swiss hospitals implore health minister; South Korea's Moon warns of toughest COVID-19 and more

Hamdok, who was accompanied by Sudanese security officials, also planned during his two-day visit to present his country's concerns about threats to its security along its border with Tigray, the source said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Swiss hospitals implore health minister to tighten coronavirus restrictions

The directors of five of Switzerland's largest hospitals have written to the health minister asking for urgent measures to reduce coronavirus infections, the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported on Sunday. In their letter to Health Minister Alain Berset, the directors of the university hospitals of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva said the pandemic was forcing them to postpone operations for patients with other life-threatening conditions while intensive care beds were becoming scarce.

South Korea's Moon warns of toughest COVID-19 curbs after two days of record cases

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in warned on Sunday that COVID-19 restrictions may be raised to the highest level after a second day of record increases in cases as the country battles a harsh third wave of infection. Presiding over an emergency meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the first time since February, Moon urged vigilance and called for an all-out efforts to contain the virus.

Germany to impose stricter lockdown to battle COVID-19

Germany will close most stores from Wednesday until at least Jan. 10, cutting short the busy Christmas shopping season, as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday. "I would have wished for lighter measures. But due to Christmas shopping the number of social contacts has risen considerably," Merkel told journalists following a meeting with leaders of the country's 16 federal states.

Leaders to push Brexit trade talks beyond Sunday deadline

London and Brussels agreed to "go the extra mile" in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent 'no deal' exit for Britain from the European Union's orbit at the end of the month. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the president of the EU's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators a Sunday deadline to find a way to resolve an impasse on arrangements that would guarantee Britain zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the EU's single market.

After fires, Australia gets ready for floods

Just days after bushfires threatened an Australian World Heritage site, thousands were bracing for floods on the subtropical east coast on Sunday, with beaches closed and the authorities urging people to sandbag their homes. With as much as 475 millimetres (18.7 inches) of rain in the previous 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a "severe weather warning" for the border area between New South Wales and Queensland states, a heavily populated area that includes the Queensland state capital Brisbane.

China reports 24 new COVID-19 cases, monitoring tourist spot Hainan

China reported 24 new coronavirus cases in the mainland on Sunday, up from 13 cases a day earlier, while the authorities were monitoring possible contacts in the domestic tourism hotspot of Hainan. There were five local cases and 19 imported infections on Saturday, according to a statement by the National Health Commission.

Sudanese PM arrives in Ethiopia with offer to mediate in Tigray

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok arrived in Ethiopia on Sunday with what a senior Sudanese government source said was an offer to mediate in the conflict in its northern Tigray region, a proposal Ethiopia's government dismissed as unnecessary. Hamdok, who was accompanied by Sudanese security officials, also planned during his two-day visit to present his country's concerns about threats to its security along its border with Tigray, the source said.

India farmers intensify protests as deadlock over new laws continue

Tens of thousands of Indian farmers on Sunday intensified their protests against three new agricultural laws aimed at overhauling food grain procurement and pricing rules by allowing private companies direct access to the vast agrarian sector. Angry farmers staged demonstrations near New Delhi after rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurances that the laws would double farmers' income.

Iran summons German ambassador over EU criticism of journalist's execution - media

Iran has summoned the ambassador of Germany, current holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, over EU criticism of the execution of an Iranian journalist, Iranian media reported on Sunday. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also plans on Sunday to summon the French envoy to Tehran, the semi-official Fars news agency said. France also strongly criticised the execution on Saturday of dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who had been based in Paris before he was captured and taken to Iran.

Bloomberg News Chinese staff member detained in Beijing

Chinese authorities have detained a Chinese national working for the Bloomberg News bureau in Beijing on suspicion of endangering national security, the news agency and China's foreign ministry said on Friday. According to a Bloomberg report, Haze Fan was seen being escorted from her apartment building by plain-clothes security officials on Monday, shortly after she had been in contact with one of her editors.