Morning news brief: US ends normal trade ties with Russia, Omicron lasts three days less than Delta, and more

Here are some of the top stories to start your day: As per a new study, people who have been inoculated with a booster dose recover more than three days earlier from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 than the Delta variant.

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Ukraine invasion: US Congress votes to end normal trade relations with Russia

Ratcheting up pressure on Russia, the US Congress on Thursday voted to end normal trade relations with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

Study says people inoculated with booster dose recover more than three days earlier from Omicron than Delta

Published in the Lancet medical journal, the study proved that the Omicron variant is less severe. It also confirms that those who have been infected by the variant are significantly less likely to lose their sense of smell.

Amid global energy crisis, IEA to release 120 million barrels of crude

In face of the global energy shortage that the world is experiencing due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has announced that its member countries will be releasing a whopping 120 million barrels of crude oil reserves over a period of six months.

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