The one-month countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has begun and preparations are in full swing. Hear what people from around the world are expecting from Beijing 2022.

The United States has started the New Year with unprecedented COVID-19 numbers and more cancelled flights amid the surge of Omicron. Meanwhile, South Korea has reported its first deaths linked to the coronavirus variant.

In 2021, China witnessed an array of landmark events, from space exploration and the eradication of extreme poverty to the country's response to climate change and the novel coronavirus.

China Media Group has selected its top-10 world stories for 2021. Here's a recap of the events that made the year extraordinary.

Authorities in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, have upgraded epidemic control and prevention measures to contain the latest resurgence of COVID-19 cases since Dec. 9.

Athletes are busy training for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games which will get underway in February next year. We'll hear stories of a U.S. biathlon athlete and a cross-country skier from Portugal.

Ice hockey is popular in European countries and in North America. But it has also been building a fan base here in Beijing. Many young adults have become enamored of the sport and are finding their edge at rinks in the host city of the 2022 Olympics.

Typhoon-hit areas in the Philippines are having a different Christmas while the plans of holidaymakers in many western countries are being disrupted by COVID-19.

Beijing Winter Olympic Games organizers call on all participants to obtain booster shots before coming to China. Meanwhile, a daily test is among the requirements for all participants during their stay in Beijing.

Chinese experts are calling for coordinated and unified efforts around the world to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming year.