News Archives for World - 2020-12-04

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USA

Pompeo says violence levels in Afghanistan 'unacceptably high'

The negotiations were to have begun on March 10 under an US-Taliban accord for a US troop withdrawal.
"I made clear to them that the violence levels can't continue while these negotiations go on and it won't work," Pompeo said.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 11:01pm

USA

WHO hopes to have half a billion vaccine doses through COVAX facility in Q1 2021

The goal is to get at least 2 billion doses by end of 2021 which will be enough to vaccinate 20 pct of populations of countries that are part of COVAX.
That is enough, just, to bring to an end the acute phase of pandemic.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 10:55pm

USA

Pompeo says Iran 'desperately' keen to return to talks for sanctions relief

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal.
US sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy but so far have not led to the opening of a negotiation for a new nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 10:39pm

World

WHO chief warns poor could be 'trampled' in vaccine push

Britain has become the first Western nation to approve a vaccine for Covid-19, with the United States and other countries expected to follow soon and begin mass immunization drives.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 09:37pm

China

China tweet that enraged Australia propelled by 'unusual' accounts, say experts

A Chinese official’s tweet of an image of an Australian soldier that sparked a furious reaction from Canberra was amplified across social media by unusual accounts, of which half were likely fake.
57.5% of accounts that engaged with Zhao’s tweet were fake, and “evidence of a largely orchestrated disinformation campaign” to amplify its message.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 09:12pm

Middle East

Saudi foreign min says he hopes efforts to end Gulf row succeed

Kuwait said earlier on Friday that progress had been made towards ending a row that has seen Saudi Arabia and its allies impose a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar since mid-2017.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 09:09pm

USA

White House's Kudlow says U.S. economy still strong despite jobs report

"When you look at the whole economic landscape, I would say it's still very strong and I would say it's still a V-shaped recovery,"

Published 04 Dec, 2020 09:06pm

Europe

UK defends fast pace of Covid vaccine approval

The UK's drugs regulator gave emergency approval for the vaccine on Wednesday, and the government plans to start rolling it out next week.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 08:43pm

South Asia

Gas leak traps 23 Chinese miners underground

Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced.

Updated 04 Dec, 2020 08:43pm

Europe

UK hangs tough on sovereignty as Brexit trade talks near climax

European Union officials stated that a post-Brexit trade deal could finally be clinched this weekend.
London insisted that negotiations were still “very difficult” and it was determined to “take back control” from the bloc it left 10 months ago.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 08:14pm

USA

First U.S. delivery of COVID-19 vaccine will leave out many high-risk workers

The U.S. government’s first shipment of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses will fall far short of protecting high priority groups such as healthcare workers.
The first shipment is expected to cover inoculations of 3.2 million people, nowhere near enough for the 21 million U.S. healthcare workers.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 08:03pm

USA

US job gains stall in November as Covid-19 cases surge

And while the Labor Department data showed the unemployment rate dipped to 6.7 from 6.9 percent, the lowest since the pandemic struck, 10.7 million workers remain unemployed.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 07:21pm

South Asia

China's Clover says its COVID-19 vaccines trigger ‘strong immune responses’ in early trial

The vaccines did not trigger any serious adverse reactions on the 150 adult and elderly people that participated in the trial, the company said.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 07:02pm

South Asia

Japan PM Suga says to decide new economic package next week

Suga also said Japan would set aside 1 trillion yen to promote digital transformation in the stimulus package.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:58pm

World

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 64.92 million, death toll at 1,505,057

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:57pm

Europe

Bulgaria prepares for COVID-19 vaccines as death rates spike

He has previously said Bulgaria expects to start inoculations a week after the first 125,000 shots of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrive around the New Year.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:38pm

South Asia

China's CNOOC says 'shocked, regretful' over being added to U.S. blacklist

The move was based on "false and inaccurate information", state-owned CNOOC said in a statement on its website.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:29pm

World

Moscow launches online registration for COVID-19 vaccination

Sputnik V, one of two Russian-made vaccines to have received regulatory approval in Russia despite clinical trials being incomplete, requires two injections.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:26pm

Europe

EU antitrust regulators order Italy to end tax exemptions for ports

The European Commission, whose decision came after a year-long investigation, said profits earned by port authorities from economic activities must be taxed under normal corporate tax laws.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:20pm

Europe

Norway to use three vaccines to stop COVID-19 from early 2021

In the first quarter of 2021, Oslo expects to receive a total of 2.5 million doses, covering 1.25 million people, pending approval of the vaccines from European regulators. Norway's population is 5.4 million.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 06:00pm

South Asia

Japan court revokes state approval for Ohi nuclear reactors

The court ruled in favour of about 130 plaintiffs who claimed that the Ohi No. 3 and No. 4 reactors are vulnerable to major earthquakes, according to Kyodo.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:54pm

South Asia

China says U.S. legislation targeting Chinese firms discriminatory

The U.S. Congress has passed legislation that would force Chinese firms to delist from U.S. exchanges unless they abide by U.S. accounting rules.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:52pm

Europe

Spain seeks to vaccinate 15-20mn people by mid-2021, PM says

The Spanish government intends to vaccinate between 15 and 20 million people against the coronavarius by May or June next year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:38pm

Europe

Swiss approve agreement on service workers mobility with Britain

The agreement, which also contains provisions on the recognition of professional qualifications, replaces the current measures on free movement of people which lapses on Jan.1.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:36pm

Europe

Brexit briefing for EU envoys cancelled due to ‘intensive negotiations’

An update on the latest in Brexit trade talks by EU negotiator Michel Barnier for national envoys to the bloc will not go ahead on Friday "due to the ongoing intensive negotiations in London".

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:32pm

Europe

Poland is not changing EU budget stance, says PM

"We say clearly that we are not able to accept the budget for the next seven years if at the same time that regulation is adopted. Our partners see that our position does not change," Morawiecki told.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:24pm

USA

First U.S. delivery of COVID-19 vaccine will leave out many high-risk workers

Across the country, state health departments are preparing local hospitals for the first shipments of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes it, possibly as early as mid-December.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:20pm

Europe

Irish GDP rose by 11.1pc during Q3 reopening of economy

Irish GDP fell by 3.2pc quarter-on-quarter from April to June, revised on Friday from an initial estimate of -6.1pc.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 05:18pm

USA

Biden says he has asked Fauci to stay on and join COVID-19 team

President-elect Joe Biden has asked top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci to continue in his job and serve as Biden’s chief medical adviser and on the COVID-19 team after Biden takes office on Jan. 20, Biden said on Thursday.
Despite news that vaccines against the virus may begin to be distributed in the coming weeks, the U.S. is experiencing a new surge in hospitalisations and deaths.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 04:40pm

World

India formally protests to Canada over Trudeau remarks on farm protests

The Indian foreign ministry said in a statement that comments on “issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs.”
Trudeau, speaking to the Indian community in Canada, said this week that he was concerned about the farmers, most of them from the Sikh-dominated state of Punjab, camped out on the outskirts of Delhi in a protest against farm reforms.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 03:59pm

Middle East

Iran refuses to renegotiate nuclear deal until Biden Administration re-enters JCPOA, according to Zarif

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the Rome Mediterranean Dialogue that if the incoming Biden Administration wants to re-enter the Iran Nuclear Deal, it must do so without any preconditions.
Zarif also spoke about the latest onslaught of U.S sanctions on Iran, which have hampered the country's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and impeded the regime's ability to provide vaccinations.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 03:44pm

World

Drug Dealers on the Dark Web are illegally selling 'Pfizer COVID Vaccines'

As the United Kingdom is slated to be the first country in the world to carry out a large-scale rollout of the Sars-CoV2 vaccine, the dark corners of the internet are inundated with the "Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine" for sale.
These unverified doses of the vaccine could cost as much as $1300 per dose; blatantly exploiting the unprecedented demand for vaccinations amidst the second wave of the pandemic.

Updated 04 Dec, 2020 04:40pm

Asia

Qatar foreign minister says there has been movement on resolving Gulf dispute

The United States and Kuwait have been working to end a row that has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt sever diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar since mid-2017. Washington says it wants a united Gulf front against Iran.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 02:30pm

South Asia

Indian Army Chief Gen. Naravane to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, indicating growing ties

Indian Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane will be travelling to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week, in an unprecedented move that can be seen as a reflection of the growing relationship between India and the Gulf States.

Updated 04 Dec, 2020 02:38pm

World

20 years of Afghan war only gave US "a modicum of success," admits Gen. Mark Milley

Trump's top military advisor says till the time the US is supporting the Afghanistan government, Taliban cannot military defeat the regime

Published 04 Dec, 2020 01:40pm

South Asia

3 killed and 19 injured in bomb blast in Paktia province

Three security personnel have been killed and 14 civilians injured in a bomb blast in the Paktia province in Afghanistan.

Updated 04 Dec, 2020 01:20pm

World

Trump spy chief labels China biggest threat to freedom since World War Two

Ratcliffe says he had shifted resources within the $85 billion annual federal budget allocated to intelligence to increase the focus on China

Published 04 Dec, 2020 12:48pm

World

COVID-19 could push one billion people into extreme poverty by 2030, UN warns

UN study suggests that the phenomenon can only be avoided by taking timely measures like investing in public health, social and safety net programmes and green transition

Published 04 Dec, 2020 11:04am

World

Iran likely to hold off on retaliation over scientist's killing, U.S. envoy says

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when Trump abandoned Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal, and restored harsh economic sanctions.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 10:18am

World

Biden says he'll publicly get a COVID-19 vaccine, keep Fauci

“People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work,” Biden said.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 10:15am

World

Russian, Chinese intelligence targeting Norwegian oil secrets: report

“PST expects that the use of economic tools and network operations will increase in the next 18 months,” it said.

Published 04 Dec, 2020 10:11am

South Asia

Cyclone hits Sri Lanka as southern India hunkers down

COLOMBO: Cyclone Burevi hit Sri Lanka overnight, rattling the island nation but leaving it relatively unscathed on...