World

• The pandemic has killed and infected more people in the United States than anywhere in the world, and left millions out of work due to lockdowns.

• In a tweet, Fernandez, 61, expressed his gratitude to the state-backed Moscow research centre that developed the vaccine.

• "Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes."

• "I haven't been able to meet my son," said Garbey, whose son was born in the United States five months ago. "It's tough."

• The highly contagious H5N8 virus was first detected in a bird in a pet shop on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in November before spreading to duck farms on the mainland in December.

• It has also been forging closer ties with the United States, and last month, Washington removed Khartoum from its blacklist of "state sponsors of terrorism".

• The quake was felt on the northern Indonesian island of Sangihe, but similarly there were no injuries or damage reported.

• According to preliminary information, 33 people were in the building at the time of the fire and 15 of them died.

• Portugal has this week been breaking daily records in virus death tolls, with an extra 221 fatalities in 24 hours announced Thursday by the national health authorities.

• The increase must be accompanied by "greater mobility" by the peacekeepers.

• Nearly 40 COVID-19 patients had been turned away from Jakarta hospitals since the end of December, the group's findings showed.

• Democrats like Jason Furman, who chaired former President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

• "We remain concerned about the (human rights) situation in Turkey," Borrell said.

• A team of archaeologists uncovered the oldest mosque in the world, in the region of Tiberias in Northern Israel.
• The Al-Juma Mosque (or Friday Mosque) is in the South of Tiberias, at the foot of Mount Berenice.

• Around 89% efficacy comes from between days 14 and days 21 after the first dose," Hancock told lawmakers.

• The vaccine's Russian developers have said the shot has been found to be 91.4% effective in providing protection.

• He told reporters that the rescue team had collected more than 324 bags of body parts and plane parts.

• Trump accused the WHO of being "China-centric" in the initial stages of the outbreak, a charge rejected by Tedros.

• Moscow will relax some restrictions from Friday, including fully reopening colleges and specialist education institutions, the mayor of the Russian capital said.

• Merkel said Germany's vaccines regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, could offer Russia guidance on EMA's approval process for Sputnik V.

• Over the past week, cases around the continent decreased by nearly 7% compared to the previous week while deaths increased 10%, according to Africa CDC data.

• EU diplomats said this was premature as it was not yet clear if vaccinated people could still transmit the virus to others.

• Opposition party Left Bloc said the issues must be addressed, saying voters do not get to choose the "day and time when they unfortunately catch the virus".

• “Daesh terrorist groups might be standing behind the attacks,” Civil Defence chief Major General Kadhim Salman told reporters.
• Salman said the death toll had risen to 28 from 23 initially reported, with 73 more people wounded.

• Meanwhile, the government's top scientific adviser described some hospitals as looking like a war zone.

• "We will have a second semester that will have the virus and a lot of constraints," Macron said.

• The last reported swine fever outbreak in China was on Oct. 26, when authorities seized a vehicle that was illegally taking pigs into Sichuan province from another region.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Harris, calling her swearing-in a "historic occasion".

• Serum Institute is producing millions of doses of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

• The Biden administration is also expected to keep the pressure on China over trade and human rights, after Trump launched a bruising trade war that imposed billions of dollars in tariffs on Chinese goods.

• Still, the group's sleeper cells have continued to operate in desert and mountain areas, typically targeting security forces or state infrastructure with low casualty attacks.

• Just across the Gulf from Iran, Bahrain is a longstanding Western ally and home to the US Fifth Fleet.

• The report alleges that the 17,691 square metre mansion sits on a property 39 times the size of Monaco and features a casino hall, along with a theatre and a hookah lounge complete with a pole-dancing stage.

• A new study revealed that a 61-year-old man, suffering from renal failure and progressive lymphadenopathy, contracted the coronavirus, and over the span of a few months it was observed that it had an anti-tumour response.
• Shortly after his diagnosis, he was admitted to the hospital with breathlessness and wheezing, and was diagnosed with the coronavirus. After 11-days of medical care, he was discharged to recuperate at home, with no additional immuno-chemotherapy being administered.

• The administration also plans to invoke the Defence Production Act to boost supply of personal protective equipment, lab equipment and to maximize vaccine production.

• He also cited the need for more oxygen supplies, which he said was becoming "critical."

• But she pledged to heed the calls pre-dating Trump for Germany and Europe to do more to foster global security particularly on defence.

• Rescue teams initially lost precious time as it took more than a day for the accident to be reported.

• Restrictions on movement between provinces have been imposed since November, leaving about 80,000 people stranded in the capital.

• They have fleets of vehicles for transportation and are working with governments to make sure they reach their destinations on time.

• former President Donald Trump made a total of 30,573 false of misleading claims, during his time in office.
• Among the most repeated false claims that Trump spread was that he was responsible for the greatest economy in history.

• As people gathered around the victims, a second attacker detonated his bomb, the ministry's statement said.

• The nationwide death toll stands at 67,832.

• Vaccinations will begin as soon as possible, but the exact date has yet to be decided, he said.

• There were three people on board, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.

• The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Twitter's move.

• Under Trump, tensions with China plunged to a nadir over trade, security, technology, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and human rights.

• The drug is being produced by India's Serum Insitute, the world's biggest vaccine manufacturer.

• The virus has officially killed fewer than 5,000 people in China.

• Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs presented a summary to the Economic Coordination Committee, to scale up the Road to Makkah project.
• Under the Road to Makkah Project, initiated by Saudi Arabia, all the immigration requirements of pilgrims would be sorted out at the airport of origin.

• The building belonging to the Church of the Virgin de la Paloma and San Pedro el Real located next-door, was completely destroyed in the blast.

• Sweden has been skeptical about the use of face masks, with no recommendations about their use in public until late December.

• The pressure on food prices is especially sensitive in the run-up to the country's most important holiday.

Biden promised the deportation moratorium on the campaign trail. “For 100 days, starting January 22, 2021, DHS will pause removals for certain noncitizens ordered deported to ensure we have a fair and effective immigration enforcement system focused on protecting national security, border security, and public safety,” DHS said in a release announcing the memo.

• Britain, an EU member for 46 years, voted to quit in 2016 and completed its tortuous journey out of the bloc on Dec. 31, when Brexit fully took effect.
• The EU has 143 delegations, equivalent to diplomatic missions, around the world.

• The 23-year-old announced in 2019 that she would be renouncing her US citizenship.

• Takeda is also handling production in Japan of Novavax Inc's vaccine, with its domestic trial expected to begin next month.

• The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, rose to 113 from 58 a day earlier.

• On Saturday, the city where Covid-19 was first detected in late 2019 marks one year since it was locked down to crush the outbreak.

• Trump has not publicly conceded defeat and spent the months since November's election falsely claiming he was cheated out of a second term.

• The United States remains the worst-hit country, with around a fifth of the two million global Covid-19 deaths.

• U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the U.S. return to the Paris accord but added: “There is a very long way to go. The climate crisis continues to worsen and time is running out to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build more climate-resilient societies that help to protect the most vulnerable.”

• The vote was 84-10, with all the “no” votes coming from Republicans.

• Employment +50,000 in Dec, matching forecasts.
• Jobless falls to 6.6%, down from 6.8%, beating forecasts.

• The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, rose to 113 from 58 a day earlier.

• Bangladesh will from Thursday start receiving millions of India-made doses of another vaccine licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

• Lebanon has seen daily infection rates soar to the highest levels in the region, with over 6,000 cases reported on Friday.

• The nationwide rollout of the CoronaVac vaccine, produced by China's Sinovac, reached 1 million people in its first week.

• As President Joe Biden was sworn into office, the U.S Embassy in Israel briefly changed its Twitter account title to include the West Bank and Gaza.
• By the time the account was amended, it had already gained a great deal of speculation in the Israeli press.

• About 600 people are involved in the rescue, with as many as 25 ambulances waiting at the scene, as well as neurosurgeons.

• The controversial ban was introduced during Trump’s first week in office and restricted travel from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
• "These are just all starting points," Biden said, as he signed 15 executive actions on his first day in office.

• Guterres also congratulated Washington for rejoining the World Health Organization as one of Biden's first actions as president.

• European Commission chief said the bloc will soon expand vaccines beyond the BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna.

• Trudeau said he was "disappointed" by the move, which came shortly after Biden took office.

• The EU has a raft of major issues with Turkey, including Ankara's role in the Syria, Libya and Nagorny Karabakh conflicts.

• He urged the pro-government legislature, the National Assembly, to "take initiatives" towards a "new beginning" with Washington.

• The process has been stalled ever since, despite a third encounter in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.

• The order to stop work on the hulking steel fence was one of Biden's first acts after he was sworn in on Wednesday.

• Mexico welcomed the move, as well as his other immigration-linked reforms.

• "No injustice can last forever," Talaat Fahmy, the Islamic movement's official spokesman, told AFP in Istanbul.

• The ruling Democratic Progress Party described it as "a new breakthrough in 42 years".

• He said the challenge would be submitted "as soon as possible" in the court in the city of Seremban but could not confirm when it would begin.

• Veteran and incoming presidents along with campaigning hopefuls have long sought to lean on star power and song to bolster their images.

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