News Archives for World - 2021-01-23

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Europe

Don't talk on the subway, say French doctors, to limit COVID-19 spread

The mandatory wearing of masks on public transport, where social distancing is not possible, should by accompanied by one very simple precaution: avoid talking and making phone calls.
"It is not an obligation, it is a recommendation," he said.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:12pm

Middle East

Israel expands vaccination campaign to teens

The health ministry had on Thursday announced it was allowing the inoculation of high school students aged 16-18, subject to parental approval.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:06pm

Middle East

Hundreds march in Tunisia as protests sharpen

Protesters chanted "the people want the fall of the regime" - a chant popularised during the so-call Arab Spring a decade ago.
The protests, 10 years after a popular revolt against autocratic rule introduced democracy in Tunisia.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:06pm

Europe

Russia arrests over 1,000 Navalny supporters at anti-Putin rallies

The protests in Moscow were estimated to be the largest demonstrators since 2019 when Navalny supporters rallied to demand free local elections.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:04pm

Europe

Portugal breaks its daily record for COVID-19 cases and deaths

The country of 10 million people, which fared better than many others in the first wave of the pandemic.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:04pm

Europe

New warning on vaccine supplies sparks EU concern

The European Union has so far approved vaccines from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech as well as from US company Moderna.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:02pm

Africa

Ocean Viking rescuers pick up hundreds of migrants off Libya

More than 1,200 died last year while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 09:00pm

USA

Chicago teachers vote on job action, claim schools not ready to reopen

We are continuing to meet every day with CTU leadership - just as we have more than 60 times in the past several months - and we are optimistic that an agreement is within reach.
Our commitment remains the same: to protect lives as we work to land an enforceable agreement to safely return to our school buildings.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 08:59pm

Europe

Italy to rethink vaccine rollout if supply problems persist

Vaccinations in Italy have slowed to 20,000-25,000 a day from peaks of more than 90,000 around two weeks ago, Locatelli said.
The European Medicines Agency will rule on whether to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the bloc on Jan. 29 .

Published 23 Jan, 2021 08:57pm

USA

US plans to reverse Trump administration's immigration policies, Biden tells Mexican president

Biden outlined his plan to reduce migration in the call by focusing on "addressing its root causes.
The two leaders agreed to work together towards reducing "irregular migration," the White House release said.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 08:55pm

Europe

Russia accuses US diplomats of publishing Navalny rally routes

The embassy had distributed a "demonstration alert" to US citizens in Russia recommending they avoid protests in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and other cities.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 08:44pm

USA

Bolsonaro's support falls sharply, but a majority reject impeachment, polls show

The poll results are a blow for the president. The Folha de S.Paulo newspaper said they represent the biggest drop in approval since the beginning of his government in 2019.
To make matters worse, a new virus variant has appeared in the north of the country that researchers believe has higher levels of transmissibility.

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 08:55pm

South Asia

Iran's Zarif open to oil, Gulf security contacts with US, not on Israel

Iran called for action and "not just words" shortly after Joe Biden was sworn in as president on Wednesday. Biden has said Washington will rejoin the nuclear deal if Iran resumes strict compliance.
In my personal opinion, we should define our relationship with the United States.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 07:48pm

South Asia

Biden Administration to review U.S-Taliban deal

The United States will review the peace agreement reached with the Taliban, according to an announcement from the White House.
Washington wants to check that the Taliban is “living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders”.

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 08:25pm

Europe

COVID-19 vaccine delays may slow wider Irish roll-out, says PM

AstraZeneca was going to be the catalyst to be allowed to move from low level to mass vaccination.
Deaths in the country due to COVID-19 are currently at their highest level since the pandemic began.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 07:41pm

Europe

Greek foreign minister hopes for 'positive' spirit from Turkey in talks

"The only sure thing is the positive approach of Athens. I hope the Turkish side will come to these talks in the same spirit," Nikos Dendias.
I want to be clear, that (subject) is the demarcation of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean on the basis of international law.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 07:38pm

Europe

UK doctors call for shorter gap between Pfizer vaccine doses

Britain is prioritising giving first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, allowing up to 12 weeks before a second dose, to give the maximum number of people some initial protection. * It therefore urged the CMO to "urgently review the UK's current position of second doses after 12 weeks".

Published 23 Jan, 2021 06:22pm

Europe

Norway's capital tightens lockdown to combat more contagious virus variant

Shopping centres and other non-essential stores will be closed from noon, for the first time in the pandemic, and will not reopen until Feb. 1 at the earliest.
Together we've managed to strike down the virus several times, and I'm convinced we can do so again.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 06:19pm

South Asia

A year after Wuhan lockdown, China sees small rise in COVID-19 cases

The National Health Commission said 107 new COVID-19 cases had been identified in the mainland on Saturday, up from 103 cases the day before.
The northeastern province of Heilongjiang recorded 56 new cases and neighbouring Jilin province had 13.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 06:16pm

Europe

Britain to discuss tighter travel restrictions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference on Friday that the UK may need to implement further measures to protect its borders from new variants of COVID-19.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 06:04pm

World

Iconic TV and radio interviewer Larry King dead at 87

King, with his trademark suspenders and black rim glasses, was best known for a 25-year run as a talk show host on CNN's "Larry King Live."

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 07:02pm

South Asia

Hong Kong locks down thousands for compulsory COVID-19 testing

The first such measure the city has taken since the pandemic began has occurred in the densely populated neighbourhoods of Jordan that is home to many ageing.
We are doing this also to dispel worries of the residents because there was talk that this is an epidemic area and it affected the life, psychology and business of the people here.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 06:00pm

Africa

Patients battle covid 'enemy' in Nigeria second wave

Nigeria, with nearly 200 million people, has registered more than 116,000 cases including 1,485 deaths.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:56pm

Europe

Mobile services in Russia suffer outages as police disperse anti-Kremlin protesters

The authorities sometimes interfere with mobile communication networks to make it harder for protesters to communicate among themselves and share video footage online.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:56pm

South Asia

Inside the world's biggest vaccine factory, India's Serum Institute

Unlike the rival Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Covishield can be stored and transported using standard refrigeration.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:55pm

South Asia

Iran to begin COVID-19 vaccinations in coming weeks: President Rouhani

"Foreign vaccines are a necessity until local vaccines are available," Rouhani said in televised remarks, without giving details of what foreign vaccines would be used.
"There have been good movements in the field of local and foreign vaccines," Rouhani said.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:54pm

USA

Biden speaks with Canada's Trudeau in first foreign leader call as US President

The two leaders covered everything from the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to the closure of the US-Canada border since March, to environmental protections.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:52pm

South Asia

Malaysia reports 4,275 new coronavirus cases, highest daily infections

The Southeast Asian country also reported seven new fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths to 667.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:52pm

South Asia

Sri Lankan health minister tests positive for Covid-19 after endorsing sorcery

Sri Lanka is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with the number of cases and deaths soaring from 3,300 and 13 in early October to nearly 57,000 infections and 278 dead this week.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:50pm

South Asia

Taiwan reports large incursion by Chinese air force

The presence of so many Chinese combat aircraft on this mission - Taiwan said it was made up of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets - is unusual.
Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defence missile systems deployed to monitor the activity.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:50pm

World

Small farmers 'need more climate aid to ward off famines': UN

The UN body's warning comes ahead of a climate adaptation summit on January 25 and 26 in the Netherlands.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:48pm

Africa

Tropical cyclone Eloise makes landfall in Mozambique, loses strength

"Eloise made landfall around 2:30 a.m. in the morning with wind speeds of 160 kilometres per hour (kph)(99 miles per hour)," said Mbazhi Maliage.
Rains had now subsided and EDM was assessing the damage, the source said, while internet and telephone lines were also down in several coastal and inland districts around Beira.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:46pm

South Asia

Wuhan marks a year since lockdown as Biden warns of 600,000 dead

Globally, the virus has killed more than two million people, infected tens of millions of others and hammered economies.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:46pm

Europe

Portugal holds presidential election as COVID-19 cases spiral

It wouldn't have been a problem to wait another month. Exceptional times call for exceptional measures.
Voting is the only reason people are permitted to leave home for anything other than essential work or trips under the current nationwide lockdown rules.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:44pm

Middle East

UAE seeks to allay Danish concerns over pre-flight virus tests

Danish Transport Minister announced earlier Friday that all commercial air traffic from the UAE would be suspended for five days.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:43pm

Europe

Police round up more than 350 at Russia protests backing jailed Kremlin foe Navalny

People protest across Russia in support of Alexei Navalny.
Navalny was detained last Sunday after returning to Russia.
Protesters are calling for his release.
Kremlin says protests are illegal, he has case to answer.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:41pm

South Asia

Hong Kong orders thousands to stay home in two-day virus lockdown

The government had deployed over 3,000 staff to enforce the lockdown, which covers about 150 housing blocks.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:39pm

Middle East

Pandemic forces Jordanian children into labour market

Some 76,000 children were already working in Jordan according to the last official count, published in 2016.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:37pm

Europe

French health body recommends delaying second COVID shot to six weeks after first

The gap between the first and second injection in France is currently three weeks for people in retirement homes.
The growing number of infections and the worrying arrival of new variants call for an acceleration of the vaccination campaign in order to prevent the epidemic from spiking in coming weeks.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:35pm

Middle East

Saudi Arabia expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration

I am optimistic. Saudi Arabia has built solid, historical relations where it worked with different administrations.
We will continue to do that as well with President Biden," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:33pm

South Asia

Biden administration to review US-Taliban withdrawal deal

Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar last year.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:32pm

Middle East

Saudi intercepts 'hostile target' over capital

Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted by the Huthis since its intervention in the Yemen war in 2015.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:26pm

Europe

Bulgaria to ease some COVID-19 rules, restaurants closed for now

Secondary schools to reopen under special regime from Feb. 4.
Restaurants, bars and cafes to remain closed for now.
Bulgaria reports eight cases of new variant of the coronavirus.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:24pm

Africa

Crowdfunding breathes life into Malawi's Covid fight

Malawi has recorded 17,365 coronavirus cases and 445 deaths in a population of 18.6 million.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:22pm

Middle East

More than 20 injured by blast in Gaza home

The source of the accidental explosion was apparently the home of a member of one of Gaza's armed groups.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:21pm

Europe

Moscow police detain Navalny supporters at rally

Navalny's arrest sparked sharp condemnation from the leaders of Western countries who echoed calls from the Russian opposition for his release.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:19pm

Europe

Oslo tightens virus curbs after finding UK strain

Only essential shops can remain open and municipalities will be allowed to close primary schools and put secondaries on remote learning.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:16pm

Europe

Russia detains dozens of Navalny supporters at anti-Putin protests

OVD Info, which monitors detentions at opposition rallies, said police had detained more than 200 people across the country.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:14pm

Middle East

Foreign forces ignore Libya exit deadline under fragile truce

That deadline passed on Saturday, with no movement announced or observed on the ground.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:11pm

Europe

Coronavirus toll at 1100 GMT Saturday

More than 98,127,150 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 59,613,300 are now considered recovered.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:08pm

World

Swiss court finds Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz guilty of corruption

Steinmetz said he would appeal the verdict, which also included a 50 million Swiss francs ($56.48 million) fine.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 04:18pm

USA

Biden to retain Trump's top Afghan envoy

The Biden Administration is retaining the services of Zalmay Khalilzad, former President Trump's top envoy for Afghanistan peace negotiations, who has led the regular talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Traditionally an incoming administration replaces politically appointed officials with their own team, particularly on crucial foreign policy matters.

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 03:25pm

World

U.S. Senate confirms Biden nominee Austin as defense secretary

The vote was 93-2 in the 100-member chamber, far more than the simple majority needed.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 02:50pm

World

Britain to discuss tighter travel restrictions - BBC

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference on Friday that the UK may need to implement further measures to protect its borders from new variants of COVID-19.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 02:47pm

World

British PM says new variant may carry higher risk of death

Johnson said that the impact of the new variant, which is already known to be more transmissable, was putting the health service under “intense pressure”.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 02:15pm

USA

Biden, citing 'economic imperative,' orders faster relief checks, more food aid

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday ordered the faster issuance of pandemic stimulus checks to needy families and increased food aid for children who normally rely on school meals. *More than 400,000 Americans have died from the virus and millions of jobs have been lost.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 01:27pm

World

Proportion of fake euro notes seized at record low

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: A record low proportion of fake euro banknotes were seized in 2020, according to European Central...