News Archives for World - 2021-02-03

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Europe

French new daily coronavirus cases close to 2021 high

Pressure on the hospital system eased slightly, with the number of COVID-19 patients down by 116 to 27,955 and the number of people in intensive care down by 3 to 3,277.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:35pm

USA

US private hiring rebounds solidly in January

Private payrolls increase 174,000 in January.
Goods producing jobs rise 19,000; services up 156,000.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:04pm

Europe

Swiss delay AstraZeneca COVID vaccine approval, order more shots from others

The country separately announced it had ordered millions more COVID-19 vaccine doses from other manufacturers.
As soon as the results have been received, a temporary authorisation according to the rolling procedure could be issued at very short notice.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:51pm

Europe

Britain has given 10 million people a first COVID-19 vaccine dose

"This is a hugely significant milestone in our national effort against this virus."
The country approved vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford University-AstraZeneca earlier than the United States and Europe, enabling it to make an early start on roll-out.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:15pm

USA

US seeks to seize suspected Iranian oil aboard foreign tanker

Washington said the scheme involved multiple entities affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its elite Qods Force.
Participants in the scheme attempted to disguise the origin of the oil using ship-to-ship transfers, falsified documents.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:04pm

Europe

Erdogan slams LGBT, students after protests

Erdogan lashed out on Wednesday in one of his most heated attacks to date against a movement that threatens to grow into a serious challenge to his 18 years in power.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 08:46pm

Africa

Nine Malian troops killed in suspected jihadist attack

Several soldiers were injured, the source said, an account confirmed by another security official and a local government official.

Updated 03 Feb, 2021 08:41pm

Europe

Russia has asked Germany's IDT about making Sputnik vaccine: ministry

German firm IDT is itself working on a Covid-19 vaccine, but early trial results have not been encouraging.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 08:15pm

USA

US private sector resumes creating jobs in January: survey

The service sector, which was hit hard by business closures to stop Covid-19, accounted for the majority of the gains in the ADP data, while business of all sizes added jobs.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 08:11pm

Europe

Swiss say more data needed on AstraZeneca jab

Swissmedic said a meeting of its external advisory body on Tuesday had confirmed its interim assessment of the AstraZeneca vaccine data.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 08:07pm

China

WHO team probing COVID-19 visits Wuhan lab, meets 'Bat Woman'

A team of investigators led by the World Health Organization visited a virus research laboratory in China’s central city of Wuhan and met with a prominent virologist there in its search for clues to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The experts spent about 3-1/2 hours at the heavily-guarded Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the centre of some conspiracy theories that claim a laboratory leak caused the city’s first coronavirus outbreak at the end of 2019.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:34pm

Europe

UK deepens defence and security ties with Japan

Japan and the UK have forged a close defence and security partnership that is being elevated to new heights this year when the UK Carrier Strike Group visits the Indo-Pacific.
The most significant Royal Navy deployment in a generation demonstrates the UK's commitment to working with our partners.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:25pm

USA

Biden to meet Democratic lawmakers on COVID-19 aid: White House

A Democrat himself, Biden will call into the weekly meeting of Democratic representatives and later meet Democratic senators in the Oval Office, the White House said in a statement.
Biden met a group of 10 moderate Republican senators on Monday and had said he wanted to garner bipartisan support for his plan.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:22pm

South Asia

WHO team probing COVID-19 visits Wuhan lab, meets 'Bat Woman'

Extremely important meeting today with staff at WIV including Dr Shi Zhengli. Frank, open discussion. Key questions asked & answered.
Very interesting. Many questions," Thea Fischer, a Danish member of the team, called from her car as it sped away from the lab following Wednesday's visit.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:14pm

South Asia

India warns Twitter to comply with orders to block accounts

Twitter blocked dozens of accounts in India, including that of a leading news magazine, on Monday after the government said that users were posting content aimed at inciting violence.
Twitter unilaterally unblocked accounts, tweets despite the government's order.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:12pm

Europe

Irish COVID-19 unemployment rate climbs to 25pc in January

Restrictions, including the closure of shops and restaurants and a ban on travel and home visits, were dropped for most of December but reimposed late in that month following a surge in infections.
Excluding those on the emergency Pandemic Unemployment Payment, 5.8% of the workforce were registered as unemployed in January.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 07:09pm

South Asia

WHO team visits Chinese virus lab in Wuhan

The convoy of cars drove past security to enter a virology institute shrouded in mist Wednesday morning.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:43pm

World

French firm to start making Moderna Covid vaccine next month: minister

French pride has also taken a hit after its pharma giant Sanofi said its Covid vaccine would not be ready until later this year.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:41pm

Middle East

Iran's Rouhani rules out changes to nuclear deal

Iran's regional arch rival, Saudi Arabia, has also called for a role in any future talks on the agreement.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:38pm

World

Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine cuts virus transmission: study

The study's findings came amid much debate over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca jab among the elderly.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:37pm

Europe

Over 10,000 detained at recent Navalny rallies in Russia: monitor

He added that lawyers from the group, which provides free legal aid to detained protesters, were at times not given access to detention centres.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:35pm

South Asia

Rihanna, Greta Thunberg anger India by backing protesting farmers

Her comment was retweeted more than 230,000 times and liked by over half a million users.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:33pm

Europe

'Angel Gabriel' goes on trial in Finland over Liberia war crimes

The prosecution is calling for a life sentence, which in Finland means on average 14 years imprisonment.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:31pm

Europe

Ukraine's Zelensky bans three pro-Russia TV channels

Zelensky came to power in 2019 partly on promises to end the war.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:29pm

USA

Brazil court weighs claims holding up Bunge soy acquisitions

The three-judge panel is expected to rule on whether the Panamanian firms Minefer Development SA and Triana Business SA are legitimate participants in the process.
Bunge and Imcopa declined to comment. Lawyers for Minefer and Triana did not respond to requests for comment.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:29pm

South Asia

China to offer 10mn vaccine doses to Covax

The foreign ministry said last month that three Chinese vaccine makers, Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino, had formally applied for inclusion in the Covax stockpile.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:25pm

USA

US lawmakers to question Biden's EPA pick over climate agenda

Taking the helm of EPA would be a monumental task under the best of circumstances, but it's hard to imagine a more difficult moment than right now.
West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who is expected to be the top Republican on the committee, said she will grill Regan about the administration's climate change agenda.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:25pm

Europe

Germany does not rule out more Russia sanctions over Navalny

Berlin will discuss further steps with its European partners, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a regular news conference.
The United States, Britain, Germany and the EU have urged Moscow to immediately free Navalny.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:22pm

Europe

Dutch to roll out rapid breath tests for COVID-19

Testing facilities in Amsterdam were this week the first to start using the SpiroNose, a machine which requires a person to breathe into it to indicate a possible coronavirus infection within a minute.
"If you are negatively tested, then it's a very reliable outcome and you can go," Van der Lubben said.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:20pm

South Asia

Myanmar medics lead sprouting civil disobedience calls after coup

With soldiers and armoured cars back on the streets of major cities, the takeover has not been met by any large street protests.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:18pm

Middle East

Rights group slams Turkey's 'illegal' transfer of Syria detainees

The men, Arabs and Kurds, are being held over their alleged links to Kurdish groups viewed by Ankara as "terrorists", according to HRW.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:16pm

Europe

Crisis-hit Italy turns to former European bank chief Draghi

Mattarella called in Draghi after Italy's ruling parties failed to agree on a new government following a split last month that forced Giuseppe Conte to resign.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:14pm

Middle East

British-Iranian academic says fled Iran while on bail

British media reported that he escaped while on bail pending his appeal.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:11pm

Europe

Russian draft law proposes anonymity for some Crimea investors wary of sanctions

The bill, if approved, would allow Russians making capital investments of more than 150 million roubles ($1.97 million) in Crimea to keep their personal information confidential.
Russian authorities have invested heavily in linking the peninsula to southern Russia, including by building a road and rail bridge.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:08pm

South Asia

Japan toughens virus measures with new law

Parliament passed the bill the day after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved an extension of the state of emergency until March 7.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 05:08pm

South Asia

Cross-border violence between India and Pakistan expected to intensify in 2021: Report

2020 marked one of the most violent years for conflict between India and Pakistan, as relations between the two historically adversarial countries plummeted and military skirmishes across the disputed Jammu and Kashmir border intensified.
Cross-border violence between India and Pakistan in the Kashmir region is expected to manifest with greater intensity in 2021.

Updated 03 Feb, 2021 05:46pm

Asia

Myanmar police file charges against Aung San Suu Kyi after coup

Myanmar police have filed charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment, detaining her till February 15 for further investigation.
The takeover cut short Myanmar’s long transition to democracy and drew condemnation from the United States and other Western countries.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 04:50pm

Middle East

Israel data shows Pfizer jab protects against virus but immunity unclear

The Jewish state is carrying out what is widely described as the world's fastest vaccination campaign per capita.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 04:49pm

South Asia

Myanmar's Suu Kyi charged as calls to oppose coup grow

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Tuesday but failed to agree on a statement condemning the coup.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 04:44pm

Europe

Russia aims to boost Sputnik vaccine production abroad

Sputnik V has been approved in more than 15 countries, including several ex-Soviet republics but also Argentina, Tunisia and Pakistan.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 04:43pm

World

With social media solidarity, protesting Indian farmers win global attention

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also posted a message of support on Twitter, sharing a news report about the internet shutdowns.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 04:07pm

World

Germany culls 14,000 turkeys after bird flu was found on another farm

Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in a farm in the Uckermark area, the Brandenburg state government said.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 02:41pm

World

UK's Hancock says confident South African variant can be contained

"I'm confident that it can be," he told LBC radio on Wednesday, when asked about whether the variant could be contained.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 02:33pm

World

Singapore becomes first in Asia to approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is the second to be authorised for pandemic use in Singapore, after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is already being rolled out in the city-state.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 02:22pm

World

UK asks EU for Brexit grace period extension to 2023, BBC reports

Political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove had written to the European Commission's vice president, Maros Sefcovic, to ask for urgent political solutions.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 02:20pm

World

G7 foreign ministers 'deeply concerned' by Myanmar coup: statement

We call upon the military to immediately end the state of emergency.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 01:30pm

Asia

Afghan judge shot dead in Jalalabad ambush

IS has claimed some of the target killings in the Afghan capital, but government officials blame the Taliban for the murders.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 01:15pm

Africa

32 killed in road pile-up in Uganda

Red Cross staff and volunteers worked with Ugandan soldiers to transport the dead and evacuated the five survivors.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 01:14pm

World

GSK, CureVac to develop vaccine against Covid variants

GSK will also support the manufacture this year of up to 100 million doses of CureVac's first generation Covid-19 vaccine, it added.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 01:11pm

World

Farmers' protest: India says temptation of sensationalist social media comments by celebrities is neither accurate nor responsible

"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken, a statement by Indian ministry said.
“Why aren’t we talking about this?!” Rihanna said in a Twitter post, sharing an article of the protest using the hashtag #FarmersProtest.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 01:00pm

World

US senators urge White House action on auto chip shortage

The White House did not immediately comment.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 12:26pm

World

Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine remained active against South Africa variant, effect reduced

The activity reduction "should be taken into account for its impact for the clinical efficacy of these vaccines," they said.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:58am

World

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 9,705

The reported death toll rose by 975 to 58,956, the tally showed.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:51am

World

New Zealand approves COVID-19 vaccine, warns against nationalism

Ardern urged New Zealanders to get inoculated as soon as vaccines were available.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:45am

World

Russia can make the internet autonomous, but wants to avoid the "double-edged sword"

Russia has the technological capabilities to ensure that the autonomous operation of the Russian segment of the Internet, but would remain hesitant to expand their reach to such extremes.
Medvedev conceded that the Russian equivalent to the isolated segment of the internet is only a backup plan, in the extreme case if Russia is disconnected from the globally interconnected system as a whole.

Updated 03 Feb, 2021 12:11pm

World

Thailand reports 795 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

No new deaths were reported, the country's COVID-19 taskforce said at a briefing.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:40am

World

Mexico arrests 12 police in connection with migrant massacre

Investigators believe the victims were part of a larger convoy that included other vehicles carrying migrants, including Salvadorans, and another with armed men aboard apparently for protection.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:31am

World

South Korea readies for COVID-19 vaccine with airport transport drill

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 467 new cases by Tuesday, as numbers rebounded above 400 in four days, boosted by continuing cluster infections.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 11:29am

World

Kamala Harris' niece tweets in support of farmers protest in India

Meena Harris says we all should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters
Militant nationalism is just as potent a force in US politics as it is in India or any place else: Harris

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:46am

World

Biden pays respects to policeman killed in Capitol attack

Biden rested his hand on the tabletop that held officer Brian Sicknick's remains.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:26am

World

WHO team to visit Chinese virus lab in Wuhan: state media

China has faced criticism at home and abroad for playing down the initial outbreak and concealing information when it first emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:24am

Europe

Mexico authorizes Russia's Sputnik V virus vaccine

Regulatory agency Cofepris has just granted authorization for the emergency use of the Sputnik V vaccine.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:15am

Africa

UN worries about humanitarian situation in Tigray ahead of Security Council meeting

Grandi, the UNHCR head, visited Ethiopia, including the Mai Aini refugee camp, over the weekend for the first time since the conflict began in November. The camp is one of two camps in southern Tigray the UN has been able to access.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:09am

World

Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine remained active against S.Africa variant, effect reduced - lab study

Variants of the virus have stirred concern that they might weaken effects of vaccines and treatments developed prior to their emergence.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:07am

World

71 homes destroyed as Australia bushfire rages near locked-down Perth

It comes as two million people in and around Perth begin their third day under stay-at-home orders.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 10:00am

World

Latin America and Caribbean top 600,000 Covid-19 deaths: AFP tally

The region, which encompasses 34 countries and territories in South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:58am

World

Vaccine storm engulfs EU chief von der Leyen

Several European diplomats in Brussels said the commission president's widely reported tendency to rely on a small number of trusted aides had let her down in such a complex crisis.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:50am

World

Macron makes 'end of summer' vaccine pledge to France

He told the TF1 channel that 80 percent of care-home residents -- some 500,000 people -- would be vaccinated by early March.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:43am

World

US says too early to accept Iran proposal on reviving nuclear deal

The Biden administration said it broadly shares worries about Iran, and said Tuesday it was "concerned" about the clerical regime's latest launch of a satellite-carrying rocket.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:41am

World

Russia must release Navalny, says Merkel

The verdict against Alexei Navalny is far removed from any rule of law.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:35am

World

US Senate confirms Mayorkas, first Latino to head Homeland Security

The 61-year-old Mayorkas, a former US attorney who was born in Havana and arrived in the United States as the infant son of refugees.

Published 03 Feb, 2021 09:34am

World

Singapore limits contact-tracing data access

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s parliament passed a law Tuesday limiting the use of data collected for coronavirus...