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World - 2021-02-24
Philippines' Duterte says still undecided on future of US troop deal
South Asia

Philippines' Duterte says still undecided on future of US troop deal

  • Duterte has said the United States should pay more if it wants to maintain the VFA, which he unilaterally cancelled last year in an angry response to an ally being denied a US visa.
  • "I have not yet decided on what to do, to abrogate or renew," Duterte said in a late-night televised address on Wednesday. "I want to hear the people. I want narratives to come."
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:42pm
We need to talk about trade with China, UK parliament tells PM Johnson
Europe

We need to talk about trade with China, UK parliament tells PM Johnson

  • The rights and wrongs of trading with China, the world's second-largest economy, have become a burning question for governments around the world.
  • Britain has denounced the torture, forced labour and sterilisations that it says are taking place against Muslim Uighurs on an "industrial scale".
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:36pm
Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine closes in on US approval
USA

Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine closes in on US approval

  • J&J also said the data suggested its vaccine cut down on asymptomatic infections, which experts said was another sign COVID-19 vaccines may indeed stop transmission of the disease.
  • That you could still get protection against medically attended illnesses - meaning hospitalization, ICU admission and deaths from that vaccine against the South African strain, I thought that was really encouraging.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:33pm
BoE Governor Bailey speaks to lawmakers
Europe

BoE Governor Bailey speaks to lawmakers

  • "It would be very controversial in my view because legislating extra-territorially is controversial anyway and obviously of dubious legality, frankly."
  • "It will certainly contribute to global growth because the US is obviously such a sizeable part of the global story. So there will be a spillover, a positive spillover, from that."
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:21pm
Polish lake district to see COVID curbs return after cases spike
Europe

Polish lake district to see COVID curbs return after cases spike

  • The sparsely-populated Warminsko-Mazurskie region's soaring number of cases has left specialists searching for explanations.
  • The region's infection rates per 100,000 people are more than double the national average. Poland's total cases stand at 1,661,109 with 42,808 deaths.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:12pm
Biden CIA nominee Burns calls China an ‘authoritarian adversary’
USA

Biden CIA nominee Burns calls China an ‘authoritarian adversary’

  • "Out-competing China will be key to our national security in the days ahead," Burns said at his confirmation hearing.
  • He called China "a formidable, authoritarian adversary," that is strengthening its ability to steal intellectual property, repress its people, expand its reach and build influence within the United States.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 09:11pm
Mexican inflation quickens less than expected in early February
USA

Mexican inflation quickens less than expected in early February

  • Mexican annual inflation ticked up to 3.84% from a rate of 3.74% in the second half of January, but undershot the consensus forecast of a Reuters poll for a reading of 3.88%.
  • A breakdown of the data published by the agency known as INEGI showed that fuels and certain fruits and vegetables helped to push up prices in early February.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 08:20pm
EU Commission proposes lower wholesale roaming price caps
Europe

EU Commission proposes lower wholesale roaming price caps

  • Wholesale price caps have pitted telecoms providers in southern European countries with those in northern Europe over who should benefit from tourists making calls home.
  • The EU executive said it wants wholesale caps to be reduced from July 1 next year and a second cut effective from Jan. 1, 2025. The caps were substantially reduced in 2017.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 08:18pm
Thai ministers jailed as court finds 26 guilty of insurrection
South Asia

Thai ministers jailed as court finds 26 guilty of insurrection

  • The court found 26 of 39 defendants guilty, a lawyer for the group said, for actions that included obstructing elections and invading government property, which took place during seven months of demonstrations against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
  • "They pleaded not guilty to all the charges and will appeal," said Sawat Charoenpon, a lawyer representing the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), as the group is known.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 08:16pm
Norway to reassess national anti-virus measures in late March, says health minister
Europe

Norway to reassess national anti-virus measures in late March, says health minister

  • Norway has the second-lowest rate of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe, after Iceland, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
  • "There is a clear risk of (a rise in cases) because of the variants," Camilla Stoltenberg, the head of the Norwegian Institute Public Health, told a news conference.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 08:11pm
Brazil current account deficit 0.65pc of GDP, smallest in 13 years
USA

Brazil current account deficit 0.65pc of GDP, smallest in 13 years

  • The current account deficit of 0.65% of gross domestic product in the 12 months to January was down from 0.87% the previous month and the smallest since February, 2008, central bank figures showed.
  • Brazil's current account deficit in the month of January was $7.25 billion, the second deficit in a row and slightly less than the $7.75 billion shortfall forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 08:02pm
Germany's profit from public debt may reach 600 million euros by 2029: document
Financial

Germany's profit from public debt may reach 600 million euros by 2029: document

  • The calculations are likely to fuel a debate in Germany about when Berlin should end massive deficit-spending triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and return to the fiscal rules of a debt brake that parliament suspended for 2020 and 2021.
  • Deputy Finance Minister Bettina Hagedorn said the calculations were only estimates and fraught with uncertainty due to the long time period.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:56pm
Swiss confirm cautious easing of COVID-19 curbs from March 1
Europe

Swiss confirm cautious easing of COVID-19 curbs from March 1

  • With this cautious reopening, the (cabinet) is aiming to achieve a gradual normalisation of social and economic life, even though the epidemiological situation remains precarious because new, more infectious variants of the virus are circulating.
  • Competitions and concerts for young people would be permitted again, albeit without spectators, the government said.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:52pm
Portugal to share COVID-19 shots with its former colonies in Africa, E.Timor
Europe

Portugal to share COVID-19 shots with its former colonies in Africa, E.Timor

  • The group of countries is comprised of Portugal's former African colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe.
  • African nations are struggling to obtain vaccines for their combined 1.3 billion people, and only some of the continent's nations have begun administering doses.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:47pm
Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine effective and safe
USA

Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine effective and safe

  • J&J said in documents submitted to the FDA that its data suggested its vaccine was effective at preventing asymptomatic infections.
  • J&J's vaccine was 66% effective in preventing COVID-19 against multiple variants in a global trial involving nearly 44,000 people, the company said last month.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:32pm
FDA Analysis of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Finds It Safe, Effective

FDA Analysis of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Finds It Safe, Effective

  • The FDA review noted that an international study of about 40,000 people, half of whom got the vaccine and half of whom got a placebo, found the company's vaccine to be 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 disease.
  • The agency also said the vaccine has a "favorable safety profile" and that there were "no specific safety concerns identified that would preclude issuance of an EUA.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:29pm
Syria's health ministry denies local report on Chinese vaccine arrival
Middle East

Syria's health ministry denies local report on Chinese vaccine arrival

  • Al Watan newspaper had reported earlier on Wednesday that vaccinations of healthcare workers would start on Thursday but it did not specify the quantity of vaccines that had arrived or the type.
  • All what was mentioned in some media .... about the arrival or the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine will be clarified tomorrow in detail.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:18pm
EU bets on data to prepare for climate change impacts
Europe

EU bets on data to prepare for climate change impacts

  • As European Union countries attempt to eliminate their net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, they will still face decades of climate-related impacts, locked in from previous years' emissions.
  • If we step up work on adaptation today, we can make the EU and the planet much better prepared for the unavoidable changes we will face tomorrow.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:08pm
Germany approves COVID home tests to ease way out of lockdown
Europe

Germany approves COVID home tests to ease way out of lockdown

  • The government expects such tests will cost it up to 810 million euros ($985 million) a month for 30 million to 45 million tests.
  • In England, volunteers and police have handed out COVID-19 testing kits to try to halt the spread of a highly infectious variant that originated in South Africa.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 07:00pm
Brazil mid-February inflation highest in four years
USA

Brazil mid-February inflation highest in four years

  • That was down from the 0.78% rate of monthly inflation in January, but higher than the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 0.46% and enough to push the annual rate of inflation up to 4.57%.
  • Prices rose in six of the nine groups of goods and services covered by IBGE. Transport costs rose 1.1% in the month, accounting for almost half of the overall monthly increase.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 06:27pm
Egypt registers Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Africa

Egypt registers Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

  • RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, said Sputnik V had been approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority using an emergency use authorisation procedure. Tunisia and Algeria have already approved the shot.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 05:49pm
Twitter CEO Dorsey's Square firm invests $170 million in Bitcoin

Twitter CEO Dorsey's Square firm invests $170 million in Bitcoin

  • Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's credit and payments firm Square has invested $170 million in Bitcoin, tripling his previous investment in the cryptocurrency giant.
  • The announcement came as Bitcoin's value surged past $50,000, setting a new record.
Updated 24 Feb, 2021 03:28pm
Tiger Woods suffers multiple injuries in Los Angeles car crash

Tiger Woods suffers multiple injuries in Los Angeles car crash

  • Local police said that Tiger Woods was traveling at a high rate of speed down a hilly part of the road when the crash happened
  • Woods was transported from the crash site to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center via ambulance with a shattered ankle and two leg fractures
Published 24 Feb, 2021 11:13am
Victory for 'net neutrality' law in California

Victory for 'net neutrality' law in California

  • The federal Justice Department early this month withdrew a lawsuit filed during the previous presidential administration challenging the legality of the California law.
Published 24 Feb, 2021 10:42am
Two Mali soldiers killed in ambush

Two Mali soldiers killed in ambush

  • Mali was plunged into conflict in 2012 when local Tuareg radicals, supported by jihadists, revolted in the north of the country.
Updated 24 Feb, 2021 05:45pm
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