News Archives for World - 2021-02-25

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World - 2021-02-25

USA

Mexican economy ended 2020 stronger than first estimated

National statistics agency INEGI said the economy grew by 3.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the previous three-month period, revising up its Jan. 29 preliminary estimate that gross domestic product (GDP) had expanded by 3.1%..
That is the biggest decline since 1932 during the Great Depression.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 09:03pm

Europe

Ireland targets return to full employment no later than 2023

Irish businesses have been shut cumulatively for a longer period than any other European Union country over the last 11 months and have been back in a strict lockdown since late December that is set to run at least into April.
They see the change in hours worked as a reasonable proxy for the impact of the pandemic on the labour market.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 08:57pm

USA

Yellen supports new allocation of IMF's SDR currency to help poor nations

Reversing the opposition of the Trump administration, Yellen told G20 finance officials in a letter that a new SDR allocation could boost liquidity for poor countries, which have been particularly hard hit by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Without further international action to support low-income countries, we risk a dangerous and permanent divergence in the global economy.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 08:50pm

Europe

'I have only bad news' PM warns Hungary, as hospitals face worst weeks yet

"I have only bad news," Orban said in a Facebook video. "We are facing the hardest two weeks since the start of the pandemic. The number of infections is rising sharply and will continue to rise due to the new mutations."
Hungary's government has extended a partial lockdown until March 15, Orban's chief of staff said earlier in the day.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 08:41pm

Europe

Czech Republic confirms first case of COVID-19 South African variant

The ministry had reported some new COVID-19 infections suspected to be from the South African variant this week.
The central European country has sought to rein in a fast-rising COVID-19 infection rate, which has also been accelerated by the spread of the British variant of the virus in past weeks.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 08:39pm

USA

US pending home sales decline in January

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, dropped 2.8% last month to 122.8.
Monthly contracts declined in the Midwest, Northeast and West. They inched up in the South.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 08:07pm

South Asia

Japan govt to end state of emergency in 5 prefectures at end of month

Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi and Gifu prefectures will all have their emergency coronavirus pandemic measures lifted, Kyodo cited government sources as saying.
The five other prefectures under emergency are Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba in the Kanto area as well as the southwestern prefecture of Fukuoka.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 07:07pm

Middle East

Syria receives COVID-19 vaccinations from 'friendly country'

Hassan Ghabash's comments, carried by state news agency SANA, did not make clear which country provided the vaccine.
Health officials had said Syria was engaged with Russia and China over vaccines but no bilateral deals have been announced yet.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 06:25pm

Europe

France's Safran sees gradual recovery after crisis-hit 2020

The world's third largest aerospace contractor said 2020 recurring operating income fell 56% to 1.686 billion euros ($2.1 billion) as revenue fell 33% to 16.498 billion.
For 2021, Safran expected the key profitability gauge to recover by more than 100 basis points, with the recovery kicking in starting from the third quarter.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 06:11pm

Middle East

Health minister fuels Lebanese anger over vaccine line-jumping

Hassan's comments and pushback by other politicians added to anger in Lebanon, where decades of state waste and corruption have triggered a financial meltdown.
"You're a liar and a hypocrite, and you shouldn't stay in Lebanon," Ferzli shouted on live TV. Screenshots went viral among Lebanese on social media with captions such as "What I look like when I stub my toe" or "Vaccine side effect."

Published 25 Feb, 2021 06:09pm

South Asia

India unveils tougher rules for social media such as Facebook, Twitter

The new measures will require big social media companies to set up a grievance redressal mechanism and appoint executives to coordinate with law enforcement.
Social media firms should be "more responsible and accountable," Ravi Shankar Prasad, the minister for information technology, told reporters in outlining the rules.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 06:05pm

Europe

Swedes vaccinated with two COVID doses can start seeing relatives again

"When they have, they can start hugging their grand children again," Lena Hallengren, minister for health and social affairs, told a news conference.
She said it was too early to say when broader restrictions could be lifted.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:49pm

Europe

EU states report offers for 900 million vaccine by ‘alleged intermediaries’ - anti-fraud body

OLAF has opened an inquiry earlier this month into scam vaccine offers as the bloc faces increasing risk of fraud in that area.
Pharmaceutical companies have said they only sell directly to governments.

Updated 25 Feb, 2021 05:43pm

UN chief to host Cyprus meeting in April

The three countries act as guarantors of the island's sovereignty under the treaty that gave Cyprus independence from British rule in 1960.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:13pm

Middle East

Nuclear issue key as Iran readies for Rouhani replacement

A prominent conservative, Raisi took more than 38 percent of votes in the 2017 presidential election won by Rouhani.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:08pm

USA

US trade nominee says Mexico-Canada pact is priority

Tai, who is expected to be confirmed for the influential post, will appear before a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:06pm

Africa

Fourteen killed at religious site in C. Africa: Amnesty

Video evidence showed as many as 14 bodies, some not wearing military clothes, and including a woman and a child, the group said.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:04pm

Middle East

Saudi crown prince has surgery for appendicitis

SPA tweeted footage of the prince walking out of the hospital with an entourage and getting into the front passenger seat of a car.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:02pm

South Asia

Xi boasts of Chinese 'miracle' in tackling poverty

China is now "providing help to developing countries" still struggling with poverty, Xi said.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 05:00pm

South Asia

Clashes in Yangon as tensions rise over Myanmar coup

By noon, clashes were breaking out near Yangon Central station's railway compound.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 04:54pm

Europe

Moscow to expand metro facial recognition network

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a raft of bills ramping up fines for protesters and social media platforms.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 04:52pm

South Asia

China denies using Covid-19 anal swabs on US diplomats

"China has never requested US diplomatic personnel in China to undergo anal swabs," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 04:51pm

Armenian prime minister denounces 'attempted military coup'

The statement said the firing was made "exclusively on the basis of the personal feelings and ambitions" of Pashinyan.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 04:48pm

Europe

German consumer mood brightens as shutdowns ease

The GfK survey of some 2,000 Germans found that respondents were more likely to make large purchases than in the previous month.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 04:48pm

Asia

Opponents, supporters of Myanmar coup scuffle as more protests planned

Supporters and opponents of Myanmar’s military clashed on the streets of Yangon on Thursday as authorities blocked students from leaving their campus to march, a day after a first flurry of diplomacy aimed at resolving the crisis.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 01:37pm

EU mulls vaccination passports to resurrect tourism after COVID-19

Officials said the EU was working with the International Air Transport Association, which is keen to revive air travel, and with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Health Organization.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 01:23pm

US report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince: sources

The report’s release is part of Biden’s policy to realign ties with Riyadh after years of giving the Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on its human rights record and its intervention in Yemen’s civil war.

Published 25 Feb, 2021 01:18pm

Middle East

Al Jazeera to launch conservative US platform

DOHA: Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera will launch a centre-right news platform in the United States, the network...