Russia ready for quick extension of last arms pact with US
Russia's top diplomat says that Moscow is ready for a quick deal with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to extend the last remaining arms control pact, which expires in just over two weeks
Arrest of Alexei Navalny adds layer of tension to Russia, West relations
Calls for his immediate release have come from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and top officials of other EU nations.
Australian Open stars will not be given 'special treatment' as 72 now in quarantine
Tennis stars stuck in quarantine ahead of the Australian Open will not be given any "special treatment", Victoria's premier has said.
New Covid-19 variant detected in Germany during outbreak at clinic in Bavaria
A new coronavirus mutation has been detected in southern Germany during an outbreak at a medical clinic where 73 patients and staff tested positive. Three of them were found to have a previously unkno...
Saudi Arabia says it cut executions by 85 per cent in 2020
Winter weather hits parts of Europe, from Poland to Turkey
Uganda election: Internet restored but social media blocked
Trapped gold miners send up a desperate note begging for help
"We are in urgent need of medicine, painkillers, medical tape, external anti-inflammatory drugs," read the note scrawled on crumpled up paper.
Court in Central African Republic upholds election results
Central African Republic’s constitutional court has upheld President Faustin Archange Touadera’s re-election, raising the specter of more violence just days after rebels attempted to overtake the capital
The UAE is on track to have half its population vaccinated by the end of March
More than 1.8 million people in the UAE have already received the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine — more than quadruple the per capita vaccination rate in the U.S.
Court in Central African Republic upholds election results
Central African Republic's constitutional court has upheld President Faustin Archange Touadera's re-election, raising the specter of more violence just days after rebels attempted to overtake the capital
Winter weather hits parts of Europe, from Poland to Turkey
Extreme cold and snow have hit much of Europe, with freezing temperatures cracking railroad tracks in Poland and snow blanketing most of the Turkish city of Istanbul
Flight to detention: On the plane with Russia’s most wanted
Alexei Navalny answered reporters questions, tried to watch cartoons and kissed his wife as he flew toward imprisonment.
Japan urges South Korea to drop wartime compensation demands
TOKYO (AP) - Japan's foreign minister accused South Korea on Monday of worsening already strained ties by making “illegal” demands for compensation for the sexual abuse of Korean women and use of forc...
‘Quelle horreur’: This is not just a shortage, this is a M&S Brexit shortage for Parisians
Shoppers feel the bite of Brexit as empty shelves appear in Paris M&S stores, reports Anthony Cuthbertson from the French capital
US defense officials fear insider attack on Biden inauguration
Authorities will ‘thoroughly vet’ national guard troopsPro-Trump Capitol attack on 6 January left five deadWashington prepares for an inauguration under siegeUS defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, prompting the FBI to vet all 25,000 national guard troops coming into Washington for the event. Related: Biden will appeal for unity as US braces for violence by Trump supporters
Harris prepares for central role in Biden's White House
Kamala Harris will make history on Wednesday when she becomes the nation's first female vice-president - and the first Black woman and the first woman of South Asian descent to hold that office.
COVID-19 vaccinations in Europe: which countries are leading the way?
With vaccinations underway in the majority of Europe, who is making the fastest progress?
Github apologises for firing Jewish employee who warned about 'Nazis'
The Jewish employee had warned co-workers about the danger of Nazis during the Capitol Riots.
About Some Meaningless Events review – attempted murder and the movies
In this intriguing film, banned in the 70s, Mostafa Derkaoui grapples with the purpose of cinema on the streets of CasablancaHere is an intriguing, bewildering fragment of what might be called underground new-wave cinema from Moroccan director Mostafa Derkaoui: a docu-fiction shown once in Paris in 1975, but then immediately banned by the Moroccan government after which it disappeared from view, resurfacing in 2016 when a negative was found in the archives of Filmoteca De Catalunya in Barcelona.Derkaoui and a group of other young film-makers are shown hanging out in Casablanca, in a bar and on...
China reports strongest growth in two years after Covid-19 recovery
Country was expanding at a faster rate than before the coronavirus pandemic at the end of 2020China’s economy has posted its strongest growth in two years after completing a rapid recovery from the slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic at the start of 2020.Although the 2.3% annual increase in activity for the world’s second biggest economy was its slowest since 1976, by the final three months of last year China was expanding at a faster rate than before the crisis.
Israel bans groups that call it an "apartheid state" from schools
A leading Israeli human rights groups, which calls the state's control of Palestinian territories an "apartheid" system, will no longer be allowed to lecture in schools.
‘Catastrophic moral failure’: WHO warns over vaccine distribution
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says prospects for equitable vaccine distribution are at 'serious risk'.
Russia's Navalny decries "lawlessness" of hastily convened jailhouse hearing
Tackle French ‘abuse’ of Muslims, civil society groups tell UN
Dozens of organisations from 13 countries accuse France of violating the 'basic rights' of its sizeable Muslim minority.
Australian Open 2021: 'No special treatment' for tennis players in Melbourne
Tennis players living under strict quarantine rules before the Australian Open will get "no special treatment", says Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
Uganda cops surround offices of Bobi Wine’s opposition party
The party of Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine say that top officials have been denied access to their headquarters in the capital, Kampala, as they prepared to launch a legal challenge against Wine’s detention inside his house
World on the brink of ‘catastrophic moral failure’ as equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines at ‘serious risk’ – WHO chief
The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the ‘me-first approach’ is leaving the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world at serious risk as richer nations scramble for Covid-19...
Uganda cops surround offices of Bobi Wine's opposition party
The party of Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine say that top officials have been denied access to their headquarters in the capital, Kampala, as they prepared to launch a legal challenge against Wine’s detention inside his house
Analysis: Kremlin zeroes in on Alexei Navalny, fearful of looking weak
The Online Childrens and Maternity Apparel Market is expected to grow by $ 772.18 mn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of 10% during the forecast period
Washington security soars as inauguration approaches | First Thing
Security has been ramped up in Washington ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, with the FBI vetting all 25,000 National Guard troops stationed there. Plus, Trump attacks environmental protections for a final timeGood morning.Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president on Wednesday, following a bitter and contested election that culminated in a siege on the Capitol earlier this month. In the wake of the violence, Washington has been forced to introduce security measures at a level not seen since the civil war, with thousands of troops and armoured cars guarding “green” and “red” zones...
Welsh leader defends staggered rollout of Pfizer Covid vaccine
Mark Drakeford says it would be ‘logistically damaging’ to use up supply too soonCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe deployment of tens of thousands of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccinations in Wales is being staggered to avoid staff sitting around with nothing to do once they get through their current supplies, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, has said.Some vaccinations in Wales may also be delayed because a batch of 26,000 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines earmarked for the country have failed the testing process.
How we met: ‘A fortune teller told me how I would meet my partner. She was right’
Teachers Naomi and Huw Beynon, 41 and 49, met at a salsa class in 2005. They live with their children in Swansea Naomi Lewis was nursing a broken heart at the start of 2005, after splitting up with her boyfriend a few months earlier. She had recently moved into a new flat in Swansea, alone, and befriended Saffron, a woman who lived above her in the building. “In January, Saffron went on a bad blind date to a salsa class,” she says. “Although there was no spark, she loved the dancing and begged me to go back with her. I’ve got two left feet and didn’t fancy it, but she persuaded me.”When they a...
India’s Mohammed Siraj stars against Australia with 5-wicket haul
In a matter of weeks, the 26-year-old has been elevated from back-up bowler to a veteran paceman.
Mysterious dark matter ‘ghost’ particle may have finally been detected, ending decades-long search
In a breakthrough that could help unravel several of the most perplexing mysteries of the universe, scientists believe they have detected traces of a hypothetical dark matter particle.
China economy grows in 2020 as rebound from virus gains
BEIJING (AP) — China eked out 2.3% economic growth in 2020, likely becoming the only major economy to expand as shops and factories reopened relatively early from a shutdown to fight the coronavirus w...
Italy court weighs extradition to Vatican in fair trial case
ROME (AP) - A Milan court on Monday begins weighing whether to extradite an Italian woman to the Vatican to face embezzlement-related charges in a case that could test whether Italy considers the Vati...
Australian Open: Tennis stars hit out at COVID isolation measures as controversy mounts
Posts on social media show tennis players hitting balls across the walls of their hotel rooms in a bid to stay in shape ahead of the tournament.
Russia's Navalny decries "lawlessness" of hastily convened jailhouse hearing
Putin's No. 1 foe, detained in Moscow after poisoning, says he's "seen a lot of mockery of justice," but his sudden appearance before a judge, "is the highest degree of lawlessness."
Japan urges South Korea to drop wartime compensation demands
Japan’s foreign minister is accusing South Korea of worsening already strained ties by making what he called illegal demands for compensation for the sexual abuse of Korean women and use of forced laborers during World War II
Japan urges South Korea to drop wartime compensation demands
Japan’s foreign minister is accusing South Korea of worsening already strained ties by making what he called illegal demands for compensation for the sexual abuse of Korean women and use of forced laborers during World War II
World on the brink of 'catastrophic moral failure' due to unfair vaccine rollouts, WHO chief says
The WHO called on wealthier countries that had pre-ordered millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines, such as the U.S., U.K. and Europe, to share a portion of those vaccines with COVAX.
Pandemic19: On the front line of the US coronavirus outbreak
The video diaries of three doctors working to save lives in the US during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Indian Muslim trust to start Ayodhya mosque project on January 26
The project is a part of the settlement of a case surrounding the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a Hindu mob in 1992.
Wuhan Covid ‘lab leak’ scientists were ‘BITTEN by bats and sprayed with blood before ‘patient zero’ infected the world’
SCIENTISTS at a Chinese lab linked to the outbreak of coronavirus reportedly revealed they were bitten while collecting samples in a cave packed with infected bats. One researcher – from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (W.I.V) – is said to have claimed fangs went through his rubber gloves “like a needle” leaving him spattered with blood.
World’s worst rental as tiny home made from shipping container is rented out for £200 a WEEK in landlord’s back garden
A HOME made from an old shipping container which is been rented out for £200 has been dubbed ”a joke” by exasperated renters. The one-bedroom property in New Zealand’s capital Wellington comes amid rocketing rents in the city. The container is located in another property’s back garden with the parking space on a piece of
Long sidelined, Arab Israeli entrepreneurs looking to join tech boom with Emirati backing
Israel’s Arab citizens see opportunities in the wider region after the Israel-UAE peace accord.
Dominican Republic activists fear total abortion ban banishes women to the dark ages
Scores of Dominican women die each year from botched attempts to end unwanted pregnanciesAs Argentina becomes the first major Latin American country to fully legalize abortion, activists in the Dominican Republic fear their own government is banishing its women to the dark ages by upholding a total ban first implemented in 1884.The Dominican Republic is one of four countries in Latin America – along with Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador – where abortion is illegal in all circumstances.
How the Republican voter fraud lie paved the way for Trump to undermine Biden’s presidency
Trump has accelerated a deliberate strategy by Republicans to weaken faith in elections by making it harder to voteWhen an American president is inaugurated, it’s supposed to mark the height of American democracy and power. The elaborate ceremony is designed to convey the peaceful transfer of power and that no matter how bitter the election, the nation is moving on. Related: Trump official admits family separation policy 'should never have been implemented'