A large fire broke out in a building on boulevard des Capucines, near the Place de L’Opera square in central Paris on Saturday, sending clouds of smoke rising into the air. #France??:A large #fire broke out in a building on boulevard des Capucines, near the #Place de L'Opera square in …
Read More »Taliban to start paying overdue salaries of government employees
Afghanistan’s Taliban administration will begin paying the overdue salaries of government workers from Saturday, officials said. Thousands of Afghan government workers are owed at least three months of salary, one of the many crises faced by the Taliban since the extremist group took over the country in August. “The finance …
Read More »‘Burning the metro’: Chile election divides voters between protest and order
For many Chileans, Plaza Baquedano, a broad rotary in central Santiago that for decades served as a center of social protest, has become a powerful symbol of hope. For two years, city residents have regularly gathered here to protest pensions that are too low, public transit fees that are too …
Read More »Poland reports fewer attempts to cross its border with Belarus
The number of migrants trying to force their way into Poland from Belarus fell again on Friday after an apparent change in tack by Minsk that could help calm a crisis that has escalated into a major East-West confrontation. The Polish Border Guard said on Twitter that there were 195 …
Read More »Two in hospital after police fire on Dutch COVID-19 protesters
Two people were being treated in hospital in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Saturday after they were seriously injured when police fired shots during a violent protest against COVID-19 measures, authorities said. Crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars, set off fireworks, and threw rocks at police during the …
Read More »Migrant boat with 10 dead bodies arrives in Sicily
A boat carrying the bodies of 10 migrants found dead at sea arrived in Sicily on Friday, along with dozens of people it rescued this week as they tried to cross the Mediterranean. The crew of the Geo Barents vessel, run by charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), found the corpses …
Read More »FDA clears Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters for all US adults
The Food and Drug Administration opened booster shots for the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to all adults today, the companies announced, expanding eligibility outside of the initial, vulnerable groups they were cleared for earlier this fall. Although the COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are still …
Read More »India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in victory for protesters
In a surprise announcement on Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would repeal agriculture laws that farmers have been protesting against for more than a year, sparking celebrations for what farmers called a hard-fought victory. Modi’s decision is a significant climb-down for the combative leader and comes as …
Read More »Harris to become first woman with presidential power while Biden is under anesthesia for routine colonoscopy
President Joe Biden on Friday will temporarily transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris while he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. “The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time,” Psaki said in a …
Read More »France to ‘fight every day’ for more fishing licences in row with UK
France said on Friday it was still waiting for Britain to issue 150 more fishing licences to French vessels in a post-Brexit row that has strained British-French relations, and that it would “fight every day” to obtain them. The dispute has dragged on since Britain left the European Union, with …
Read More »UK sees progress on N.Ireland trade without triggering emergency measures
A senior British minister said on Friday that he was confident London could break an impasse with the EU over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland without having to trigger emergency measures to safeguard the movement of goods. Britain and the EU agreed to intensify efforts to resolve Northern Ireland …
Read More »US warns China after South China Sea standoff with Philippines
The United States on Friday warned China after a standoff in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, saying it stood by Manila amid an “escalation that directly threatens regional peace and stability”. Beijing “should not interfere with lawful Philippine activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone”, U.S. …
Read More »Ukraine summons Bulgarian envoy over president’s Crimea comments
Ukraine summoned the Bulgarian ambassador on Friday after Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said the Crimean Peninsula was part of Russia after being annexed from Ukraine in 2014. In a presidential debate ahead of Bulgaria’s run-off presidential vote on Sunday Radev said Western sanctions against Moscow were not delivering the expected …
Read More »Austria imposes full lockdown, Germany may follow, as COVID grips Europe
Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full COVID-19 lockdown, it said on Friday as neighbouring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout. The fourth wave of infections has plunged Germany, Europe’s largest economy, into a …
Read More »In new intelligence fiasco, Israeli minister’s home cleaner accused of spying for Iran
Already disgraced by a spate of hackers’ attacks, which led to an extensive leak of information related to Israel’s critical facilities and top political figures, the regime’s claims to intelligence invulnerability has been further debunked by a new report that a man working as a cleaner in the home of …
Read More »Philippines tells China to ‘back off’ after South China Sea standoff
The Philippines on Thursday condemned “in strongest terms” the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said no one was hurt during Tuesday’s incident at …
Read More »Putin says West taking Russia’s ‘red lines’ too lightly
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the West was taking Russia’s warnings not to cross its “red lines” too lightly and that Moscow needed serious security guarantees from the West. In a wide-ranging foreign policy speech, the Kremlin leader also described relations with the United States as “unsatisfactory” but …
Read More »Another European country imposes Covid lockdown for unvaccinated
Slovakia has become the latest European country to implement lockdown restrictions on people who haven’t had the Covid vaccine, as it seeks to prevent a resurgence in infections and hospital admissions over the winter. Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the new measures in a press conference on Thursday, declaring …
Read More »Pfizer signs $5.3 billion US deal to supply COVID-19 antiviral pills
Pfizer Inc said on Thursday it had signed a $5.29 billion deal with the US government to deliver 10 million courses of its experimental COVID-19 antiviral drug, as the country rushes to secure promising oral treatments for the disease. The deal is rough twice the size of the contract the …
Read More »Britain’s Prince Charles in Cairo, first visit since 2006
Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrived in Cairo on Thursday for the first time in 15 years, hoping to promote tolerance and cement bilateral ties. The visit is part of the royal couple’s first tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also their first visit …
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