Author: News Desk

LONDON :  The bars are shut in Vienna, and the Christmas market is empty in Munich, as several European nations tighten up or even lock down to combat a spike in coronavirus infections. Meanwhile in London, couples sip mulled wine at a seasonal market near the River Thames, full-capacity audiences fill the seats at the nearby National Theatre, and friends huddle over pints in pubs throughout the city. Not for the first time in the pandemic, Britain is out of step with many of its neighbors. But this time, it’s happy to be different. The U.K. has endured three nationwide lockdowns and recorded…

Geneva :  Advisers to the World Health Organization are holding a special session Friday to flesh out information about a worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa, though a top expert says its impact on COVID-19 vaccines may not be known for weeks. The technical advisory group on the evolution of COVID-19 was meeting virtually to discuss the so-called B.1.1.529 variant that has caused stock markets to swoon and led the European Union to recommend a pause in flights to southern Africa. The group could decide if it’s a “variant of concern” — the most…

Johannesburg :  A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced Thursday. The coronavirus evolves as it spreads and many new variants, including those with worrying mutations, often just die out. Scientists monitor for possible changes that could be more transmissible or deadly, but sorting out whether new variants will have a public health impact can take time. South Africa has seen a dramatic rise in new infections,…

CANBERRA :  Violence receded Friday in the capital of the Solomon Islands, but the government showed no signs of addressing the underlying grievances that sparked two days of riots, including concerns about the country’s increasing links with China. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare sought to deflect attention from domestic issues by blaming outside interference for stirring up the protesters, with a thinly veiled reference to Taiwan and the United States. External pressures were a “very big  influence. I don’t want to name names. We’ll leave it there,” Sogavare said. Honiara’s Chinatown and its downtown precinct were focuses of rioters,…

Rome : Sharbat Gula, the famed green-eyed “Afghan girl” featured on a cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985, has been evacuated to Italy, the government said on Thursday. “Afghan citizen Sharbat Gula has arrived in Rome,” the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Italian equivalent of the prime minister’s office, said in a statement. Gula was helped as part of Italy’s wider evacuation programme in place for Afghan citizens and the government’s plan for their reception and integration. Gula came to public attention around the world when her photograph was published on the cover of National Geographic in…

London : More than 259.61 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 5,436,733have died. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Uber will halt its ride-hailing service in most of Belgium tomorrow following a court ruling Wednesday that extends a 2015 order banning its p2p UberPop service to also cover professional drivers providing its ride-hailing service. Uber told us that it is studying the detail of the ruling to decide whether to appeal the decision with the country’s Supreme Court. The move also follows a temporary suspension of Uber’s service in Brussels in September — an action the tech giant called “exceptional and unprecedented”, saying it was only taking the step to protest the lack of reform of rules which prohibit drivers from…

UAE : Global police agency Interpol has elected UAE Inspector General Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, who has been accused of overseeing torture, as its new president. Raisi, who has been part of the UAE’s police force since 1980 and serves as inspector general at the country’s ministry of interior, received 68.9% of the vote at Interpol’s general assembly in Istanbul. The role is largely ceremonial — he will chair the general assembly as well as three executive committee meetings for each of the four years of his tenure. The vote went through despite criminal cases made by ex-detainees. Matthew Hedges, who was detained…

Buenos Aires : Argentina marked the one-year anniversary of the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona on Thursday with ceremonies, tributes, graffiti murals and emotional messages on social media, said AP. Maradona died of a heart attack at the age of 60 after having brain surgery two weeks earlier. Seven health professionals who tended to the star are facing criminal charges after a medical report said Maradona did not receive adequate treatment. “The world has been more horrible for a year because you are not here,” Maradona’s eldest daughter Dalma wrote on Instagram. Maradona’s youngest son, 8-year-old Diego Fernando, visited…

India : This will be the 18th round of talks between the foreign ministers under the RIC mechanism. India took over chairmanship of RIC after the last meeting of the three foreign ministers in Moscow in September last year. “The foreign ministers are expected to discuss further strengthening of RIC trilateral cooperation including exchange of views on various regional and international issues of importance,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi will attend the meeting via video link, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing on Thursday. The foreign ministers meet…