Dutch government quits over child benefits scandal
(NST) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government resigned on Friday over a child benefits scandal, threatening political instability as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.…
95% of Covid jabs limited to 10 countries, WHO urges equal distribution
(FMT) - The World Health Organization’s (WHO) European branch on Thursday said 95% of vaccine doses so far administered worldwide were limited to 10 countries and called for a more equitable…
Covid-19: Bracknell couple’s ‘final meeting’ in hospital
(BBC) - An elderly couple with coronavirus have been helped by a hospital to say their last goodbyes to each other after the wife's condition deteriorated.
Gerry and Barbara Jarrett, from…
Chinese Covid-19 vaccine far less effective than initially claimed in Brazil, sparking concerns
(CNN) - A leading Chinese Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech was just 50.38% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed, according to a…
WHO emergency meeting over coronavirus variants
A third mutation from the Brazilian Amazon and whose discovery Japan announced on Sunday is now being analyzed
(Asia Times) - The World Health Organization’s emergency committee will meet two…
Led by Cheney, 10 House Republicans back Trump impeachment
Ten Republicans — including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House GOP leader — voted to impeach President Donald Trump Wednesday over the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. The GOP votes were in…
How China won Trump’s trade war and got Americans to foot the bill
(Bloomberg) - US President Donald Trump famously tweeted that "trade wars were good, and easy to win" in 2018 as he began to impose tariffs on about US$360 billion of imports from China. Turns out…
Pence rejects invoking 25th Amendment to oust Trump
(The Star) - US Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday (Jan 12) told House leaders he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment process to remove Donald Trump, all but guaranteeing an imminent…
Hong Kong opposition shudders as mass arrests herald ‘a harsh winter’
The mass arrests of Hong Kong opposition figures under a new security law has demolished assurances only a “tiny majority” would be targeted, analysts say, as China shrugs off international censure…
Trump issues emergency declaration for Washington DC
(Bloomberg) - US president Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for the District of Columbia with the approach of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration and in the wake of the…
WHO rules out Covid-19 herd immunity this year
Scientists at the World Health Organisation warned yesterday that mass vaccinations would not bring about herd immunity to the coronavirus this year, even as one leading producer boosted its…
China brings in new law to fight Trump’s sanctions
(BBC) - China is pushing back against a flurry of US sanctions with new rules that protect its firms from "unjustified" foreign laws.
Changes announced over the weekend allow Chinese courts to…
Boris Johnson under fire as UK again faces onslaught of COVID-19
(CNA) - The crisis facing Britain this winter is depressingly familiar: Stay-home orders and empty streets. Hospitals overflowing. A daily toll of many hundreds of coronavirus deaths.
The UK is…
Pelosi says House will impeach Trump, pushes VP to oust him
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday the House will proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump as she pushes the vice president and the Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority…
US: Increasingly isolated Trump threatened with second impeachment
(CNA) - US Democrats on Saturday (Jan 9) were readying for an unprecedented second impeachment of Donald Trump as the defiant president showed no signs of stepping down after the deadly violence…
Body parts found at Indonesian plane crash site
(NST) - Body parts and debris were hauled from waters near Indonesia's capital on Sunday from a Boeing passenger plane that crashed shortly after take off with 62 people on board.
The Sriwijaya…
UK: Queen and Prince Philip receive vaccinations
(BBC) - The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have received Covid-19 vaccinations, Buckingham Palace has said.
A royal source said the vaccinations were administered on Saturday by a household…
US President has sole power to launch nuclear strike, says Pentagon’s top general
(The Sun Daily) - Concerns yesterday over US President Donald Trump’s mental state have drawn focus on his power to unleash a nuclear attack.
Two days after Trump supporters, under his…
Singapore jails woman for lying to Covid-19 contact tracers
(FMT) - A Singaporean woman was sentenced to five months in prison today for hiding her meetings with a male friend from Covid-19 contact tracers as she did not want her family to think she was…
Chinese city sealed off to squash virus outbreak; worst situation in six months
(The Star) - China has sealed off a large city near Beijing, cutting transport links and banning millions of residents from leaving, as authorities move to stem the country's largest Covid-19…
Capitol riot: Democrats seek Trump’s removal from office
(BBC) - US President Donald Trump's opponents in the two houses of Congress have called for him to be removed from office after the violent invasion of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.…
Trump says he is thinking about pardoning himself
(Reuters) - US President Donald Trump has said he is considering pardoning himself in discussions with aides since the November election, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The newspaper…
Trump acknowledges Biden victory a day after Capitol chaos, faces call for removal
President Donald Trump faced the threat yesterday of a second impeachment, a day after his supporters breached the US Capitol in a stunning assault on American democracy as Congress was certifying…
Covid: WHO team investigating virus origins denied entry to China
(BBC) - A World Health Organization (WHO) team due to investigate the origins of Covid-19 in the city of Wuhan has been denied entry to China.
Two members were already en route, with the WHO…
Cabinet members discussing Trump’s removal: US media
Members of President Donald Trump's cabinet on Wednesday discussed the possibility of removing Mr Trump from office after his supporters stormed the Capitol, three US news channels reported.…
Corporate group urges officials consider Trump’s removal ‘to preserve democracy’
The head of a major U.S. business group that represents 14,000 companies including Exxon Mobil Corp, Pfizer Inc and Toyota Motor Corp urged senior U.S. officials to consider removing President…
Warnock, Ossoff win in Georgia, handing Dems Senate control
Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority — as final votes were counted Wednesday, serving President Donald Trump a stunning defeat in his turbulent final…
China sentences ex-banker to death for corruption, bribery
(DW) - A former executive at one of China's largest state-controlled asset management firms was sentenced to death on Tuesday for alleged corruption, bigamy and solicitation of $260 million (€212…
Georgia Senate races that will decide fate of Biden’s agenda too close to call
(The Edge) - Democrats and Republicans were neck-and-neck in two critical U.S. Senate races on Tuesday as votes were counted in Georgia contests that will decide whether President-elect Joe Biden…
Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US, British judge rules
(The Guardian) - Julian Assange will make a fresh bid to be released from prison on Wednesday after a British judge ruled that he cannot be extradited to the US to face charges of espionage and of…