UK reports record 93,045 Covid-19 cases as Omicron surges
Britain reported record Covid-19 infections for the third consecutive day on Friday, with a rise to 93,045 new cases fuelled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus.
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Pfizer says pandemic could extend until 2024 as 2-4 year-olds vaccine data delayed
Pfizer Inc on Friday forecast that the Covid-19 pandemic would not be behind us until 2024 and said a lower-dose version of its vaccine for 2-4 year olds generated a weaker ...
U.N. talks adjourn without deal to regulate ‘killer robots’
Countries taking part in U.N. talks on autonomous weapons stopped short of launching negotiations on an international treaty to govern their use, instead agreeing merely to continue discussions.
The ...
Bootleg alcohol kills 22 in Istanbul, 16 others in critical condition
At least 22 people died and 16 others were in critical condition in hospital after consuming bootleg alcohol in Istanbul, the local governor’s office said on Friday, adding that four people ...
Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine
Russia said on Friday it wanted a legally binding guarantee that NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of security ...
Migrants help Pope Francis celebrate 85th birthday
A group of migrants from refugee camps in Cyprus who are being resettled in Italy at Pope Francis’ expense helped the pontiff celebrate his 85th birthday on Friday.
“You saved ...
Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm to win Beijing’s favor, document shows
Amazon.com Inc was marketing a collection of President Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings on its Chinese website about two years ago, when Beijing delivered an edict, according to ...
Turkey’s currency crisis deepens after Erdogan’s latest rate cut
Turkey’s currency crisis accelerated on Friday as the lira plunged 8%, gripped by fears of an inflationary spiral brought on by President Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox plan to slash interest ...
Ghislaine Maxwell’s defense withdraws plans to call Covid-positive witness in sex abuse trial
Ghislaine Maxwell’s defense lawyers on Friday said they had withdrawn plans to call a witness who they anticipated would help undermine the testimony of one of the British socialite’...
US judge tosses $4.5 bln deal shielding Sacklers from opioid lawsuits
A federal judge overturned a roughly $4.5 billion settlement that legally shielded members of the Sackler family who stand accused of helping fuel the US opioid epidemic, a decision that threatened ...
Giant Swedish Yule goat torched again after 5-year respite
A giant straw Yule goat in the Swedish town of Gavle was set ablaze on Friday for the first time in five years, reviving a long-running tradition of locals illegally ...
Inter terminate Eriksen contract
Inter Milan have terminated midfielder Christian Eriksen’s contract, the Italian Serie A club said on Friday, after the Denmark international was suspended from playing in Italy because of his ...
California probes Google’s treatment of Black female workers
California’s civil rights regulator is investigating Google’s treatment of Black female workers following alleged incidents of harassment and discrimination, according to two people familiar with the matter and ...
British retailers report pre-Xmas sales boost in November
British retail sales rose faster than expected last month, helped by Black Friday discounts, early Christmas shopping and no lockdown restrictions that closed many shops last year, official figures showed ...
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un marks 10th anniversary of father’s death
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 10th anniversary of the death of his father and predecessor on Friday, attending a ceremony with top officials at a palace where ...
Lebanon’s central bank offers dollars amid deep financial crisis
Lebanon’s central bank said on Thursday it would sell US dollars to commercial banks at the rate on its Sayrafa foreign exchange platform, but analysts said offering more hard ...
Moderna Covid shot more likely to cause heart inflammation than Pfizer
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is up to four times more likely to cause inflammation of the heart muscle, a very rare side effect, than its rival vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech , according ...
EU to place order with Pfizer for shots adapted to Omicron
European Union governments have agreed to exercise an option to buy more than 180 million doses of a version of the COVID-19 vaccine adapted for the Omicron variant developed by BioNTech ...
Austria offers seasonal lockdown reprieve for unvaccinated
Austria said on Friday it was temporarily loosening its lockdown on those not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 over Christmas and New Year’s Eve thanks to a drop in infections.
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Arson suspected in Japan clinic blaze with 27 feared dead (Updated)
A fire swept through a psychiatry clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday, with 27 people feared dead and police reported to be investigating possible arson.
The blaze broke ...
Germany clears Mercedes-Benz’s hands-free drive system
Germany’s car watchdog has cleared Mercedes-Benz’s semi-autonomous driving system, paving the way for the Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE) subsidiary to begin offering its Drive Pilot system internationally.
The ...
Voters punish scandal-hit UK PM Johnson’s party in by-election loss
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party lost control of a previously safe parliamentary seat on Friday in a surprise election result interpreted as a voter backlash against a British ...
BoE becomes first major central bank to raise rates since pandemic
The Bank of England on Thursday became the world’s first major central bank to raise interest rates since the coronavirus pandemic hammered the global economy, and warned inflation was ...
Embracer buys board games publisher Asmodee in $3 bln deal
Embracer (EMBRACb.ST) said late on Wednesday it was buying French board games publisher Asmodee from private equity firm PAI Partners in a deal valued at 2.75 billion euros ($3.11 billion) to ...