CDE News - World News

Regional election win boosts Spanish conservatives’ ambitions

Spain's conservative People's Party (PP) said on Wednesday that its resounding win in Madrid in regional elections signalled "the beginning of the end" for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government.…

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Britain, Germany in role reversal on AstraZeneca vaccine risks

LONDON/BERLIN, May 7 (Reuters) - Britain restricted the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday while Germany said it would give the shot to anyone who wants it, in a…

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Analysis – What’s wrong with Britain’s Labour?

Voters in an opposition stronghold turned en masse to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives, boosting his parliamentary majority on Friday despite a high COVID-19 death toll, last year’s record…

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Explainer: What does it mean to be on the UK travel Amber list?

Britain will allow international travel to resume from May 17 but is limiting the number of destinations open for quarantine-free holidays to just 12 countries as it cautiously emerges from…

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How the EU and AstraZeneca ended up in court, and what next

BRUSSELS, April 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca for not respecting its contract for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and for not…

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Analysis-Viable plan or security theatre? Europe embraces digital health pass

MADRID, April 26 (Reuters) - As Europe races to set up a digital health pass scheme to save the holiday season from the pandemic, technical and political obstacles are showing just how big a challenge the…

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South Africa remains a nation of insiders and outsiders, 27 years after democracy

Twenty seven years into democracy, South African politics is still for the few. And those who complain the most have the least to grumble about. Since South Africa is highly…

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Who and how is making use of AstraZeneca, J&J COVID vaccines

April 24 (Reuters) - Following is an outline of countries that have restricted or suspended use of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, after Europe confirmed possible links…

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Analysis – Biden declares Armenian genocide Here’s what we know about 1915 and its link with the US

April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday formally recognized the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War One as an act of genocide, a…

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Recent legal history shows that Super League can happen

A leading sports competition lawyer says he would feel more confident representing the proposed breakaway Super League than UEFA if the row that has engulfed the world of football ends up in the…

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Analysis – European Super League teams’ owners and Champions League records

April 19 (Reuters) - Following are the ownership details and Champions League records of the 12 top European clubs who announced on Sunday the launch of a breakaway Super League,…

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COVID-19 variants – How did the U.K., South Africa and Brazil variants emerge?

The Conversation - More and more countries around the world are struggling with a new wave of infections, with an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases. Mostly these new surges are…

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Why do the age recommendations keep changing? – AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine FAQ answered

The Conversation - Many people have questions about the changing guidelines for the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. Here are some answers from infectious disease specialist Dr. Alexander Wong. ChADOx1…

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Archaeology in West Africa could rewrite the textbooks on human evolution

Our species, Homo sapiens, rose in Africa some 300,000 years ago. The objects that early humans made and used, known as the Middle Stone Age material culture, are found throughout…

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Is that a good egg? How chocolate makers rate on social and environmental measures

Easter is the biggest chocolate-buying time of the year. But who’s really paying for the cost of that chocolate? The second annual report on the social and environmental performance of…

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FACTBOX-Global train accidents with highest fatalities over past decade

A Taiwan express train with almost 500 aboard derailed in a tunnel on Friday, killing at least 48 passengers and injuring 66 in the island's worst rail disaster in almost…

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Suez Canal blockage: how cargo ships like Ever Given became so huge, and why they’re causing problems

The six-day blockage of the Suez Canal by a megaship named Ever Given came to an end on March 29 after salvage teams used dredging and tug boats to heave…

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Opinion – Europe really needs to get its shot together

Italy, the first developed nation to get thoroughly thwacked by the coronavirus, earlier this week began allowing some pharmacies to provide Covid-19 vaccines to eligible citizens. While that’s more than…

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Opinion – AstraZeneca could use a shot of under-promising

Pascal Soriot must be wondering what he has done to deserve it. Having developed a cheap and effective Covid-19 vaccine in super-quick time and offered to the world at cost,…

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When can kids get the COVID-19 vaccine? A paediatrician answers 5 questions parents are asking

A big question among parents and teachers right now is whether their kids will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in time for the fall school semester. Some have wondered whether the…

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Analysis – Countries resuming use of AstraZeneca vaccine after blood clot investigation

March 19 (Reuters) - Many countries are resuming use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization said the benefits outweighed the risks following…

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Scientific review – Virus variants found to be deadlier, more contagious; some may thwart vaccines

March 17 (Reuters) - The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the…

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Explainer: How worried should we be about reports of blood clots and AstraZeneca’s vaccine?

FRANKFURT/PARIS (Reuters) - Europe’s drug watchdog is reviewing a small number of reports of bleeding, blood clots and low platelet counts in people who have received AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. The…

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InDepth – Is there any reason behind AstraZeneca vaccine concerns?

CDE - Officials in Ireland and a region of Italy have become the latest in Europe to halt AstraZeneca vaccinations following reports of blood clots and the death of a teacher…

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Coronavirus pandemic restrictions can help or hinder schoolchildren with anxiety disorders

The Conversation - Parents fear children stuck at home for almost a year during the coronavirus pandemic, will lose critical social skills. And children with selective mutism, a severe form…

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Habemus Papam – Eight years of Pope Francis

Vatican News / Rome Reports - On March 13, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope. It was at 7:06pm when the white smoke emerged from atop the Sistine Chapel,…

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1 in 3 women globally experience violence – WHO

Violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young, shows new data from WHO and partners. Across their lifetime, 1 in 3 women, around 736 million, are subjected to…

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Why Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq was a mission of peace over politics

Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq, including visits to the war-torn north, has been deeply significant. It is one that needs to be seen in the context of peace rather…

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End of the road for Hong Kong’s democratic dream as China “improves” its voting system

HONG KONG, March 5 (Reuters) - Ever since Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997, opposition activists have tried to bring full democracy to the city, believing that China would live up…

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FOCUS-Travel industry bets on vaccine passports to draw Brits to Med

LONDON/MADRID/PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - The race to roll out vaccination passports is spurring competition among travel companies and tourist destinations for the large number of Britons set to receive…

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Following 3 major quakes off New Zealand, questions remain about how they might be linked

A sequence of three major offshore earthquakes, including a magnitude 8.1 quake near the Kermadec Islands, triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations along the east coast of New Zealand this morning. By early afternoon,…

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What is the International Criminal Court?

THE HAGUE, March 3 (Reuters) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday opened a formal investigation into possible war crimes committed in the Palestinian Territories. Below are…

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The Conversation: Deciding on whether to close schools or not

Policymaking during a pandemic can be extremely challenging. Given that Covid-19 is a new disease and its global impacts are unprecedented, decisions must be made in a highly uncertain, complex,…

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Is the Mediterranean Basin really a hotspot of environmental change?

The Mediterranean basin, which includes the Mediterranean sea and the countries it borders, is often referred to as a hotspot for climate change and biodiversity. This image is used to…

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Gorbachev tells EU and Russia to ‘not be afraid of negotiations’

Moscow (dpa) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has expressed hope for an improvement in relations between Russia and the European Union, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Saturday. Ties between the powers…

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Gulf War: 30 years on, the consequences of Desert Storm are still with us

The Conversation - It was a short message to end a short war. On February 26 1991, Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz put his signature to a letter addressed to…

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How did NASA’s Martian rover come to land in a crater named after a tiny Balkan village?

The world was excited by the news last week that NASA’s Perseverance rover had successfully landed in a Martian crater. The rover will now set about collecting samples from what scientists say…

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Uber drivers ruling: How thousands working in the gig economy could benefit

It’s been a long old journey for former Uber drivers James Farrar and Yasseen Aslam. But after a five year legal battle, the pair arrived at their chosen destination –…

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Biden’s first month was a ‘honeymoon,’ but bigger challenges loom ahead

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - One month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis.…

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From ECB to Rome, ‘Super Mario’ Draghi rides to Italy’s rescue

Mario Draghi has never shirked a challenge, from salvaging the reputation of Italy’s central bank to saving the euro. He is about to take on what may be an even…

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Analysis – From Conte to Draghi – now comes the hard part

ROME, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Italians' hopes in Mario Draghi could hardly be higher. But the former European Central Bank chief, who was sworn in as the country's new prime…

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INSIGHT-Vaccine vs variant

JERUSALEM, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Israel’s swift vaccination rollout has made it the largest real-world study of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine. Results are trickling in, and they are promising. More…

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COVID-19 has fuelled automation — but human involvement is still essential

The Conversation - The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way we work and interact with machines — and people — in the workplace. The surge in remote working brought on…

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Russia’s Navalny case casts shadow on German politics ahead of election

The poisoning and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has thrust Nord Stream 2 - a pipeline to take Russian gas to Europe - up Germany's political agenda. That has…

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As Poland’s Church embraces politics, Catholics depart

WARSAW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Katarzyna Lipka is no longer Catholic, and she says that is a political statement. Like most Poles, the 35-year-old has marked life's milestones in the…

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COVID vaccine nationalism: history shows when countries act selfishly, everyone loses

The Conversation - According to one recent estimate, more than half of all vaccines against COVID-19 have been reserved for one-seventh of the world’s population. At the time of writing,…

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Brexit, Nationalisation, Pandemic and Pride… how a vaccine exposed all the underlying conditions

Brexit, Nationalisation, Pandemic and Pride were the underlying conditions of the feud between the EU and UK and the vaccine producers. The way the issue erupted on Friday led to…

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A great deal of expectation

After years of hard-nosed negotiations, false starts and inconclusive talks, the post-Brexit deal announced by the UK and the EU on December 24th felt nothing short of a Christmas miracle.…

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A rocky road to the White House

As a young boy, Joe Biden used to say he wanted to become President of the United States when he grew up. Sure enough, he announced his first presidential bid…

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Lockdown and dementia: for some, COVID-19 has created an isolated, confusing but calmer world

The approximately 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK have been badly affected by COVID-19. Many live in care homes, which have arguably been hit hardest by the pandemic,…

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Explainer: South China Sea tension flares again as Biden takes charge

(Reuters) - A U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea over the weekend to promote "freedom of the seas" at a time…

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Trump’s legacy: A more divided America, a more unsettled world

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural speech on Jan. 20, 2017, he promised an end to “American carnage,” a bleak and dysfunctional nation he had promised…

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From a new coalition to a technocrat government – Italy’s options to overcome latest crisis

Reuters/POLITICO - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resisted calls to resign on Thursday after a junior coalition party pulled out of his government, stripping him of a parliamentary majority in…

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No country is an island: collective approach to COVID-19 vaccines is the only way to go

As countries across the world begin to purchase and roll out COVID-19 vaccines, a key question is how far the vaccine is from reaching Africa and how accessible it will…

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Brexit trade problems: what’s gone wrong and can it be fixed?

Queues of lorries at borders and empty supermarket shelves confirm what most already knew: the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has increased trade barriers between the EU and the…

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What will Congress do now that Trump has been impeached a second time?

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Wednesday made Donald Trump the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, formally charging him with inciting an insurrection just a…

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Even with a vaccine, we need to adjust our mindset to playing the COVID-19 long game

Australia - Incredibly, a whole year has passed since the first emergence of COVID-19. What looked like a temporary inconvenience at first is turning into a permanent fixture that might…

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