World News

Ukraine says NATO path is only way to end war in eastern region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that a path towards membership of NATO was the only way to end war in the eastern Donbass region after speaking to the…

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Claims that vaccinated people are more likely to infect others have no scientific basis – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly denied claims that Covid-19 vaccines were among the factors causing the spread of new variants of the virus. These reports were being fuelled…

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Israel’s Netanyahu in court for corruption trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legal and political troubles will play out simultaneously on Monday, at his corruption trial and in the president's residence. Judges ordered Netanyahu to be in…

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U.N. experts alarmed by Russian security contractors’ ‘abuses’ in Central Africa

U.N. experts expressed alarm over reports of executions and other abuses by Russian security contractors in Central African Republic and over their close contacts with U.N. peacekeepers. Russia first sent…

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WHO says Europe vaccine rollout ‘unacceptably slow’ amid ‘worrying’ case surge

Europe's rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 is "unacceptably slow," the World Health Organization's European head said on Thursday, raising concern that delays in giving shots could prolong the pandemic as…

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World leaders back idea of treaty on future pandemics

Leaders of 23 countries and the World Health Organization on Tuesday backed an idea to create an international treaty that would help deal with future health emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic by…

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COVID-19 probably passed from bats through another animal – WHO report

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was "extremely…

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North Korea accuses U.N. Security Council of ‘double standard’ over missile tests

North Korea said on Monday that the U.N. Security Council showed a double standard as its sanctions committee criticised the country's recent missile test as a violation of U.N. resolutions. North Korea launched a…

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U.N. migration agency says 2,276 persons died trying to reach Europe last year but true toll higher

More than 2,200 people perished at sea trying to reach Europe last year, more than a third on the increasingly busy route to Spain’s Canary Islands, the U.N. migration agency.…

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At NATO, Blinken warns Germany over Nord Stream 2

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, under construction from Russia to Germany, ran counter to the European Union's own interests and undermined Ukraine. Speaking on…

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U.N. staffer who complained of sexual assault loses dismissal case – documents

A policy adviser who filed a sexual assault complaint and was later fired by the U.N. agency fighting AIDS has lost an appeal against her dismissal for misconduct and been refused a…

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U.N. body raises global economic growth forecast for 2021 to 4.7%

The global economy is set to grow by 4.7% this year thanks to a stronger-than-expected recovery in the United States, a report by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development…

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Twenty years on, EU turns cold on Mercosur trade deal

As the European Union looks forward to a fresh start with the United States under a new president, it is riddled with doubts over another transatlantic relationship. A trade pact…

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UPDATED: African Union says benefits outweigh risks of AstraZeneca COVID shot

The African Union said on Thursday that African countries should continue to use AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, echoing the World Health Organization (WHO) by saying the shot's benefits outweighed risks. The…

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UPDATED: WHO Europe urges countries to keep using AstraZeneca COVID vaccine

The benefits of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh any risks and countries across Europe should continue to use it to help save lives, the World Health Organization's European director said…

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WHO vaccine safety panel to issue findings on AstraZeneca on Friday

The World Health Organization's vaccine safety panel is now due to issue its findings on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot on Friday, a WHO spokesman said. The WHO's global advisory committee…

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EU charts third way in ties with US and China

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first videoconference with European Union foreign ministers last month was so good humoured that some diplomats in Europe described it as a “love fest”.…

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NATO Operation Sea Guardian focused patrols return to Central Mediterranean

The flagship Hellenic Navy frigate Salamis and the Croatian Navy missile boat Dubrovnik, supported by aircraft and submarines from Greece, Italy and Turkey, deployed to the Central Mediterranean as part…

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Italy and France approve J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine, also gets WHO emergency listing approval

Italy’s medicines agency AIFA and France’s health regulator, the Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), said on Friday they have approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson &…

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WHO tries to quash nervousness about AstraZeneca vaccine

The World Health Organization squarely endorsed AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, as Thailand joined a number of smaller European countries in suspending use of the shot because of sporadic reports…

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Ten years of Syria conflict, from protest to war to economic decline

Ten years into Syria’s conflict, President Bashar al-Assad has survived the bloody insurgency which started out with peaceful protests in March 2011. He holds sway over many parts of the…

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UPDATED: WHO says its advisory committee looking at AstraZeneca vaccine issues

A World Health Organization expert advisory committee is currently looking at AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after some countries paused distribution of it, but there is no reason not to use it,…

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Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi oil heartland with drones, missiles

Yemen's Houthi forces fired drones and missiles at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry on Sunday, including a Saudi Aramco facility at Ras Tanura vital to petroleum exports, in…

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Love, adultery and betrayal: A look at big British royal TV interviews

Prince Harry and Meghan, Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are due to appear in an in-depth TV interview with U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sunday. Here are…

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20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine rolled out under COVAX: WHO chief

More than 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been provided to 20 countries under COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday. So far,…

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“Get back to basics”- WHO Director warns European countries

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Europe rose last week ending a six-week decline, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday. More than one million new cases of…

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ANALYSIS-Biden faces calls to jumpstart North Korea talks with more pragmatic goals

With U.S. policy toward North Korea in limbo as the new administration in Washington conducts a months-long policy review, former officials and experts are sparring over whether to shift focus…

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World food price index rises in February for ninth month running -FAO

World food prices rose for a ninth consecutive month in February, hitting their highest level since July 2014, led by jumps in sugar and vegetable oils, the United Nations food…

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World Bank readies COVID-19 vaccine funds for around 30 African countries

The World Bank is preparing emergency financing to help about 30 African countries access COVID-19 vaccines, the global lender told Reuters, as the continent scrambles to secure doses and start…

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168 million children worldwide have missed school for a year

Worldwide, more than 168 million children have had their schools completely shut for almost a year, according to UNICEF, due to coronavirus lockdowns. One in seven children – 214 million…

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The month since Myanmar’s military coup

Here is a timeline of events since Myanmar’s military took power in a coup on Monday, Feb. 1. Feb 1: Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other senior…

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Historic day for WTO as first female and first African takes the helm

The World Trade Organization’s first female and first African director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala began work on Monday, ending a six-month leadership void at the global trade watchdog. After a long campaign…

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Risk of human spread of H5N8 bird flu deemed low: WHO

The risk of human-to-human spread of the H5N8 strain of bird flu appears low after it was identified for the first time worldwide in farm workers in Russia, the World…

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WHO says working with EC to manage regional COVID vaccine donations

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the European Commission to coordinate COVID-19 vaccine donations for other countries on the continent, the head of its European office. Hans Kluge,…

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Hunger in Central America skyrockets

The number of people going hungry in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua has nearly quadrupled in the last two years, the United Nations said, as Central America has been…

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41 died by drowning in the Mediterranean’s latest migrant tragedy

(CDeNews) - The UNHCR team and IOM team in Porto Empedocle confirmed that they have verified the accurate testimonies about a shipwreck that took place on Saturday 20 February in…

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U.N. Secretary-General warns he world faces a pandemic of human rights abuses in the wake of Covid-19

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has written an op-ed for the Guardian in which he warns that the world “faces a pandemic of human rights abuses in the wake…

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Japan gets unanimous G7 support for this summer Olympics

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday Group of Seven leaders gave unanimous support for his bid to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer, as the…

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White House says U.S. not inviting Russia to G7

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The Biden administration is not inviting Russia to join the G7 group of world leaders, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday, backing…

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Russia offers 300 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine to African Union

The African Union's vaccine task team said on Friday that Russia had offered it 300 million doses of its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine and that the offer included a financing…

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African Union to set up infrastructure fund for the continent

The African Union is setting up a fund to finance the construction of much-needed roads, railways and power plants on the continent, its infrastructure head said, turning to new sources…

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Individual vaccine arrangements undermine fair distribution, WHO head says

ZURICH — The World Health Organization on Thursday urged nations producing COVID-19 vaccines not to distribute them unilaterally but to donate them to the global COVAX scheme to ensure fairness.…

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WHO alerts six African countries after Ebola outbreaks

The World Health Organization has asked six African countries to be alert for possible Ebola infections, as Guinea on Tuesday reported new cases and Democratic Republic of Congo said its…

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WHO says new global Covid cases fell 16% last week

The number of new Covid cases reported worldwide fell 16% last week, to 2.7 million, the World Health Organization has said. The number of new deaths reported also fell 10%…

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U.S. reassures Turkey over executions after Erdogan calls response ‘a joke’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday reassured Ankara that Washington blames the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for the executions of 13 kidnapped Turks in northern Iraq, after Turkey called…

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WHO approves AstraZenecaCOVID-1 9 vaccine for emergency use

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday listed AstraZeneca and Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, widening access to the relatively inexpensive shot in the developing world. "We now have all the pieces…

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In NATO debut, Biden’s Pentagon aims to rebuild trust damaged by Trump

President Joe Biden's administration will use a NATO defense gathering this week to begin what is expected to be a years-long effort to rebuild trust with European allies shaken by…

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Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala makes history as head of WTO

GENEVA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Three months after the Trump administration rejected her, former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received unanimous backing on Monday to become the first woman and first African director-general…

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UK’s Johnson to host virtual G7 meeting to push for global vaccine roll-out

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders next week to call for action to ensure equal global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, and to prevent…

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UN warns at least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year

At least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year without urgent intervention amid soaring rates of severe malnutrition driven by war and the coronavirus pandemic, four…

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WHO team member says China refused to provide WHO team with raw data on early COVID cases

China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team's investigators said, potentially complicating…

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ICC elects next chief prosecutor

Parties to the International Criminal Court on Friday elected Britain’s Karim Khan as the new prosecutor for a nine-year term starting on June 16. Khan won a secret ballot against…

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U.S. tells G7 that it is back at the table to help with global recovery

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration told allies on Friday it was re-engaging with them to help steer the global economy out of its worst slump since the Great Depression, a…

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‘All hypotheses remain open’, says WHO after experts all but dismiss lab leak

The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appears to have rejected comments made on Tuesday by the team of experts studying the origins of the Covid-19…

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U.S. seeks to build bridges on global economy

Global finance chiefs meet on Friday for the first time since Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump as U.S. president, vowing to rebuild bridges with allies to steer the world economy…

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White House to scrutinise WHO report that says COVID-19 unlikely from Chinese lab

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is looking forward to scrutinizing data included in a World Health Organization report released on Tuesday that said the COVID-19 virus did…

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Nigeria’s candidate closes in on WTO top job after rival withdraws

Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a step closer to becoming the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organization, after a South Korean rival withdrew on Friday following months of…

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