COVID-19 pill near 90% effective in final analysis: Pfizer

NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc on Tuesday said final analysis of its antiviral COVID-19 pill still showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Iran accuses Western powers of ‘blame game’ over 2015 nuclear deal

VIENNA, Dec 14 (Reuters- Iran accused Western parties to its 2015 nuclear deal on Tuesday of “persisting in their blame game”, a day after European diplomats warned the pact would soon become defunct if efforts to revive it fail.

UK PM faces rebellion in parliament over COVID measures

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a large rebellion among his Conservative lawmakers on Tuesday in a parliamentary vote over new restrictions to try to curb the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant. The measures, including ordering people to work from home, to wear masks in public places and use COVID-19 passes to enter some venues, are expected to be approved by parliament but with Johnson relying on

Junta forces burn down a village in Myanmar

Yangon (dpa) 14 December 2021 - A village in the north-western Sagaing region was burned down on Monday after it was shelled by junta forces, according to local media and resistance activists in the area.

Mystery disease kills 89 people in Africa

RT.com, 14 Dec, 2021- A yet-to-be-identified disease has killed at least 89 people in Fangak in South Sudan’s state of Jonglei, a World Health Organization (WHO) official told the BBC.

Gunbattle erupts in Indian Kashmir, one militant dead

SRINAGAR, India, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Indian troops killed a suspected militant during a gunbattle in the federally-controlled Jammu and Kashmir region on Tuesday, two officials said, as violence escalated in the territory at the heart of the decades of tensions with Pakistan.

Fuel truck explosion in Haiti kills at least 50

PORT AU PRINCE, Dec 14 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were killed by a fuel truck explosion in Haiti’s second-largest city Cap-Haitien, the city mayor said on Tuesday.

‘I’VE GOT TOWNS THAT ARE GONE,’ KENTUCKY GOVERNOR

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday that widespread damage is making rescue efforts a challenge in his state after tornadoes swept through the region two days ago.

Biden declares major disaster in Kentucky

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday declared a major federal disaster in Kentucky after a swarm of deadly tornadoes hit the state on Friday, paving the way for additional federal aid, the White House said in a statement.

Miss India is Miss Universe

2021 Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe in the Israeli city of Eilat early Monday, with several contestants defying pressure to boycott in support of the Palestinians.

Pfizer documents reveal variety of vaccine side effects

Documents released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reveal that drugmaker Pfizer recorded nearly 160,000 adverse reactions to its Covid-19 vaccine in the initial months of its rollout.

Pandemic pushed 500 million people into poverty: WHO

New evidence compiled by the World Health Organization and the World Bank shows that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage. The organisations also reveal that already before the pandemic more than half a billion people were pushed or further pushed into extreme poverty because they have to pay for health services out of their own pockets, and that the pandemic is likely to make th

Omicron accounts for 40% of London infections

Britain said on Monday that the Omicron variant of coronavirus was spreading at a “phenomenal rate” and accounted for about 40% of all infections in London so people should get an additional dose of the vaccine because double-jabbed people are vulnerable.

NIGHT OF DEVASTATING TORNADOES KILL OVER 100 IN KENTUCKY

At least 100 people were feared dead in Kentucky after a swarm of tornadoes tore a 200-mile path through the U.S. Midwest and South, demolishing homes, levelling businesses and setting off a scramble to find survivors beneath the rubble, officials said Saturday.

Support for scandal-hit UK PM and party sinking

Support for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ruling Conservative Party has plummeted after a series of scandals, with a majority of voters thinking he should now resign, according to a poll published on Saturday.

Assange suffered stroke in UK prison – Fiancee

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has suffered a ministroke due to the extreme stress of fighting extradition to the US from the UK’s maximum-security Belmarsh Prison, according to his fiancee Stella Moris.

China’s Xi responsible for Uyghur ‘genocide’: Tribunal

An unofficial tribunal of lawyers and campaigners said Chinese President Xi Jinping bore primary responsibility for what it said was genocide, crimes against humanity and torture of Uyghurs and members of other minorities in the Xinjiang region.

Migrant truck crashes in Mexico killing 54

Fifty-four mostly Central Americans were killed on Thursday when the truck they were in flipped over in southern Mexico, in one of the worst accidents involving migrants who risk their lives to reach the United States.

INDIAN FARMERS CALL OFF YEAR-LONG PROTEST AFTER GOVT ASSURANCES

Indian farmers called off a yearlong protest on Thursday after the government conceded a clutch of demands, including assurances to consider guaranteed prices for all produce, instead of just rice and wheat, union leaders said.

Iran sticks to stance as nuclear talks resume

VIENNA, DEC 9 (REUTERS) - Iran’s top negotiator said on Thursday he was sticking to positions Tehran set out when nuclear talks broke off last week, while European Union and Russian envoys called for more urgency as world powers resumed negotiations in Vienna.

UN halts aid handouts in Ethiopia town after mass looting

UNITED NATIONS (AFP), 9 DEC, 2021 - The World Food Program has suspended aid distribution in the northern Ethiopian town of Kombolcha after “mass looting” of its warehouses blamed on Tigrayan forces, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.

WHO warns against vaccine hoarding as poor countries go without

GENEVA, DEC 9 (REUTERS) - The World Health Organization warned wealthy countries on Thursday against hoarding COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots as they try to fight off the new Omicron variant, threatening supplies to poorer countries where inoculation rates are low.

China ‘likely’ preparing Taiwan invasion: Pentagon

RT.COM, 9 DEC, 2021 - Defending Taiwan from Chinese invasion has become an “urgent” and “priority” task for the US military, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers, claiming Beijing has plans to forcefully “unify” the island under mainland rule.

China not worried about any ‘domino effect’ of Olympic boycotts

BEIJING, DEC 9 (REUTERS) - China is not worried about a “domino effect” of diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Winter Olympics, it said on Thursday, after Australia, Britain and Canada joined the United States in deciding not to send officials to the Games.

Journalist shot dead in “cowardly” killing in Philippines

MANILA, DEC 9 (REUTERS) - A Filipino journalist who formerly worked with Reuters has been killed in a drive-by shooting, authorities said on Thursday, one of more than a dozen journalists killed in the country in the past five years.

New Zealand to ban cigarette sales for future generations

DEC 9 (REUTERS) - New Zealand plans to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes in their lifetime in one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry, arguing that other efforts to extinguish smoking were taking too long.

SCHOLZ TAKES OVER AS GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ENDING MERKEL ERA

Social Democrat Olaf Scholz was sworn in as German chancellor on Wednesday, ending Angela Merkel’s 16 years of conservative rule and paving the way for his coalition government that has promised to boost green investment and strengthen European unity.

Ukraine welcomes Biden-Putin call as path to deterrence and de-escalation

KYIV, DEC 8 (REUTERS) - Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Reuters on Wednesday that talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had enabled “deterrence and de-escalation”.

Killings expose special powers of Indian security forces

NEW DELHI, DEC 6 (REUTERS) - Chief ministers of two Indian border states on Monday called for the withdrawal of a law that gives armed forces special powers to operate in some northeastern regions affected by insurgencies.

Kremlin expects no breakthrough at Putin-Biden talks

MOSCOW, DEC 7 (REUTERS) - The Kremlin said it expected no breakthrough later on Tuesday at virtual talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden over Ukraine, but urged people to remain calm despite mounting tensions.