Biden to immediately roll back Trump policies on wall, climate, health

Joe Biden will sign 15 executive actions after he is sworn in as U.S. president on Wednesday, aides said, undoing policies put in place by outgoing President Donald Trump and making his first moves on the pandemic and climate change.

At least two dead after blast brings down building in Madrid

At least two people died and several were injured when a building in a central Madrid belonging to the Catholic Church collapsed on Wednesday after an explosion, Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida told reporters.

Germany to extend lockdown on fears of COVID variants

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to agree with regional leaders to extend a lockdown for most shops and schools until mid-February as part of a package of steps to try to rein in the coronavirus, sources said before talks on Tuesday.

Trump mulling pardons on last full day in power

President Donald Trump began his final full day in the White House Tuesday with a long list of possible pardons to dish out before snubbing his successor Joe Biden’s inauguration and leaving for Florida.

‘Arson’ destroys four UNICEF schools in Rohingya camps

Four UNICEF schools for Rohingya children in refugee camps in Bangladesh have been destroyed in a fire, officials said Tuesday, with the UN children’s agency calling it arson.

US state capitals gird for armed pro-Trump protests

Protesters are expected to descend on statehouses across the United States on Sunday in support of baseless claims that electoral fraud robbed President Donald Trump of a second term, as law enforcement officials girded for possible violence.

Quake death toll at 78 as Indonesia struggles with string of disasters 

At least 78 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province on Friday, the Search and Rescue agency (Basarnas) said on Sunday, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the Southeast Asian country.

Biden proposes 1.9-trillion-dollar coronavirus relief bill

US President-elect Joe Biden announced a 1.9-trillion-dollar coronavirus stimulus proposal which includes funding for a national vaccine programme and 1,400 dollar cheques for many Americans.

Indonesia quake kills at least 42, injures hundreds

A powerful earthquake killed at least 42 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi on Friday, trapping several under rubble and unleashing dozens of aftershocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami.

N. Korea shows off new submarine-launched missiles

2021-North Korea displayed what appeared to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at a parade on Thursday night, state media reported, capping more than a week of political meetings with a show of military might.

U.S. House impeaches Trump for a second time

Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice, as 10 of his fellow Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to charge him with inciting an insurrection in last week’s violent rampage in the Capitol.

S.Korea court upholds jail for ex-president Park

South Korea’s top court upheld on Thursday a 20-year jail sentence for former President Park Geun-hye on graft charges that led to her downfall, bringing an end to the legal process and so for the first time raising the possibility of a pardon.

First identified victim of Indonesian jet crash buried

The remains of a flight attendant who was the first victim to be identified after last week’s crash of an Indonesian passenger jet were laid to rest on Thursday.

House convenes to impeach Trump for his role in Capitol assault

A week after President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday as lawmakers considered impeaching him for his role in an assault on American democracy that stunned the nation and left five dead.

Japan issues coronavirus state of emergency in seven more prefectures

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided on Wednesday to expand a state of emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic to some other parts of the country as Japan suffered a resurgence of virus infections. Suga issued a state of emergency in an additional seven prefectures, including Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka, which brings the number of prefectures under the measure to 11.

Indonesia suspends dive search for crashed jet’s cockpit recorder

-Indonesia on Wednesday temporarily suspended a search by divers for the cockpit voice recorder of a Sriwijaya Air that crashed with 62 people on board shortly after takeoff.

Drive to impeach Trump after Capitol siege speeds ahead

Democrats will give President Donald Trump one last chance on Tuesday to leave office days before his term expires or face an unprecedented second impeachment over his supporters’ deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Another Chinese city goes into lockdown amid new COVID-19 threat

China imposed new coronavirus curbs in areas near Beijing on Tuesday, putting 4.9 million people in Langfang city under lockdown as new infections raised worries about a second wave in a country that has mostly contained the disease.

FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests

Threatened with more violence from outgoing President Donald Trump’s supporters following last Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol, the FBI issued warnings for next weekend that run at least until Inauguration Day, the source said.

Democrats in Congress to begin drive to force Trump from office

Congressional Democrats begin their drive to force President Donald Trump from office this week, with a House vote on articles of impeachment expected as early as Wednesday that could make him the only president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.

Indonesian police identify first victim of jet crash

Indonesian police on Monday identified the first victim of the weekend’s crash of a passenger jet as search teams retrieved more body parts from the Java Sea. The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 jet plunged into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta airport on Saturday with 62 people on board.

Indonesia locates black boxes of crashed jet as body parts recovered

Indonesian authorities on Sunday located the black boxes of the Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea soon after taking off from the capital Jakarta, as human body parts and pieces of the plane were retrieved.

Japan detects a new strain of the coronavirus

Japan’s Health Ministry on Sunday said that four people who had arrived in Tokyo from Brazil were found to be infected with a new variant of the coronavirus.

China calls on India to return missing soldier

China has called for the swift return of a soldier it says is being held by Indian authorities after disappearing along the border.

US reports over 4,000 daily coronavirus deaths for first time

The United States reported more than 4,000 coronavirus deaths in one day for the first time on Thursday, as health systems struggle to cope with the number of sick and dying patients.

State of emergency over pandemic takes effect for Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked for public cooperation on Friday as a state of emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic came into effect for Tokyo and its surrounding region.

Democrats inch toward second Trump impeachment after Capitol siege

Congressional Democrats on Friday weighed impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time, two days after his false claims of election fraud helped encourage a mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Trump vows ‘orderly’ transition after Congress affirms Biden’s win

Outgoing US President Donald Trump has promised an “orderly” transfer of power after a tumultuous 24 hours in Washington that saw rioters storm Congress and lawmakers finally confirm incoming president Joe Biden’s election victory. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump said in a statement early Thursday as he continued t

‘State of war’ as China sees largest coronavirus outbreak in months

China is experiencing its largest outbreak of the novel coronavirus in months, with case numbers in Hebei province outside Beijing rising to 230 in just five days. On Thursday alone, the health commission reported that 90 coronavirus patients were being treated in hospital and 144 were experiencing asymptomatic infections.

Japan issues state of emergency over pandemic, virus surges in Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday for Tokyo and its surrounding region amid a surge in infections.