11 Republican senators to challenge Biden’s presidential election win

A group of 11 Republican senators and senators-elect on Saturday said that they intend to appeal the upcoming certification of the results of the presidential election.

Tougher virus measures possible in coming weeks: Johnson

Tougher coronavirus measures could be implemented in coming weeks in view of the serious situation in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted in an interview on Sunday.

Britain finalizes Brexit divorce by leaving EU single market

Britain has left the European Union’s internal market and customs union, finalizing the Brexit divorce.

US vaccinations in 2020 fall far short of target of 20 million people

Only about 2.8 million Americans had received a COVID-19 vaccine going into the last day of December, putting the United States far short of the government’s target to vaccinate 20 million people this month. Shots are reaching nursing home residents at an even slower pace than others first in line even though they are most at risk of dying of the virus.

Pope calls for peace in New Year message

Pope Francis reappeared on Friday after chronic sciatic pain forced him to miss the Church’s New Year services, and made no mention of his ailment as he delivered his traditional appeal for world peace.

Merkel urges social cohesion as pandemic rages on into 2021

German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her traditional New Year’s Day address to appeal for social cohesion in the struggle against the pandemic, even as hope dawns in the form of vaccines.

Venezuelan Supreme Court rules out opposition bid to extend term

Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Wednesday declared a move by the opposition-controlled National Assembly to extend its term into next year invalid.

Fauci sees US gaining control over pandemic by next autumn

The leading U.S. infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on Wednesday he foresees America achieving enough collective COVID-19 immunity through vaccinations to regain “some semblance of normality” by autumn 2021, despite early setbacks in the vaccine rollout.

UK rolls out Astra/Oxford COVID vaccine after world-first approval

Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, hoping that rapid action would help it stem a surge of infections driven by a highly contagious variant of the virus.

India finds six cases of new virus variant

India has found six cases of a more infectious strain of the coronavirus, which has prompted border closures around the world, in people arriving from Britain and will likely extend a flight ban to guard against it, officials said on Tuesday.

U.S. House overrides Trump’s veto of key defense bill

The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted on Monday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a $740 billion defense policy bill, a rebuke that underscored divisions in the Republican Party during Trump’s final weeks in office.

EU criticises China for jailing citizen-journalist who reported on COVID

The European Union on Tuesday criticised the jailing of a citizen-journalist in China who reported on the early outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic from Wuhan.

After Trump backs down on stimulus bill, lawmakers set to vote on higher relief checks

Democrats in the U.S. Congress on Monday will try to push through higher pandemic relief payments of $2,000 for Americans after President Donald Trump backed down from a fight with lawmakers that could have shut down the federal government.

US bolsters support for Taiwan and Tibet, angering China

China expressed anger on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law measures to further bolster support for Taiwan and Tibet, which had been included in a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package.

Saudi court jails women’s rights activist

A Saudi court on Monday sentenced prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison, her family and media said, after her conviction in a trial that has drawn international condemnation.

Covid-19 pandemic will not be the last: WHO chief

The coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health are “doomed” without tackling climate change and animal welfare, the World Health Organization’s chief said.

Protests keep up against Israeli PM as new election looms

Hundreds of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, calling on the long-serving leader to resign just days after the country was plunged into a new national election.

Canada’s Ontario reports two people infected with new Covid-19 strain

Ontario health authorities on Saturday said they detected Canada’s first cases of the new strain of the coronavirus recently discovered in Britain, believed to be more contagious.

EU ambassadors begin reviewing post-Brexit trade deal

The 27 EU ambassadors are convening in Brussels on Friday morning to start reviewing the new post-Brexit trade deal, a spokesperson for the German EU presidency said.

Modi calls farmer protests over contested laws politically motivated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that protests by farmers against three laws brought by his government were politically motivated, as he touted the success of an agricultural scheme launched last year.

Hundreds protest against Nepali PM’s sudden dissolution of parliament

Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli faced a fresh political challenge on Friday as hundreds of opponents protested against his sudden move to dissolve parliament and call elections more than a year ahead of the schedule.

Merry Brexmas: Britain, EU forge last-minute post-Brexit trade deal

Britain and the European Union have struck a historic post-Brexit trade deal just days before London was set to free-fall out of the bloc’s tariff-free single market on January 1.

Indian government asks protesting farmers to return to negotiations

The Indian government reached out again on Thursday to the tens of thousands of protesting farmers who have been parked at the borders of the Indian capital for almost a month, braving a chilly winter to demand the repeal of three controversial farm laws.

Lawmakers block Trump’s requested changes on coronavirus bill

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday blocked attempts to alter a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and government spending package, leaving its status in doubt after President Donald Trump demanded extensive changes to the legislation.

Trump threatens to not sign COVID-19 bill

President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to not sign an $892 billion coronavirus relief bill that includes desperately needed money for individual Americans, saying it should be amended to increase the amount in the stimulus checks.

Stranded truckers to get rapid Covid-19 tests

Furious truck drivers stranded at the English port of Dover scuffled with police as Britain sought to get cross-Channel traffic moving after a partial blockade by France to contain a highly infectious coronavirus variant.

US loses one life every 33 seconds to Covid-19

In the United States last week, someone died from Covid-19 every 33 seconds.

UK cut off over new coronavirus variant fears

The list of European Union countries stopping flights from Britain continued to grow on Sunday as alarmed officials reacted to a new, highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has sent London and south-eastern England into lockdown.

Russia summons French, German Swedish envoys over Navalny case

Russia summoned the heads of the French, German and Swedish embassies to its Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the case of dissident Alexei Navalny, state media reported.

Trump turns to SC, challenges Pennsylvania loss

President Donald Trump’s campaign said it turned to the US Supreme Court to challenge the election results in Pennsylvania, filing yet another long-shot appeal despite weeks of courtroom defeats and an Electoral College vote last week that formalized Joe Biden’s victory.