Today's Date

Around 50 countries around the world have already started vaccinating their people against Covid-19, barely a year after the first alert by China signalled the start of the epidemic. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2X13lmA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked the public for their trust and support "in the difficult times" and wished them happiness and good health in his first New Year's Day cards sent to his people. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3pFkrlY

The World Health Organization says it has cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, meaning poorer countries may soon get access to the shot already available in Europe and North America. Every country that has a drug regulatory agency will have to issue its own approval for any Covid-19 vaccine, but countries with weak systems usually rely on WHO to vet the shots. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3rMPajc

The United Kingdom left the European Union's orbit on Thursday, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison. Brexit, in essence, took place at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), when the United Kingdom ended the de facto membership, known as the transition period, which lasted 11 months after it formally left on Jan. 31. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/38JgGoI

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Unlike many European countries, Russia avoided reimposing the kind of strict nationwide lockdown it introduced this spring in the hopes of supporting a struggling economy. While some major cities have reduced in-office workers and obliged bars and restaurants to close early, most regions have limited restrictions to reducing mass gatherings and requiring mask-wearing in public places. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/38QkDrR

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's father Stanley confirmed plans on Thursday to seek French citizenship as the free movement of Britons in the EU comes to an end under the Brexit pact delivered by his son. Europe is more than the single market, it's more than the European Union." "That said, to have a link like that with the EU is important," he said, apparently referring to an EU passport. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3rIgI9f

China has made major progress in developing its economy and eradicating rural poverty over the past year despite the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a New Year address Thursday. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/34XMqFO

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Results from the primary analysis of the ongoing phase 3 clinical trial of US biotechnology company Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine have revealed 94.1 per cent efficacy of the therapeutic in preventing symptomatic infections and severe illness, according to a peer-reviewed study. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3n334dk

Pakistani police arrested 14 people in overnight raids after a Hindu temple was set on fire and demolished by a mob led by supporters of a radical Islamist party, officials said Thursday. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/382WUpc

Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China's Sinopharm, a minister said on Thursday, the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles a second wave of infections. China has approved Sinopharm for general public use. Pakistan had earlier this month approved $150 million in funding to buy Covid-19 vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5% of the population. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3n4hVnL

Three civilians were wounded after a blast in a car in PD7 of Kabul city on Thursday morning. The explosion occurred in Chehel Sutoon area. No fatalities have been reported yet. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3pBYR1L

At least 26 people were killed when explosions rocked Yemen's Aden airport moments after a new unity government flew in, in what some officials charged was a "cowardly" attack by Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Although all government ministers were reported to be unharmed in Wednesday's attack, more than 50 people were wounded, medical and government sources told AFP in the southern city, with the casualty toll feared likely to rise. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3rGpIM6

Since his death in a January 3 Baghdad drone strike that sparked mourning across Iran at mass funeral processions, the "martyr" Soleimani has entered the ranks of Iran's glorious generals, immortalised in portraits, sculptures, ballads and an upcoming TV series. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3mZxzko

China has given conditional approval to a coronavirus vaccine developed by state-owned Sinopharm. The vaccine is the first one approved for general use in China. Chen Shifei, the deputy commissioner of China's Medical Production Administration, said at a news conference Thursday that the decision had been made the previous night. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2Mi96Kh

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door Wednesday on President Donald Trump's push for $2,000 Covid-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2X00Ctj

China’s reluctance to be transparent about those initial weeks has also left gaping holes in what the world knows about the coronavirus. Scientists have little insight into where and how the virus emerged, in part because Beijing has delayed an independent investigation into the animal origins of the outbreak. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2KNFX9v

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In his greetings to President Kovind and Prime Minister Modi, Putin noted that Russia and India were connected by relations of privileged strategic partnership, which, despite this year's difficulties and problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, are developing confidently. He stressed that the two countries maintain a substantive political dialogue and carry out promising joint projects in various spheres, while cooperation within the SCO and BRICS yields good results. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3pFFp4p

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Indonesia has banned the controversial but politically influential hardline group the Islamic Defender's Front. "The government has banned FPI activities and will stop any activities carried out by FPI," Mahfud said. The move follows the November return of the group's spiritual figurehead Rizieq Shihab, from three years of self-exile in Saudi Arabia, which was celebrated with events attended by thousands. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3pDAtNt

UK on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus. "The government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for use," the health ministry said. Regulatory endorsement is a welcome boost for AstraZeneca and the Oxford team, which have been accused of a lack of clarity about the results from late-stage trials. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3aStnjT

Anthony Quinn Warner, the man accused of exploding a bomb in Nashville on Christmas, told a neighbor days earlier that the city and and the world would never forget. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/38MRRZi

Phase 3 trials of a Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine in China have been found to be 79 percent effective, the Chinese pharma giant said on Wednesday. It is however lower than rival jabs developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. More than one million people have already been vaccinated with unapproved vaccines in China under its emergency use programme. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/38J1dFn

The US Attorney General said Tuesday the United States "stands ready" to try a militant convicted of murdering American journalist Daniel Pearl whose release was ordered by a Pakistani court. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2WU5BM7

A representative-elect from Louisiana died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, the first member of the US Congress to succumb to the disease. Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana's 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced the news on Twitter with a "heavy heart." from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2WRIHVQ

A Chinese court on has sentenced 10 pro-democracy activists who sought to flee Hong Kong earlier this year to between seven months and three years in prison. Hong Kong media reports said at least one may have had a warrant out for his arrest. The sentences appear to be a warning to opposition activists against trying to evade provisions of the national security law. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2L6wRUY

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reviewed the agenda for an important ruling party congress set for early next month, state media reported on Tuesday, dispelling outside speculation that the North might delay the meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/38M2ewj

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's toddler son Archie was heard speaking for the first time on Tuesday, as the couple released their first podcast, with British media seizing on his "American" accent. Archie wished listeners "Happy New Year" at the end of the couple's debut on the Spotify audio streaming platform. Archie's appearance comes after the couple launched a spate of legal actions against the media over alleged breaches of their privacy. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/34TqP1b

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Singapore became the first Asian country to start vaccinating healthcare workers against Covid-19 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday. The health ministry's expert committee had recommended that persons at high risk of being infected, including healthcare workers and front-line workers, should be given priority for vaccination. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3pxoxfT

Colorado governor Jared Polis said a man in his 20s in Elbert County near Denver was infected with the variant known as B.1.1.7 and is isolating. President-elect Joe Biden vowed he will significantly ramp up a fledging vaccination drive. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/37YyjBP

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In a statement, the Commission said the deal would be implemented on only a provisional basis, as there has not been time for the EU parliament to vote on it. But, with the UK parliament due to ratify the text later on Wednesday, this should be enough to head off the threat of a no deal divorce on January 1. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3aRXfNe

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“We are ready to forget everything if Oli accepts his mistakes,” Madhav Nepal, the former prime minister who has replaced Oli as chairman of the Prachanda-led faction, told the rally. Madhav Nepal made the comments while addressing a massive protest rally organised by his faction in Kathmandu, which was attended by former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' and Jhala Nath Khanal. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3nZOGnd

Guo, who personally knows many Nepali leaders, met Deuba after holding talks with President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Nepal Communist Party (NCP) chairs Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Madhav Nepal, former prime minister Jhananath Khanal and leader of the Janata Samajbadi Party Baburam Bhattarai. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/3aWFYTn

Researchers were "able to sequence the variant of the B1.1.7 virus in a person infected in November this year", the health ministry of Lower Saxony said in a statement referring to the new strain. This is the same strain "responsible for a large proportion of the infections detected in the south of England," it said. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2L5Vj8V

Pakistan health department in Sindh said the samples of 12 UK returnees were taken for genotyping, out of which six tested positive. "Samples of 3 UK returnees show a 95% match to the new coronavirus variant from the UK in the first phase of genotyping," it said in a tweet. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2L78uGE

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Israel did not immediately retaliate to that launch with airstrikes, as it typically does when rockets fired from Gaza enter Israel. Israel's army said a projectile device was launched from Gaza overnight Monday to Tuesday, but that it did not cross into Israeli territory. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/34USZsK

Tony Chung, a 19-year-old who led a now-disbanded pro-democracy group, was convicted earlier this month for throwing the Chinese flag to the ground during scuffles outside Hong Kong's legislature in May 2019. from World News Headlines, Latest International News, World Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2WVKtVG