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Russia hits more EU officials with entry bans over Navalny
December 23,2020
MOSCOW- Moscow is expanding the list of European officials barred from entering Russia in response to the European Union’s sanctions over the poisoning of Russian opposition ...
World closes borders to Britain as new coronavirus strain breeds panic
December 22,2020
DOVER- More countries closed their borders to Britain on Monday over fears of a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, heightening global panic, causing travel chaos and raising the prospect ...
Indian farmers vow to carry on protests despite cold, deaths
December 22,2020
NEW DELHI- Tens of thousands of Indian farmers, protesting over agricultural laws that they say threaten their livelihoods, have vowed to carry on their around-the-clock sit-ins despite ...
Chinese FM emphasizes dialogue, cooperation with EU
December 22,2020
BEIJING- No matter how the international situation changes, China and the European Union (EU) should stay on the right track of dialogue and cooperation for mutual benefit, and properly ...
Pope promises Vatican workers no one will lose jobs because of pandemic
December 22,2020
VATICAN CITY- Pope Francis promised Vatican employees on Monday that none of them will lose their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely damaged Vatican finances...
Iran urged not to squander chance to salvage nuclear deal
December 22,2020
BERLIN- Countries trying to keep alive the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear program agreed Monday to “positively address” the possibility of a U.S. return to the accord under the Biden ...
Global COVID-19 cases surpass 75 million
December 21,2020
Global coronavirus infections surpassed the 75 million mark on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as several nations around the world begin vaccinating against the virus. ...
WHO in ‘close contact’ with UK over new virus variant
December 21,2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is in "close contact" with UK officials over the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus. ...
Modi surprises with Sikh temple visit amid farm protests
December 21,2020
MUMBAI- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled visit to a Sikh temple in New Delhi on Sunday, kneeling down in respect and freely clicking pictures with visitors at a time ...
Armenia honors Nagorno-Karabakh dead; some demand PM resign
December 21,2020
YEREVAN- Both opponents and supporters of Armenia’s prime minister rallied Saturday as the nation paid tribute to the thousands who died in fighting with Azerbaijan over the region ...
UK nixes Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus
December 21,2020
LONDON- Millions of people must cancel their Christmas get-togethers and most shops have to close in London and much of southern England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday ...
India’s virus cases cross 10 million as new infections dip
December 20,2020
NEW DELHI- India’s confirmed coronavirus cases have crossed 10 million with new infections dipping to their lowest levels in three months, as the country prepares for a massive COVID-19 ...
Qatar to receive first batch of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday
December 20,2020
Qatar will receive its first batch of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani has announced on Twitter...
Iran, despite sanctions, has routes to vaccines
December 20,2020
DUBAI- Although Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions, there are still ways for Tehran to obtain coronavirus vaccines as the country suffers the Mideast’s worst outbreak of the pandemic...
Switzerland OKs Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
December 20,2020
BERLIN- Switzerland has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and German pharmaceutical company BioNTech.
The country’s health agency Swissmedic said ...
EU Parliament calls for action over Egypt’s human rights abuses
December 20,2020
The European Parliament has passed a resolution urging member states to consider imposing targeted restrictions against Egypt for its crackdown on human rights activists...
Rising Violence to Impede Headway in Talks: UN
December 19,2020
KABUL - Future progress in intra-Afghan peace talks is jeopardised by a relentless surge in violence, warns the top UN diplomat in the country. ...
China holds key economic meeting to plan for 2021
December 19,2020
BEIJING- The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, as Chinese leaders charted course for the economy in 2021...
US cyber-attack: US energy department confirms it was hit by Sunburst hack
December 19,2020
The US energy department is the latest agency to confirm it has been breached in what is being described as the worst-ever hack on the US government. ...
Iran builds at underground nuclear facility amid US tensions
December 19,2020
DUBAI- Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained Friday by The Associated ...
With Trump silent, reprisals for hacks may fall to Biden
December 19,2020
WASHINGTON- All fingers are pointing to Russia as the source of the worst-ever hack of U.S. government agencies. But President Donald Trump, long wary of blaming Moscow for cyberattacks ...
Putin denies involvement in poisoning of Kremlin foe Navalny
December 19,2020
MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected allegations that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning of his top political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny ...
Joe Biden says ‘time to turn the page’ after victory confirmed
December 16,2020
Joe Biden has said it is “time to turn the page” after his presidential election victory was confirmed ...
Russia’s Putin congratulates Biden on winning U.S. election
December 16,2020
MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election after weeks of holding out. ...
Kuwait emir tells parliament: reform needed, stop disputes
December 16,2020
KUWAIT- Kuwait’s ruler told the new parliament, in which opposition candidates made gains, that comprehensive reform was needed to help the Gulf Arab state exit its worst ...
Taiwan sets 60% of population vaccination goal
December 16,2020
TAIPEI- Taiwan has set a goal to vaccinate 60% of its population with a COVID-19 vaccine, or 15 million people, a health official said Tuesday. ...
Japan, S. Korea set new daily records, mull steps
December 14,2020
TOKYO- Japan’s daily coronavirus cases have exceeded 3,000 for the first time while the government delays stricter measures for fear of hurting the economy ahead of the holiday season. ...
Maduro opponents claim big turnout in Venezuelan protest
December 14,2020
CARACAS- Droves of Venezuelans blaming President Nicolás Maduro for their country’s collapse voiced their frustrations Saturday in a creative protest rivaling recent elections they boycotted ...
US Supreme Court rejects Trump-backed bid to overturn election
December 13,2020
The US Supreme Court has rejected an unprecedented attempt to throw out election results in four battleground states that was backed by President Donald Trump. ...
First India-Iran-Uzbekistan trilateral on Chabahar port to be held on Monday
December 13,2020
NEW DELHI- India’s Chabahar project found a convert to its cause of connectivity: Uzbekistan. On Monday, India, Iran and Uzbekistan will hold their first ...
S. Korea reports 950 cases, biggest daily jump
December 13,2020
SEOUL- South Korea has reported 950 new coronavirus cases, its largest daily increase since the emergence of the pandemic, as fears grow about overwhelmed hospitals in the greater capital area.
The figures released Saturday brought the country’s caseload to 41,736, after health officials added more than 8,900 cases in the last 15 days alone. Six COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours to bring the death toll to 578.
Nearly 680 of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where health workers have struggled to track transmissions popping up from just about everywhere, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, restaurants, saunas, schools and army units.
Infections were also reported in other major urban centers, including Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan and Daegu, a southeastern city that was the epicenter of the spring outbreak.
The government had eased its social distancing restrictions to the lowest tier in October despite experts warning about a viral surge during colder weather, when people spend longer hours indoors.
Officials restored some restrictions in recent weeks, such as shutting nightclubs and allowing restaurants to provide only deliveries and takeouts after 9 p.m., and could be forced to clamp down on economic activity further.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said South Korea may have to elevate social distancing restrictions to the highest level, which includes a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, school closures, a halt to to professional sports and requiring companies to have most of their employees work from home.
President Moon Jae-in in a Facebook message apologized for his government’s failure to contain the outbreak despite months of measures that hurt the economy. He pleaded for vigilance, saying the country was going through its “last crisis before the arrival of vaccines and treatment.”
Health officials are also trying to ramp up testing and prevent the virus from being spread by those with mild or no symptoms.
From Monday, rapid antigen tests at emergency rooms, intensive care units and remote hospitals will be covered by the national health insurance, which would cost recipients about 8,000 won ($7) each.
Antigen tests and another form of rapid testing based on saliva samples will also be available at designated sites in the capital area free of charge and regardless whether people are symptomatic.
The country will also deploy more than 800 police officers, troops and civil servants to support contact tracing. (AP)
Leaders fete 5 years of Paris climate pact, without US
December 13,2020
PARIS- World leaders are staging a virtual gathering Saturday to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris climate accord, which set a goal for keeping global temperatures from ...
270 Million People Face Starvation, Says WFP as It Receives Nobel Peace Prize
December 12,2020
OSLO - Some 270 million people worldwide - equivalent to the combined populations of Germany, Britain, France and Italy - stand on the brink of starvation, the head of the United ...
Erdogan Says U.S. Sanctions Would ‘Disrespect’ Turkey
December 12,2020
ISTANBUL - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday U.S. sanctions over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missiles would be disrespectful of a NATO ally, after sources ...
Pfizer Vaccine: UK Body Tells People with History of Allergic Reactions Not to Get Jab Yet
December 12,2020
The governing body of vaccines in the UK has urged people who have a history of "significant" allergic reactions not to have the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine. The Medicines and ...