Month: December 2020

Read More A student thought to be the first person arrested under a new national security law passed in June has been found guilty of desecrating the national flag during a street clash with a pro-government group. Tony Chung Hon-lam, 19, is facing up to three years in jail after a magistrates court in Hong…

Read More Current laws mean abortions only allowed if pregnancy is due to rape or in instances when mother’s health or life is in danger Current laws mean abortions only allowed if pregnancy is due to rape or in instances when mother’s health or life is in danger

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Read More The democracy activist and publisher is perhaps the most prominent individual to be charged under China’s controversial new law, which takes aim at dissent in nominally semi-autonomous Hong Kong. (Image credit: Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) The democracy activist and publisher is perhaps the most prominent individual to be charged under China’s controversial…

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Read More Cow vigilantes are mobs of people who carry out violent attacks in the name of protecting the animals seen as sacred in Hinduism Cow vigilantes are mobs of people who carry out violent attacks in the name of protecting the animals seen as sacred in Hinduism

Read More Approval for emergency use could come within hours, allowing vaccinations of healthcare workers to start within days FDA advisory panel recommends approval of Pfizer Covid vaccine States targeted in election fraud lawsuit condemn ‘bogus claims’ Susan Rice tapped for top domestic policy role in Biden administration Sign up to receive First Thing –…

Read More The pledge is ‘not the finishing line’ for climate leadership from the EU but a ‘foundation’ for further action, an expert says The pledge is ‘not the finishing line’ for climate leadership from the EU but a ‘foundation’ for further action, an expert says

Read More The pledge is ‘not the finishing line’ for climate leadership from the EU but a ‘foundation’ for further action, an expert says The pledge is ‘not the finishing line’ for climate leadership from the EU but a ‘foundation’ for further action, an expert says

Read More Bloc defers decision on trade tariffs and arms until consultation with Biden administration EU leaders have agreed to sanction an unspecified number of Turkish officials and entities involved in gas drilling in Cypriot-claimed waters – but they deferred bigger decisions such as trade tariffs or an arms embargo until they have consulted with…

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Read MoreWindsor was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by the queen in 2016.Windsor was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by the queen in 2016.

Read MoreWindsor was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by the queen in 2016.Windsor was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by the queen in 2016.

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Read More Latest updates: Von der Leyen says two sides remain apart and UK must accept fair competition as pre-condition for access to single market No-deal Brexit is now likeliest, Ursula von der Leyen tells EU leaders Boris Johnson warned over ‘Australia-style’ Brexit trade deal No-deal would make Britons less safe, ex-national security adviser says…

Read More These are anxious times but good news from Britain, even if Nigella’s pronouncing things wrong The schools went back in New York today and a familiar dynamic got underway: huge relief at having the kids out of the house, immediately followed by a dim but persistent hunger to fetch them back home. Continue…

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Read More Approval for emergency use could come within hours, allowing vaccinations of healthcare workers to start within days FDA advisory panel recommends approval of Pfizer Covid vaccine States targeted in election fraud lawsuit condemn ‘bogus claims’ Susan Rice tapped for top domestic policy role in Biden administration Sign up to receive First Thing –…

Read More An Irish publican who defied coronavirus restrictions to open his bar in a rural village was arrested by police scarcely an hour after welcoming patrons to his “covid-free pub,” which featured mandatory testing for the virus. Donal Byrne, the owner of Eileen’s Bar in Aghamore in county Mayo, introduced mandatory rapid testing for…

Read MoreOnly other unprovoked shark attack there was in 2005 and wasn’t fatal, expert says. Latest victim was 38-year-old female from France.Only other unprovoked shark attack there was in 2005 and wasn’t fatal, expert says. Latest victim was 38-year-old female from France.

Read More In May the videotaped death of George Floyd, pinned to the ground by police gasping “I can’t breathe,” was watched by millions worldwide in horror and revulsion. Assa Traoré, named one of TIME’s 2020 Guardians of the Year, could not bring herself to join them. Her younger brother Adama also died in police…

Read MoreAll-night talks lead to a goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 55% over the next decade.All-night talks lead to a goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 55% over the next decade.

Read MoreSalim Ayyash had been convicted of assassinating Lebanon’s former PM with a massive car bomb in 2005.Salim Ayyash had been convicted of assassinating Lebanon’s former PM with a massive car bomb in 2005.

Read More The Chinese Foreign Ministry has blasted the US’s interference in Beijing’s domestic affairs on the grounds of human rights, after Washington’s embassy in China called on Chinese citizens to “boldly stand up” for their rights. Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that the US wrote…

Read More Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga has warned that the country will launch a case to annul a rule-of-law declaration in the top EU court. Brussels’ move unblocks the European Union’s new budget and coronavirus recovery fund. “No one should have any doubts the Hungarian government will attack this [in the EU court] as…

Read More Australia plans to start Covid vaccinations by March and finish by the end of 2021 Australia plans to start Covid vaccinations by March and finish by the end of 2021

Read More A new generation of combative Chinese diplomats aren’t afraid to push back against criticism of their country, one of them has said, comparing them to Simba from ‘The Lion King’, who began as a cute cub but became a fierce lion. Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made a number…

Read More Taiwan has commissioned the first of a dozen of its planned new Coast Guard ships that can be easily turned into deadly corvettes during conflict, as tensions with China continue to grow. The advanced catamaran is the first in the fleet of 12 Anping-class patrol ships Taiwan plans to add to its Coast…

Read More China is looking for a restart with Joe Biden, responding in a measured way as the Trump administration slaps more sanctions on Beijing. China is looking for a restart with Joe Biden, responding in a measured way as the Trump administration slaps more sanctions on Beijing.

Read More My foster parents took in more than 100 kids, but I was one of only two they adopted I was hours old when my birth mother threw me away by a dumpster. She was a drug addict, I’ve since been told, and couldn’t handle looking after me. When I was discovered, the police…

Read More Terminally-ill radio host clarified that he ‘would not advocate for secession’ Terminally-ill radio host clarified that he ‘would not advocate for secession’