Category Archives: World News

Ferry brings 1,200 survivors of Isis Mozambique massacre to safety

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Boat docks in Pemba carrying those rescued from Islamic State insurgency in north of country

A boat carrying 1,200 survivors of a deadly attack by Islamic State-linked insurgents in northern Mozambique has reached safety in the port of Pemba, some of them crying on arrival after spending days hiding in the bush.

Aid workers were at the port to give food to those disembarking the ferry, while police and soldiers controlled crowds of people excited to see relatives rescued during the attack that began last week in Palma, a Reuters reporter at the port said.

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Arabian coins found in US may unlock 17th-century pirate mystery

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Discovery may explain escape of Capt Henry Every after murderous raid on Indian emperor’s ship

A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in the US state of Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve a centuries-old cold case.

The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the world’s most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.

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US may be in early stages of fourth wave as Covid cases rise, reports say

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US has tallied on average 63,000 new cases daily over the past week while only five states have seen declines in new infections

The US could be in the early stages of a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that is taking renewed hold across the country, with coronavirus cases increasing in 25 states, according to reports.

The US has tallied, on average, 63,000 new cases daily over the past week–an increase of 17% from the week prior, news website Axios reported. Only five states have recently seen declines in new cases. The third wave of the pandemic, which peaked in January, saw about 250,000 people daily testing positive for Covid-19, the Hill reported.

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Pfizer vaccine has 91% efficacy for up to six months, trial shows

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Findings based on two doses three weeks apart are first to show shot remains effective for many months

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech protects against symptomatic Covid for up to six months, an updated analysis of clinical trial data has found.

In a statement released on Thursday, the companies reported efficacy of 91.3% against any symptoms of the disease in participants assessed up to six months after their second shot. The level of protection is only marginally lower than the 95% achieved soon after vaccination.

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Dire situation in North Korea drives ‘collective exit’ of diplomats

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Russian embassy staff cite medicine shortages and unbearable conditions arising from strict Covid restrictions

Russian diplomats fleeing North Korea have described acute shortages of medicines and other basic goods in the country, indicating a crisis fuelled by one of the world’s strictest quarantine regimes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter posted online on Thursday, employees of the Russian embassy in Pyongyang described a “collective exit” of foreign diplomatic staff that they predicted would “unfortunately not be the last” due to unbearable conditions in the North Korean capital.

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Wait, who is the wolf again? Chinese embassy’s Aesop fable analogy baffles Twitter

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Twitter account of embassy in Ireland riffs on the Wolf and the Lamb but appears to get confused

A butchered Aesop’s fable from the Twitter account of China’s embassy in Ireland has drawn mirth from observers and highlighted the growing sensitivity of Chinese diplomats to international criticism.

As China engages in international disputes ranging from fist fights with Taiwanese officials to trade sanctions and threats of conflict, the belligerent and aggressive style of communication of some of its foreign officials has earned the nickname “wolf warrior diplomacy”.

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Coronavirus live news: Pfizer vaccine has 100% efficacy against South African variant in small trial

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Trial of 800 people in South Africa shows 100% efficacy at preventing illness; WHO Europe director criticises ‘unacceptably slow’ vaccine rollout

Reuters reports:

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech said on Thursday their Covid-19 vaccine has around 91% efficacy at preventing the disease, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months.

The shot also showed 100% efficacy in preventing illness among trial participants in South Africa, where a new variant called B1351 is dominant, although the number of those participants was relatively small at 800.

Here is an update from Our World in Data about the proportion of people who have received at least one does of Covid vaccine:

Our data is updated: https://t.co/03pQ8rRViP

Share of people with at least 1 dose:
Israel 61%
Bhutan 49%
UK 46%
Chile 36%
Bahrain 30%
US 29%
Hungary 21%
Serbia 21%
Uruguay 18%
Singapore 16%
Finland 16%
Estonia 15%
Canada 13%
Slovakia 13% pic.twitter.com/lSRZINhhl8

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‘Suez 2’? Ever Given grounding prompts plan for canal along Egypt-Israel border

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UK prepared to play leading role in project given new impetus by Ever Given blockage, say sources

The blockage of the Suez canal by the beached Ever Given container ship has prompted fresh international efforts to find an alternative to the world’s most important shipping corridor.

UN officials are understood to be reviewing plans to construct a new canal along the Egypt-Israel border, having previously dismissed ideas for a much longer route through Iraq and Syria as too hazardous.

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Covid vaccine scheme ‘unacceptably slow’ in Europe, says WHO

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Hans Kluge urges ramping up of manufacturing and asks governments to share excess shots

Europe’s vaccination campaign is “unacceptably slow” while rising infection rates in most countries across the region mean its virus situation is “more worrying than we have seen in several months”, the World Health Organization has said.

The WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said on Thursday that vaccines “present our best way out of this pandemic. Not only do they work, they are highly effective in preventing infection. However, their rollout is unacceptably slow.”

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UN security council must act to stop ‘bloodbath’ in Myanmar, says envoy

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Alternative civilian government proposes ‘federal democracy charter’, amid fears of civil war

Myanmar protesters have burned a copy of the country’s military-drafted constitution as the UN envoy monitoring the crisis warned the security council of the risk of civil war and an imminent “bloodbath” if the junta is allowed to continue violently repressing a pro-democracy movement.

“I appeal to this council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what is right, what the people of Myanmar deserve, and prevent a multidimensional catastrophe in the heart of Asia,” the special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, told the closed-door session.

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Kenya issues ultimatum to UN to close camps housing almost 400,000 refugees

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Threat to shut Dadaab and Kakuma settlements comes amid row with Somalia and prompts alarm about risks during pandemic

Kenya has once again threatened to close two huge refugee camps in the country, in a move that has alarmed the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and donor organisations.

A tweet from the ministry of interior gave the UNHCR a “14-day ultimatum to have a roadmap on definite closure of Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps”.

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Net gains: how India trawlers’ plastic catch is helping to rebuild roads

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The waste caught by fishing boats used to be thrown back into the sea but in Kerala it is now turned into black gold

For years, plastic caught by fishing communities on the Kollam coast in India’s southern state of Kerala was thrown back into the water, damaging aquatic ecosystems and killing fish.

But fishers are spearheading an innovative initiative to clean up the ocean – along with their daily hauls of fish, they pull in and collect the waste that gets enmeshed in their nets.

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Hong Kong democracy leaders found guilty over peaceful 2019 protest

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Seven figures including Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted over unauthorised march

Seven of Hong Kong’s most senior and prominent pro-democracy figures, including the lawyer and former legislator Martin Lee and the media tycoon Jimmy Lai, have been found guilty over their involvement in an unauthorised protest rally.

After a four-week trial, the defendants were convicted on Thursday of organising and participating in the rally in 2019, joining two others who pleaded guilty earlier. They could face up to 10 years in prison, though their sentences are likely to be shorter than that.

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The death truck: how a solution to Mexico’s morgue crisis created a new horror

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How did a lorry carrying 273 dead bodies end up stranded on the outskirts of Guadalajara?

On the southern outskirts of Guadalajara, early in the morning of 15 September 2018, a large container, the type normally attached to a lorry, sank into the soupy ground beside a rutted country road. The refrigerated container could store up to 18 tonnes of material, cooled to -40C. Across its white exterior, a cartoon polar bear in a blue work shirt smiled and gave a thumbs up.

A container like this was a common enough sight in the neighbourhood of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. What attracted attention was the smell. Sitting there, slumped between cornfields on one side and dilapidated concrete houses on the other, it gave off a thick, cloying odour. Some said it reeked of rotting cabbage and fish, others mentioned putrid meat. But they all agreed: the container exuded death.

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California shooting: four killed, including child, in office building in Orange

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Police arrived as shots were being fired; suspect taken to hospital after being shot by officers

Four people, including a child, have been killed and a fifth person injured in a shooting at a southern California office building, with the suspected shooter wounded by police.

It happened at around 5.30pm on Wednesday at a two-storey office building in Orange, south of Los Angeles.

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Thailand pro-democracy activists charged over protest near queen’s motorcade

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Accusations of violence, denied by all five people, could result in 16-20 years’ jail under laws that protect royal family

Prosecutors in Thailand have indicted five pro-democracy activists on charges of attempting to harm the queen during a street demonstration in October last year, in which some protesters shouted slogans critical of the monarchy.

Queen Suthida, the wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, was not in any evident danger in the incident, which occurred when a limousine carrying the queen and the king’s son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, passed through a small crowd of protesters mixed with supporters of the royal family.

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Matt Gaetz claims ‘extortion’ amid reported investigation into relationship with teenage girl

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Authorities reportedly investigating if Republican congressman, 38, violated sex trafficking laws and had inappropriate relationship

The prominent Republican congressman Matt Gaetz’s reported relationship with a 17-year-old girl remained under scrutiny on Wednesday, despite his insistence in an appearance on Fox News that the allegation was “verifiably false”.

Related: Hunter Biden calls Trump 'vile' in new book and denies Ukraine allegations

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Brazil: calls grow for removal of ‘coup-mongering’ Bolsonaro as crisis builds

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Opposition leaders demand impeachment for what they say is president’s illegal attempt to co-opt the country’s armed forces

Prominent leaders of Brazil’s opposition have called for president Jair Bolsonaro to be immediately removed from office to prevent his “coup-mongering, authoritarian delusions” becoming a reality.

“We cannot be bystanders to this barbarism,” congressman Marcelo Freixo said on Wednesday as parliamentarians demanded Bolsonaro’s impeachment for what they called his illegal attempt to co-opt the armed forces.

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Covid-19 live news: EMA says ‘no evidence’ to support restricting use of AstraZeneca; German leaders demand tighter lockdown

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Europe’s medicines agency says no risk factors identified; two state premiers say time for discussion is over and lockdown needed

A court in Belgium has ordered the government to either lift all coronavirus measures within 30 days or frame them properly in law, after a case brought by a human rights organisation challenged the use of ministerial decrees to implement them.

A night-time curfew and a ban on non-essential travel are among the restrictions currently in place in Belgium. The court in the capital, Brussels, said the state would have to pay fines of €5,000 (£4,256) a day if it fails to abide by the ruling.

We believe that in view of the restrictions on fundamental freedoms imposed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, a debate in parliament was essential.

While restrictions on these rights and freedoms may of course be made, given the importance of the issues at stake and the need to protect the rights to life and health of individuals, they must be fair and proportionate.

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said he will be vaccinated against Covid next week, according to Reuters.

“The doctors recommended that I get vaccinated,” he said during his regular morning news conference, without disclosing which day he planned to receive the shot.

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