This day in history

1912 - Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro signed an armistice ending the first Balkan War.
2 December 2021

Global aid needs will surge in 2022

The UN warned yesterday that the need for humanitarian aid was skyrocketing worldwide, as the pandemic continues to rage, and climate change and conflicts push more people to the brink of famine.
2 December 2021

Quote of the day

Quote of the day
2 December 2021

Posting Propaganda: Twitter shuts 3,500 accounts in 6 countries

Twitter yesterday said it had shut down nearly 3,500 accounts that were posting pro-government propaganda in six countries, including China and Russia.
2 December 2021

2 French policewomen wounded in sword attack by man dressed like ninja

A man dressed like a ninja attacked and wounded two policewomen with a sword in Cherbourg in northwestern France on Thursday before being shot and captured, a police spokeswoman said.
2 December 2021

Germany bans unvaccinated people from shops, to make shots mandatory

Germany on Thursday imposed restrictions on the unvaccinated as it sought to break a dramatic surge in daily coronavirus infections exacerbated by the discovery of the Omicron strain.
2 December 2021

EU plans 300b euros in development aid

The European Commission yesterday announced a plan to mobilise 300 billion euros ($340 billion) in public and private infrastructure investment around the world, a move seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.
1 December 2021

Countries agree to negotiate

World Health Organization member states yesterday agreed to start work on building a new international accord setting out how to handle the next global pandemic.
1 December 2021

Quote of the day

I have one simple request for all member states, and that is: end this pandemic. Just in the past week, this virus [Covid-19] has demonstrated that it will not simply disappear.”
1 December 2021

‘Mobility divide’ looms

Migration between richer countries has risen, while conflict and climate change have increased internal displacement in fragile states that many people cannot leave, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said yesterday.
1 December 2021

‘Don’t freak out’ about Omicron

The CEO of Covid-19 vaccine maker BioNTech has a message for those who are worried about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus: keep your cool.
1 December 2021

Tel Aviv ranked world’s priciest city for first time

Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city to live in as soaring inflation has pushed up living costs globally, according to a survey published yesterday.
1 December 2021

Sword carried by Napoleon up for auction

The dress sword carried by Napoleon Bonaparte when he staged a coup in 1799 will go under the hammer at the weekend with five other weapons that belonged to the French emperor, US auctioneers announced.
1 December 2021

Ethiopia govt claims to retake town near capital from rebels

Ethiopia said yesterday that pro-government forces had recaptured of Shewa Robit, around 220 kilometres (135 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa by road, after Tigrayan rebels claimed control of the town last week as part of their advance towards the capital.
1 December 2021

Nigeria boat disaster kills 29, mostly children

An overloaded boat carrying dozens of passengers, mostly children aged eight to 15, capsized late on Tuesday in northwest Nigeria’s Kano state, a rescue agency spokesman said.
1 December 2021

WWII bomb explodes near Munich train station, 4 hurt

A World War II bomb exploded at a construction site next to a busy railway line in Munich on Wednesday, injuring four people, one of them seriously, German authorities said.
1 December 2021

Brazil first in South America to record Omicron cases

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said on Tuesday that two Brazilians had tested positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the first reported cases in Latin America.
1 December 2021

3 killed in Michigan school shooting, 6 wounded

At least three students were killed and six other people, including a teacher, were wounded on Tuesday in a shooting at a high school in Oxford, Michigan, and a student was quickly taken into custody, law enforcement authorities said.
30 November 2021

Sudan security forces fire tear gas to quell march against military regime

Sudanese security forces deployed tear gas against tens of thousands of protesters gathering in central Khartoum on Tuesday to oppose military rule following last month's coup.
30 November 2021

Omicron Covid-19 variant: How South African scientists spotted it

On Friday, November 19, Raquel Viana, Head of Science at one of South Africa's biggest private testing labs, sequenced the genes on eight coronavirus samples - and got the shock of her life.
30 November 2021