Four boats carrying hundred of migrants land in Italy’s Lampedusa – report

Four boats carrying more than 500 migrants landed in Lampedusa after being intercepted by Italian authorities off the coast of the Mediterranean island, ANSA news agency reported on Sunday. ANSA said one of the boats, carrying 325 people, was intercepted 8 miles off Lampedusa. A patrol vessel belonging to the Italian tax police, who deal […]
Thailand reports 2,419 new coronavirus cases, 19 new deaths

Thailand on Saturday reported 2,419 new coronavirus cases and 19 new deaths, as the country deals with a third wave of infections. The new cases took the total number of infections to 81,274 and total fatalities to 382 since the pandemic started last year. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Chinese rocket debris set for re-entry by early Sunday – U.S. R&D centre

Remnants of China’s largest rocket launched last week are expected to plunge back through the atmosphere late Saturday or early Sunday, a U.S. federally funded space-focused research and development centre said. China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that most debris from the rocket will be burned up on re-entry and is highly unlikely to cause […]
Indian states impose stricter lockdowns as COVID deaths hit record high

India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns. India’s health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to just under 240,000. Cases rose by 401,078, increasing the total since the start of the pandemic to […]
EU split on vaccine waiver idea, unlikely to take clear stance

European Union leaders are divided over whether to follow Washington in supporting a waiver of patent rights to COVID-19 vaccines, as many argue this would take years and not address the immediate issue of making more shots to end the pandemic. Leaders of the 27-nation bloc will discuss the patent waiver idea at a two-day […]
How confusion around Biden policies birthed a new refugee camp on the U.S. border

A red pickup truck pulls up next to a migrant tent encampment in the Mexican city of Tijuana, its bed filled with loaves of bread and clothes. Men, women and children run to meet it. “A line! Form a line!” someone yells. A woman in a long skirt climbs into the truckbed and begins to […]
Analysis: Out of power in Washington, Republicans pursue hard-right agenda

Shut out of power in Washington, Republicans are using their dominance in state houses across the country to oppose Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda and appease the diehard supporters of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. In Texas, Republican lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would allow citizens to carry a handgun without a permit or […]
Gandhi warns ‘explosive’ COVID wave threatens India and the world

India’s main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi warned on Friday that unless the deadly second COVID-19 wave sweeping the country was brought under control it would decimate India as well as threaten the rest of the world. In a letter, Gandhi implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prepare for another national lockdown, accelerate a country-wide vaccination […]
Carbon emissions drop across Europe in 2020 – Eurostat

Carbon emissions from use of fossil fuels fell across the European Union last year, the bloc’s statistics office estimated on Friday, citing COVID-19 restrictions that shut down travel and factories across the region. CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels – such as oil, coal and natural gas – dropped 10% in 2020 compared […]
Military coup puts Telenor’s future in Myanmar on the line

Since Myanmar’s military ordered telecoms operators to shut their networks in an effort to end protests against its February coup, Telenor’s business there has been in limbo. As one of the few Western companies to bet on the South East Asian country after it emerged from military dictatorship a decade ago, the return to army […]