Europe

Eurozone warning: Expert exposes disastrous Covid errors which poses dire risk to union

express– And Hans-Olaf Henkel fears EU leaders are repeating the mistakes of the past by using the pandemic as an excuse for running up huge debts rather than prioritising fiscal discipline. The former President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), who stood down from the

Asia

IN PICS: Art Basel Hong Kong Returns After COVID-19 Pandemic Hiatus

republicworld– Art Basel Hong Kong, one of Asia’s premier art fairs, is back in slimmer form after a hiatus prompted by COVID-19. About 100 galleries from 23 countries are participating, half the pre-pandemic level, with others joining via online viewing rooms. The show runs through Sunday. Adeline Ooi, the Asia director of Art Basel, described […]

Asia

Sinovac Maker Advises Longer Gaps Between Doses

republicworld– Chinese COVID-19 vaccine maker Sinovac said it recommends longer intervals between two doses to achieve better effectiveness after the country’s top CDC official admitted the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines. Liu Peicheng, Spokesperson for Sinovac, one of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine producers that have distributed millions of doses

Asia

Newspaper: China To Soon Try 2 Canadians On Spying Charges

republicworld– A Communist Party newspaper says China will soon begin trials for two Canadians, who were arrested two years ago in apparent retaliation for Canada’s detention of a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies. The Global Times said Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor “will soon be tried” after they were charged with

Fashion

Meet the Irish designers adding colour to our lives… and a little light into our lockdown

independent.ie– It’s been exciting to watch Irish designer Katie Ann McGuigan wow at London Fashion Week repeatedly every season because of her highly original eye for digital graphic prints. Katie Ann grew up with colour, spending every day after school and her weekends at her parents’ Orior furniture and interiors business in Newry, surrounded by the […]

Africa News

Ghana Suspends Parliament Amid A Surge In COVID-19 Cases

republicworld– Ghana’s parliament has been suspended for at least three weeks following a surge in COVID-19 cases among parliament members and staff. Speaker Alban Bagbin announced the suspension late Tuesday, saying that at least 17 members of parliament and 151 staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus. He has urged lawmakers and other parliament staffers

Middle East

10,000 mourners defy Covid-19 restrictions at rabbi’s funeral in Jerusalem

independent.ie– Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis flouted the ban on public gatherings to attend the funeral of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem. The funeral procession for Rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, who died aged 99, wended its way through the streets of Jerusalem in the latest display of ultra-Orthodox Israelis’ refusal to honour coronavirus restrictions. Police

Middle East

Israel shuts down Ramon prison due to COVID infections

aljazeera– Israeli prison authorities have closed down the Ramon prison after detecting several coronavirus infections among prisoners and guards, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS). There was no comment from Israeli authorities but the PPS said on Sunday that the closure was “a serious indication of a possible wide outbreak of the pandemic among

Asia

Philippines expands travel ban to limit spread of new COVID-19 virus strain

channelnewsasia– The Philippines will ban travellers from 19 countries and territories until mid-January as a measure to keep out a new variant of the coronavirus, its transport ministry said on Tuesday (Dec 29). The regulation will be in effect from midnight of Dec 29 to Jan 15 and covers Filipinos and foreigners arriving from the “flagged countries”,