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Clashes between Tunisian police, rioters continue in wake of revolution anniversary

Hundreds of youths clashed with police in cities across Tunisia late on Monday, throwing stones and gasoline bombs in the capital as security forces used tear gas and water cannons to try to quell the unrest. Up to 300 young men clashed with police in the capital’s Ettadamon district, Reuters journalists there said, while residents of Kasserine, Gafsa, Sousse and Monastir described street violence in those cities. Rioting and protests have...

Portugal tightens Covid-19 lockdown amid record numbers of new cases, deaths

Stricter lockdown rules are being enacted in Portugal, the government announced Monday, as a surging COVID-19 pandemic sets grim records and pushes hospitals to the limit of their capacity. Prime Minister António Costa said too many people had taken advantage of exceptions included in the lockdown that began last Friday, with authorities reporting 70% of normal movement over the weekend. “We are going through the most serious phase of the...

Herd immunity is not the only goal of vaccinating Australians during the pandemic

Last week a controversy played out in the media regarding the vaccine strategy in Australia. This was as a result of calls to delay the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout because of the potential availability of other vaccines that have a higher vaccine efficacy. While not discounting the importance of asking questions and raising concerns, it’s important to highlight that this call was driven by a misunderstanding of what we are aiming for in terms of...

Australia says 'no' to tennis stars calls for quarantine change

Australia says 'no' to tennis stars calls for quarantine change

Inauguration day 2021 updates: Joe Biden tasked with healing US as Donald Trump ‘to issue 100 pardons’

President-elect Joe Biden will be tasked with healing the US when he enters the White House on Wednesday as outgoing President Donald Trump is reportedly set to issue 100 more pardons and commutations. Mr Biden will be sworn in as US President in person atop a specially built platform. There will be no parade this year, however, and the number of attendees will be reduced. Tensions are high in the US after a closely fought election shrouded in...

Biden pushes unity two days before taking over crisis- laden White House

According to US media, one of Trump's final actions could be announced Tuesday at the latest: scores of pardons for convicted criminals.

Report: On 1st day in office, Biden to propose overhaul of immigration laws

On his first day in office, President-elect Joe Biden will propose a sweeping overhaul of the country's immigration laws, while also addressing the reasons why people migrate, The Washington Post reports. Biden's legislative proposal will include an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; the expansion of refugee admissions; and a security plan that deploys technology to the border, at and between ports of entry. To...

Melania Trump releases farewell video after historic Jill Biden snub

Melania Trump delivered her farewell speech today in a video message posted to Twitter. Ms Trump praised members of the military and law enforcement during her speech, and said she had been "moved by children" she visited in hospitals. She also thanked healthcare professionals for their work battling the coronavirus. "I am humbled to have had the opportunity to represent a nation with such kind and generous people," Ms Trump said. It came after...

Tunisian protesters block a street during clashes with security forces in the Ettadhamen city suburb on the northwestwern outskirts of Tunis on January 18, 2021, amidst a wave of nightly protests in the North African country.

Tunisian protesters block a street during clashes with security forces in the Ettadhamen city suburb on the northwestwern outskirts of Tunis on January 18, 2021, amidst a wave of nightly protests in the North African country.

Inauguration Day 2021: schedule and celebrity concerts

UK has highest daily Covid death rate in the world, Oxford research shows

An average of 935 daily deaths over the last week was the equivalent of more than 16 people in every million dying each day with Covid.

Bidens will be greeted to White House by former Trump hotel worker in historic snub by president

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania are eschewing the tradition of meeting the incoming first family – instead leaving Joe and Jill Biden to be greeted by White House chief usher Timothy Harleth. Traditionally, the outgoing president and first lady invite their successors into the White House for coffee ahead of the inauguration and travel to the ceremony together. Indeed, Mr and Mrs Trump were hosted by former president Barack Obama...

Asia Today: China sees virus outbreaks across its northeast

BEIJING (AP) — China was dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast on Tuesday, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans ahead of next month's Lunar New Year holiday. The country reported another 118 cases on Tuesday, with 43 of those in the province of Jilin. Hebei province just outside Beijing saw another 35 cases, while Heilongjiang province bordering Russia reported 27 new cases. Beijing, where some residential...

People ‘mistaken’ to think Johnson wanted second Trump term – Lord Sedwill

Lord Sedwill said Joe Biden’s election win brought “relief” to Western leaders that “normal diplomatic relationships will be restored”.

Pro-gun and anti-government: Suspicion and fear on America's streets

Rival armed militia roamed the streets of Richmond in Virginia, a little more than 100 miles from the American capital, amid heightened security concerns in the last few days before the presidential inauguration.

Exhausted hospital chaplains bring solace to lonely, dying

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Inside hospital rooms across America, where the sick are alone without family to comfort them, the grim task of offering solace falls to overworked and emotionally drained hospital chaplains who are dealing with more death than they’ve ever seen. Last week nearly a dozen died on a single day at the 377-bed Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, a gleaming, modern medical facility that is tucked into the northwest corner of Los...

A woman wearing a face mask is reflected in a shop window while walking in Lisbon on January 15, 2021 as Portugal entered a fresh lockdown over a surge in coronavirus cases.

A woman wearing a face mask is reflected in a shop window while walking in Lisbon on January 15, 2021 as Portugal entered a fresh lockdown over a surge in coronavirus cases.

Far-right extremists have reportedly discussed posing as National Guard members in D.C.

The FBI on Monday shared with law enforcement agencies an intelligence report warning that far-right extremists have talked about going to D.C. for the inauguration and posing as National Guard members, The Washington Post reports. The Post obtained a copy of the document, which said "lone wolves" and QAnon followers — including some who participated in the mob that stormed the Capitol earlier this month — have indicated they intend on traveling...

Country diary: free accommodation for feathered folk

The naturalist Alfred Wallace called feathers “the masterpiece of nature”. An illustration of their astonishing benefits is the ability of emperor penguins to withstand blizzard temperatures during the Antarctic winter (when the males incubate their solitary egg) of -60C. Possibly even more impressive is a feat of golden-crowned kinglets, a warbler-like mite that can survive Alaskan nights of -30C, when the differential between their core body...

Trump orders assessment of security risks of Chinese drones

Philippines says country free of H5N6 bird flu

Philippines says country free of H5N6 bird flu

Philippines to buy 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Philippines to buy 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Facebook claims it does not conduct business in Australia in Cambridge Analytica appeal

Facebook is claiming it does not conduct business in Australia and does not collect and hold data in the country in its effort to avoid liability over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Last year, the privacy commissioner took Facebook to court over an alleged mass privacy breach involving the use of Australians’ Facebook data in a vote-influencing operation involving Cambridge Analytica, a company that assisted the Trump campaign and was then...

Inaugural event to celebrate resiliency of Black Americans

DETROIT (AP) — The resiliency, culture and heroism of Black Americans and the African diaspora will be the central theme of a virtual event that will celebrate the nation’s diversity on the eve of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is slated to speak at Tuesday's event, “We Are One,” which will also honor the historic nature of her being the first Black and South Asian woman to become U.S. vice...

Acting Pentagon chief: No indication of insider threat before inauguration

Acting Pentagon chief: No indication of insider threat before inauguration

Meghan’s bid to throw out Mail’s defence to privacy claim begins at High Court

The Duchess of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Limited.

Drone tested for search and rescue in Wales bought by Canada to save whales

EXCLUSIVE: Experts hailed the Ottawa government for bringing in the unmanned aircraft - and said the devices could be used to monitor UK marine environments

Labour tell Tories to give parents £15 in their accounts to buy food

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green urged ministers to 'sack the companies' which provided those meals and give the money to parents instead.

Field of Flags lit up on National Mall for Biden inauguration

The Presidential Inaugural Committee for Joe Biden and lights the 'Field of Flags' Art Display on the National Mall, Washington DC. The flags represent those Americans that cannot attend the inaugurtation ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Guatemalan military clears U.S.-bound migrant caravan from road

Guatemalan military clears U.S.-bound migrant caravan from road

Trump scraps UK and Brazil COVID travel bans - but Biden will ignore it

The president, who's entering his last full day in office, said he had made the decision on the advice of his health secretary.

Bath could close its centre to vehicles amid fears of terror attacks

Bath could close off its historic city to vehicles as the council plans to install bollards and remove parking spaces - even for residents - amid fears of terror attacks.

Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status, a massive reversal from the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies. The legislation puts Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise important to Latino voters and other...

New appointment by Japan's Suga on vaccinations may boost support, neutralise rival

New appointment by Japan's Suga on vaccinations may boost support, neutralise rival

Indonesia air crash investigator hopes for recovery of cockpit voice recorder

Indonesia air crash investigator hopes for recovery of cockpit voice recorder

Dominion threatens to sue MyPillow CEO over baseless claims of voter fraud

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has received a letter from Dominion Voting Systems, warning him that litigation is "imminent" due to his false claims that the company's machines were rigged to change the outcome of the election. Lindell, an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump, has been spreading baseless claims of widespread voter fraud for months. In the letter, Dominion's lawyers told Lindell, "You have positioned yourself as a prominent...

Tory rebels could block post-Brexit trade deal with China by backing Labour’s ‘genocide clause’

Tory MPs are being urged to “vote with their consciences” when Labour attempts to reverse post-Brexit trade deals the UK has made with countries that are committing genocide. Ministers want to reverse key amendments to the Trade Bill, recently passed by the House of Lords, when it returns to the Commons on Tuesday – including one which would force the government to withdraw from any free trade agreement with countries the High Court rules are...

'This is what keeps Americans safe'

Guatemalan police break up large migrant caravan headed for US

Police in Guatemala have broken up for now a large migrant caravan from Honduras headed for the US.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city to extend social distancing measures

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city to extend social distancing measures

Biden, Harris take break from inaugural prep to mark MLK day

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris pitched in on Martin Luther King Jr. Day service projects as a militarized and jittery Washington prepared for a swearing-in that will play out under extraordinary security. Biden and his wife, Jill, joined an assembly line in the parking lot of Philabundance, an organization that distributes food to people in need, and helped fill about 150 boxes with fresh...

Clashes in Sudan’s Darfur region leave dozens dead

The latest inter-ethnic violence to rock Sudan’s restive Darfur region had killed nearly 140 people by Monday, tribal leaders said just weeks after a peacekeeping mission ended operations. Clashes left 55 people dead in South Darfur on Monday, after a separate round of violence in West Darfur reportedly killed 83 and displaced tens of thousands over the weekend. It was the worst violence reported since the signing of a peace agreement in...

Group: Billions in aid needed to help Afghan kids in 2021

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Some 10 million children in war-ravaged Afghanistan are at risk of not having enough food to eat in 2021, a humanitarian organization said Tuesday, and called for billions in new funds for aid. Just over 18 million Afghans, including 9.7 million children, are badly in need of lifesaving support, including food, Save the Children said in a statement. The group called for $3 billion in donations to pay for assistance in...

UK vaccinates 4million people including half of over-80s and care home residents

The latest figures come as the mass rollout moves to the next stage, with over-70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable invited to book their jabs

Mary Berry says pandemic has taught us to use what’s in fridge

Dame Mary Berry has said changes brought on by the pandemic have taught people to adapt when it comes to home cooking. The Celebrity Best Home Cook judge, 80, said she hoped fewer shopping trips results in smaller quantities of food going to waste. Asked how the last 12 months have changed home cooking, Dame Mary said: “It has taught us all to use what’s in the fridge and store cupboard and to adapt if something wasn’t available. “Shopping once...

What the papers say – January 19

Tuesday’s front pages feature a range of stories on the coronavirus and beyond.

Biden reportedly plans on canceling Keystone XL pipeline permit

Following his inauguration on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden plans on rescinding the cross-border permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, three people familiar with the matter told Politico. "President-elect Biden is showing courage and empathy to the farmers, ranchers, and tribal nations who have dealt with an ongoing threat that disrupted their lives for over a decade," Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, told Politico. The...

Italian PM wins confidence vote, but tougher test comes next week

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won a crucial confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies on Monday, hanging on to power after a junior partner quit his coalition and opened a political crisis amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Had he lost the vote, Conte would have been forced to resign. After his appeal to opposition and non-aligned lawmakers to back him following last week’s walk-out by former premier Matteo Renzi’s Italia Viva party,...

Kazakhstan to vaccinate six million people this year against coronavirus

Kazakhstan to vaccinate six million people this year against coronavirus

Capitol protester accused of trying to give Pelosi laptop to Russian intelligence

The FBI is investigating whether one of the Capitol protesters stole a laptop or computer hard drive from the office of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and tried to pass it to Russian intelligence.