Asian Politics Headlines at 3:22 a.m. GMT
N. Korea threatens to build more nukes, cites US hostility
N. Korea threatens to build more nukes, cites US hostility
Britain vaccinated 478,248 people in the 24 hours to Saturday with a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a daily record according to government figures, as the total death toll from the virus nears the 100,000 mark, standing at 97,329. The country also reported 1,348 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, a slight fall from the previous day when there were 1,401 fatalities.
Germany expects British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to deliver 3 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in February despite the company's latest production problems, Health Minister Jens Spahn told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. AstraZeneca informed European Union officials on Friday it would cut deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the bloc by 60% to 31 million doses in the first quarter of the year due to production problems, a senior official told Reuters. The decrease deals another blow to Europe's COVID-19 vaccination drive after Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech slowed supplies of their vaccine to the bloc this week, saying the move was needed because of work to ramp up production.
The United States plans to reverse the Trump administration's "draconian" immigration approach while working on policies addressing the causes of migration, President Joe Biden told his Mexican counterpart, the White House said on Saturday. In a Friday call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Biden outlined his plan to create new legal pathways for immigration and improve the process for people requesting asylum, according to an account of the call released by the White House.
Support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has overseen the world's second deadliest coronavirus outbreak, has fallen sharply, a Datafolha poll shows, as a brutal second wave and a lack of vaccines sours views of his far-right government. However, despite his declining support, a majority of Brazilians are now against him being impeached, a second Datafolha poll found. According to one of the polls, Bolsonaro's administration was rated as bad or terrible by 40% of respondents, up from 32% in an early-December survey.
Italy will have to rethink its COVID-19 vaccination plans if supply problems persist, a senior health official said on Saturday. The country had already had to cut its daily inoculations by more than two thirds because of delays in deliveries of shots from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc, Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy's higher health council, told a press conference. Now that AstraZeneca Plc has also warned of cuts in deliveries to its doses - even as they await clearance for use in the bloc - Italy might have to redraw its national roll out at the end fo the month, he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden discussed plans to reverse the Trump administration's immigration policies with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday, according to a readout of a phone call released by the White House on Saturday. Biden outlined his plan to reduce migration in the call by focusing on "addressing its root causes," the readout states. The plan includes efforts to increase "resettlement capacity and lawful alternative immigration pathways" as well as improving processing at the border.
Southampton [UK], January 23 (ANI): FA Cup titleholders Arsenal were knocked out of the tournament on Saturday after losing to Southampton in the fourth round here at St Mary's Stadium.
Police in Wales have made a fresh appeal for information after a nativity scene in Raglan, Monmouthshire, was firebombed on Christmas Eve.Gwent Police said the damage was caused around 9.45 pm on 24 December, as indicated by the timestamp on the security-camera footage they released.The £10,000 nativity scene was funded by the Beaufort Hotel and designed by retired theatre design lecturer Liz Friendship, the BBC reported.Statues of a shepherd, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were destroyed, leaving “just three kings staring at the bus stop,” Friendship told local media.Monmouthshire Inspector Nikki Hughes said: “This was reckless behaviour that we are continuing to investigate. We’re particularly interested in speaking to two people who were seen in the area at the time who were wearing dark coloured clothing and hats. If you have any information, please get in touch.” Credit: Gwent Police via Storyful
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 23 (ANI): Pankaj and Ravinder from Services bagged gold medal in the 57 kg and 61kg respectively in the 65th Men Senior Freestyle National Wrestling Championship here at Noida Stadium on Saturday.
Eloise, fuelled by the warm Indian Ocean waters of the Mozambique channel, gained tropical cyclone status with its strength equivalent to a category two storm, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said. The storm pummelled the region with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Gusts were expected to reach between 150 kmh and 200 kmh near the point of impact.
Chicago teachers will vote on Saturday on a resolution to not return to classrooms next week, claiming the third largest school system in the United States lacks an adequate plan to safely re-open schools amid the pandemic. The results of the vote, expected on Sunday, could jeopardize Chicago Public Schools' phased reopening as the district plans to offer in-person instruction for 70,000 elementary and middle school students. On Friday, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Janice Jackson said if those educators do not show up for work, it would constitute an illegal strike by the Chicago Teachers Union.
Passengers on public transport systems should avoid talking to one another or on the phone in order to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus, the French National Academy of Medecine said. Academy member Patrick Berche said on BFM TV on Saturday that if there were only three people in a subway car there was no problem, but if you were only two centimetres away from the next person it made sense not to converse or talk on the phone. The academy - which was founded in 1820 - criticised a recent government recommendation to wear only surgical masks in public, rather than masks made of fabric.
In its first season, “Euphoria” was a lightning bolt. The HBO series, crackling with oddity and possibility, generated noise and light in a manner that felt new, and overdue. The show told stories about the TikTok generation with all the emotional excess that comes with actually being a teen. And in Zendaya and Hunter Schafer, […]
Hundreds of people marched in central Tunis on Saturday against inequality and police brutality, in defiance of a ban on demonstrations and as security forces tried to block off the city's main central avenue. Protesters chanted "the people want the fall of the regime" - a chant popularised during the so-call Arab Spring a decade ago - and held up banners and slogans decrying the security response to more than a week of demonstrations and nightly clashes between youths and police in cities across Tunisia. The protests, 10 years after a popular revolt against autocratic rule introduced democracy in Tunisia, represent the biggest bout of political unrest in several years, with police detaining hundreds of people.
With the conclusion of the second day of the playoffs at the M2 World Championship, only three Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) teams remain in contention for the championship.
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 23 (ANI): Teen sensation Amir Sayed from Kottayam once again set the Kari Motor Speedway ablaze. The 16-year-old, competing in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship for the first time, sealed the Novice Cup category championship on Saturday. Even though with two more races to go, by winning all the 10 races so far he has ensured no one can surpass him.
Watch as Shira preciously rocks the baby's cradle. Too cute!
The iconic talk show host Larry King, one of the most recognizable figures on US television as he interviewed everyone who was anyone over a career spanning 60 years, died Saturday at the age of 87.
Britain urged Russia to respect international human rights commitments following the detention of more than 1,000 people in Moscow and other Russian cities on Saturday at rallies demanding the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. "We are deeply concerned by the detention of peaceful protesters and continue to monitor the situation closely," the British foreign ministry said in a statement. "We urge the Russian government to respect and comply with its international commitments on human rights, and release citizens detained during peaceful demonstrations."
Former Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin announced on Saturday that, at the age of 30, he was taking a break from cycling.