Month: February 2021

Britain’s health minister said Tuesday the government there is considering modifications to existing COVID-19 vaccines to address variant strains of the coronavirus. Health Minister Matt Hancock made the announcement in parliament, a day after health officials said they has discovered 105 cases of a COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa, 11 cases of which …

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British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday said 105 cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa have been found in the nation, with 11 of those cases having no links to international travel.Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing, Hancock said health authorities plan to test 80,000 people from areas around the …

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Turkey and Azerbaijan are continuing to deepen ties by starting a major joint military exercise Monday. The display of force comes as some analysts suggest Ankara could be on the verge of a foreign policy pivot away from the Middle East to Central Asia.The 12-day military exercise involves tank divisions, airborne units, and “special forces.” …

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German pharmaceutical giant Bayer announced Monday it will help a smaller German biomedical company, CureVac, produce its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, the latest drug maker to offer up manufacturing capacity as supplies fall behind demand worldwide. At a virtual news conference hosted in Berlin Monday by Health Minister Jens Spahn, Bayer’s pharmaceutical chief, Stefan Oelrich, said …

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Biden administration is considering possible action against Russia, a day after police used batons and tasers against protesters demanding the release of jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny. In an TV interview that aired on Monday, Blinken said he was “deeply disturbed by the violent crackdown.” He also said …

Read more “Blinken Slams Putin for Crackdown on Navalny Supporters “

The Russian general prosecutor’s office said Monday that that it supports a request by the federal prison system to impose a jail term on opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, instead of a suspended sentence. Navalny faces the possibility of a 3.5-year prison sentence over charges he violated the parole terms of a 2014 suspended sentence the European Court of Human Rights later deemed baseless. Navalny is being held …

Read more “Russia Considers Imposing Jail Term on Navalny”

The Russian general prosecutor’s office said Monday that that it supports a request by the federal prison system to impose a jail term on opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, instead of a suspended sentence. Navalny faces the possibility of a 3.5-year prison sentence over charges he violated the parole terms of a 2014 suspended sentence the European Court of Human Rights later deemed baseless. Navalny is being held …

Read more “Russian Authorities Consider Giving Navalny a Jail Term”

Thousands of protesters faced off with police in riot gear in Vienna Sunday at the site of a banned far-right demonstration against coronavirus restrictions.Vienna police banned numerous protests planned for this weekend, including one on Sunday by the far-right Freedom Party, on the grounds that protesters have generally failed to observe rules on social distancing …

Read more “Thousands in Vienna Rally Against COVID Restrictions”