WorldReutersQatar's foreign minister wants Gulf Arab nations to talk with Iran: Bloomberg
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told Bloomberg TV https://bloom.bg/369WLz9 that Qatar has urged Gulf Arab nations to enter a dialogue with Iran and that it was the right time for Doha to broker negotiations. "This is also a desire that's shared by other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries," he said in an interview. Separately, the Qatari government was supporting discussions between Iran and South Korea to secure the release of an oil tanker seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards this month, the foreign minister said.
U.S.Associated PressWoman investigated for theft of Pelosi computer due in court
Federal authorities arrested a woman whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Riley June Williams was arrested Monday, according to a Justice Department official. The federal prosecutors' office in Harrisburg, where she was jailed, said Williams was due in court Tuesday afternoon.
WorldThe TelegraphBrussels gives tentative backing to EU coronavirus 'passports' to boost travel
It is unlikely that Britain would accept the certificates from EU citizens hoping to travel to the UK. Brussels said that using the vaccination certificates to allow greater travel and tourism in the EU was “premature” at this stage but left the door open for the plans to be picked up in the future. We feel that now this is the time for these vaccine certificates to be recognised across the European Union, and even beyond the European Union.
PoliticsBBCBiden to block Trump's Covid rule change on president's final day in office
US President-elect Joe Biden is to undo one of Donald Trump's last actions in office by blocking his decree lifting Covid travel bans on visitors from much of Europe and Brazil. Mr Biden's spokeswoman said now was not the time to be easing travel measures. Joe Biden will take office at 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
WorldAssociated PressPanel: China, WHO should have acted quicker to stop pandemic
A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem the initial outbreak of the coronavirus earlier and questioned whether the U.N. health agency should have labeled it a pandemic sooner. In a report issued to the media Monday, the panel led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said there were “lost opportunities" to adopt basic public health measures as early as possible. “What is clear to the panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January,” it said.
WorldThe TelegraphBoris Johnson unveils £23 million compensation fund for fishing industry losses over Brexit red tape
Boris Johnson has unveiled a £23 million fund to compensate the fishing industry for losses caused by Brexit red tape as Scottish seafood hauliers descended on Downing Street to protest. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) warned last week the industry was facing "mounting financial losses" and the only way to ensure a fair price was a 72-hour round trip to land catch in Denmark. "But be in no doubt that there are great opportunities for fishermen across the whole of the UK to take advantage of, the spectacular marine wealth of the United Kingdom."
WorldReutersCanada scrambles to salvage Keystone XL as Biden prepares to kill troubled pipeline project
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's expected move to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline prompted Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta on Monday to threaten to seek damages as Ottawa made efforts to save the troubled project. Scrapping the project would threaten Canadian jobs and the U.S.-Canadian relationship as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tries to turn the page on the Donald Trump era, though the idea drew support from environmental groups and progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. A source told Reuters on Sunday that Biden will cancel a permit for the $8 billion project over concerns about fossil fuels contributing to climate change, dealing a blow to the Canadian energy sector.
WorldAssociated PressPakistan PM angry over reports TV anchor knew about strike
Pakistan's prime minister reacted angrily Monday to media reports of a text exchange between an Indian TV anchor and a former media industry executive that suggests a 2019 Indian airstrike inside Pakistan was designed to boost Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chances for reelection. Imran Khan took to Twitter to respond to Indian media reports of an exchange on the WhatsApp messaging service between popular Indian TV anchor Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta, the former head of a TV rating company.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestThe Coolest New Automotive Technology at CES 2021
Mercedes-Benz's Hyperscreen, General Motors' Bright Drop, and Jeep's Electric Wrangler were among the unveils that turned heads Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsReutersIn farewell address, Trump urges prayers for next administration without mentioning Biden
U.S. President Donald Trump, in a farewell address released on Tuesday, urged prayers for the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden but declined to acknowledge his Democratic successor by name. "This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous," the Republican president said in the video remarks. Trump has refused to offer a full concession to Biden, who won the Nov. 3 election with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump's 232.
WorldAssociated PressAP Photos: Snow fills Kashmir resort with tourists again
Snow lies knee-deep in the pastoral town of Gulmarg, or “meadow of flowers,” on Indian-controlled Kashmir's high plateau. With its blanket of white, the idyllic hill station is seeing tourists again fill its hotels and ski, sledge and trek its Himalayan landscape. The heavy influx of tourists is a dramatic change for the tourism industry in disputed Kashmir, which faced the double whammy of the coronavirus pandemic and harsh curbs on civil rights India imposed in the region in August 2019.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
China says it is ready to help Kenya with debt
But after months of lockdown measures, the East African country's revenues have been pummeled, its debts are falling due and it is grappling with gaping fiscal deficits. In a statement the embassy in Nairobi said China attaches "great importance" to debt suspension and alleviation in African countries, including Kenya. The embassy said China has signed debt service suspension agreements with 12 African countries and provided waivers of matured interest-free loans for 15 under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative.
- WorldAssociated Press
Libya rivals meet in Egyptian resort for talks on elections
Libyan officials from rival administrations began talks Tuesday in an Egyptian Red Sea resort on constitutional arrangements laying the legal groundwork for presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, the United Nations said. U.N. acting envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, said failure to reach an agreement will have “negative repercussions on the other tracks, including the security and economic situation in the conflict-stricken country. She urged the gathering via videocall to wrap up their discussions in time to meet a two-month deadline agreed on as part of a roadmap crafted by a Libyan political forum in November in Tunisia.
U.S.Business InsiderThe man accused of breaking the window Ashli Babbitt tried to climb through when she was shot during the Capitol insurrection has been arrested
Chad Barrett Jones, 42, of Coxs Creek, Kentucky, was arrested in Louisville on Saturday, the FBI said in a news release. Jones is accused of breaking a window of the Capitol building moments before Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot during the insurrection earlier this month. He's facing multiple charges, including assault on a federal officer, destruction of government property, obstruction of justice, unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
PoliticsThe IndependentHow will the presidential ‘nuclear football’ transfer to Biden if Trump leaves DC early?
Donald Trump will get to take the nuclear football with him when he leaves Washington DC on his final day in office – but the codes will be deactivated at the stroke of noon. Mr Trump will be accompanied by the 45-pound briefcase when he flies to Florida on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration, as he is reportedly expected to do. Military officials will have a nuclear football, which contains the equipment the president uses to authenticate his orders and launch a nuclear strike, ready and waiting to accompany Mr Biden after he becomes the commander-in-chief, officials told CNN.
HealthReutersPortugul in 'tough marathon', says PM, as COVID-19 deaths hit new daily record
Portugal is living "one of the saddest moments", the prime minister said on Tuesday, as doctors warned of a healthcare system nearing collapse and the daily death toll from COVID-19 reached a new record high. The country of 10 million people recorded 218 new COVID-19 fatalities, up from 167 on Monday and pushing the total death toll since the start of the pandemic to 9,246, health authority DGS said. "We are certainly living one of the saddest moments, of greatest pain and suffering," Prime Minister Antonio Costa told parliament.
WorldAssociated PressTaiwan military stages drill aimed at repelling China attack
Taiwanese troops using tanks, mortars and small arms staged a drill Tuesday aimed at repelling an attack from China, which has increased its threats to reclaim the island and its own displays of military might. “No matter what is happening around the Taiwan Strait, our determination to guard our homeland will never change,” said Maj. Gen. Chen Chong-ji said, director of the department of political warfare, about the exercise at Hukou Army Base south of the capital Taipei. Chen said the exercise was intended as a show of Taiwan's determination to maintain peace between the sides through a show of force.
U.S.Associated PressOklahoma judge orders 'Tiger King' zoo to turn over big cats
A federal judge in Oklahoma has ordered the new owners of an Oklahoma zoo featured in Netflix's “Tiger King” documentary to turn over all the lion and tiger cubs in their possession, along with the animals' mothers, to the federal government. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III issued the order last week in the case against Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe and the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park based on claimed violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act. “The Lowes have showed a shocking disregard for both the health and welfare of their animals, as well as the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jonathan D. Brightbill of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
PoliticsThe IndependentWho has Trump pardoned so far? A full list
Donald Trump will soon announce up to 100 pardons and commutations of sentence, in what will be among his last acts as US president before Joe Biden assumes office on Wednesday. A meeting with advisers at the White House saw Mr Trump finalise the list of last minute pardons on Sunday night, a source said to CNN. Last month, Mr Trump issued almost 50 pardons and commutations for former criminals and personal advisers, as well as aides who lied during the Russia investigation, Republican politicians, and state department contractors convicted over a massacre in Iraq.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastIncoming Dem Chairman to Trump Admin: Why Did You Slow Walk Ukrainian Disinfo Sanctions?
A top Senate Democrat wants answers from the Trump administration about what he calls a suspiciously-timed sanctioning of the man behind the bogus narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election, and a promoter of the debunked claims that President-elect Joe Biden acted corruptly to help his son's business in the country. On Jan. 11, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on Andrii Telizhenko for his involvement in a “Russia-linked foreign influence network” steered by Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian politician who was deemed a Russian intelligence asset when Treasury sanctioned him in September 2020.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCuomo asks Pfizer to sell its COVID-19 vaccine directly to New York as the head of WHO warns of mounting inequities in vaccine distribution
On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on Pfizer to sell doses of its coronavirus vaccine directly to New York. The proposal would require Pfizer to bypass the federal government's Operation Warp Speed campaign to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans. "The distribution of any doses obtained directly from Pfizer will follow the rigorous guidance the State has established, while enabling us to fill the dosage gap created this week by the outgoing federal administration," Cuomo wrote in a letter to Pfizer.
SportsAssociated PressSouth African cricketers pleased with security in Pakistan
South African cricketers have set aside pre-tour security concerns and want to focus on their first test series in Pakistan in 14 years. The Proteas, who last toured Pakistan in 2007, kick off their tour with the first test in Karachi from Jan. 26. The government of Pakistan has provided presidential-like security with visitors' team buses being protected by security vans carrying dozens of armed personnel.
WorldAssociated PressIran kicks off ground forces drill on coast of Gulf of Oman
Iran's military kicked off a ground forces drill on Tuesday along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, state TV reported, the latest in a series of snap exercises that the country is holding amid escalating tensions over its nuclear program and Washington's pressure campaign against Tehran. According to the report, commando units and airborne infantry were participating in the annual exercise, along with fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft. Iran's National Army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi was overseeing the drill.
PoliticsThe IndependentInauguration Day schedule: Full list of timings by hour
The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) has announced a flurry of events set to be broadcast on Inauguration Day that Americans can watch virtually after urging people to refrain from attending in person. Check out an hour by hour schedule of all the events that have been announced so far for Inauguration Day this Wednesday below and check back for updated timings. am ET (3pm GMT) Our White House: An Inaugural Celebration for Young Americans "Our White House" will mark the first-ever curated livestream for young Americans before and during the Inaugural Ceremonies, ending at 12.30pm.
U.S.Business InsiderWhat we know about the laptop that was stolen from Nancy Pelosi's aide during the Capitol siege
Since the deadly siege on the US Capitol, lawmakers have reported various items stolen from their offices. A laptop that belonged to an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was one of the items reported stolen. On Monday, the FBI arrested a 22-year-old woman accused of stealing the laptop and planning to sell it to Russia.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”