Dec 20 Nepal president dissolves Parliament; elections next spring By Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press Parliamentary elections will be held on April 30 and May 10, according to a statement from President Bidya Devi Bhandari's office. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli decided to dissolve Parliament at a Cabinet meeting Sunday and immediately presented his recommendation. Continue reading
Dec 20 Several EU nations halt UK flights, fearing virus variant By Kirsten Grieshaber, Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy all announced restrictions on U.K. travel, hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be canceled because of rapidly spreading infections blamed on the… Continue reading
Dec 19 UK nixes Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus By Sylvia Hui, Associated Press British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a new, stricter level of coronavirus restrictions on London and much of southern England on Saturday to curb rapidly spreading infections. In announcing the more restrictive category, Johnson said that a fast-moving new variant… Continue reading
Dec 19 Watch 9:21 A major battle is brewing over abortion rights in Poland By Malcolm Brabant, Ivette Feliciano A major battle is underway over abortion rights in Poland. The country’s constitutional court, whose legitimacy has been questioned by some, has made it even harder for Polish women to get abortions. The move has been condemned by the European… Continue watching
Dec 18 Watch 8:25 U.S. cyberattack ‘a serious, ongoing problem,’ Microsoft cautions The U.S. cybersecurity team is still trying to determine exactly who is responsible for a major cyberattack in the U.S., with many signs pointing to the Russian government. Microsoft, which has built the systems for a majority of computers in… Continue watching
Dec 18 Watch 5:41 With few resources, Senegal emerges as a leader in the fight against COVID-19 By Fred de Sam Lazaro For much of the pandemic, New Zealand has often been praised for the effectiveness of its response. But despite few resources, the small African nation of Senegal has also become a leader in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic within its borders. Continue watching
Dec 18 With Trump silent, response to hacks may fall to Biden By Eric Tucker, Frank Bajak, Matthew Lee, Associated Press The lack of any statement casts doubt on the likelihood of a swift response to the attacks and suggests any retaliation will be left in the hands of President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration. Continue reading
Dec 18 ‘Caliphate’ podcast didn’t meet standards, The New York Times says By David Bauder, Associated Press After an internal investigation, The New York Times said Friday it was wrong to trust a Canadian man whose account of Islamic State atrocities was a central part of its 2018 podcast “Caliphate” but could not be verified. Continue reading
Dec 18 Abducted Nigerian schoolboys freed after quick response By Carley Petesch, Lekan Oyekanmi, Associated Press The relatively quick release of the more than 330 boys took place after a prompt response by the government, which appears to have learned from earlier mass school abductions, especially of the Chibok schoolgirls, that did not have such a… Continue reading
Dec 17 After four years of ‘America First,’ what will U.S. foreign policy look like under Biden? By Daniel Bush After four years of President Trump, it’s also no longer a given that most Americans want the United States to play a lead role in promoting peace and economic prosperity around the world. Continue reading