World

The more contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain is spreading rapidly across Portugal, pressuring the health service at a time when authorities are scrambling to tackle the country's worst outbreak since the pandemic's start.

At least three people died and eleven were injured on Wednesday afternoon when a building in central Madrid was blown apart by an explosion, with four of the wounded requiring hospitalisation.

China imposed sanctions on nearly 30 former Trump administration officials moments after they left office on Wednesday.

More steps are needed to protect a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as violations are rising, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Reuters during a trip to the region on Wednesday.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday successfully underwent surgery on his foot to address complications resulting from a coronavirus infection, the presidency said.

Ethiopians in the warscarred north are dying from lack of healthcare services, are suffering food and water shortages, and remain "terrified", according to aid agencies finally accessing remoter parts of Tigray region.

Jeanne Becart, mayor of the Paris suburb of Garches, said public health officials told her to get ready to administer 1,200 COVID19 vaccines a week. But for this week, the vaccination centre she set up has only been allocated 420 doses.

The COVID19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is likely to protect against a more infectious variant of the virus, which was discovered in Britain and has spread around the world, according to results of further lab tests released on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had given a full pardon to a former Google engineer sentenced for stealing a trade secret on selfdriving cars months before he briefly headed Uber Technologies Inc's rival unit.

South Korea may secure additional coronavirus vaccines for 20 million people from U.S. drugmaker Novavax Inc, President Moon Jaein said, according to a statement from the presidential office on Wednesday.

The incoming administration of U.S. Presidentelect Joe Biden is considering creating a White House position to focus on competition policy and issues relating to antitrust, two sources familiar with the situation said.

Britain on Tuesday said it would give COVID19 shots to up to 2,000 people working in vaccine supply chains, after AstraZeneca requested protection for its workers trying to deliver an ambitious vaccine rollout programme.

Alexei Navalny is the most vocal and effective critic of Russia's government and President Vladimir Putin. He is in pretrial detention after returning to Russia from Berlin, where he was treated for the nearfatal effects of a militarygrade nerve toxin tha...

The rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines amongst older people in Israel has lifted the spirits of an age group that has endured confinement and isolation during the crisis.

Palestinians expect to receive a first batch of COVID19 vaccine by the weekend, officials said on Tuesday at a time when more than a quarter of their Israeli neighbours have already been inoculated.

Some European countries are drawing fewer than the approved six doses from Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID19 vaccine vials, meaning shots are likely going to waste even as nations plead for more.