Digest

World and business news. The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a “plurality of worlds”

Europe’s EMA Approves Johnson & Johnson Booster for Adults

Europe’s EMA Approves Johnson & Johnson Booster for Adults

The European Union’s drug regulator Wednesday approved booster shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for adults who received their...

Criticism of Russia Military Build-up Dominates UN Session on Rights in Ukraine

Criticism of Russia Military Build-up Dominates UN Session on Rights in Ukraine

A U.N. Human Rights Council debate on Ukraine Wednesday drifted into criticism of Russia’s large-scale military buildup along the Ukrainian border. U.S. and British representatives voiced support for...

French Army Leaves Timbuktu for First Time Since Arriving in 2013

French Army Leaves Timbuktu for First Time Since Arriving in 2013

French troops have left a military base in Timbuktu, Mali, where they were posted since liberating the area from Islamist...

Chinese President Xi, Russia’s Putin, Hold Video Meeting

Chinese President Xi, Russia’s Putin, Hold Video Meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met Wednesday via video conference, stressing their strong alliance amid...

European Commission President Warns Omicron Could Dominate Continent by Mid-January  

European Commission President Warns Omicron Could Dominate Continent by Mid-January  

The president of the European Commission is warning that the omicron  variant could become the dominant coronavirus variant across the 27-nation bloc by mid-January....

US Lawmakers Call on White House to Expedite Weapon Deliveries to Ukraine 

US Lawmakers Call on White House to Expedite Weapon Deliveries to Ukraine 

U.S. lawmakers just back from a visit to Ukraine warn that Washington’s threats of sanctions and diplomatic maneuvering are not...

Why China’s Advancements in Quantum Technology Worry Others 

Why China’s Advancements in Quantum Technology Worry Others 

China’s advances in quantum computing will give a new advantage to its armed forces, already the world’s third strongest, analysts...

Repression, Exile, and a Nobel Prize: 2021 Was a Tough Year for Russian Media

Repression, Exile, and a Nobel Prize: 2021 Was a Tough Year for Russian Media

Russian journalism experienced extreme highs and lows in 2021. On the plus side, a Nobel Peace Prize for newspaper editor...

Conservative Revolt Over COVID-19 Rules Deals Stinging Blow to British PM

Conservative Revolt Over COVID-19 Rules Deals Stinging Blow to British PM

Almost 100 Conservative lawmakers voted Tuesday against new coronavirus restrictions, dealing a major blow to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s...

UK to Lift COVID Travel Ban on 11 African Countries

UK to Lift COVID Travel Ban on 11 African Countries

Britain will end a ban on visitors from 11 African countries aimed at combatting COVID-19, the government said Tuesday, despite an alarming spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. After...

Nations Urged to Enhance Support for People Fleeing Conflict, Persecution and Violence

Nations Urged to Enhance Support for People Fleeing Conflict, Persecution and Violence

The United Nations’ top refugee official is urging nations to strengthen their support for people fleeing conflict, persecution, and violence and to...

Russia Threatens to Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Russia Threatens to Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons

A top Russian diplomat has warned that Moscow will respond “militarily” and deploy tactical nuclear weapons, if NATO does not...

Belarus Opposition Leader, Other Activists Given Harsh Prison Sentences

Belarus Opposition Leader, Other Activists Given Harsh Prison Sentences

A Belarusian court has delivered verdicts and harsh sentences to a group of bloggers, opposition activists, and the husband of...

Afghan Musicians Look to Recreate Famed School in Portugal

Afghan Musicians Look to Recreate Famed School in Portugal

Students and faculty members from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music arrived with their families Monday in Portugal, where they...

Russia Vetoes UN Resolution on Climate’s Impact on Global Security 

Russia Vetoes UN Resolution on Climate’s Impact on Global Security 

Russia has vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that warns about the security implications of climate change, with its...

Boris Johnson’s Escapology Skills Set for Major Test

Boris Johnson’s Escapology Skills Set for Major Test

Britain’s Boris Johnson has a reputation as an escape artist — a political Houdini who defies rules and conventions and...

Imprisoned Azerbaijani Activist on Hunger Strike Draws International Concern

Imprisoned Azerbaijani Activist on Hunger Strike Draws International Concern

An imprisoned Azerbaijani activist says he is now refusing to drink water as he enters his 38th day of a...

VP Harris Unveils Biden Administration Electric Car Charging Plan 

VP Harris Unveils Biden Administration Electric Car Charging Plan 

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday unveiled a White House plan to build 500,000 new electric vehicle (EV) charging...

Austria Ends Nearly Three-week COVID-19 Lockdown  

Austria Ends Nearly Three-week COVID-19 Lockdown  

A wide range of businesses reopened to the public in Austria Monday, one day after authorities ended recent national lockdown restrictions to battle the latest surge of COVID-19 infections. The lockdown...

Britain Announces First Death from Omicron Variant of Coronavirus

Britain Announces First Death from Omicron Variant of Coronavirus

Britain has recorded its first death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the death...

Joyful Moment or Risky Move? Europe Divided Over Kids’ Vaccines

Joyful Moment or Risky Move? Europe Divided Over Kids’ Vaccines

As Europe starts vaccinating younger children, countries are pursuing very different strategies in what will be a major test of parents’ willingness to...

Rescuers Pull Bodies from Rubble After Explosion in Sicily Kills 7

Rescuers Pull Bodies from Rubble After Explosion in Sicily Kills 7

Rescuers were pulling out bodies on Monday from the rubble of houses destroyed by a suspected gas explosion on Saturday in the Sicilian...