Over 100 doctors in Israel have signed a letter of protest against the government’s COVID-19 lockdowns and its alternative restrictions such as the closure of schools, the Times of Israel (TOI) reported Sunday. The physicians’ protest was made as the number of daily coronavirus cases in Israel surged to nearly 3,000 Tuesday through Friday last week, and as a new wave of restrictions looked likely.
The characteristically stable Antarctic continent has been shaken by an unprecedented spate of 30,000-50,000 tremors in the last three months, Israel365 News reported Monday. According to a report by the University of Chile’s National Seismological Centre, the wave of tremors was concentrated in the 60 miles wide Bransfield Strait which extends 300 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula in a north-easterly direction.
Israel’s COVID-19 cabinet approved a decision Monday to ban all foreigners, including those with current visas, from entering the country starting December 23, the Jerusalem Post reports. Aimed at slowing Israel’s current surge in coronavirus cases, the ban will be in place for at least 10 days, with the option to extend as needed.
Five police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested during anti-lockdown protests in Britain on Saturday, ITV reports. Demonstrators had gathered in London to protest against tough new COVID-19 restrictions being imposed to combat a mutant variant of the coronavirus that is believed to be more contagious than the earlier form.
Six Hungarian opposition parties say they unite to oust the increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has suffered in the polls amid ongoing corruption scandals.
A peer-reviewed study measuring the effectiveness of a controversial drug cocktail that includes hydroxychloroquine concluded that the treatment lowered hospitalizations and mortality rates of coronavirus patients.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has turned his back on embattled President Donald J. Trump by declining to appoint a special counsel to investigate the president’s claims of massive voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Post-Brexit trade talks between Britain and the European Union remained grid-locked Sunday evening, even as there remain just days to go before the official transition period comes to an end on December 31, the Associated Press reports. In the event no agreement is reached by the end of the year, the two parties will default to trading on World Trade Organization terms, with all the tariffs and barriers that this will entail.
Israel is progressing with moves to legalize recreational marijuana in the next few months, while its burgeoning cannabis industry looks to expand its manufacturing, production and export capabilities, Ynet News reports.
Anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police during a demonstration Monday at the Oregon Capitol as lawmakers met in a special session to decide on funding for coronavirus relief.
The Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system under development hit a target 43 miles away — or 70 kilometers — on the nose at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Dec. 19, using an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell, according to the general who is overseeing the service’s Long-Range Precision Fires modernization.
A bill proposed to avoid Knesset dispersal and the fourth elections over the last two years has failed to pass on Monday night, sealing Israel’s fate.
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett said Monday that his goal was to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would not support legislative efforts to help the premier avoid his corruption charges.
The Knesset overnight Monday-Tuesday narrowly rejected a bill that would have deferred a Tuesday midnight deadline for passing the 2020 state budget, and thus set Israel on an almost certain course to its fourth general election in two years.
An Israeli submarine openly crossed the Suez Canal last week, in a show of force against Iran, the Kan public broadcaster reported Monday night.
An American nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine traversed the strategically vital waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, a rare announcement that comes amid rising tensions with Iran.
Congress prepared to vote for a $2.3 trillion rescue package, the most extensive in U.S. history.
Google has confirmed it tells children when their parents are supervising their accounts, Just the News reported Sunday. The issue came to light when film director Robby Starbuck tweeted that his 7-year-old son had been notified by Google that his account was being supervised.
The Trump campaign issued its first independent filing with the Supreme Court on Sunday, in hopes of reversing actions taken by Pennsylvania’s high court.
At least three rockets targeted the US embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday, Iraqi security officials said, sparking fears of renewed unrest, as next month’s anniversary of the slaying of an Iranian general draws near.