World News

Acting under a national security law imposed by China last year, Hong Kong police arrested 53 pro-democracy activists Wednesday, citing “subversion” for participation in unofficial election primaries, the Associated Press reports. Former Hong Kong lawmakers were among those arrested.

Portugal’s authorities investigate the death of a Portuguese health worker who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the novel coronavirus following similar reported incidents in other countries.

Iran confirmed Tuesday that it was now enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, well beyond the threshold set by its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, sparking international concern.

The Iranian military on Tuesday launched a massive series of “drone combat wargames” and boasted that its new generation of aircraft — including ominous “suicide drones” — will give Tehran a battlefield edge over its enemies.

The first wave of the pests emerged at the end of 2019, numbering in hundreds of billions, multiplying by a factor of 20 per generation, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The second generation in March and April numbered in the trillions. A plague that spread like wildfire — up to now.

Saudi Arabia restored its severed ties with Qatar on Tuesday, as the two countries signed a US-brokered agreement to end their dispute and resolve the Gulf crisis that broke out three years ago, Axios reports. A Saudi-led coalition cut diplomatic relations with Qatar in 2017 on the grounds of alleged Qatari support for Iran and terrorist organizations.

South Korea and the United States have demanded the release of a South Korean-flagged oil tanker seized by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a national lockdown through mid-February in an effort to combat a variant of the coronavirus that is continuing to rapidly spread in the region.

A British court says the founder of whistleblower news site Wikileaks, Julian Assange, cannot be extradited to the United States where he is wanted for revealing state secrets. The London judge cited concerns over Assange’s mental health and risk of suicide.

The Pentagon announced Sunday that the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will stay in the Persian Gulf because of “recent threats” by Iran, the Times of Israel reported. The announcement came after reports that the vessel would be returning to the US after having patrolled the Gulf since the end of November.

At least 10 people were injured when an explosion erupted in a warehouse holding gas canisters in Lebanon Sunday, France24 reports. The wounded were rushed to the hospital by Lebanese Red Cross rescuers who had been sent to the site of the explosion near Lebanon’s border with Syria.

Sky watchers have a lot to look forward to in 2021, with three “supermoons,” one blue moon, and two lunar eclipses all taking place during the new year.

Iran announced a day before the one-year anniversary of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani’s death that it is planning to enrich uranium to 20% in an apparent violation of the nuclear deal.

A major new Russian pipeline designed to bypass Ukraine to supply southeastern Europe got a major symbolic boost on New Year’s Day as Serbian President Alexandar Vucic officially proclaimed the first nearly 250 miles of the Balkan Stream natural gas pipeline to be open for business.

The three African nations at the center of a spat over the controversial building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam resumed talks on Sunday, officials said.

Russia says over 800,000 people have been vaccinated with its new jab against the coronavirus. More than 1.5 million vaccine doses were dispatched across the country as the nation increases its vaccination drive over the New Year period despite controversy about its Sputnik V vaccine.

A young Afghan journalist has been shot dead in western Afghanistan, the fifth media professional to be killed within two months in the war-ravaged nation, officials confirmed Saturday.

There was a glimmer of hope Saturday for some 1,000 freezing people stuck in a burned-out refugee camp in Bosnia after the army began placing tents to fend freezing winter weather.

More people were killed in plane crashes last year than in 2019 despite a massive drop in fights due to the coronavirus pandemic, a Dutch aviation consultancy firm says.

The U.S. has seen increasing indications that Iran could be planning an attack against American forces or interests in the Middle East, according to a U.S. official.