It is too soon for countries to be treating COVID as an endemic illness like flu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned, because there is still a “huge amount of uncertainty” regarding the spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron is on track to infect more than half of Europeans in the next two months,
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Ukraine’s military chief has said his forces would defend the country “until the last drop of blood” as he urged people to calm down about threats of a new Russian invasion. Lieutenant-General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, 48, repeatedly underlined that Ukraine has been at war with Russia since 2014, telling Sky News in an exclusive interview: “It
There has been no breakthrough in US-Russian talks aimed at calming tensions between Moscow and Ukraine. Diplomats from the Kremlin and Washington met in the Swiss city of Geneva amid fears that President Vladimir Putin could be preparing to invade the former Soviet bloc country. Russia wants a ban on further expansion of NATO, including
Novak Djokovic has won his appeal against deportation from Australia, with a judge reinstating his visa and ordering that he be released from hotel quarantine within 30 minutes. Border officials previously ruled that the tennis star did not meet the criteria for a COVID exemption to entry requirements. Djokovic had spent four nights in an
The Australian government did not tell Novak Djokovic that his “so-called medical exemption” would allow him to enter the country to compete in the Australian Open, court documents claim. On Sunday, the government filed 13 pages of documents ahead of a hearing later to decide whether the Serbian tennis star can remain in the country
Seven people have died after a slab of rock broke off a cliff and crashed onto pleasure boaters near a waterfall in Brazil. Three people are still missing, and nine were seriously injured in the freak accident which took place between the towns of Sao Jose da Barra and Capitolio. Edgard Estevo, commander of the
At least 56 people have been killed in an air strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, according to Reuters. There were at least 30 others injured in the bombing on Friday night, two aid workers told the news agency, citing local authorities and eyewitness accounts. The workers
Novak Djokovic, who is fighting deportation from Australia, tested positive for COVID-19 on 16 December, according to court documents. The world tennis number one is in immigration detention after having his visa cancelled when he arrived in Melbourne on Thursday. Djokovic said in his court application that he had a valid visa and medical exemption
Legendary Hollywood actor and first black man to win an Oscar, Sir Sidney Poitier, has died at the age of 94, a Bahamian government official has said. In 1964, he made history by clinching the Academy of Motion Pictures statuette for his work in Lilies of the Field, and went on to appear in dozens
Novak Djokovic’s wife has thanked his fans for “using your voice to send love to my husband” while he remains in a quarantine hotel in Australia amid a row over a COVID-19 vaccine medical exemption. The world number one is awaiting the outcome of an appeal against the decision by the Australian Border Force (ABF)
A former Australian Open quarter-finalist has warned that “caged” Novak Djokovic would be a fearsome opponent on court if he makes it out of quarantine. Like the Serbian superstar, Tennys Sandgren is not jabbed against COVID, but the American has chosen to miss his first Australian Open in a decade because of his vaccination status.
Novak Djokovic will have to wait until Monday to discover whether he can play in the Australian Open after being denied entry to the country over COVID vaccination rules. Djokovic faces deportation after his visa application was cancelled – having thought he could enter Australia through a medical exemption to avoid COVID vaccination. A court
A third state of emergency has been declared in Kazakhstan – with the alert now raised in the capital Nur-Sultan – after violent protests broke out in several major cities. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the order “to ensure public safety, restore law and order, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens”, according to the Zakon.kz
A state of emergency has been declared in Kazakhstan following major protests over fuel prices. It includes a curfew running from 11pm to 7am, restrictions on movement, and a ban on mass gatherings, according to documents on the president’s website. It has also been announced that a price cap controversially removed on New Year’s Day
Tesla has been criticised for opening a new showroom in Xinjiang, the Chinese region where authorities are accused of widespread abuse against Uyghur Muslims. The US-based electric car maker, led by Elon Musk, announced the opening in Urumqi, Xingiang’s capital, on Friday, declaring on social media: “Let’s start Xinjiang’s all-electric journey.” But the move drew
Apple has become the world’s first company with a $3tn (£2.2tn) stock market value. On the first day of trading in 2022, the Silicon Valley-based tech company’s shares briefly hit a record of $182.88 around midday on Monday. The stock later pulled back from that level, closing 2.5% higher at $182.01. The iPhone maker passed $2tn
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has said doctors are assessing whether he needs surgery after being admitted to hospital with abdominal discomfort. Mr Bolsonaro said in a Twitter post that he had started to feel unwell after lunch on Sunday and was admitted to hospital in Sao Paulo at 3am local time (6am in the UK)
Sudan’s prime minister has announced his resignation from the country’s military-controlled government following the reported deaths of two pro-democracy protesters. Abdalla Hamdok’s resignation comes less than two months after he was reinstated into power after signing a power-sharing agreement with the country’s military following the 25 October coup that derailed Sudan‘s transition to democratic rule.
An unidentified person has crossed the demilitarised zone into North Korea. The person was spotted using surveillance equipment on the eastern portion of the heavily fortified border on Saturday night, but South Korean troops failed to capture them. The DMZ stretches from coast to coast on the Korean peninsular. It is about 2.5 miles (4km)
A fire has broken out at South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town. Flames could be seen and a column of smoke rose into the sky early on Sunday morning. The blaze began in third floor offices and spread to the National Assembly chamber, local fire service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said. No one has been injured,