Covid wave looms in Europe as booster campaign makes slow start
A new Covid-19 wave appears to be brewing in Europe as cooler weather arrives, with public health experts warning that vaccine fatigue and confusion over types of shots available will likely limit booster uptake.
Omicron subvariants BA.4/5 that dominated this summer are still behind the majority of infections, but newer Omicron subvariants are gaining ground. Hundreds of new forms of Omicron are being tracked by scientists, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said this week.
WHO data released late on Wednesday showed that cases in the European Union reached 1.5 million last week, up 8% from the prior week, despite a dramatic fall in testing. Globally, case numbers continue to decline.
Hospitalization numbers across many countries in the 27-nation bloc, as well as Britain, have gone up in recent weeks.
Nobel peace prize given to human rights activists in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine
Jailed campaigner Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties win award that will be seen as condemnation of Putin
The jailed Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties have won the 2022 Nobel peace prize, in an award the committee said was to honour champions of “peaceful coexistence” during the most tumultuous period in Europe since the second world war.
“The peace prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee. “They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens.”
Ethiopia: Cautious optimism ahead of peace talks
Analysts have welcomed peace talks in South Africa between regional leaders of Ethiopia's Tigray region and the federal government but say both sides must get serious this time amid a war that has killed thousands.
Ahead of the much anticipated African Union-facilitated peace talks between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) regional government this weekend, African analysts have warned that resolving the conflict could prove challenging unless the two factions show sincerity and serious commitment.
The African Union hopes the talks in South Africa can end the fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region. It is unclear how many people have died in the nearly two-year-old conflict, but some estimates put the figure at almost 500,000.
Around 3 million have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations.
Artist turns Iran fountains red to reflect bloody crackdown
Fountains in Tehran appeared to be pouring blood Friday after an artist turned their waters red to reflect a deadly crackdown amid weeks of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman's death was announced on September 16 after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly failing to observe the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.
Anger over her death has sparked the biggest wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years and a crackdown that has seen scores of protesters killed and hundreds arrested.
Is OPEC ‘aligning with Russia’ after production cuts?
The United States has accused OPEC oil-producing nations of siding with Russia after a decision to cut oil output.
A decision by the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries to sharply cut production and boost crude prices has dealt a blow to consuming nations, prompting accusations that Gulf producers are siding with Russia at the expense of the United States and its Western allies.
The 13-nation OPEC group, plus 10 allies led by Moscow, agreed at a meeting in Vienna to slash output by two million barrels per day (bpd) starting in November, the group announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The Biden administration, which for months has engaged in diplomatic efforts to dissuade its Middle Eastern allies from cutting oil production, reacted frustrated at the prospect of pump prices increasing further before a key midterm election.
Iran protests: Nika Shakarami's mother says her daughter was murdered
The mother of a teenage girl who died during protests in Iran has accused authorities of murdering her daughter.
In a video sent to US-funded Radio Farda, Nasrin Shakarami said she had seen injuries on her daughter's body which contradict an official statement.
Authorities say Nika Shakarami, 16, appears to have been thrown from a building, possibly by workmen.
Meanwhile, an official forensic report has said a woman whose death sparked the protests died from ill health.
The family of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, say she died as a result of being beaten by morality police.
She was detained on 13 September in Tehran for allegedly breaking the strict law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf.
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