Новости за 30.12.2020

The French health ministry reported 26,457 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours on Wednesday, up sharply from 11,395 on Tuesday, and a level unseen since Nov. 18.

A powerful opposition coalition in Central African Republic on Wednesday called for the "cancellation, pure and simple" of weekend elections that were badly hampered by armed groups.

Heath Minister Salvador Illa, the face of Spain's battle against coronavirus, is stepping down to run for the top post in Catalonia in February's regional elections, his party said Wednesday. Illa, who has served as health minister in the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which took office in January, has won huge visibility for coordinating the fight against the virus, with near-daily TV appearances to update the nation on the situation. Illa will run at the head of the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC)... Читать дальше...

Mario Balotelli got off to a flying start for Monza on Wednesday after bagging his first goal for his new club just three minutes into his debut for Silvio Berlusconi's ambitious team. Italy international Balotelli signed a deal until June for the Serie B side earlier this month and made an immediate impact when he met Carlos Augusto's cross to put them ahead in a 3-0 win over league leaders Salernitana. Balotelli, who had been without a team since the summer before signing for the club from just outside Milan... Читать дальше...

The French government is facing criticism from scientists and the opposition alike over the slow progress of its drive to vaccinate people against Covid-19, a problem compounded by the high levels of public scepticism about the campaign. France on Sunday joined several other EU countries in launching vaccinations with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, focusing its initial efforts on elderly residents of care homes. But in the first three days of the campaign less than 100 people were given the jab, -- compared... Читать дальше...

Argentina on Wednesday became one of only a handful of Latin American countries to legalise abortion when the country's senate voted to pass the historic bill after a 12-hour debate.

Matthias Mayer streaked to victory in the men's World Cup downhill in the Italian resort of Bormio on Wednesday, the Austrian admitting that anyone could have won given how tight the results were. Mayer, gold medallist in downhill at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and in the super-G in Pyeongchang in 2018, topped speeds of 135km/h (84mph) to clock 1min 57.32sec down the famed Stelvio piste with the following 12 racers all finishing within a second. It was Mayer's 10th World Cup victory, six coming in the downhill... Читать дальше...

Facebook confirmed Wednesday it was closing its Irish subsidiaries at the center of a dispute on profit shifting to avoid taxes in the United States. The California tech giant acknowledged the winding down of Facebook Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company amid a dispute with US tax authorities, which claimed the company owed billions in taxes by improperly shifting profits offshore. A Facebook spokesperson said the move was "part of a change that best aligns with our operating structure" and that... Читать дальше...

The European Union and China agreed on Wednesday to an investment deal that will give European companies greater access to Chinese markets and help redress what Europe sees as unbalanced economic ties.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed legislation approved by British lawmakers on Wednesday implementing the post-Brexit trade deal agreed with the European Union last week.

The French government on Wednesday faced criticism over the slow progress of its drive to vaccinate people against Covid-19, a problem compounded by the high levels of public scepticism about the campaign.

Egypt's public prosecutor Wednesday cleared five policemen of responsibility in the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni and said he will not pursue the case because the perpetrator is unknown. The decision announced by state prosecutor Hamada al-Sawy comes nearly three weeks after Italian prosecutors said they planned to charge four Egyptian security officers over the torture and death of Regeni. The Cambridge University graduate was in Egypt researching trade unions, when he was kidnapped... Читать дальше...

Toulouse fly-half Romain Ntamack will likely miss France's opening two games of the Six Nations after undergoing surgery on a double jaw fracture he suffered in a Top 14 match with Bordeaux-Begles last weekend. The 21-year-old playmaker had a metal plate attached to his jaw following two incidents -- a clash with an opponent’s shoulder and a punch -- that saw him leave the pitch spitting blood. "Romain will miss six to eight weeks," Toulouse defensive coach Clement Poitrenaud said on Wednesday. Читать дальше...

In 2020, the FRANCE 24 Observers team verified hundreds of false or misleading images that were sent to us by social media users or found by our staff. Here is a look back at some of the videos and photos – misleading, taken out of context or downright fake – that we debunked in the past 12 months.

Contrary to warnings that dating apps are encouraging superficial and short-lived flings over true romance, a Swiss study showed Wednesday that app users were more likely to be seeking longterm relationships. Mobile apps have revolutionised the way people meet around the world, and are quickly becoming the main way couples form in many countries. Unlike traditional dating sites, which require detailed user profiles, smartphone apps like Tinder and Grindr are largely based on rating photos with a swipe review system. Читать дальше...

The number of coronavirus cases in the Chinese city where the pathogen was first detected may have been 10 times higher than official figures suggest, according to a study by health authorities in Wuhan.

At least 20 people were killed and dozens more wounded in an attack on Aden airport on Wednesday, a security source said, shortly after a plane carrying a newly formed cabinet for government-held parts of Yemen arrived from Saudi Arabia.

A former U.S. Navy analyst who served 30 years in prison for spying for Israel moved there on Wednesday and was welcomed with a prayer of thanksgiving by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Four Bangladesh navy ships on Tuesday took the second and biggest group of Rohingya Muslims yet from crowded refugee camps to an uncertain future on a bleak island three hours from the mainland.

A Chinese court on Wednesday jailed 10 Hong Kong democracy activists for up to three years over a bid to flee the city by speedboat to Taiwan, as a crackdown on dissent in the territory intensifies. The group were arrested by the Chinese coastguard on August 23 en route to the self-ruled island, which has opened its doors to Hongkongers seeking sanctuary. The court in the southern city of Shenzhen sentenced Tang Kai-yin to three years in jail and Quinn Moon to two years for organising an illegal border crossing. Читать дальше...

Phase 3 trials of a Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine found it was 79 percent effective, the Chinese pharma giant said Wednesday, lower than rival jabs developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna but a potential breakthrough in the battle to stem the pandemic in Asia. China has been racing against the West to develop its own Covid-19 vaccines, with five already in large-scale Phase 3 clinical trials. But Wednesday's announced was the first data released regarding the efficacy of a Chinese vaccine candidate. Читать дальше...

Singapore began a coronavirus vaccination campaign Wednesday with a nurse receiving the first jab, making it among the first Asian nations to roll out inoculations. The city-state, which has suffered a mild outbreak, became the first country in Asia to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier this month, and its programme kicked off with healthcare workers. Nurse Sarah Lim, 46, whose work includes screening suspected Covid-19 patients, was the first to be immunised, the health ministry said. Читать дальше...

As rifle-toting militiamen fired celebratory rounds into the air, young men marched through the streets denouncing the former ruling party of Ethiopia's Tigray region as "thieves." The party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), is the target of military operations ordered by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, last year's Nobel Peace laureate, that have reportedly left thousands dead since early November. But the impromptu parade this month in Alamata, a farming town in southern Tigray flanked by low... Читать дальше...

Thailand's badminton chief pledged that next month's restart tournaments will be the "safest in the world" on Wednesday after heavyweights China withdrew because of coronavirus restrictions. China's pull-out blows a big hole in the draw for the three world tour events from January 12 in Bangkok, the first in Asia since Covid-19 shut down the sport in March. Badminton Association of Thailand president Patama Leeswadtrakul said China's anti-coronavirus rules prevented the team, which includes men's... Читать дальше...

A Chinese court on Wednesday jailed 10 Hong Kong democracy activists for up to three years over a bid by the group to flee the city by speedboat to seek sanctuary in Taiwan.