International

• Friday, January 1st 2021 - 21:03 UTC

  Pope Francis calls for peace and burden sharing in his message from the Vatican library

  

  Pope Francis reappeared on Friday after chronic sciatic pain forced him to miss the Church's New Year services, and made no mention of his ailment as he delivered his traditional appeal for world peace.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 08:22 UTC

  An emotional Merkel admits 2020 has been her most difficult of her 15-year leadership

  

  Angela Merkel said in her last New Year's address to the nation as German chancellor that 2020 was by far the most difficult of her 15-year leadership, yet the start of vaccinations against COVID-19 made 2021 a year of hope.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 08:11 UTC

  British parliament approves UK/EU deal; “Brexit is not the end but a beginning” says Johnson

  

  British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's post Brexit deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 08:07 UTC

  Brussels and Beijing agreement to open the Chinese market to EU investors

  

  The European Union and China on Wednesday announced the political approval of a long-sought agreement to open the Chinese market further to EU investors, marking an economic victory for both sides.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 08:01 UTC

  Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan had most probably ten times more cases, China public health report

  

  The scale of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan early this year may have been nearly 10 times the recorded tally, a study conducted by China's public health authorities indicates, leaving the city where the coronavirus first took hold still well short of the immunity required to protect against a potential resurgence.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 08:00 UTC

  Australia's Antarctic Program MPV Everest scheduled to leave Hobart next 9 January

  

  MPV Everest arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, on Wednesday to commence work for the Australian Antarctic Program, resupplying Australian stations and changing over personnel this summer.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 07:19 UTC

  Labour supported Brexit accord, “a thin deal better than a chaotic no-deal rupture”, Keir Starmer

  

  The House of Commons on Wednesday approved by an ample majority the EU/UK post Brexit deal, but this did not impede some lawmakers complain about being given only five hours in Parliament to scrutinize a deal that will mean profound changes for Britain’s economy and society.

• Thursday, December 31st 2020 - 07:04 UTC

  French truckers warn about red tape and “smart borders” as UK/EU deal customs becomes effective

  

  Red tape, new “smart borders” that don't talk to one another and ill-prepared traders threaten border chaos, French truckers warned a day before Britain restores a hard frontier with Europe.

• Wednesday, December 30th 2020 - 08:52 UTC

  Sophisticated Roman baths uncovered in Amman during building of a major drainage system

  

  The discovery of the ruins of old Roman baths during the construction of a major drainage system in the heart of Jordan's capital has posed a dilemma: how to preserve the country's ancient past while providing for its modern future?

• Wednesday, December 30th 2020 - 08:24 UTC

  WHO warns vaccines have yet to prove that they are effective at preventing Covid-19 transmission

  

  Officials at the World Health Organization warned that the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged every corner of the world “is not necessarily the big one” — and that the novel coronavirus may never truly go away.