World

Israel is working towards formalising relations with a fifth Muslim country, possibly in Asia, during U.S. President Donald Trump's term, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Wednesday.

Dubai will start inoculating people with the COVID19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech for free from Wednesday, the emirate's government said, joining Saudi Arabia which last week became the first Arab country to begin using this vaccine.

Europe became the first region worldwide to cross 500,000 COVID19 deaths on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as a new variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain threatened the region's prevention measures to curb the pandemic.

Russia has sent 300 military instructors to the Central African Republic at the request of the country's leadership to help counter a surge in rebel violence ahead of Sunday's election, Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Tunisia is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and its position will not be affected by any international changes, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Israel will hold a snap election in March after parliament failed on Tuesday to meet a deadline to pass a budget, triggering a ballot presenting new challenges for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Colombias president says that Venezuelan migrants who are living in the country without residence permits won't be given free COVID19 vaccines when those arrive in the South American country possibly leaving hundreds of thousands unvaccinated.

THIS IS EMBARGOED FOR 10 A.M. PACIFIC ON TUESDAY 12/22 KRONAYNE WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THAT CHANGES

Total U.S. COVID19 cases surpassed 18 million on Tuesday as health officials tried to tamper fears about a new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom.

French borders with Britain will remain closed for UK citizens for now, but French citizens can come home from Britain from Wednesday, provided they have proof of a negative COVID19 test, French media reported on Tuesday.

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, the education commissioner for Connecticut and a former public school teacher, to serve as education secretary.

Displaced from Aleppo, Qassem Ahmad Sharraq AlZeit is bracing for a Syrian winter under canvas with the struggle to keep his wife and four children protected against the bitter cold compounded by the threat of a coronavirus outbreak.

Tsang Chi-kin, 19, had been due to appear in court to plead to charges of rioting and assaulting police officers but failed to show up.

The demand is arising, from leading scientific advisers, for a national lockdown across the UK. Boris Johnson has said repeatedly that he is keen to avoid that. A late lockdown could turn out to be yet another move that may well come too late.

The United States on Monday imposed additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against China in the final month of U.S. President Donald Trump's term.

Two Vatican cardinals, including one who spends most his time helping Rome's homeless, have tested positive for the coronavirus, a Vatican source said on Tuesday.