World News

Wuhan celebrates 2021 New Year’s Eve in droves
Large crowds take to the streets during New Year’s Eve in Wuhan, the world’s former epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Photos were uploaded to social

Is the honeymoon over for Beijing and Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam?
Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp is revolting against Chief Executive Carrie Lam, using the city’s failure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak as a pretext. As of December

Social Injustices we need to fight against in 2020 (Infographics)

Brazil’s president rejects COVID-19 vaccine, undermining a century of progress toward universal inoculation
Pedro Cantisano, University of Nebraska Omaha The world is eagerly awaiting the release of several COVID-19 vaccines, but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is not. “I’m

Cuba cracks down on artists who demanded creative freedoms after ‘unprecedented’ government negotiations
María Isabel Alfonso, St. Joseph’s College of New York Leer en español. Cuban artists and intellectuals want more rights – and, in an unusual show

After years of protests, the Islamabad Zoo will convert into an animal sanctuary
The Islamabad Zoo, long a source of complaints from Pakistani animal activists, is officially closing down and converting into an animal conservation centre, city officials announced on December 8.

Ecuador’s transgender communities organize first-ever National Trans March
Rita Hester, a black transgender woman, was brutally murdered in her United States apartment in 1998. Her death became one of the catalysts behind the International Transgender Day of Remembrance held every November 20. The day memorializes members of the transgender community who have lost their lives to acts of violence caused by transphobia. On 2020’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, Ecuador’s transgender community organized its first-ever National Trans March which was celebrated in cities across the country. La Red Comunitaria Trans (the Trans Community Network), based

Britain okays vaccine as global Covid death toll nears 1.5 million
(AFP) – Britain on Wednesday became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, while Japan and Italy pledged free inoculations

South Africa fears virus comeback as cluster outbreaks flare
(AFP) – Localised coronavirus outbreaks in parts of South Africa have raised fears that the country could see a resurgence in cases compounded by gatherings

WHO looks at e-certificates for Covid-19 vaccination
(AFP) – The World Health Organization said it was considering introducing electronic vaccination certificates, as hopes for an end to the pandemic were boosted after Britain became

Israel warns of threat to citizens abroad as Iran vows ‘vengeance’
(AFP) – Israel warned Thursday of an increased threat against its citizens abroad following Iran‘s call to avenge last week’s assassination of its top nuclear scientist. The death

Johnson, EU chief to hold emergency call as Brexit talks paused
(AFP) – British and European negotiators broke off their talks on a post-Brexit trade deal without agreement Friday and handed off the task of clearing

Britain in ‘final throw of the dice’ as EU trade talks set to restart
By Alistair Smout and Gabriela Baczynska LONDON/BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Britain and European Union negotiators will meet in Brussels on Sunday in what the