NEWS AROUND THE WORLD TODAY
1. COVID-19: UK Secures 5m Doses Of Moderna Vaccine
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Monday that the UK has secured five million doses of the potential vaccine made by US company Moderna.
Early trials showed the vaccine to be 94.5% effective, Moderna said earlier on Monday.
Hancock said the deal the UK government secured with Moderna was “excellent news,” and once it is proved safe, vaccinations can begin in spring next year.
“Great advances of medical science are coming to the rescue,” Hancock said at a Downing Street news conference.
“While there is much uncertainty, we can see the candle of hope and we must do all we can to nurture its flame.
“But we’re not there yet; until the science can make us safe we must remain vigilant and keep following the rules that we know can keep this virus under control.”
Meanwhile, UK government data showed there were 21,363 new infections, bringing the total to 1,390,681. There were also 213 deaths, bringing the total to 52,417.
2. Iran Denies Al-Qaeda Leader Killed In Tehran
Iran has disputed a recent report in The New York Times that a senior Al-Qaeda leader was killed in its capital Tehran three months ago by two Israeli assassins, stating that it had no Al-Qaeda terrorists in its country.
On Saturday the Times said Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Muhammad Al-Masri, the terrorist group’s second-in-command was shot dead on 7 August along with his daughter in the streets by the assassins on a motorbike, allegedly at the behest of the US.
According to US intelligence officials he had been in Iran’s “custody” since 2003, but that he had been living freely in the upscale Pasdaran district of Tehran since at least 2015. Although the Sunni jihadist organisation has been vehemently opposed to the Shia theocracy of Iran and have fought against it in regional conflicts, the report explained that it is plausible that by keeping Al-Qaeda officials in Tehran, Iran might receive some “insurance” that the group would not conduct operations within its borders or to run operations against the US.
However hours after the report, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the claims as “Hollywood-style scenario-making” by US and Israeli officials.
“In order to dodge responsibility for the criminal activities of this group and other terrorist groups in the region, Washington and Tel Aviv from time to time try to paint Iran as being tied to these groups through weaving lies and leaking fabricated information to the media,” he said.
3. What Americans want from us – Joe Biden
US President-elect, Joe Biden has revealed what Americans want from his coming administration.
Biden defeated President Donald Trump at the US presidential poll, but the president has refused to accept defeat.
Biden has ignored Trump’s numerous rants and is focused on tackling Americans challenges.
The President-elect in a tweet said Americans wants him and Kamala Harris to deliver results once they take over the helms of governance.
“Americans want us to cooperate. They want us to deliver results. That’s the choice Kamala and I will make.
“That’s why I am pleased that today we were able to bring together business and labor leaders to make that choice with us.
“We’re all Americans. Let’s get to work together,” he tweeted.
4. WHO probes cluster of COVID-19 cases in Geneva headquarters
The World Health Organization (WHO) said a possible small cluster of COVID-19 cases in its Geneva headquarters, is under investigation.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead for COVID-19, said that five WHO staff members had tested positive in the past week, adding: “All are doing well, all have had mild disease or (are) asymptomatic.”
Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergency expert, said that the Swiss cantons of Geneva, where the U.N. health agency is based, and the adjoining Vaud canton have “some of the most intense transmission in the world right now.”
“To my knowledge the cluster being investigated is the first evidence of potential transmission on the site of WHO, but we can’t completely protect ourselves from our own social and other engagements with family and school and so many other things,” he said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday marked his return from quarantine after being identified as a contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
“I was okay, no symptoms. It’s day 17 now. I followed the protocols. Because of no symptoms and also the full follow-up of the protocol, I didn’t see the need for testing. I can assure you that I’m okay and actually very, very busy,” Tedros said.
There had been 65 coronavirus infections among WHO staff at its Geneva headquarters since the start of the pandemic.
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