Month: January 2022

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong International Airport is banning transit passengers from 150 countries and territories starting Sunday, tightening stringent travel controls in an effort to stem the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. Authorities also said Friday they will extend social distancing restrictions, including a ban on

BEIJING (AP) — China is dismissing a warning from Britain’s domestic intelligence service to lawmakers that a London-based lawyer is trying to “covertly interfere in U.K. politics” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party as “irresponsible.” A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says China has “no need to and will never engage in the so-called interference,” and

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Five people have been severely injured by a fire that erupted in Kuwait at a major oil refinery. The Kuwait National Petroleum Company said Friday five people were being treated at a nearby hospital for severe burns and another two for moderate burns. Others received treatment at an on-site

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has strongly repeated its demand that NATO doesn’t expand eastward despite the rejection of that by the military alliance amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described Moscow’s demands that NATO will neither expand nor deploy forces to Ukraine and

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have slipped in Europe and Asia after a retreat on Wall Street that left the Nasdaq composite down 2.5%. Benchmarks fell in Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai. China reported its global trade surplus surged nearly 30% in 2021 to $676.4 billion. South Korea’s central bank

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis star Novak Djokovic faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says he used his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb’s visa on public interest grounds three days before the Australian

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Health Ministry says more than 500,000 people have received a 4th vaccine dose. The country began administering second boosters to the most vulnerable late last month and later began offering them to everyone over 60. Authorities hope the additional boosters will blunt a wave of infections driven by the omicron variant.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden is seeing increased Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, saying there are “elements that deviate from the normal picture” and is increasing the country’s military preparedness. Lt. Gen Leif Michael Claesson said Thursday that “it does not have to mean an increased threat.” Sweden, which is not part of NATO, has