World Health Organisation experts will visit the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019, at the start of their investigation into the origins of the pandemic, China said on Tuesday. China largely brought the virus' local spread under control last spring, but is currently dealing with a new outbreak in the province of Hebei adjacent to Beijing.
JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - Israel tightened a national lockdown on Friday (Jan 8) in a bid to curb a sharp rise in new Covid-19 cases, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising that all Israeli adults could be vaccinated by the end of March. With a population of nine million, Israel is leading the world in a swift rollout of vaccinations, but the number of new infections has climbed to around 8,000 a day, the highest in months. Israel imposed its third lockdown on Dec 27. Many Israelis, however, ignored travel and social-distancing restrictions, prompting stricter measures that will include additional police roadblocks and the closure of most schools and more businesses. The new edicts will be in effect for at least two weeks. In a speech on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu said vaccine supply agreements with Pfizer Inc meant that all Israelis over the age of 16 would be able to be inoculated by the end of March, or perhaps even earlier. Israeli officials have said they hoped Israel could emerge from the pandemic as early as February if the vaccination programme, launched on Dec 19, maintains its speed. "As part of
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Outgoing United States President Donald Trump on Thursday (Jan 7) offered the clearest signal yet that he will voluntarily leave office on Jan 20, saying there will be an "orderly transition" to Mr Joe Biden's presidency. "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th," Mr Trump said in a statement minutes after the US Congress formally certified Mr Biden's victory. "While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again," he added, hinting at a potential 2024 run.
