People
Advocates welcome United Kingdom decision to lift gay/bi blood donation ban
Under the new guidelines, donors who have had only one sexual partner for more than three months will be eligible to give blood. Health Secretary Matt Hancock called this a "positive step" as it recognises individuals for the actions they take "rather than their sexual preference". [Full Article...]
Ivory Coast’s Ouattara, 78, sworn in for third term
Also, in Abidjan to attend today's inauguration ceremony is Sierra Leone's former president Koroma. "My best wishes for the prosperity of your handsome country". When Ouattara was declared the victor, the opposition cried foul and announced a rival, "transitional government" in protest. Ouattara has asked his prime minister, Hamed Bakayoko, to resume discussions with the opposition on the compos... [Full Article...]
Electoral College makes it official: Biden won, Trump lost
The court previously refused to hear the case before it went through lower courts. But in the United States, the occupant of the White House is chosen by indirect universal suffrage, with each state allocating its electors - whose numbers are essentially based on population - to the candidate who carried the state. [Full Article...]
Wild weather pummelling Qld, NSW
The BOM says the system is moving further south with heavy rainfall now expected on the mid-north coast between Grafton and Taree, and some areas expecting up to 150mm in the next 24 hours. Hundreds of homes across the Gold Coast have woken to darkness this morning, with a severe weather event causing chaos across the city. A tourist who visited the beach said: "It's unbelievable". [Full Article...]
Taoiseach hopeful of Brexit deal as talks continue
It comes after the deadline for negotiations between the two sides was extended by Mr Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , after originally being set for Sunday. On fisheries, Barnier has demanded "an agreement that guarantees a reciprocal, I insist, reciprocal access to markets and waters". British government sources have accused Barnier of trying to undermine the U... [Full Article...]
US crosses 300,000 COVID-19 deaths as vaccine rollout begins
The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 16,515,717 and 300,474, respectively, according to the CSSE. In recent days, the US has been averaging more than 3,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 a day - a figure that represents more lives lost than in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. [Full Article...]
Tighter COVID-19 restrictions imposed in London as infections surge
London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant. [Full Article...]
Biden to join climate accord the day he takes office
Taking to Twitter, the 17-year-old said New Zealand's "so-called climate emergency declaration" is "nothing unique to any nation" because it is only - effectively - committing to reducing less than one per cent of the country's emissions by 2025. [Full Article...]