NEWS LINES

Major cities around the globe ring in 2022 from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3eF5ddy via IFTTT

Afghanistan’s former president said he had no choice but to abruptly leave Kabul as the Taliban closed in and denied an agreement was in the works for a peaceful takeover, disputing the accounts of former Afghan and U.S. officials. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3mOSkBV via IFTTT

The pledge comes just before Biden and Putin hold a second talk over security concerns ahead of a major meeting in January. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3eEENZq via IFTTT

Officials have warned revelers in Scotland and Wales to think twice before traveling to England to ring in the new year, highlighting how the four parts of the U.K. were again taking starkly different approaches to coronavirus restrictions amid record-high infections and soaring hospitalizations. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/33ZAa9Z via IFTTT

Israel has approved a fourth vaccine dose for people most vulnerable to COVID-19, an official said Thursday, becoming one of the first countries to do so as it braces for a wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3mHIlOM via IFTTT

Many of Afghanistan’s growing number of destitute people are selling their children as their nation spirals into a vortex of poverty. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3EBIedO via IFTTT

Israel on Thursday approved a fourth vaccine dose for the Jewish nation’s most vulnerable as coronavirus cases spike globally with the spread of the omicron variant. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3qEYUfg via IFTTT

The People's Liberation Army first released the robots in 2014 but has not made widespread use of them until recently. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/32CTfP1 via IFTTT

A Hong Kong court on Thursday charged two former editors for a pro-democracy media outlet with sedition and denied them bail. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3EHSJwe via IFTTT

North Korea on Thursday urged its 1.2 million troops to unite behind leader Kim Jong Un and defend him with their lives, as the country celebrated the 10th anniversary of Kim’s ascension to supreme commander of the military. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3JEVsu6 via IFTTT

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday pushed back against crew member claims that pandemic-related cleaning requirements forced a Delta Air Lines flight to reverse course were. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pCZKu0 via IFTTT

Greece’s health minister said Wednesday that music will be banned at all commercial venues for New Year’s celebrations as part of new restrictions announced in response to a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the omicron variant. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3FDJ8aR via IFTTT

A top Russian official said Wednesday that the Kremlin will not accept a "plan B" option when it comes to the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3sMa2K6 via IFTTT

France’s government is forging ahead with efforts to increase pressure on unvaccinated people to get coronavirus shots, as the country reported 208,000 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday — a record fueled by the omicron variant. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pBKpK9 via IFTTT

As the world's largest continent, Asia may struggle to keep omicron under control from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/32M689i via IFTTT

The World Health Organization reported that the number of coronavirus cases has increased worldwide by 11% last week. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pxUBmN via IFTTT

A mosque in Beauvais, Northern France has been shut down for "inciting hatred" and pushing its members toward radicalization. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3Hn0LfN via IFTTT

Iraq's Federal Supreme Court upheld the results of the October election of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday, rejecting an appeal filed by the pro-Iran Fatah Alliance. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3exFEem via IFTTT

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he is not opposed to a “good” nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced skepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3px25X5 via IFTTT

Russia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that one of the country’s oldest and most prominent human rights organizations should be shut down, a move that stirred up public outrage and is the latest step in a months-long crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3mFJpmd via IFTTT

North Korea and leader Kim Jong Un opened a key political conference Monday to review past projects and discuss new policies amid the pandemic and a diplomatic deadlock with the United States. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pwUS9y via IFTTT

A Taliban spokesperson recently praised the Islamist group for bringing security to Afghanistan, saying it did what the United States and other countries could not do in 20 years. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3JfV6K2 via IFTTT

Poland’s president on Monday said he has decided to veto a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share in TVN, a Polish TV network. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3FK31go via IFTTT

After struggling with the coronavirus for far too long, the world understands all too well Belgium's word of the year, “knaldrang!” — the urge to party, the need to let loose. Yet as New Year celebrations approach, the omicron variant is casting more gloom. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3qt9yFZ via IFTTT

Delta Air Lines said Monday that new pandemic-related cleaning requirements at a Shanghai airport were behind the turning-back of a recent flight from Seattle in midair, a move that had prompted a protest from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pxuZqo via IFTTT

The Russian military has said the troops have returned to their permanent bases after participating in "months-long drills" near the border. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3qtyInQ via IFTTT

Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights and retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, has died, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Sunday. He was 90. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3epd9zl via IFTTT

The traditional site where Jesus was born in Bethlehem remains shut to would-be foreign Christian pilgrims because of Israel's latest response to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3Eqy3bJ via IFTTT

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implored western countries to stand together against China, arguing that China has often been 'playing' western countries against each other from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pqeLz0 via IFTTT

Christians around the world celebrated their second COVID-19 Christmas on Saturday with surging infections in many countries overwhelming hospitals, canceling flights and curbing religious observances. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3eojqLz via IFTTT

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3ppn7Xz via IFTTT

Putin and Biden will hold security talks in January amid tensions over Russia's troop build up on the Ukraine's border. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3sxbShP via IFTTT

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will pardon his chief conservative rival and predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3el14uO via IFTTT

A massive fire swept through a crowded river ferry in Bangladesh early Friday, leaving at least 39 people dead and 70 injured, officials said. Many passengers leapt from the vessel into cold waters to escape the blaze. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3mxHHDr via IFTTT

Archbishop Joseph D'Souza is calling on leaders in India and around the world to speak up against the growing persecution of Christians on the subcontinent. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3sx6Zp5 via IFTTT

Preliminary data suggests that people with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are 50% to 70% less likely to be hospitalized than those with the delta strain, Britain's public health agency announced Thursday in a finding that one researcher called "a small ray of sunlight." from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3FqkH0F via IFTTT

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday blamed the West for heightened tensions on the Ukrainian border and claimed the Kremlin has not threatened "anyone" despite its military buildup there. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3qqtTMl via IFTTT

An estimated 22 million Ethiopians will require humanitarian assistance in 2022, according to a United Nations report. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3stByfi via IFTTT

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the West on Thursday to move quickly to meet Russia’s demand for security guarantees from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3z76WSl via IFTTT

Pope Francis urged Vatican cardinals, bishops and bureaucrats Thursday to embrace humility this Christmas season, saying their pride, self-interest and the “glitter of our armor” was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church’s mission. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/32dQMdP via IFTTT

A monument at a Hong Kong university that was the best-known public remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil was removed early Thursday, wiping out the city's last place of public commemoration of the bloody 1989 crackdown. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pn4Udf via IFTTT

Britain has recorded 106,122 new daily coronavirus infections, the highest total of the pandemic and the first time the figure has topped 100,000. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3yPQFRi via IFTTT

China ordered a lockdown of 13 million people in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/33RJDjK via IFTTT

Spaniards looking for a respite from the pandemic’s gloom and doom turned their attention Wednesday to a rite that for more than two centuries has marked the beginning of the festive period: the country’s bumper Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” or “The Fat One.” from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pg3Doq via IFTTT

Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3pfLc37 via IFTTT

China announced sanctions on Tuesday on four members of the U.S. government's Commission on International Religious Freedom in retaliation for penalties imposed on Chinese officials over complaints of abuses in the country’s northwestern Xinjiang region. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3yRdpkb via IFTTT

France’s government is trying to push through a law requiring vaccination to enter any restaurant and many other public places, amid a jump in COVID-19 hospitalizations. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3egZASC via IFTTT

Germany announced new restrictions to slow the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 on Tuesday, restrictions that will begin after Christmas. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/32vkSJC via IFTTT

The ruler of Dubai has been ordered to pay more than half a billion dollars to protect his ex-wife from himself. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3qh1AQf via IFTTT

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastward, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.” from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3smdvif via IFTTT

The governor of a central Philippine province devastated by Typhoon Rai last week pleaded on radio Tuesday for the government to quickly send food and other aid, warning that without outside help, army troops and police forces would have to be deployed to prevent looting amid growing hunger. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/32pdsqV via IFTTT

Captive missionaries in Haiti found freedom last week by making a daring overnight escape, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow, according to the agency they work for, officials said Monday. from Fox News : World https://ift.tt/3snulNG via IFTTT

A Japanese billionaire, his producer and a Russian cosmonaut safely returned to Earth on Monday after spending 12 days on the International Space Station. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3pcJH5E via IFTTT

Britain is facing pressure to curb the COVID-19 omicron variant as medical staff are being pushed to the breaking point. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3qb91IK via IFTTT

The military has helped one German hospital have an edge in fighting COVID-19 amid the outbreak of the omicron variant from Fox News https://ift.tt/32qghbC via IFTTT

Candidates loyal to China’s Communist Party won a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s legislative elections after pro-democracy activists were imprisoned and authorities received the power to exclude those deemed inappropriate for office. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3slUvQU via IFTTT

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Sunday denied ever accusing anyone of sexually assaulting her. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3yDXq8U via IFTTT

The governor of an island province in the central Philippines said Sunday at least 63 people died in the devastation wrought by Typhoon Rai in more than half of the towns that managed to contact him, bringing the death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the country this year to at least 112. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3p8ePDo via IFTTT

Two rockets were fired in the direction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, with one of them shot down by the U.S. military and the other missing the embassy compound, Fox News has confirmed. from Fox News https://ift.tt/32mgtZq via IFTTT

Nations across Europe moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the omicron variant, including a new nationwide lockdown. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3q6EX0H via IFTTT

A powerful typhoon left at least 31 people dead, knocked down power and communications in entire provinces and wrought widespread destruction mostly in the central Philippines, officials said Saturday. A governor said her island has been “leveled to the ground.” from Fox News https://ift.tt/3mh53NA via IFTTT

The World Health Organization has given emergency approval by U.S.-based Novavax and the Serum Institute of India from Fox News https://ift.tt/3F9Uh39 via IFTTT

Pope Francis turned 85 on Friday and spent the day doing what he does often and with passion--celebrating refugees from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IZUkRu via IFTTT

European Union leaders on Thursday pressed Russia to return to peace talks with Ukraine and renewed their threat to impose unprecedented sanctions on Moscow in tandem with the United States and Britain should Russian armed forces cross the border. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3mfrW3T via IFTTT

France restricts travel to and from Britain due to the fast-spreading omicron COVID-19 variant. from Fox News https://ift.tt/32dfPNt via IFTTT

The remaining members of a U.S. missionary group who were kidnapped two months ago in Haiti have been freed, Haitian police and the group said Thursday. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3s8pOic via IFTTT

North Koreans will observe the 10-year anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death – or face the consequences. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IXLByY via IFTTT

The group recorded 23 public executions for a variety of crimes since 2012, with families of the so-called criminals reportedly forced to watch. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3E16S7l via IFTTT

Afghanistan medical staff are struggling to treat patients as dozens of supplies have run out amid the COVID-19 pandemic from Fox News https://ift.tt/3sfQLR1 via IFTTT

A powerful typhoon slammed into the southeastern Philippines on Thursday, toppling trees, ripping tin roofs and knocking down power as it blew across island provinces where nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IRXKFN via IFTTT

South Korea will prohibit private social gatherings of five or more people nationwide and force restaurants to close at 9 p.m., as hospitals grapple with the deadliest month of the pandemic. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3mbKe61 via IFTTT

The 38-story tower where the fire occurred includes offices and a mall from Fox News https://ift.tt/3oYBTVb via IFTTT

There is a groundswell of support in Myanmar for targeted sanctions on oil and gas funds, the country’s single largest source of foreign currency revenue. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3ywurE4 via IFTTT

Russia President Vladimir Putin championed the close ties between Russia and China during a virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3m7fpzB via IFTTT

Chinese President Xi Jinping supported Russian President Vladimir Putin in his push to get Western security guarantees precluding NATO’s eastward expansion, the Kremlin said Wednesday after the two leaders held a virtual summit. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3yrwnh3 via IFTTT

Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and fighting climate change in is address to parliament. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3m6D2s0 via IFTTT

Many European countries are beginning to vaccinate children ages 5-11amid the spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3GMBLOI via IFTTT

The head of the European Union's executive branch said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January, amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3DVlm8H via IFTTT

The U.N. weather agency confirmed the highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3oWUGjQ via IFTTT

As the omicron variant continues to spread around the globe, new data from South Africa confirms the highly transmissible variant may cause less severe disease but is better at evading today’s vaccines. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3GJ0GCB via IFTTT

China is whispering to U.S. allies behind the America's back – in the form of a poorly produced music video. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3pR9I9U via IFTTT

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a “very blurred image” of Tehran's program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3oUCuap via IFTTT

A volcano that has been spewing lava in Spain’s Canary Islands for almost three months fell quiet Tuesday, though scientists warned the lull didn't necessarily mean the eruption is over. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IRKyAw via IFTTT

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease Sunday, his office said. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IL7xgI via IFTTT

France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes, the interior minister said Sunday, as virus-related hospitalizations rise sharply across the country. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3ylv3vY via IFTTT

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met United Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mouhamad bin Zayad, marking the first official visit of an Israeli leader to the Gulf country. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3dMSqoJ via IFTTT

Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centers across England as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the omicron variant, as the U.K. recorded its first death of a patient infected with omicron. from Fox News https://ift.tt/33qhIaq via IFTTT

Over a dozen unmarried women huddled in a jail cell south of Dubai last year, locked up for the crime of giving birth, when a guard entered and declared them free. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3dK7VxJ via IFTTT

The German government on Monday approved 60 billion euros ($68 billion) in funding to be used for combating climate change and modernizing the country, a move that the new finance minister described as a “booster” for Europe's biggest economy. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3rXMQs5 via IFTTT

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday that it suspended its search for a woman who fell overboard off the coast of Mexico on a cruise ship that departed from Southern California last week. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3GIicXP via IFTTT

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a candid interview for a film that delves into the fall of the Soviet Union and opened up about a time in his life when he was far from occupying the highest seat in the Kremlin. from Fox News https://ift.tt/31Zdp5f via IFTTT

Iran appears to be preparing for a space launch as negotiations continue in Vienna over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, according to an expert and satellite images. from Fox News https://ift.tt/33oxUsK via IFTTT

Julian Assange suffered a stroke during his court appeal in October, according to his fiancée. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3DQCFI1 via IFTTT

Austria ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country on Sunday, three weeks after reimposing strict rules to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3pObVD8 via IFTTT

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Friday to former President Trump’s accusation that he showed disloyalty by congratulating President Biden on his election win last year, saying he did so in the best interest of his country. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3dHfwwT via IFTTT

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Vienna on Saturday in protest against restrictions introduced to halt the spread of coronavirus in Austria from Fox News https://ift.tt/3DP2bxj via IFTTT

British police say a man was shot dead during a confrontation with firearms officers on Saturday near the Kensington Palace from Fox News https://ift.tt/3ylWLIX via IFTTT

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a revolt in his party over tighter COVID-19 restrictions as the country faces the growing threat of the omicron variant. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3IFDaIC via IFTTT

Face masks are once again required in indoor public spaces in England under the measures British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this week to slow the spread of the new omicron virus variant. Vaccination passes will be needed for nightclubs and large events starting next week, and residents will be told to work from home, if possible. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3dF5MmY via IFTTT

Health officials in Japan have confirmed eight more cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, bringing the country's total to 12, the government said Friday. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3pNWI4Y via IFTTT

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New Zealand's government believes it has come up with a unique plan to end tobacco smoking – a lifetime ban for those aged 14 or younger. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3oGmKre via IFTTT

Tourists visiting Cancun were sent running for their lives after gunmen on jet skis opened fire on the beach, steps away from the Grand Ocean Palm resorts. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3lOFMtW via IFTTT

The Canadian Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping ban on conversion therapy after senators agreed to fast-track the bill through the legislative process without extensive debate, committee study or votes. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3EEHHbH via IFTTT

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin apologized this week for going out to a nightclub in Helsinki over the weekend after her foreign affairs minister tested positive for COVID-19. from Fox News https://ift.tt/31PL15y via IFTTT

A group of people on jet skis fired gunshots into the air on a beach in Cancun, Mexico, prompting tourists to frantically run away from the beach. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3rM7nj1 via IFTTT

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tighter restrictions Wednesday to stem the spread of the omicron variant, urging people in England to again work from home and mandating COVID-19 passes for entrance into nightclubs and large events. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3GsuUtv via IFTTT

Two Spanish police officers waded into a frozen reservoir Wednesday morning to rescue a stranded dog, police said. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3EHN7Tq via IFTTT

The Russian troops assembled at its border with Ukraine sends a clear signal to Kyiv, Europe, and the United States that Russia might finally be ready to reincorporate Ukraine into Russia’s sphere of influence, severely increasing the risk of a major military escalation in Europe’s eastern frontier. from Fox News https://ift.tt/3pE8mzl via IFTTT

A teenager has been arrested in western India for beheading his 19-year-old sister while his mother allegedly held the young woman's legs, according to police.

Vice President Kamala Harris will mark the White House's first ever Maternal Health Day of Action on Tuesday when she hosts a summit with lawmakers, Cabinet secretaries and celebrities, a White House official said

Nearly 70 nurses and doctors working in the intensive care unit at a Spanish hospital have tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a Christmas party, health authorities said on Monday.

China has decided it's time to loosen its purse strings and pump money into the economy in a bid to stave off threats to the recovery.

One week after a school shooting in Michigan that killed four students and led to the manhunt and arrest of the suspect's parents, officials are wondering how the tragedy could have been prevented.

President Joe Biden is set for one of the most critical calls of his presidency on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he gets stark warnings from the US intelligence community that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine as soon as next month.

• Honolulu shut down its largest water source

Just a day before the head of Instagram will face questions from lawmakers over its child safety practices, the company is rolling out a handful of new features aimed at making it harder for users, particularly teenagers, to fall down rabbit holes that could be harmful to their mental health.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced that US diplomatic officials will boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as a protest against Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The governing body of tennis, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), has not suspended tournaments in China because it "does not want to punish a billion people," its president said Sunday.