WORLD

Berlin, Germany | Xinhua | Olaf Scholz from Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) was elected as the new Federal Chancellor on Wednesday. According to the German Bundestag, or the lower house of Parliament, Scholz got 395 of the 707 votes, well above the 369-vote majority required in the 736-seat Bundestag. The …

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Certain features of the Omicron variant, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. With the Omicron variant now present …

New Delhi, India | Xinhua | India’s Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others including his wife were killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, officials said. “Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his …

New Delhi, India | Xinhua | A helicopter carrying India’s Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and other officials crashed Wednesday in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, officials said. The helicopter crashed at Nilgiris district’s Coonoor area, about 538 km southwest of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil …

New York, U.S. | Xinhua | Oil prices rose on Tuesday, extending the gains they had scored in the prior session, as fears over the COVID-19 Omicron variant retreated. The West Texas Intermediate for January delivery added 2.56 U.S. dollars, or 3.7 percent, to settle at 72.05 dollars a barrel on …

United Nations | Xinhua | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been in self-isolation after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman. “He has shown no symptoms and has initially tested negative. Out of an abundance of caution, he has canceled all his …

Kabul, Afghanistan | Xinhua | The United States portrays itself as a model of democracy for the rest of the world, but its so-called “beacon of democracy” has long collapsed. Multiple countries that have been imposed the U.S. style of democracy have witnessed prolonged conflicts and insecurity, tattered national economy and …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed George William Okoth-Obbo of Uganda as his Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect. He will succeed Karen Smith of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful.   So honored to receive this trust to serve as …

New York, U.S. | Xinhua | Oil prices surged on Monday, reclaiming the losses they had suffered in the prior week. The West Texas Intermediate for January delivery added 3.23 U.S. dollars, or 4.9 percent, to settle at 69.49 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for …

Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua |  Thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of Brussels on Sunday to protest against the government’s latest strict measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Twenty people were reported to have been arrested, according to the police, and four demonstrators and two police officers …