Taking only a couple of minutes to speak to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Biden listed the three orders he would sign first and answered a question about a letter he was left by his predecessor Donald Trump, calling it “very generous.” In addition to the “100 Days Masking Challenge” for …
Read More »Algeria signs contract for Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 jab, mass vaccine roll-out set for January
“Algeria’s health minister has confirmed that a contract was signed… for the purchase of a vaccine against coronavirus with a Russian laboratory,” said Communications Minister Ammar Belhimer on Wednesday, according to local media. While Belhimer also suggested vaccine-related talks were ongoing with “other foreign parties,” he did not elaborate further. …
Read More »Venezuela signs deal with Russia to purchase 10 million Sputnik-V vaccines for FREE distribution
Announcing the deal in a televised speech on Tuesday, Maduro said that the vaccine would be “distributed free of charge to the entire population living in the country, be they Columbians, Portueguese, Italians, Venezuelans,” while taking aim at Colombia’s plan to exclude some 900,000 Venezuelan migrants from its own vaccination …
Read More »Trump signs Covid-19 relief & spending bill… but hopes Congress will vote to increase payouts to $2,000
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” Trump said in a statement. On Tuesday, Trump threatened to veto a $2.3 trillion spending package that allocates $900 billion for coronavirus relief, and $1.4 trillion in …
Read More »Putin signs legislation strengthening lifetime immunity from prosecution for former Russian presidents & their family members
In practice, it means that Putin can’t be taken to court for criminal or administrative offences after leaving the Kremlin. The same rules will apply to Dmitry Medvedev, who held the position from 2008-2012, and all future office holders. The new set-up was included in constitutional amendments, approved by a …
Read More »Activists raise alarm as NHS signs ‘illegal’ deal with controversial US ‘spy-tech’ firm Palantir to handle Covid-19 patients’ data
A report published by media outlet openDemocracy claims that the UK government “sneaked through” the lucrative contract with Palantir, “a secretive artificial intelligence outfit founded by a Trump-backing billionaire… to avoid scrutiny or debate.” The outlet also questions whether necessary legal procedures were followed to award the contract. Palantir, an …
Read More »Beijing urges Washington to halt crackdown as Trump signs bill that could kick Chinese firms off US exchanges
Speaking at a regular news conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called Washington out for its discriminatory provisions against Chinese companies. “This is nothing but an unjustified political crackdown on Chinese enterprises listed in the United States. It will seriously hinder the normal listing of Chinese companies …
Read More »Trump signs bill to avoid government shutdown for next 24 hours, giving Congress extra time to pass Covid-19 aid package
The emergency bill signed on Sunday night allows for funding of the government for the next 24 hours. The measure prevents a government shutdown and gives Congress more time to pass a Covid-19 relief package along with a government funding bill. Democrats and Republicans have been embroiled in a bitter fight …
Read More »President FIRST to be vaxxed: Argentina signs deal for 10 million doses of Russia’s pioneering ‘Sputnik V’ anti-Covid vaccine
RDIF, which finances the development of Sputnik V, announced the deal on Thursday. The vaccine for Argentina is going to be produced by the fund’s international partners in India, China, South Korea and other countries. The contract would allow the South American nation, which has seen some 1,480,000 Covid-19 cases …
Read More »Russia’s Red Sea hub: Putin signs off on building naval facility in Sudan
The proposal to set up a naval facility in the North-African country, which Putin approved on Monday, was brought forward by the Russian government last week. Moscow and Khartoum signed a seven-year-long military cooperation deal last year and the project of a naval logistics hub has been already discussed by …
Read More »