World

(Reuters) – Over 4,000 flights were cancelled around the world yesterday, more than half of them U.S.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States yesterday cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from access to a duty-free trade program, following through on President Joe Biden’s threat to do so over alleged human rights violations and recent coups.

CAPE TOWN,  (Reuters) – A fire at the South African parliament caused extensive damage today, collapsing the roof and gutting an entire floor in one building, with firefighters partially containing the blaze after several hours.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States yesterday cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from access to a duty-free trade program, following through on President Joe Biden’s threat to do so over alleged human rights violations and recent coups.

CAPE TOWN,  (Reuters) – President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “our moral compass and national conscience” as South Africa bade farewell at a state funeral yesteday to a hero of the struggle against apartheid.

(Reuters) – The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, as cities from Paris to Kuala Lumpur cancelled civic celebrations, but London threw a last-minute party on television and Cape Town suddenly lifted a longstanding curfew.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Wall Street closed near record highs in light trading yesterday, the last trading day of 2021, marking the second year of recovery from a global pandemic.

KHARTOUM,  (Reuters) – Five people were killed during a crackdown by Sudanese security forces on nationwide protests against military rule on Dec.

DUBAI,  (Reuters) – Iran’s space launch on Thursday failed to put its three payloads into orbit after the rocket was unable to reach the required speed, a defence ministry spokesman said in remarks carried on state television on Friday.

QUITO,  (Reuters) – Ecuador’s state-owned SOTE oil pipeline has restarted pumping after works to address erosion in the country’s Amazon region were completed, the energy ministry said yesterday, adding that operations in oil fields will restart in around 10 days.

(Reuters) – Colorado officials said yesterday that it was a “miracle” that no deaths were reported in a rare urban wildfire that moved at breakneck speeds across towns north of Denver, destroying upward of 1,000 homes.

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced yesterday a 700 million reais ($125.67 million) relief credit line to help the northeastern region with the impacts of severe flooding, a day after declining an offer of aid from Argentina.

BEIJING,  (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of maintaining a “strategic focus” in his 2022 New Year address and of being mindful of “potential risks” in the Communist Party’s long-term vision to turn China into a global power.

WILMINGTON, Del./MOSCOW,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday exchanged warnings over Ukraine but conveyed some optimism that diplomatic talks in January could ease spiraling tensions.

DENVER,  (Reuters) – A fierce, wind-driven wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes, injured at least a half dozen people and prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents in and around two towns east of the Rockies near Denver, authorities said yesterday.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rejected an offer of aid from Argentina, saying yesterday that his country did not need the assistance dealing with deadly floods that have affected broad swaths of the country’s northeast and killed dozens.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Chile’s free and fair elections set a “powerful example” for the region and the world, U.S.

CAPE TOWN,  (Reuters) – A booster dose of Johnson & Johnson Inc’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was 84% effective at preventing hospitalization in South African healthcare workers who became infected as the Omicron variant spread, researchers said today.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty by a U.S.

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – The police raid and arrests at the now-closed pro-democracy Stand News outlet were law enforcement actions and were not aimed at the media industry, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said today.