(Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was poised to introduce tougher coronavirus restrictions in England at midnight on Monday, in a new national lockdown to try to reduce a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media said on Monday, amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. State Department called on Iran on Monday to immediately release a South Korean-flagged tanker that it seized in the Gulf and accused Tehran of threatening freedom of navigation as a way to extract relief from economic sanctions.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma's absence from public view in the past two months, including missing the final episode of a TV show on which he was to appear as a judge, has fueled social media speculation over his whereabouts amid a Chinese regulatory clampdown on his sprawling business empire.
LONDON (Reuters) -A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges including breaking a spying law, saying his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A global stock index fell on Monday, the first trading day of the new year, pulling back after recent gains to record highs, and the U.S. dollar was near flat.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte directed the head of his military detail on Monday to ignore a legislative summons, foiling the Senate's attempt to probe his guards for inoculating themselves with an unauthorised COVID-19 vaccine.
JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia's mass vaccination programme is set to start next week, a senior minister said on Monday, pending authorisation from the country's food and drug agency (BPOM), as about 700,000 doses of vaccines have already been widely distributed.
As Indonesia prepares to begin mass inoculations against COVID-19, its plan to prioritise working age adults over the elderly, aiming to reach herd immunity fast and revive the economy, will be closely watched by other countries.
A London court will deliver a ruling on Monday on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.
When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old university student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: it might be the last chance to do so covertly before people start taking off masks this year as vaccines are distributed.
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Priya's boyfriend posted a nude photo of her online, he told her it would give her a confidence boost by making her an object of desire for other men.
LONDON (Reuters) -UK scientists expressed concern on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against a new variant that emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally.
eSwatini aims to vaccinate all its 1.3 million people against COVID-19 and will set aside at least 200 million emalangeni ($14 million) to do so, senior officials in the southern African kingdom say.
Manufacturers across Europe ended 2020 on a high while Asian factory activity expanded moderately thanks to robust demand in regional giant China, surveys showed, but the prospect of tougher coronavirus curbs clouded the outlook for the recovery.
The Japanese government said on Monday it was considering declaring a state of emergency in and around Tokyo as coronavirus cases climb, casting fresh doubt over whether it can push ahead with the summer Olympics and keep economic damage to a minimum.
Vietnam's heath ministry has proposed suspending or limiting incoming flights from at least 34 countries and territories that have detected cases of the new COVID-19 variant first found in Britain, the government said on Monday.
South Korea's foreign ministry said on Monday that a South Korean chemical tanker had been seized by Iranian authorities in the waters off Oman, and demanded its immediate release.
U.S. electric utility AES Corp said it would sell its equity interest in the Mong Duong 2 coal-fired power plant in the Quang Ninh province in Vietnam to a consortium led by a U.S.-based investor.
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) - "Wonder Woman 1984" used its lasso of truth to rope in $5.5 million over the New Year's holiday. The sequel also ensnared another $10.1 million from overseas markets, bringing its global total to $118.5 million. That's not a disastrous figure given how much coronavirus has upended the movie business, but it does represent a steep 67% drop domestically and is a far cry from the grosses of pre-pandemic blockbusters. Stateside, "Wonder Woman 1984" has earned $28.5 million.