World News

World News

France's Decision To Keep Ski Slopes Closed Creates Tension And Confusion

3:52pm December 15, 2020

by Rebecca Rosman

France has closed ski slopes because of the pandemic. Switzerland, on the other hand, is keeping its resorts open, enticing French skiers to avoid the restrictions by crossing the border.

Supporters of Scottish independence gather at the site of the Battle of Bannockburn in August in Bannockburn, Scotland. The site is where the army of the king of Scots, Robert the Bruce, defeated the army of England's King Edward II in 1314 in the First W

World News

Support For Scottish Independence Is Growing, Partly Due To U.K.'s COVID-19 Response

1:31pm December 15, 2020

by Frank Langfitt

Recent polls show consistent support among Scots for leaving Great Britain. Many in Scotland think Prime Minister Boris Johnson is poorly suited to handle the pandemic and trust Scottish leaders more.

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German Health Minister Jens Spahn arrives for a news conference Tuesday in Berlin. Germany is one of a handful of European countries to implement strict new coronavirus measures in anticipation of the holidays.

Some European Countries Batten Down For The Holidays With New Coronavirus Lockdowns

1:29pm December 15, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Amid a spike in new cases, leaders in Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have announced the return of strict measures to dissuade people from attending large holiday gatherings.

Takahiro Shiraishi said he targeted those with suicidal thoughts: "It was easier for me to convince people with worries and other issues and manipulate them to my way of thinking."

Japan's 'Twitter Killer' Sentenced To Death In Killing Of 9

9:41am December 15, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

Takahiro Shiraishi murdered and dismembered eight women and one man in his apartment near Tokyo. He used Twitter to lure most of his victims, promising he could help them kill themselves.

A view at the scene where Deputy Governor of Kabul Mahbubullah Muhibbi was killed in a bomb blast, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday.

World News

Kabul's Deputy Governor Killed In Bomb Blast

3:56am December 15, 2020

by Diaa Hadid

Mahbubullah Muhibbi is the latest, and one of the highest-profile victims of shadowy assailants, who've killed journalists, police, security forces, judicial authorities and senior administrators.

The U.K. announced new rules for blood donation that are defined by individual behaviors, rather than sexuality and gender.

U.K. Will Make It Easier For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood

4:23pm December 14, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

"Donors will no longer be asked to declare if they have had sex with another man, making the criteria for blood donation gender neutral and more inclusive," the National Health Service explains.

A health care worker administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to personal support worker Anita Quidangen at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Canada, on Monday. Quidangen was one of the first people in Canada to receive the shot.

Canada Administers Its 1st COVID-19 Vaccine Shots

4:10pm December 14, 2020

by Emma Jacobs

Canada joins the United Kingdom and the United States as the first Western countries to provide the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, as the coronavirus pandemic rages toward winter.

Dr. Chizoba Barbara Wonodi is director of Johns Hopkins University's International Vaccine Access Center for Nigeria.

Is Mass Vaccination The Best Strategy For All Countries? A Doctor's Surprising View

2:59pm December 14, 2020

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Dr. Chizoba Barbara Wonodi of Johns Hopkins University explains why a strategy to vaccinate everyone may not be the best approach to fighting the virus in lower-income countries such as Nigeria.

The Trump administration has sanctioned two Iranian officials over the disappearance and likely death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, shown here in a March 6, 2012, FBI poster.

Trump Administration Sanctions 2 Iranian Officials Over Levinson Disappearance

1:27pm December 14, 2020

by Ayesha Rascoe

"It's a very important acknowledgment, probably long overdue," a senior U.S. official tells reporters on a conference call about the sanctions. Former FBI agent Robert Levinson went missing in 2007.

People in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, browse newspapers with headlines featuring the 2020 U.S. general election results. After 27 years, the State Department has removed Sudan from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

World News

Sudan, Which Once Sheltered Bin Laden, Removed From U.S. Terrorism List

11:43am December 14, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum announced that the statutory 45 days had lapsed since President Trump gave Congress notice of Sudan's removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.