International
Get jabbed for Christmas, Johnson urges UK as virus surges
AFP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his Christmas Eve message on Friday exhorted the UK public to get jabbed as a “wonderful” gift for the nation as cases soar.
Johnson said that while little time remained to buy gifts, “there is still a wonderful thing you can give your family and the whole country… and that is to get that jab, whether it is your first or second, or your booster”.
The prime minister has rejected harsher virus restrictions in England over Christmas despite a record surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant.
He has focused instead on a drive to offer booster jabs to all adults by the end of the year.
He acknowledged that “after two years of this pandemic, I can’t say that we are through it”, as the UK set a new record on Thursday of almost 120,000 cases in 24 hours.
Last year Johnson imposed a stay at home order on December 19 for London and southeast England that meant millions had to change Christmas plans.
This year he opted not to tighten rules, saying in his message that “for millions of families up and down the country, I hope and believe that this Christmas is, and will be, significantly better than the last”.
People must test themselves before meeting vulnerable relatives, he cautioned, while encouraging them to enjoy a jolly family Christmas.
If the pile of wrapping paper is bigger than last year due to more family members attending, it’s because of the vaccine rollout, he stressed.
He also said that getting a vaccine accorded with the teaching of Jesus Christ that “we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves”.
Johnson’s popularity has been battered by reports of parties held by Downing Street and other government departments during lockdown periods, and his party lost a by-election in a previously safe seat this month.
Some within his own party have also revolted against the most recent Covid measures, particularly on mandatory showing of Covid passes to enter crowded venues such as nightclubs, which they see as violating personal freedoms.
Almost 100 Tory MPs opposed the measure, which was passed by parliament as a whole.
Johnson’s Brexit project is also still mired in wrangles over French fishing rights, a year after the UK reached an agreement with the European Union on a trade deal.
International
Biden to attend Trump’s inauguration in January
US President Joe Biden will attend the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump in January, the White House announced on Monday, despite the fact that the Republican did not attend Biden’s inauguration four years ago.
“The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whoever won the election. He and the First Lady will keep that promise and attend,” said spokesperson Andrew Bates to reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One.
“He sees it as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people, while we continue to ensure a smooth and effective transition,” Bates added.
Despite describing Trump as a threat to democracy during the election campaign, Biden seeks to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the Republican that Trump denied him.
Biden invited the president-elect to the White House just days after the November 5 election, in which Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The 82-year-old Democrat dropped out of the presidential race for a second term in July and supported Harris after her disastrous performance in a televised debate led Democrats to question her fitness for the office due to concerns over her health and mental agility.
International
Mexico’s Sheinbaum warns Trump: Tariffs won’t stop migration or drug consumption
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum warned Donald Trump on Tuesday that new tariffs will not stop irregular migration or drug consumption in the United States, following the elected president’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican imports.
“President Trump, it is not with threats or tariffs that the migratory phenomenon or drug consumption in the United States will be stopped,” said the left-wing president while reading a letter she plans to send to the elected president. She also proposed initiating a dialogue.
International
Iran’s Khamenei calls ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu insufficient
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, described the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes as “insufficient” and stated that the prime minister deserves a “death sentence.”
The court, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military leader Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In his first speech since the court issued the arrest orders, Khamenei called the arrest warrant against Netanyahu “insufficient.” He further stated, “These criminal leaders must be sentenced to death,” referring to Netanyahu and Gallant, while addressing a group of Basij volunteers, an Islamist militia that can act as a replacement for security forces.
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