News in Brief
NEW DELHI (Dispatches) -- India is set to send a team of military specialists to Russia, where they will receive training on the S-400 air defense system, which New Delhi plans to purchase from Moscow despite U.S. threats of sanctions. Russian ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev, said that the military’s team’s upcoming departure is a "remarkable occasion” that will usher in "a new stage in our strategic partnership.” Kudashev defended a $5.4 billion deal that was signed between New Delhi and Moscow in October 2018, for India’s purchase of five long-range surface-to-air missiles, from Russia. The first batch of the S-400s is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and all deliveries will be completed in a five-year period.
Kudashev also said Moscow was "successfully moving towards implementation” of several other arms deals with India.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven Democratic senators on Thursday asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the actions of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley "to fully understand their role” in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. In the end, Congress certified Biden’s Electoral College victory, but not before thousands marched to the Capitol at Trump’s urging, overwhelmed security and interrupted the proceedings. In the end, the violence led to five deaths, injured dozens of police officers and caused extensive damage to the Capitol. Two Florida men, including a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested Wednesday on charges of taking part in the siege of the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly hit back, saying "we don’t respond to threats.” "Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia,” Morrison told reporters in Brisbane. "That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government. And that’s how things work here in Australia.” Morrison’s comments came after Mel Silva, the managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, told a Senate inquiry into the bill that the new rules would be unworkable. "If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,” Silva told senators. The mandatory code of conduct proposed by the government aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content they siphon from news sites.
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PUNE, India (AP) — At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the COVID-19 vaccine. Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of Pune city in southern Maharashtra state, said five bodies were found in the rubble after the flames were extinguished by firefighters. Mahol said the victims were probably construction workers. He said the cause of the fire had not been determined and the extent of damage was not immediately clear. Serum Institue of India’s CEO, Adar Poonwala, said he was "deeply saddened” by the loss of life. He said there would be no reduction in vaccine manufacturing because the company has other available facilities.
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BANGUI/NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Central African Republic declared a state of emergency on Thursday to help it crack down on armed groups, as the United Nations’ envoy to CAR called for the deployment of many more peacekeepers in response to a recent surge in attacks. The CAR army, backed by UN, Russian and Rwandan troops, has been battling rebels that are seeking to overturn a Dec. 27 vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared the winner. The state of emergency, which will last 15 days, lets the authorities fast-track arrests by allowing the military to detain suspects without going through a prosecutor, government spokesman Albert Yaloke said in a statement. The escalation comes as UN envoy Mankeur Ndiaye asked the UN Security Council for a substantial increase in the number of peacekeepers to give the mission greater mobility on the ground.
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BUENOS AIRES (Dispatches) -- German carrier Lufthansa has asked Argentina for authorization to operate two flights from Germany to British-occupied Malvinas Islands, in a move Buenos Aires says indicates the recognition of Argentina’s sovereignty over the island. The remote South Atlantic archipelago, known as the Falklands in the United Kingdom (UK), has been a source of dispute between Argentina and Britain for almost two centuries. The two fought a 10-week war over the archipelago in 1982. The Foreign Ministry of Argentina confirmed Lufthansa’s request for a flyover permission. "The relevance of Lufthansa’s request presented to the Argentine authorities is highlighted as it implies the recognition of the Malvinas Islands as part of Argentine territory,” said the ministry.
Kudashev also said Moscow was "successfully moving towards implementation” of several other arms deals with India.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven Democratic senators on Thursday asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the actions of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley "to fully understand their role” in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. In the end, Congress certified Biden’s Electoral College victory, but not before thousands marched to the Capitol at Trump’s urging, overwhelmed security and interrupted the proceedings. In the end, the violence led to five deaths, injured dozens of police officers and caused extensive damage to the Capitol. Two Florida men, including a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested Wednesday on charges of taking part in the siege of the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly hit back, saying "we don’t respond to threats.” "Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia,” Morrison told reporters in Brisbane. "That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government. And that’s how things work here in Australia.” Morrison’s comments came after Mel Silva, the managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, told a Senate inquiry into the bill that the new rules would be unworkable. "If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,” Silva told senators. The mandatory code of conduct proposed by the government aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content they siphon from news sites.
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PUNE, India (AP) — At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the COVID-19 vaccine. Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of Pune city in southern Maharashtra state, said five bodies were found in the rubble after the flames were extinguished by firefighters. Mahol said the victims were probably construction workers. He said the cause of the fire had not been determined and the extent of damage was not immediately clear. Serum Institue of India’s CEO, Adar Poonwala, said he was "deeply saddened” by the loss of life. He said there would be no reduction in vaccine manufacturing because the company has other available facilities.
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BANGUI/NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Central African Republic declared a state of emergency on Thursday to help it crack down on armed groups, as the United Nations’ envoy to CAR called for the deployment of many more peacekeepers in response to a recent surge in attacks. The CAR army, backed by UN, Russian and Rwandan troops, has been battling rebels that are seeking to overturn a Dec. 27 vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared the winner. The state of emergency, which will last 15 days, lets the authorities fast-track arrests by allowing the military to detain suspects without going through a prosecutor, government spokesman Albert Yaloke said in a statement. The escalation comes as UN envoy Mankeur Ndiaye asked the UN Security Council for a substantial increase in the number of peacekeepers to give the mission greater mobility on the ground.
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BUENOS AIRES (Dispatches) -- German carrier Lufthansa has asked Argentina for authorization to operate two flights from Germany to British-occupied Malvinas Islands, in a move Buenos Aires says indicates the recognition of Argentina’s sovereignty over the island. The remote South Atlantic archipelago, known as the Falklands in the United Kingdom (UK), has been a source of dispute between Argentina and Britain for almost two centuries. The two fought a 10-week war over the archipelago in 1982. The Foreign Ministry of Argentina confirmed Lufthansa’s request for a flyover permission. "The relevance of Lufthansa’s request presented to the Argentine authorities is highlighted as it implies the recognition of the Malvinas Islands as part of Argentine territory,” said the ministry.