Ukraine's military on Friday said it would not launch an offensive against pro-Russia separatists controlling two regions in the country's east, as fears grow of a major escalation in the long-running conflict.

"The liberation of the temporarily occupied territories by force will inevitably lead to the death of a large number of civilians and casualties among the military, which is unacceptable for Ukraine," Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a statement.

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The Russian buildup has become the latest point of friction in icy relations between Moscow and US&nbsp;President Joe Biden's administration, adding to disputes over arms control, human rights and other issues.

Biden last week expressed "unwavering support" for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his confrontation with Russia, which in 2014 annexed the Crimea peninsula and backed separatists who seized large parts of the eastern Donbas region.

Russia has said its troops are no threat and are defensive, but they would remain as long as the Kremlin sees fit.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday&nbsp;that&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;should take control over its armed forces and not provoke military hostilities in the country's east.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that the situation in&nbsp;Ukraine's East remains very tense.

Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed by pro-Russian separatists in eastern&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;over the past 24 hours,&nbsp;Ukraine's military said on Tuesday, adding to already escalating tensions.

Kyiv says Russia has been building up its forces near&nbsp;Ukraine's eastern borders in recent weeks, and reports of separatist attacks on Ukrainian government forces have increased significantly.

NATO has said it is concerned about a Russian military build-up in the Donbass region, where Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed separatist forces in a conflict Kyiv estimates has killed 14,000 people since 2014.

Moscow and Kyiv have long accused each other of failing to implement a peace deal over the region.

Ukraine's military on Friday said it would not launch an offensive against pro-Russia separatists controlling two regions in the country's east, as fears grow of a major escalation in the long-running conflict.

Ukraine's military on Friday said it would not launch an offensive against pro-Russia separatists controlling two regions in the country's east, as fears grow of a major escalation in the long-running conflict. "The liberation of the temporarily occupied territories by force will inevitably lead to the death of a large number of civilians and casualties among the military, which is unacceptable for Ukraine," Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a statement. The Russian buildup has become the latest point of friction in icy relations between Moscow and US President Joe Biden's administration, adding to disputes over arms control, human rights and other issues. Biden last week expressed "unwavering support" for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his confrontation with Russia, which in 2014 annexed the Crimea peninsula and backed separatists who seized large parts of the eastern Donbas region. Russia has said its troops are no threat and are defensive, but they would remain as long as the Kremlin sees fit. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukraine should take control over its armed forces and not provoke military hostilities in the country's east. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that the situation in Ukraine's East remains very tense. Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's military said on Tuesday, adding to already escalating tensions. Kyiv says Russia has been building up its forces near Ukraine's eastern borders in recent weeks, and reports of separatist attacks on Ukrainian government forces have increased significantly. NATO has said it is concerned about a Russian military build-up in the Donbass region, where Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed separatist forces in a conflict Kyiv estimates has killed 14,000 people since 2014. Moscow and Kyiv have long accused each other of failing to implement a peace deal over the region.

Ukraine's military rules out offensive against pro-Russia separatists

The Serum Institute of India has fully refunded South Africa for the 500,000 doses of the&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;vaccine, which were not delivered to the country after it decided not to use the vaccine because it was not effective against a new variant of the virus.

A million doses from the institute, which had already been delivered, have been sold on to other countries in the African Union.

“Treasury has confirmed that the Serum Institute of India has fully refunded us for the remaining 500,000 doses that had not been delivered to South Africa and the money is already in our bank account,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said at a televised media briefing on Thursday.

“I want to clarify this quite clearly, as this now closes the matter of the AstraZeneca vaccine and also we close it without incurring any fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” he said.

Mkhize said that there was a huge concern among South Africans that these vaccines would now be wasted.

“But we want to indicate that all of the AstraZeneca vaccines have been salvaged,” he said.

“The one million doses that we have received have been sold to the African Union platform and have been distributed to many African countries, who have been able now to have access to these vaccines,” Mkhize said.

The minister explained why other states in Africa could use the 500,000 doses of the vaccine, which were rejected by South Africa.

“The difference between us and some of these countries is that they actually don’t have the same variant as what we have got and therefore they also don’t have evidence in their countries that the AstraZeneca would be a problem.

“So, in those countries we go by the WHO guidelines that said it could be used, even if there are other variants in other countries,” he said.

Mkhize said South Africa would continue to support AstraZeneca’s efforts and would deal with them again when they could show that they had developed a vaccine with efficacy against the new variant in South Africa.

He also outlined plans for the vaccine rollout in South Africa from other suppliers.

“We have now secured 51 million doses of vaccines with the agreements that have been signed – 31 million from Johnson and Johnson, which is a one-dose vaccine; and 20 million from Pfizer, which is a two-dose vaccine.

“This means that we can now move forward with confidence as we finalise our plans for our mass rollout campaign, which is due to officially begin at the end of phase one on May 17,” he said.

South Africa started the first phase by vaccinating its healthcare workers. The second phase of six months will target the elderly, people with comorbidities, and workers in essential services, with the rest of the population following in the third phase.

“If we didn’t have this debacle with the AstraZeneca vaccines, we would have been able to move faster, as we have indicated to the public,” Mkhize said as he expressed hope that South Africa would achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 within a year.

The Serum Institute of India has fully refunded South Africa for the 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which were not delivered to the country after it decided not to use the vaccine because it was not effective against a new variant of the virus.

The Serum Institute of India has fully refunded South Africa for the 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which were not delivered to the country after it decided not to use the vaccine because it was not effective against a new variant of the virus. A million doses from the institute, which had already been delivered, have been sold on to other countries in the African Union. “Treasury has confirmed that the Serum Institute of India has fully refunded us for the remaining 500,000 doses that had not been delivered to South Africa and the money is already in our bank account,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said at a televised media briefing on Thursday. “I want to clarify this quite clearly, as this now closes the matter of the AstraZeneca vaccine and also we close it without incurring any fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” he said. Mkhize said that there was a huge concern among South Africans that these vaccines would now be wasted. “But we want to indicate that all of the AstraZeneca vaccines have been salvaged,” he said. “The one million doses that we have received have been sold to the African Union platform and have been distributed to many African countries, who have been able now to have access to these vaccines,” Mkhize said. The minister explained why other states in Africa could use the 500,000 doses of the vaccine, which were rejected by South Africa. “The difference between us and some of these countries is that they actually don’t have the same variant as what we have got and therefore they also don’t have evidence in their countries that the AstraZeneca would be a problem. “So, in those countries we go by the WHO guidelines that said it could be used, even if there are other variants in other countries,” he said. Mkhize said South Africa would continue to support AstraZeneca’s efforts and would deal with them again when they could show that they had developed a vaccine with efficacy against the new variant in South Africa. He also outlined plans for the vaccine rollout in South Africa from other suppliers. “We have now secured 51 million doses of vaccines with the agreements that have been signed – 31 million from Johnson and Johnson, which is a one-dose vaccine; and 20 million from Pfizer, which is a two-dose vaccine. “This means that we can now move forward with confidence as we finalise our plans for our mass rollout campaign, which is due to officially begin at the end of phase one on May 17,” he said. South Africa started the first phase by vaccinating its healthcare workers. The second phase of six months will target the elderly, people with comorbidities, and workers in essential services, with the rest of the population following in the third phase. “If we didn’t have this debacle with the AstraZeneca vaccines, we would have been able to move faster, as we have indicated to the public,” Mkhize said as he expressed hope that South Africa would achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 within a year.

Serum Institute of India refunds South Africa for undelivered COVID-19 vaccines

Johnson &amp; Johnson is in talks with&nbsp;India's government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday.

The US&nbsp;drugs and healthcare giant's vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa.

The news comes as some parts of&nbsp;India&nbsp;face a shortage of vaccine supplies just as the country of 1.3 billion battles a second wave of COVID-19 infections.&nbsp;India's government, however, has said there is no shortage of shots.

J&amp;J had sent a letter to&nbsp;India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) saying it would "very shortly apply for permission to conduct clinical bridging trials in&nbsp;India".&nbsp;

"We are in discussions with the (government) with the objective of starting a bridging clinical study of our Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate in&nbsp;India, subject to local regulatory approvals," a local J&amp;J representative said via email.

A bridging study tests the safety and immunogenicity of a vaccine, and&nbsp;India&nbsp;has indicated that any vaccine maker must conduct such a trial for a shot to be considered for its immunisation programme.

Separately, J&amp;J has a deal with&nbsp;Indian firm Biological E Ltd to contract-manufacture its vaccine.

India&nbsp;currently has two approved vaccines in use, one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and the other, a shot from local player Bharat Biotech.

There are other vaccine candidates in trials in&nbsp;India&nbsp;including Russia's Sputnik-V and a shot developed by Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

COVID-19 infections in&nbsp;India&nbsp;rose by a record number for a third straight day on Friday, increasing by more than 130,000, while daily deaths hit their highest in five months.

Johnson & Johnson is in talks with India's government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday. The US drugs and healthcare giant's vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa.

Johnson & Johnson is in talks with India's government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday. The US drugs and healthcare giant's vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa. The news comes as some parts of India face a shortage of vaccine supplies just as the country of 1.3 billion battles a second wave of COVID-19 infections. India's government, however, has said there is no shortage of shots. J&J had sent a letter to India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) saying it would "very shortly apply for permission to conduct clinical bridging trials in India". "We are in discussions with the (government) with the objective of starting a bridging clinical study of our Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India, subject to local regulatory approvals," a local J&J representative said via email. A bridging study tests the safety and immunogenicity of a vaccine, and India has indicated that any vaccine maker must conduct such a trial for a shot to be considered for its immunisation programme. Separately, J&J has a deal with Indian firm Biological E Ltd to contract-manufacture its vaccine. India currently has two approved vaccines in use, one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and the other, a shot from local player Bharat Biotech. There are other vaccine candidates in trials in India including Russia's Sputnik-V and a shot developed by Cadila Healthcare Ltd. COVID-19 infections in India rose by a record number for a third straight day on Friday, increasing by more than 130,000, while daily deaths hit their highest in five months.

J&J says in talks with Indian government for trial of single-dose vaccine

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said Friday she plans to skip the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this November, saying the uneven rollout of Covid-19 vaccine campaigns would mean countries could not participate on even terms.

The 18-year-old activist deplored that by November richer countries would be vaccinating young healthy people "very often at the expense of people in risk groups in other parts of the world."

"With the extremely inequitable vaccine distribution I will not attend the COP26 conference if the development continues as it is now," Thunberg told AFP in an interview.

Thunberg, confirming a BBC report, said the conference should be postponed "if everyone could not attend in the same terms."

The conference has already been postponed once as it was originally planned for November 2020.

While the climate issue has been largely overshadowed by the pandemic, COP26 is seen as one of the opportunities to put the climate issue back on the agenda.&nbsp;

The absence of Greta Thunberg, who advocates for immediate and rapid targets for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions rather than goals set decades from now, would be a symbolic setback.

However, the campaigner said she did not rule out reversing her decision if vaccine access improved.&nbsp;

"Of course I would love to attend the COP26. But not unless everyone can take part on the same terms," Thunberg said.

Over 700 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered globally, according to an AFP tally, with just a handful of countries leading the pack by a wide margin.

Though vaccinations have begun in at least 195 territories around the world, richer nations have made much more progress than the rest, with the lowest-income countries accounting for just 0.1 percent of the doses administered.

The World Health Organization's director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said Thursday that the continent was on "sidelines" of the worldwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, with only two percent of the global total to have received jab.

In late March, WHO warned of a widening gap in the distribution of vaccines between richer and poorer nations with agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling the unequal distribution "not just a moral outrage" but warned it was "also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating."

Thunberg began campaigning for action on climate change in 2018 at the age of 15, by spending Fridays outside Sweden's parliament with a sign with the words "sitting outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 with her "School Strike for the Climate."

Her protest gained widespread attention and addressing world leaders with film crews from around the world in attendance at the UN climate summit in New York in 2019, she gave a fiery speech sparking headlines worldwide.

"How dare you!" she thundered.

In 2019 she was named person of the year by Time magazine.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said Friday she plans to skip the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this November, saying the uneven rollout of Covid-19 vaccine campaigns would mean countries could not participate on even terms.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said Friday she plans to skip the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this November, saying the uneven rollout of Covid-19 vaccine campaigns would mean countries could not participate on even terms. The 18-year-old activist deplored that by November richer countries would be vaccinating young healthy people "very often at the expense of people in risk groups in other parts of the world." "With the extremely inequitable vaccine distribution I will not attend the COP26 conference if the development continues as it is now," Thunberg told AFP in an interview. Thunberg, confirming a BBC report, said the conference should be postponed "if everyone could not attend in the same terms." The conference has already been postponed once as it was originally planned for November 2020. While the climate issue has been largely overshadowed by the pandemic, COP26 is seen as one of the opportunities to put the climate issue back on the agenda. The absence of Greta Thunberg, who advocates for immediate and rapid targets for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions rather than goals set decades from now, would be a symbolic setback. However, the campaigner said she did not rule out reversing her decision if vaccine access improved. "Of course I would love to attend the COP26. But not unless everyone can take part on the same terms," Thunberg said. Over 700 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered globally, according to an AFP tally, with just a handful of countries leading the pack by a wide margin. Though vaccinations have begun in at least 195 territories around the world, richer nations have made much more progress than the rest, with the lowest-income countries accounting for just 0.1 percent of the doses administered. The World Health Organization's director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said Thursday that the continent was on "sidelines" of the worldwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, with only two percent of the global total to have received jab. In late March, WHO warned of a widening gap in the distribution of vaccines between richer and poorer nations with agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling the unequal distribution "not just a moral outrage" but warned it was "also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating." Thunberg began campaigning for action on climate change in 2018 at the age of 15, by spending Fridays outside Sweden's parliament with a sign with the words "sitting outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 with her "School Strike for the Climate." Her protest gained widespread attention and addressing world leaders with film crews from around the world in attendance at the UN climate summit in New York in 2019, she gave a fiery speech sparking headlines worldwide. "How dare you!" she thundered. In 2019 she was named person of the year by Time magazine.

Greta Thunberg to skip COP26 over unfair vaccine rollouts

China's foreign ministry said on Friday&nbsp;it would take necessary measures to protect the legal rights of Chinese companies, after the United States added Chinese supercomputing entities to an economic&nbsp;blacklist.

"US&nbsp;containment and suppression cannot hold back the march of China's scientific and technological development," he said at a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday.

The US&nbsp;Commerce Department said on Thursday it was adding seven Chinese supercomputing entities to a US&nbsp;economic&nbsp;blacklist&nbsp;for assisting Chinese military efforts.

The Commerce Department said the seven were "involved with building supercomputers used by China's military actors, its destabilising military modernization efforts, and/or weapons of mass destruction programs."

The department is adding Tianjin Phytium Information Technology, Shanghai High-Performance Integrated Circuit Design Center, Sunway Microelectronics, the National Supercomputing Center Jinan, the National Supercomputing Center Shenzhen, the National Supercomputing Center Wuxi, and the National Supercomputing Center Zhengzhou to its&nbsp;blacklist.

Companies or others listed on the US&nbsp;Entity List are required to apply for licenses from the Commerce Department that face tough scrutiny when they seek permission to receive items from US&nbsp;suppliers.

"Supercomputing capabilities are vital for the development of many, perhaps almost all,&nbsp;modern weapons and national security systems, such as nuclear weapons and hypersonic weapons, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

The new rules take effect immediately but do not apply to goods from US&nbsp;suppliers already en route.

During the administration of former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, the US&nbsp;added dozens of Chinese companies to its economic&nbsp;blacklist, including the country’s top smartphone maker Huawei Technologies, top chipmaker SMIC and the largest drone manufacturer, SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday it would take necessary measures to protect the legal rights of Chinese companies, after the United States added Chinese supercomputing entities to an economic blacklist.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday it would take necessary measures to protect the legal rights of Chinese companies, after the United States added Chinese supercomputing entities to an economic blacklist. "US containment and suppression cannot hold back the march of China's scientific and technological development," he said at a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday. The US Commerce Department said on Thursday it was adding seven Chinese supercomputing entities to a US economic blacklist for assisting Chinese military efforts. The Commerce Department said the seven were "involved with building supercomputers used by China's military actors, its destabilising military modernization efforts, and/or weapons of mass destruction programs." The department is adding Tianjin Phytium Information Technology, Shanghai High-Performance Integrated Circuit Design Center, Sunway Microelectronics, the National Supercomputing Center Jinan, the National Supercomputing Center Shenzhen, the National Supercomputing Center Wuxi, and the National Supercomputing Center Zhengzhou to its blacklist. Companies or others listed on the US Entity List are required to apply for licenses from the Commerce Department that face tough scrutiny when they seek permission to receive items from US suppliers. "Supercomputing capabilities are vital for the development of many, perhaps almost all, modern weapons and national security systems, such as nuclear weapons and hypersonic weapons, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. The new rules take effect immediately but do not apply to goods from US suppliers already en route. During the administration of former US President Donald Trump, the US added dozens of Chinese companies to its economic blacklist, including the country’s top smartphone maker Huawei Technologies, top chipmaker SMIC and the largest drone manufacturer, SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd.

China vows 'necessary measures' after US blacklists its supercomputing entities

A three-man crew docked at the International Space Station Friday after a flight honouring the 60th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in space.

NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Russia's Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will spend six months in the ISS working on biology, biotechnology, and Earth science experiments.

"There is contact!" Russia's space agency Roscosmos wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

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Утро 9 апреля на космодроме Байконур, полная фотогалерея: <a href="https://t.co/qvfxW5auup">https://t.co/qvfxW5auup</a> 📸🚀 
 
Открытие переходных люков между кораблем <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%8E%D0%B7%D0%9C%D0%A118?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#СоюзМС18</a> и Международной космической станцией ожидается в 16:00 мск <a href="https://t.co/JOFeBKbjyT">pic.twitter.com/JOFeBKbjyT</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1380486998415265794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"Hey, Expedition 64 –- set the dinner table... Can't wait to join you on&nbsp;@Space_Station&nbsp;in a few hours!" Vande Hei tweeted to the crew on board the ISS hours before blast-off.

The launch came just ahead of Monday's anniversary of Gagarin's historic flight on April 12, 1961.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/first-man-in-space-the-story-of-yuri-gagarin-376116/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Reminders of his achievement were everywhere at the Russia-operated Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as Novitsky, Dubrov and Vande Hei prepared for their half-year mission aboard the orbital lab.

The&nbsp;Soyuz&nbsp;MS-18 spacecraft that the trio took off in has been named&nbsp;after the legendary cosmonaut and Gagarin's portrait has been added to its exterior.

Gagarin also came up more than once in the traditional pre-flight press conference on Thursday, where the crew was asked how they planned to mark the anniversary once in space.

"We'll celebrate it together," said 43-year-old Dubrov, who is flying to space for the first time. "And we'll work hard!"&nbsp;

Friday's blast-off was from a different launchpad than the one used for Gagarin's one and only mission, which saw him spend 108 minutes in orbit.

Last used in 2019, the Gagarin launchpad is undergoing upgrades in preparation for a new generation of&nbsp;Soyuz&nbsp;rockets and expected to return to action in 2023.

Gagarin's mission was a propaganda coup for the Soviet Union and a huge win in the space race with the West, which became one of the Cold War's most exciting subplots.

But the anniversary comes at a difficult time for Russia's space industry, which has suffered a number of setbacks recently, from industry corruption scandals to an aborted take-off scuppering a manned mission in 2018.

Perhaps most importantly, Roscosmos and Baikonur last year lost their monopoly over manned ISS launches, as reusable rockets from Elon Musk's Space X delivered NASA astronauts to the station from American soil.&nbsp;

The emergence of commercial competitors has left Roscosmos with a financial headache, NASA has paid the company tens of millions of dollars per seat for astronauts sent to the ISS.

Russian space officials still talk up new ventures, including bringing back samples from Venus and creating a rocket capable of making 100 round trips to space.

Yet the space budget has fallen year by year as President Vladimir Putin prioritises increased military spending.

A three-man crew docked at the International Space Station Friday after a flight honouring the 60th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in space.

A three-man crew docked at the International Space Station Friday after a flight honouring the 60th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in space. NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Russia's Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will spend six months in the ISS working on biology, biotechnology, and Earth science experiments. "There is contact!" Russia's space agency Roscosmos wrote on Twitter. Утро 9 апреля на космодроме Байконур, полная фотогалерея: https://t.co/qvfxW5auup 📸🚀 Открытие переходных люков между кораблем #СоюзМС18 и Международной космической станцией ожидается в 16:00 мск pic.twitter.com/JOFeBKbjyT — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) April 9, 2021 × "Hey, Expedition 64 –- set the dinner table... Can't wait to join you on @Space_Station in a few hours!" Vande Hei tweeted to the crew on board the ISS hours before blast-off. The launch came just ahead of Monday's anniversary of Gagarin's historic flight on April 12, 1961. Reminders of his achievement were everywhere at the Russia-operated Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as Novitsky, Dubrov and Vande Hei prepared for their half-year mission aboard the orbital lab. The Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft that the trio took off in has been named after the legendary cosmonaut and Gagarin's portrait has been added to its exterior. Gagarin also came up more than once in the traditional pre-flight press conference on Thursday, where the crew was asked how they planned to mark the anniversary once in space. "We'll celebrate it together," said 43-year-old Dubrov, who is flying to space for the first time. "And we'll work hard!" Friday's blast-off was from a different launchpad than the one used for Gagarin's one and only mission, which saw him spend 108 minutes in orbit. Last used in 2019, the Gagarin launchpad is undergoing upgrades in preparation for a new generation of Soyuz rockets and expected to return to action in 2023. Gagarin's mission was a propaganda coup for the Soviet Union and a huge win in the space race with the West, which became one of the Cold War's most exciting subplots. But the anniversary comes at a difficult time for Russia's space industry, which has suffered a number of setbacks recently, from industry corruption scandals to an aborted take-off scuppering a manned mission in 2018. Perhaps most importantly, Roscosmos and Baikonur last year lost their monopoly over manned ISS launches, as reusable rockets from Elon Musk's Space X delivered NASA astronauts to the station from American soil. The emergence of commercial competitors has left Roscosmos with a financial headache, NASA has paid the company tens of millions of dollars per seat for astronauts sent to the ISS. Russian space officials still talk up new ventures, including bringing back samples from Venus and creating a rocket capable of making 100 round trips to space. Yet the space budget has fallen year by year as President Vladimir Putin prioritises increased military spending.

NASA's crew in Soyuz MS-18 docks at ISS after flight honouring Gagarin

Billionaire entrepreneur&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink released footage on Friday&nbsp;that it says shows a macaque monkey playing video games using a brain-computer interface implant.

The three-minute video released by the San Francisco-based company shows a male monkey called Pager with Neuralink chips implanted on each side of its brain, using a joystick to follow a cursor on a screen.

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Monkey MindPong <a href="https://t.co/7zstTZ1X1w">https://t.co/7zstTZ1X1w</a> <a href="https://t.co/GYrYNsJ68u">pic.twitter.com/GYrYNsJ68u</a>
— Neuralink (@neuralink) <a href="https://twitter.com/neuralink/status/1380303902139031553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The voice-over explains that Neuralink records from more than 2000 electrodes implanted in the regions of the monkey's motor cortex that coordinate hand and arm movements.

"Using these data, we calibrate the decoder by mathematically modelling the relationship between patterns of neural activity and the different joystick movements they produce. After only a few minutes of calibration, we can use the output from the decoder to move the cursor instead of the joystick," the voice-over says.

The monkey still moves the joystick out of habit, but the scientists have unplugged it; Pager is controlling the cursor entirely with decoded neural activity.

The video goes on to show Pager playing 'Mind Pong'; controlling his paddle simply by thinking about moving his hand up or down.

The voice-over adds: "He's focussed and he's playing entirely of his own volition. It's not magic. The reason Neuralink works is because it's recording and decoding electrical signals from the brain."

Co-founded by&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;in 2016, Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer interfaces that include thousands of electrodes in the most complex human organ to help cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia and spinal cord injuries and ultimately fuse humankind with artificial intelligence.

In August 2020,&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;unveiled a pig with a Neuralink chip installed, at the time describing it as "a Fitbit in your skull".

Musk&nbsp;has a history of bringing together diverse experts to drastically accelerate the development of innovations previously limited to academic labs, including rocket, hyperloop and electrical vehicle technologies through companies such as Tesla Inc and SpaceX.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink released footage on Friday that it says shows a macaque monkey playing video games using a brain-computer interface implant.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink released footage on Friday that it says shows a macaque monkey playing video games using a brain-computer interface implant. The three-minute video released by the San Francisco-based company shows a male monkey called Pager with Neuralink chips implanted on each side of its brain, using a joystick to follow a cursor on a screen. Monkey MindPong https://t.co/7zstTZ1X1w pic.twitter.com/GYrYNsJ68u — Neuralink (@neuralink) April 8, 2021 × The voice-over explains that Neuralink records from more than 2000 electrodes implanted in the regions of the monkey's motor cortex that coordinate hand and arm movements. "Using these data, we calibrate the decoder by mathematically modelling the relationship between patterns of neural activity and the different joystick movements they produce. After only a few minutes of calibration, we can use the output from the decoder to move the cursor instead of the joystick," the voice-over says. The monkey still moves the joystick out of habit, but the scientists have unplugged it; Pager is controlling the cursor entirely with decoded neural activity. The video goes on to show Pager playing 'Mind Pong'; controlling his paddle simply by thinking about moving his hand up or down. The voice-over adds: "He's focussed and he's playing entirely of his own volition. It's not magic. The reason Neuralink works is because it's recording and decoding electrical signals from the brain." Co-founded by Musk in 2016, Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer interfaces that include thousands of electrodes in the most complex human organ to help cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia and spinal cord injuries and ultimately fuse humankind with artificial intelligence. In August 2020, Musk unveiled a pig with a Neuralink chip installed, at the time describing it as "a Fitbit in your skull". Musk has a history of bringing together diverse experts to drastically accelerate the development of innovations previously limited to academic labs, including rocket, hyperloop and electrical vehicle technologies through companies such as Tesla Inc and SpaceX.

Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink shows monkey playing video games via brain chip

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: Life in pictures

Norwegian police said on Friday they have fined Prime Minister Erna Solberg&nbsp;20,000 Norwegian crowns ($2,352) for breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules when she organised a family gathering to celebrate her birthday.

The two-term prime minister apologised last month for organising an event for her 60th birthday with 13 family members at a mountain resort in late February, despite a government ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.

While the police would not have issued a fine in most such cases, the prime minister has been at the forefront of the government's work to impose restrictions, police said.

"Though the law is the same for all, all are not equal in front of the law," said Saeverud, justifying the fine.

"It is therefore correct to issue a fine in order to uphold the general public's trust in the rules on social restrictions," he said.

Police said Solberg and her husband, Sindre Finnes, made the decision together to hold a celebration and picked the restaurant, with Finnes taking care of the practical arrangements.

Though police said he had broken the law as well, he was not fined. The restaurant where the celebration took place was also found to have violated the law but it was not fined.

"Solberg is the country's leader and she has been at the forefront of the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus," said Saeverud.

The prime minister's office was not immediately available for comment.

Solberg, who faces elections for parliament in September, has championed strict rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus, resulting in some of Europe's lowest rates of infection and deaths.

But the country saw a rapid rise in infections in the first quarter of 2021, led by more contagious variants of the virus, forcing the government to tighten restrictions in late March.

Norwegian police said on Friday they have fined Prime Minister Erna Solberg 20,000 Norwegian crowns ($2,352) for breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules when she organised a family gathering to celebrate her birthday.

Norwegian police said on Friday they have fined Prime Minister Erna Solberg 20,000 Norwegian crowns ($2,352) for breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules when she organised a family gathering to celebrate her birthday. The two-term prime minister apologised last month for organising an event for her 60th birthday with 13 family members at a mountain resort in late February, despite a government ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. While the police would not have issued a fine in most such cases, the prime minister has been at the forefront of the government's work to impose restrictions, police said. "Though the law is the same for all, all are not equal in front of the law," said Saeverud, justifying the fine. "It is therefore correct to issue a fine in order to uphold the general public's trust in the rules on social restrictions," he said. Police said Solberg and her husband, Sindre Finnes, made the decision together to hold a celebration and picked the restaurant, with Finnes taking care of the practical arrangements. Though police said he had broken the law as well, he was not fined. The restaurant where the celebration took place was also found to have violated the law but it was not fined. "Solberg is the country's leader and she has been at the forefront of the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus," said Saeverud. The prime minister's office was not immediately available for comment. Solberg, who faces elections for parliament in September, has championed strict rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus, resulting in some of Europe's lowest rates of infection and deaths. But the country saw a rapid rise in infections in the first quarter of 2021, led by more contagious variants of the virus, forcing the government to tighten restrictions in late March.

Norway police fines PM Erna Solberg for breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules

Chinese officials on Friday&nbsp;aired a video of a thin Uighur man with a shaved head, wearing an oversized uniform and speaking directly to the camera.

The video is&nbsp;one of over half a dozen such segments showing Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority in the western region, pleading with relatives abroad to come home and stop speaking out against&nbsp;China&nbsp;and the ruling Communist Party.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sentences-two-uighur-former-officials-to-death-for-separatism-in-xinjiang-375795">China sentences two Uighur former officials to death for 'separatism' in Xinjiang</a>

"I will try my best to change myself and receive the leniency of the party and the government," says the man, Erkin Tursun, a former TV producer who, the officials said, is serving a 20-year sentence in Xinjiang on charges of "inciting ethnic hatred, ethnic discrimination and covering up crimes".

Tursun, almost unrecognisable from photos shared online before his 2018 arrest, is addressing his son, who now lives abroad and has publicly advocated against Tursun's detention, which he says is arbitrary.

Such press conferences have become a staple of Beijing's widening campaign to defend its Xinjiang policies amid mounting Western criticism, including US&nbsp;sanctions and accusations of genocide, as Beijing prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/models-rare-video-highlights-plight-of-uighur-muslims-in-china-318260">Model's rare video highlights plight of Uighur Muslims in China</a>

China&nbsp;for months has increasingly pushed back against global criticism of its Xinjiang policies, including explicit attacks on women who have made claims of abuse.

Last month the United States, the European Union, Britain, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.&nbsp;China&nbsp;retaliated with its own sanctions.

Some big Western brands like H&amp;M, facing boycotts in&nbsp;China&nbsp;over their previous statements on Xinjiang, are struggling to strike a balance between consumers in the world's second-largest economy and public opinion at home.

Beijing's propaganda campaign, which has included 11 media briefings in the capital since December, has repeatedly included efforts to discredit overseas Uighurs who speak to media.

China&nbsp;has also conducted overseas press events, including one this week in Canberra, released state media documentaries and a musical movie, invited diplomats from friendly countries including Iran, Malaysia and Russia to visit Xinjiang, and promoted sympathetic foreign YouTubers and news sites.

It has also targeted individual overseas think tank analysts, journalists and academics with sanctions, amplifying critical social media comments and aggressive state media coverage.

Officials in&nbsp;China's Foreign Ministry and the Xinjiang government say the efforts are necessary to counter "lies and slander" released by a network of "anti-China&nbsp;forces" abroad.

Uighurs living overseas have said videos of relatives, often produced by Chinese state media outlets, are staged.

"The piece is basically pushing a narrative that it is us Uighurs overseas who suddenly abandoned our families, which is laughable," said Australia-based Mamutjan Abdurehim on Twitter in March after a Chinese state broadcaster released footage of his family in Kashgar.

On Friday, Chinese officials shared clips of Mamutjan's daughter, sitting beside her grandparents.

"Daddy, when will you come back? We all miss you," she said.

United Nations experts and researchers estimate over a million people, mostly Uighurs, have been detained in a vast network of camps throughout Xinjiang since 2017.&nbsp;China&nbsp;initially denied the camps existed but has since said they are vocational centres and that all the people who had been there have "graduated".

During Friday's event, officials took aim at databases set up by overseas activists who have documented the names and details of people caught up in&nbsp;China's camp system.

The officials said they had confirmed the identities of 10,708 people listed in the overseas databases but said over 1,300 people on the list were "completely made up," while over 6,000 are living "normal lives."

The officials said 3,244 people listed on one database were serving judicial sentences inside Xinjiang "for crimes of endangering public security in Xinjiang, terrorism and other crimes." They said 238 had died of illnesses and other causes.

Overseas rights groups and some relatives of people detained in Xinjiang say they have not been given details of their relatives' whereabouts or sentences. Xinjiang courts do not make public the vast majority of rulings or case details.

(With input from agencies)

Chinese officials on Friday aired a video of a thin Uighur man with a shaved head, wearing an oversized uniform and speaking directly to the camera. The video is one of over half a dozen such segments showing Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority in the western region, pleading with relatives abroad to come home and stop speaking out against China and the ruling Communist Party.

Chinese officials on Friday aired a video of a thin Uighur man with a shaved head, wearing an oversized uniform and speaking directly to the camera. The video is one of over half a dozen such segments showing Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority in the western region, pleading with relatives abroad to come home and stop speaking out against China and the ruling Communist Party. Also read| China sentences two Uighur former officials to death for 'separatism' in Xinjiang "I will try my best to change myself and receive the leniency of the party and the government," says the man, Erkin Tursun, a former TV producer who, the officials said, is serving a 20-year sentence in Xinjiang on charges of "inciting ethnic hatred, ethnic discrimination and covering up crimes". Tursun, almost unrecognisable from photos shared online before his 2018 arrest, is addressing his son, who now lives abroad and has publicly advocated against Tursun's detention, which he says is arbitrary. Such press conferences have become a staple of Beijing's widening campaign to defend its Xinjiang policies amid mounting Western criticism, including US sanctions and accusations of genocide, as Beijing prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February. Also read| Model's rare video highlights plight of Uighur Muslims in China China for months has increasingly pushed back against global criticism of its Xinjiang policies, including explicit attacks on women who have made claims of abuse. Last month the United States, the European Union, Britain, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang. China retaliated with its own sanctions. Some big Western brands like H&M, facing boycotts in China over their previous statements on Xinjiang, are struggling to strike a balance between consumers in the world's second-largest economy and public opinion at home. Beijing's propaganda campaign, which has included 11 media briefings in the capital since December, has repeatedly included efforts to discredit overseas Uighurs who speak to media. China has also conducted overseas press events, including one this week in Canberra, released state media documentaries and a musical movie, invited diplomats from friendly countries including Iran, Malaysia and Russia to visit Xinjiang, and promoted sympathetic foreign YouTubers and news sites. It has also targeted individual overseas think tank analysts, journalists and academics with sanctions, amplifying critical social media comments and aggressive state media coverage. Officials in China's Foreign Ministry and the Xinjiang government say the efforts are necessary to counter "lies and slander" released by a network of "anti-China forces" abroad. Uighurs living overseas have said videos of relatives, often produced by Chinese state media outlets, are staged. "The piece is basically pushing a narrative that it is us Uighurs overseas who suddenly abandoned our families, which is laughable," said Australia-based Mamutjan Abdurehim on Twitter in March after a Chinese state broadcaster released footage of his family in Kashgar. On Friday, Chinese officials shared clips of Mamutjan's daughter, sitting beside her grandparents. "Daddy, when will you come back? We all miss you," she said. United Nations experts and researchers estimate over a million people, mostly Uighurs, have been detained in a vast network of camps throughout Xinjiang since 2017. China initially denied the camps existed but has since said they are vocational centres and that all the people who had been there have "graduated". During Friday's event, officials took aim at databases set up by overseas activists who have documented the names and details of people caught up in China's camp system. The officials said they had confirmed the identities of 10,708 people listed in the overseas databases but said over 1,300 people on the list were "completely made up," while over 6,000 are living "normal lives." The officials said 3,244 people listed on one database were serving judicial sentences inside Xinjiang "for crimes of endangering public security in Xinjiang, terrorism and other crimes." They said 238 had died of illnesses and other causes. Overseas rights groups and some relatives of people detained in Xinjiang say they have not been given details of their relatives' whereabouts or sentences. Xinjiang courts do not make public the vast majority of rulings or case details. (With input from agencies)

China takes aim at overseas Uighurs, academics criticising Communist Party

Isolated North Korea has continued to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus in its latest report to the World Health Organisation.

At the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, North Korea described its efforts to keep out the virus as a ''matter of national existence.''

It shut its borders, banned tourists, and jetted out diplomats. It still severely limits cross-border traffic and has quarantined tens of thousands of people who have shown symptoms.

But it still says it has found no case of COVID-19, a widely doubted claim given its poor health infrastructure and a porous border with China, its economic lifeline.

In an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Edwin Salvador, WHO's representative to North Korea, said the North has reported it tested 23,121 people for the coronavirus from the beginning of the pandemic to April 1 and that all results were negative. Salvador said the North said 732 people were tested between March 26 and April 1.

WHO officials say the North is no longer providing the UN agency with the number of people it quarantines with suspected symptoms.

North Korea said Tuesday it would skip the Tokyo Olympics to protect athletes from the ''world public health crisis caused by COVID-19.''

The UN-backed programme to ship COVID-19 vaccines worldwide said in February that North Korea could receive 1.9 million vaccine doses in the first half of this year. However, COVAX has since warned of global shortages because the Serum Institute of India, which is licensed to produce the

AstraZeneca vaccine is putting its supplies into domestic demand while India's virus caseload is surging.

Isolated North Korea has continued to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus in its latest report to the World Health Organisation. At the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, North Korea described its efforts to keep out the virus as a ''matter of national existence.

Isolated North Korea has continued to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus in its latest report to the World Health Organisation. At the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, North Korea described its efforts to keep out the virus as a ''matter of national existence.'' It shut its borders, banned tourists, and jetted out diplomats. It still severely limits cross-border traffic and has quarantined tens of thousands of people who have shown symptoms. But it still says it has found no case of COVID-19, a widely doubted claim given its poor health infrastructure and a porous border with China, its economic lifeline. In an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Edwin Salvador, WHO's representative to North Korea, said the North has reported it tested 23,121 people for the coronavirus from the beginning of the pandemic to April 1 and that all results were negative. Salvador said the North said 732 people were tested between March 26 and April 1. WHO officials say the North is no longer providing the UN agency with the number of people it quarantines with suspected symptoms. North Korea said Tuesday it would skip the Tokyo Olympics to protect athletes from the ''world public health crisis caused by COVID-19.'' The UN-backed programme to ship COVID-19 vaccines worldwide said in February that North Korea could receive 1.9 million vaccine doses in the first half of this year. However, COVAX has since warned of global shortages because the Serum Institute of India, which is licensed to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine is putting its supplies into domestic demand while India's virus caseload is surging.

North Korea tells WHO it's still virus-free

Australian politicians will no longer be exempt from rules against sexual harassment at work, the conservative government announced on Thursday as it tries to quell public anger over parliamentary sex abuse scandals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would overhaul the country's sexual discrimination laws&nbsp;to make members of parliament, judges and public servants accountable for harassing colleagues in the workplace.

"It's about getting everyone on as&nbsp;much of a playing field as possible," he told reporters in Canberra.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australian-pm-apologises-to-women-who-alleged-rape-in-parliament-364056/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

MPs, judges and public servants are currently exempt from anti-harassment rules that apply to other Australian workplaces, though they can still face criminal prosecution for sexual assault.

The move was in response to a "Respect@Work" report,&nbsp;handed down more than a year ago following a national inquiry into sexual harassment,&nbsp;and comes just weeks after sexual abuse allegations rocked Australia's halls of power.

Also see|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/women-in-australia-march-against-sexual-violence-and-injustice-370549">Women in Australia march against sexual violence and injustice</a>

A young ex-staffer in Morrison's Liberal Party recently went public with allegations she was raped by a colleague in parliament in 2019, while a senior minister was forced to deny raping a 16-year-old when they were both students in the 1980s.

Critics said the cases, and the government's apparent initial reluctance to act, have highlighted a "toxic" and sexist culture in Australia's parliament.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, who last week replaced the rape-accused minister in the government's top legal role,&nbsp;said other proposed legislative changes would include classifying sexual harassment at work as "serious misconduct" and making it valid grounds for dismissal.

The government also plans to extend the period in which a victim can report an incident from six months to two years, she added.

Nationwide protests

The Respect@Work report was drawn up by the government's own sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, and Morrison has been under growing criticism for failing to act on its 55 recommendations since it was first submitted in January 2020.

The prime minister rejected the criticism on Thursday, saying his government had already committed to funding several recommendations it felt were high priority.

"Last year, we were&nbsp;very focused on those very urgent&nbsp;needs to protect women at a time&nbsp;when they were very vulnerable&nbsp;during Covid," he said.

"We put the additional&nbsp;resources in and now we're in a&nbsp;position to address these&nbsp;more systemic and longer-term issues&nbsp;which are very important and I'm&nbsp;pleased we're able to do that today."

The rape allegations sparked nationwide protests, with tens of thousands of women taking to the streets to call for gender equality and an end to sexual violence.

In recent weeks, Morrison's coalition government has been rocked by a litany of new sexual abuse and harassment complaints -- from a staff member photographed masturbating on a female politician's desk, to a state MP being accused of raping a sex worker, to another lawmaker apologising for harassing women online.

A media blitz aimed at showing Morrison's empathy with women has only added to the furore through a series of missteps, and he eventually demoted two top ministers in an attempt to draw a line under the scandals.

(With inputs from agencies)

Australian politicians will no longer be exempt from rules against sexual harassment at work, the conservative government announced on Thursday as it tries to quell public anger over parliamentary sex abuse scandals.

Australian politicians will no longer be exempt from rules against sexual harassment at work, the conservative government announced on Thursday as it tries to quell public anger over parliamentary sex abuse scandals. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would overhaul the country's sexual discrimination laws to make members of parliament, judges and public servants accountable for harassing colleagues in the workplace. "It's about getting everyone on as much of a playing field as possible," he told reporters in Canberra. MPs, judges and public servants are currently exempt from anti-harassment rules that apply to other Australian workplaces, though they can still face criminal prosecution for sexual assault. The move was in response to a "Respect@Work" report, handed down more than a year ago following a national inquiry into sexual harassment, and comes just weeks after sexual abuse allegations rocked Australia's halls of power. Also see| Women in Australia march against sexual violence and injustice A young ex-staffer in Morrison's Liberal Party recently went public with allegations she was raped by a colleague in parliament in 2019, while a senior minister was forced to deny raping a 16-year-old when they were both students in the 1980s. Critics said the cases, and the government's apparent initial reluctance to act, have highlighted a "toxic" and sexist culture in Australia's parliament. Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, who last week replaced the rape-accused minister in the government's top legal role, said other proposed legislative changes would include classifying sexual harassment at work as "serious misconduct" and making it valid grounds for dismissal. The government also plans to extend the period in which a victim can report an incident from six months to two years, she added. Nationwide protests The Respect@Work report was drawn up by the government's own sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, and Morrison has been under growing criticism for failing to act on its 55 recommendations since it was first submitted in January 2020. The prime minister rejected the criticism on Thursday, saying his government had already committed to funding several recommendations it felt were high priority. "Last year, we were very focused on those very urgent needs to protect women at a time when they were very vulnerable during Covid," he said. "We put the additional resources in and now we're in a position to address these more systemic and longer-term issues which are very important and I'm pleased we're able to do that today." The rape allegations sparked nationwide protests, with tens of thousands of women taking to the streets to call for gender equality and an end to sexual violence. In recent weeks, Morrison's coalition government has been rocked by a litany of new sexual abuse and harassment complaints -- from a staff member photographed masturbating on a female politician's desk, to a state MP being accused of raping a sex worker, to another lawmaker apologising for harassing women online. A media blitz aimed at showing Morrison's empathy with women has only added to the furore through a series of missteps, and he eventually demoted two top ministers in an attempt to draw a line under the scandals. (With inputs from agencies)

Politicians no longer exempt from sexual harassment rules, says Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

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