Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus&nbsp;vaccine</a>, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out.

"Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement.

The vaccine, it added, had undergone a fast-tracked review, which concluded that it met "stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-issues-allergy-warning-over-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-after-two-reported-cases-348594" hreflang="en">UK issues 'allergy warning' over Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after two reported cases</a>

The nation's first coronavirus vaccine green light comes under a new interim order system that allows for accelerated approval very similar to the US&nbsp;Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorizations.

"The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality," Health&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;said in a statement. The vaccine has initially been authorized for use in people 16 years of age or older.

Canadian officials have said that under their procurement deal with Pfizer, doses would not be shipped to&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;until the vaccine won Health&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;approval.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canadian-pm-trudeau-under-political-firestorm-over-lack-of-transparency-of-billions-of-dollars-in-aid-348411" hreflang="en">Canadian PM Trudeau under political firestorm over lack of transparency of billions of dollars in aid</a>

Fend off attacks

Canada&nbsp;will start receiving its first doses of Pfizer's vaccine before the end of December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

The news could help the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fend off attacks from opposition parties that have accused Ottawa of acting too slowly to tackle a worsening coronavirus second wave.

Officials had initially expected to get a total of six million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna Inc by end-March. That would be enough to inoculate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart.

But Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine Pfizer is producing with German partner BionNTech SE would arrive this month, and a further three million doses should be delivered at the start of 2021.

Saying vaccinations could start next week, Trudeau dismissed the suggestion his government had pressed for early delivery to relieve political attacks by the opposition.

"There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in terms of which vaccines were going to arrive first ... we wanted not to get people's hopes up," he told reporters, repeating Ottawa expects regulators to approve the Pfizer vaccine this week.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-is-here-348424/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On December 2, the United Kingdom became the first to approve the Pfizer vaccine, which in a large clinical trial was 95% effective at preventing illness.

Pfizer is responsible for shipping its vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage, to warehouses across&nbsp;Canada.

Canada&nbsp;has a firm order for 20 million doses of the vaccine, enough to inoculate 10 million people, with options to buy up to 56 million more.

For the most part, provincial and territorial health systems will administer the shot, for free, across the country. They will have final say over how to use scarce early supplies in their jurisdictions.

According to preliminary guidance published by the federal government in early November, vulnerable people and those who look after them are high priority, including long-term care residents and some healthcare workers.

Canada&nbsp;has ordered more shots per capita than any other country.

Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out. "Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement.

Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out. "Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement. The vaccine, it added, had undergone a fast-tracked review, which concluded that it met "stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada." Also read: UK issues 'allergy warning' over Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after two reported cases The nation's first coronavirus vaccine green light comes under a new interim order system that allows for accelerated approval very similar to the US Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorizations. "The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality," Health Canada said in a statement. The vaccine has initially been authorized for use in people 16 years of age or older. Canadian officials have said that under their procurement deal with Pfizer, doses would not be shipped to Canada until the vaccine won Health Canada approval. Also read: Canadian PM Trudeau under political firestorm over lack of transparency of billions of dollars in aid Fend off attacks Canada will start receiving its first doses of Pfizer's vaccine before the end of December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday. The news could help the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fend off attacks from opposition parties that have accused Ottawa of acting too slowly to tackle a worsening coronavirus second wave. Officials had initially expected to get a total of six million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna Inc by end-March. That would be enough to inoculate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart. But Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine Pfizer is producing with German partner BionNTech SE would arrive this month, and a further three million doses should be delivered at the start of 2021. Saying vaccinations could start next week, Trudeau dismissed the suggestion his government had pressed for early delivery to relieve political attacks by the opposition. "There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in terms of which vaccines were going to arrive first ... we wanted not to get people's hopes up," he told reporters, repeating Ottawa expects regulators to approve the Pfizer vaccine this week. On December 2, the United Kingdom became the first to approve the Pfizer vaccine, which in a large clinical trial was 95% effective at preventing illness. Pfizer is responsible for shipping its vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage, to warehouses across Canada. Canada has a firm order for 20 million doses of the vaccine, enough to inoculate 10 million people, with options to buy up to 56 million more. For the most part, provincial and territorial health systems will administer the shot, for free, across the country. They will have final say over how to use scarce early supplies in their jurisdictions. According to preliminary guidance published by the federal government in early November, vulnerable people and those who look after them are high priority, including long-term care residents and some healthcare workers. Canada has ordered more shots per capita than any other country.

Now, Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine

In the drought-ravaged south of&nbsp;Madagascar, people are filling their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine.

"We call it survival soil because it allows the acidic taste of tamarind to seep into our mouths, which staves off hunger," said Doday Fandilava Noelisona, a 35-year-old farmer in the village of Fenoaivo.

"These days we no longer look for food to live on, but for ways to fill the empty stomachs," said the father of six.

The staple food in the arid region is usually cactus fruit.&nbsp;Rows of prickly green succulents surround villages, serving both as perimeter fences and food pantries. But after more than a year without rain, even the cacti have stopped producing fruit.

The rare sight of their wilted skin attests to the gruelling conditions prevailing in the region, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of the city of Fort-Dauphin.

In Fenoaivo, villagers dread a repeat of a terrible drought that killed hundreds in the 1990s.

"We called it the era of scattered skeletons because they were all over the roads. People no longer had enough energy to bury the remains of their brothers and sisters," recalled Avianay Idamy, 42.

Swollen bellies

To prevent a similar misfortune befalling his family, Idamy started eking out a living by selling firewood and charcoal.

The father of nine acknowledged the trade was "not the most sensible" for the environment, but said it allowed him to buy food for his family.

"Usually I cultivate alluvial land on river banks, but there is no ran and nothing grows," Idamy told AFP.

"I had also invested my savings in livestock to sell if needed but bandits stole everything from us this year, even our kitchen utensils," he added.

Idamy sells his charcoal for the equivalent of 30 US cents (25 euro centimes) a bag, just enough for his family to eat cassava once a day.

Like their neighbours, they swallow clay mixed with tamarind between meals.

Nine people starved to death in the nearby village of Ankilomarovahetsy in September, about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.&nbsp;

"Eight children and a mother," said 65-year-old Rafanampy, the community leader, who did not give his surname.

Resident Samba Vaha, 26, lost her one-year-old child Manovondahy.&nbsp;

"My son died after two days of illness, I couldn't take him to see a doctor," she said.

Children have particularly struggled to digest the clay and tamarind mixture, "which causes belly swelling," explained Theodore Mbainaissem, local head of the World Food Program (WFP).

Hunger emergency

According to the&nbsp;World Food Program (WFP), half of the population in the southern region of the Indian Ocean island,&nbsp;1.5 million people,&nbsp;is&nbsp;currently in need of emergency food aid. Around 31 million euros ($37.6 million) are urgently needed to feed the hungry.

The World Food Program says hundreds of thousands of people in southern Madagascar are in the grips of a hunger emergency brought on by consecutive years of drought and ruined harvests.&nbsp;

Three years of consecutive drought have wiped out Madagascar’s harvests and driven desperately hungry people to fall back on extreme measures to put food on their tables.&nbsp;

The World Food Program says hunger has spread across 10 districts in southern Madagascar.&nbsp; It says one-and-one-half-million people, or half the region’s population, are struggling to feed themselves.&nbsp; It says women and children are most affected and in need of immediate food and nutrition assistance.

WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says Madagascar has the world’s highest stunting rate, a condition that impairs a child’s growth and physical and mental development.&nbsp; He says nearly half of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition.

"As hunger numbers rise, so does the proportion of families who are resorting to crisis coping mechanisms," said Phiri . "The majority of them are having to eat bugs.&nbsp; They are selling off life-saving livelihoods, assets, farm implements, kitchen utensils.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

An assessment in the southern district of Amboasary finds three-quarters of children have dropped out of school so they could help their parents forage for food.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The WFP has been providing emergency food aid for 100,000 people in the hard-hit area since the end of September.&nbsp; It also is helping more than half-a-million people in nine other drought-stricken districts through December.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Given the gravity of the hunger crisis, the WFP is scaling up its humanitarian operation to assist nearly 900,000 of the most vulnerable people through June.&nbsp;&nbsp; It is appealing for international support, noting $37.5 million is needed to implement its humanitarian operation over the next six months.

Climate change

A few kilometres (miles) away in the town of Beraketa, global charity Action Against Hunger (ACF) has set up shop in coordination with the WFP.

"Child malnutrition here is cyclical," and this year it started earlier in October instead of January, said ACF's head of nutrition, Annick Rakotoanosy.

The centre attends to around 50 severely malnourished children -- swollen bellies and lean legs -- and 100 other patients each week.

The children are at risk of death, especially if malnutrition is complicated by diarrhoea, respiratory infections or malaria.

While droughts are not uncommon in the area, this dry spell has been compounded by climate impact.

"For three years in some communities, two in others, there has been no rain," said the WFP's Mbainaissem.

Mounting insecurity and livestock thefts have exacerbated poverty and complicated humanitarian relief efforts.

"The whole north of Amboasary (district), for example, is deprived of it," Mbainaissem deplored.

Madagascar's government has deployed the military to distribute food and first aid in the area.

Early in October, President Andry Rajoelina, his wife and son doled out rations in villages.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Without emergency food assistance, "we are facing disaster", Mbainaissem warned.

"Now even tamarind is starting to become scarce."

In the drought-ravaged south of Madagascar, people are filling their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine. "We call it survival soil because it allows the acidic taste of tamarind to seep into our mouths, which staves off hunger," said Doday Fandilava Noelisona, a 35-year-old farmer in the village of Fenoaivo.

In the drought-ravaged south of Madagascar, people are filling their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine. "We call it survival soil because it allows the acidic taste of tamarind to seep into our mouths, which staves off hunger," said Doday Fandilava Noelisona, a 35-year-old farmer in the village of Fenoaivo. "These days we no longer look for food to live on, but for ways to fill the empty stomachs," said the father of six. The staple food in the arid region is usually cactus fruit. Rows of prickly green succulents surround villages, serving both as perimeter fences and food pantries. But after more than a year without rain, even the cacti have stopped producing fruit. The rare sight of their wilted skin attests to the gruelling conditions prevailing in the region, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of the city of Fort-Dauphin. In Fenoaivo, villagers dread a repeat of a terrible drought that killed hundreds in the 1990s. "We called it the era of scattered skeletons because they were all over the roads. People no longer had enough energy to bury the remains of their brothers and sisters," recalled Avianay Idamy, 42. Swollen bellies To prevent a similar misfortune befalling his family, Idamy started eking out a living by selling firewood and charcoal. The father of nine acknowledged the trade was "not the most sensible" for the environment, but said it allowed him to buy food for his family. "Usually I cultivate alluvial land on river banks, but there is no ran and nothing grows," Idamy told AFP. "I had also invested my savings in livestock to sell if needed but bandits stole everything from us this year, even our kitchen utensils," he added. Idamy sells his charcoal for the equivalent of 30 US cents (25 euro centimes) a bag, just enough for his family to eat cassava once a day. Like their neighbours, they swallow clay mixed with tamarind between meals. Nine people starved to death in the nearby village of Ankilomarovahetsy in September, about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away. "Eight children and a mother," said 65-year-old Rafanampy, the community leader, who did not give his surname. Resident Samba Vaha, 26, lost her one-year-old child Manovondahy. "My son died after two days of illness, I couldn't take him to see a doctor," she said. Children have particularly struggled to digest the clay and tamarind mixture, "which causes belly swelling," explained Theodore Mbainaissem, local head of the World Food Program (WFP). Hunger emergency According to the World Food Program (WFP), half of the population in the southern region of the Indian Ocean island, 1.5 million people, is currently in need of emergency food aid. Around 31 million euros ($37.6 million) are urgently needed to feed the hungry. The World Food Program says hundreds of thousands of people in southern Madagascar are in the grips of a hunger emergency brought on by consecutive years of drought and ruined harvests. Three years of consecutive drought have wiped out Madagascar’s harvests and driven desperately hungry people to fall back on extreme measures to put food on their tables. The World Food Program says hunger has spread across 10 districts in southern Madagascar. It says one-and-one-half-million people, or half the region’s population, are struggling to feed themselves. It says women and children are most affected and in need of immediate food and nutrition assistance. WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says Madagascar has the world’s highest stunting rate, a condition that impairs a child’s growth and physical and mental development. He says nearly half of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. "As hunger numbers rise, so does the proportion of families who are resorting to crisis coping mechanisms," said Phiri . "The majority of them are having to eat bugs. They are selling off life-saving livelihoods, assets, farm implements, kitchen utensils.” An assessment in the southern district of Amboasary finds three-quarters of children have dropped out of school so they could help their parents forage for food. The WFP has been providing emergency food aid for 100,000 people in the hard-hit area since the end of September. It also is helping more than half-a-million people in nine other drought-stricken districts through December. Given the gravity of the hunger crisis, the WFP is scaling up its humanitarian operation to assist nearly 900,000 of the most vulnerable people through June. It is appealing for international support, noting $37.5 million is needed to implement its humanitarian operation over the next six months. Climate change A few kilometres (miles) away in the town of Beraketa, global charity Action Against Hunger (ACF) has set up shop in coordination with the WFP. "Child malnutrition here is cyclical," and this year it started earlier in October instead of January, said ACF's head of nutrition, Annick Rakotoanosy. The centre attends to around 50 severely malnourished children -- swollen bellies and lean legs -- and 100 other patients each week. The children are at risk of death, especially if malnutrition is complicated by diarrhoea, respiratory infections or malaria. While droughts are not uncommon in the area, this dry spell has been compounded by climate impact. "For three years in some communities, two in others, there has been no rain," said the WFP's Mbainaissem. Mounting insecurity and livestock thefts have exacerbated poverty and complicated humanitarian relief efforts. "The whole north of Amboasary (district), for example, is deprived of it," Mbainaissem deplored. Madagascar's government has deployed the military to distribute food and first aid in the area. Early in October, President Andry Rajoelina, his wife and son doled out rations in villages. Without emergency food assistance, "we are facing disaster", Mbainaissem warned. "Now even tamarind is starting to become scarce."

Humanitarian disaster: Clay quelling hunger in famine-hit Madagascar

The largest remaining chunk of the world's biggest iceberg&nbsp;that broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula two-and-a-half years ago could strike land this month, potentially making a mess of the waters of pristine South Georgia Island in the south Atlantic.

Scientists have spent weeks watching this climate-related event unfold, as the iceberg - about the same size as the island itself – has meandered and advanced over two years since breaking off from the Antarctic peninsula in July of 2017.

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The peninsula is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, registering a record high temperature of 20.75 degrees Celsius (69.35 degrees Fahrenheit) on Feb. 9. The warming has scientists concerned about ice melt leading to higher sea levels worldwide.

<img alt="F" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2b9d854a-efc8-45ac-9775-12804b3f56fe" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2816%29_17.jpg" />

In picture:&nbsp;A satellite image of the A-68A iceberg (L) as it approaches South Georgia island (R) in the South Atlantic/Reuters

The gigantic iceberg, dubbed A68a,&nbsp;is on a path to collide with the South Georgia Island, a remote British overseas territory off South America. Whether that collision is days or weeks away is unclear, though, as the iceberg has sped up and slowed down with the ocean currents along the way, said Geraint Tarling, a biological oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey who has been tracking the icy mass.

A collision is still uncertain, as the currents could carry the iceberg past the island, Tarling said.

"The currents around the island are complex, and it is still possible it may miss," Tarling said.

Images captured by a British Royal Air Force aircraft and released on Tuesday show the magnitude of the monstrous, 4,200-square-kilometer iceberg, its surface carved with tunnels, cracks and fissures. A number of smaller ice chunks can be seen floating nearby.

"The sheer size of the A68a iceberg means it is impossible to capture its entirety in one single shot," British officials said in a statement.

Scientists fear that the iceberg, in hitting the island, could crush marine life on the sea floor. Should it lodge at the island's flank, it could block penguins and seals off from their normal forage routes to feed their young.

A68a could also be an obstacle to government ships conducting fishery patrols and surveillance around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British officials said.

The largest remaining chunk of the world's biggest iceberg that broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula two-and-a-half years ago could strike land this month, potentially making a mess of the waters of pristine South Georgia Island in the south Atlantic.

The largest remaining chunk of the world's biggest iceberg that broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula two-and-a-half years ago could strike land this month, potentially making a mess of the waters of pristine South Georgia Island in the south Atlantic. Scientists have spent weeks watching this climate-related event unfold, as the iceberg - about the same size as the island itself – has meandered and advanced over two years since breaking off from the Antarctic peninsula in July of 2017. Also read: Royal Air Force jet captures image of world's biggest iceberg The peninsula is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, registering a record high temperature of 20.75 degrees Celsius (69.35 degrees Fahrenheit) on Feb. 9. The warming has scientists concerned about ice melt leading to higher sea levels worldwide. In picture: A satellite image of the A-68A iceberg (L) as it approaches South Georgia island (R) in the South Atlantic/Reuters The gigantic iceberg, dubbed A68a, is on a path to collide with the South Georgia Island, a remote British overseas territory off South America. Whether that collision is days or weeks away is unclear, though, as the iceberg has sped up and slowed down with the ocean currents along the way, said Geraint Tarling, a biological oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey who has been tracking the icy mass. A collision is still uncertain, as the currents could carry the iceberg past the island, Tarling said. "The currents around the island are complex, and it is still possible it may miss," Tarling said. Images captured by a British Royal Air Force aircraft and released on Tuesday show the magnitude of the monstrous, 4,200-square-kilometer iceberg, its surface carved with tunnels, cracks and fissures. A number of smaller ice chunks can be seen floating nearby. "The sheer size of the A68a iceberg means it is impossible to capture its entirety in one single shot," British officials said in a statement. Scientists fear that the iceberg, in hitting the island, could crush marine life on the sea floor. Should it lodge at the island's flank, it could block penguins and seals off from their normal forage routes to feed their young. A68a could also be an obstacle to government ships conducting fishery patrols and surveillance around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British officials said.

Largest remaining chunk of world's biggest iceberg to collide with land

Sri Lanka said Wednesday it would cremate the bodies of 19 Muslim coronavirus victims, overriding the families' objections against the contentious policy.

The island nation has been experiencing a surge in cases since October, with the number of infections increased more than eight-fold since then to over 29,300 and 142 dead.

Coronavirus victims' bodies are claimed by families and then cremated -- a practice forbidden under Islamic law -- under the strict supervision of health authorities.

But families of 19 Muslims killed by the virus have refused to claim the bodies from a morgue in the capital Colombo, triggering the edict by Attorney-General Dappula de Livera.

"Bodies of Covid-19 victims not claimed by families can be cremated in terms of quarantine regulations," De Livera's spokeswoman said, adding that the bodies would be cremated this week.

Five were cremated on Wednesday, police said.

The policy has been challenged by Muslims, with 12 petitions filed by the minority community and civil society groups in the Supreme Court.

But the top court rejected the petitions last week, without giving reasons why it made that decision.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Council has said a majority of the country's coronavirus victims were Muslim.

A council spokesman added that members of the community feared seeking medical help if Covid-19 positive, as they did not want to be cremated.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation last month urged Colombo to permit Muslims to bury their family members "in line with their religious beliefs and obligations".

Sri Lanka made Covid-19 cremations compulsory in April amid fears spread by influential Buddhist monks -- who support President Gotabaya Rajapaksa -- that burying bodies could contaminate groundwater and spread the disease.&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation states both burials and cremations are permitted.

There have been ongoing tensions between Muslims -- who make up 10 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population -- and the majority Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhists, after local jihadists were accused of being behind the deadly 2019 Easter bombings.

Sri Lanka said Wednesday it would cremate the bodies of 19 Muslim coronavirus victims, overriding the families' objections against the contentious policy. The island nation has been experiencing a surge in cases since October, with the number of infections increased more than eight-fold since then to over 29,300 and 142 dead.

Sri Lanka said Wednesday it would cremate the bodies of 19 Muslim coronavirus victims, overriding the families' objections against the contentious policy. The island nation has been experiencing a surge in cases since October, with the number of infections increased more than eight-fold since then to over 29,300 and 142 dead. Coronavirus victims' bodies are claimed by families and then cremated -- a practice forbidden under Islamic law -- under the strict supervision of health authorities. But families of 19 Muslims killed by the virus have refused to claim the bodies from a morgue in the capital Colombo, triggering the edict by Attorney-General Dappula de Livera. "Bodies of Covid-19 victims not claimed by families can be cremated in terms of quarantine regulations," De Livera's spokeswoman said, adding that the bodies would be cremated this week. Five were cremated on Wednesday, police said. The policy has been challenged by Muslims, with 12 petitions filed by the minority community and civil society groups in the Supreme Court. But the top court rejected the petitions last week, without giving reasons why it made that decision. The Sri Lanka Muslim Council has said a majority of the country's coronavirus victims were Muslim. A council spokesman added that members of the community feared seeking medical help if Covid-19 positive, as they did not want to be cremated. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation last month urged Colombo to permit Muslims to bury their family members "in line with their religious beliefs and obligations". Sri Lanka made Covid-19 cremations compulsory in April amid fears spread by influential Buddhist monks -- who support President Gotabaya Rajapaksa -- that burying bodies could contaminate groundwater and spread the disease. The World Health Organisation states both burials and cremations are permitted. There have been ongoing tensions between Muslims -- who make up 10 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population -- and the majority Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhists, after local jihadists were accused of being behind the deadly 2019 Easter bombings.

Sri Lanka cremates Muslim COVID-19 victims against religious wishes

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UK issues 'allergy warning' over Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after two reported cases Enemy of the Republic is political ideology called radical Islamism: French PM

UK issues 'allergy warning' over Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after two reported cases Enemy of the Republic is political ideology called radical Islamism: French PM Kim Jong-un's sister threatens Seoul over questioning zero coronavirus claim US cybersecurity company FireEye discloses breach; media blames Russian hackers Someone stole radio from 'doomsday jet', Russia's nuclear attack-proof aircraft Leaked list gives insight into detention system in China's Xinjiang, report says Countries like China and Saudi Arabia used COVID-19 to curtail civil liberties, finds study UAE says Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy against COVID-19 Trump signs executive order prioritising COVID-19 vaccine for Americans As western countries hoard vaccines, 9 out of 10 in low-income countries to miss out

Top 10 world news today: UK's 'allergy warning' over Pfizer vaccine, France defends anti-extremism law and more

French Prime Minister&nbsp;Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''.

After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-what-france-is-doing-to-rein-in-radical-islam-338155/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The enemy of the Republic is a political ideology called radical Islamism, which aims to divide the French among themselves," Prime Minister Jean Castex told Wednesday's edition of Le Monde.

France argues&nbsp;that rather than targeting Muslims the anti-extremism bill aims&nbsp;to "free Muslims from the growing grip of radical Islamism".

The legislation will be discussed at a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace with Castex announcing the outcome in the early afternoon.

It&nbsp;has&nbsp;been criticised by Muslim leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while on Tuesday the US envoy on international religious freedom said he was concerned by the bill.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-gives-ultimatum-to-french-council-of-muslim-faith-344419">France gives ultimatum to French Council of Muslim Faith</a>

"There can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not harmful," Ambassador Sam Brownback told reporters.

"When you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse," he said.

'Strengthen republican values'

The text was originally titled the "anti-separatism" bill, using a term President Emmanuel Macron&nbsp;uses to describe ultra-conservative Muslims withdrawing from mainstream society.&nbsp;

Following criticism of that term, it is now called a "draft law to strengthen republican values", mostly secularism and freedom of expression.

The law was in the pipeline before the murder in October of Samuel Paty, a junior high school teacher who was attacked in the street and beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class.

But the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill, prompted the inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal information on the internet.

Paty's death is one in a string of jihadist-inspired attacks in France this year including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.

The draft law sets out stricter criteria for authorising home schooling of children over three years old in a bid to prevent parents taking their children out of public schools and enrolling them in underground Islamic facilities.

Doctors, meanwhile, would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity test on girls.

Polygamy is already outlawed in France, but the new law would also ban authorities from issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants.

It would also require city hall officials to interview couples separately prior to their wedding to make sure that they were not forced into marriage.

'Open provocation'

Macron has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries, with some boycotting French products, after saying that the right to blaspheme would always be guaranteed in France and that Islam was "in crisis".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an "open provocation", while scholars at Egypt's prestigious Sunni Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, called Macron's views "racist".

Macron has also been forced onto the defensive by critical headlines in influential English-language media, such as the Financial Times and New York Times.

Muslims in France -- the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries in north and west Africa as well as the Middle East -- are estimated at nearly four million, about six percent of the population.

Once, as is expected, the cabinet backs the draft law, it heads to parliament at the start of next year for what promises to be a heated debate.

France's state council, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future laws, has already signalled that some parts of the bill, especially on education, may clash with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the French constitution.

&nbsp;

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''. After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''. After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community. "The enemy of the Republic is a political ideology called radical Islamism, which aims to divide the French among themselves," Prime Minister Jean Castex told Wednesday's edition of Le Monde. France argues that rather than targeting Muslims the anti-extremism bill aims to "free Muslims from the growing grip of radical Islamism". The legislation will be discussed at a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace with Castex announcing the outcome in the early afternoon. It has been criticised by Muslim leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while on Tuesday the US envoy on international religious freedom said he was concerned by the bill. Also read: France gives ultimatum to French Council of Muslim Faith "There can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not harmful," Ambassador Sam Brownback told reporters. "When you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse," he said. 'Strengthen republican values' The text was originally titled the "anti-separatism" bill, using a term President Emmanuel Macron uses to describe ultra-conservative Muslims withdrawing from mainstream society. Following criticism of that term, it is now called a "draft law to strengthen republican values", mostly secularism and freedom of expression. The law was in the pipeline before the murder in October of Samuel Paty, a junior high school teacher who was attacked in the street and beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class. But the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill, prompted the inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal information on the internet. Paty's death is one in a string of jihadist-inspired attacks in France this year including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice. The draft law sets out stricter criteria for authorising home schooling of children over three years old in a bid to prevent parents taking their children out of public schools and enrolling them in underground Islamic facilities. Doctors, meanwhile, would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity test on girls. Polygamy is already outlawed in France, but the new law would also ban authorities from issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants. It would also require city hall officials to interview couples separately prior to their wedding to make sure that they were not forced into marriage. 'Open provocation' Macron has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries, with some boycotting French products, after saying that the right to blaspheme would always be guaranteed in France and that Islam was "in crisis". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an "open provocation", while scholars at Egypt's prestigious Sunni Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, called Macron's views "racist". Macron has also been forced onto the defensive by critical headlines in influential English-language media, such as the Financial Times and New York Times. Muslims in France -- the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries in north and west Africa as well as the Middle East -- are estimated at nearly four million, about six percent of the population. Once, as is expected, the cabinet backs the draft law, it heads to parliament at the start of next year for what promises to be a heated debate. France's state council, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future laws, has already signalled that some parts of the bill, especially on education, may clash with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the French constitution.

Enemy of the Republic is political ideology called radical Islamism: French PM Castex

India’s weapons procurement from the United States jumped from a meagre USD 6.2 million to a whopping USD 3.4 billion in the final year of the Donald Trump’s administration, according to official data.

As per the data released by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the jump in the sale of American weapons to India comes at a time when sale of weapons from the US to other countries has dipped to USD 50.8 billion in 2020 from USD 55.7 billion in 2019.

In 2019, the sale of US weapons to foreign countries was USD 55.7 billion. In 2017, it was USD 41.9 billion, it said.

Major buyers of American weapons in 2020 were India (USD 3.4 billion up from USD 6.2 million in fiscal year 2019), Morocco (USD 4.5 billion up from USD 12.4 million), Poland (USD 4.7 billion up from USD 673 million), Singapore (USD 1.3 billion up from USD 137 million), Taiwan (USD 11.8 billion up from USD 876 million), and the United Arab Emirates (USD 3.6 billion up from USD 1.1 billion), the data showed.

Several countries reported a drop in purchase of weapons from the US.

Prominent among them were Saudi Arabia which came down from USD 14.9 billion in 2019 to USD 1.2 billion in 2020, Afghanistan (USD 1.1 billion down from USD 1.6 billion), Belgium (USD 41.8 million down from USD 5.5 billion), Iraq (USD 368 million down from USD 1.4 billion), and South Korea (USD 2.1 billion down from USD 2.7 billion).

According to the 2020 edition of the Historical Sales Book, India purchased weapons worth USD 754.4 million in 2017 and USD 282 million in 2018. Between 1950 and 2020, US sale of weapons to India under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) category was USD 12.8 billion.

For Pakistan, the official figures reflected that sale of weapons under FMS did happen, even though there was a freeze in any military and security assistance to Islamabad from the Trump administration.

In 2020, US sale of weapons to Pakistan was USD 146 million, in 2018 it was USD 65 million and in 2017 it was USD 22 million.

In 2019, there was no sale of US military weapons to Pakistan. In fact, the US refunded USD 10.8 million to Pakistan, taken for the purchase of weapons.

Between 1950 and 2020, Pakistan purchased weapons worth USD 10 billion from the US under FMS.

However, the total supply of American military weapons to Pakistan is much more, as a major chunk of weapons to Pakistan has gone from United States as military and security assistance.

According to the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Clarke Cooper, fiscal 2020 saw a total of USD 175.8 billion in US government-authorised arms exports. This is overall a 2.8 per cent increase since fiscal year 2019.

The overall value of State Department-authorised government-to-government FMS cases implemented by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency decreased 8.3 per cent from USD 55.39 billion in Fiscal Year 2019 to USD 50.78 billion in Fiscal Year 2020.

“The dollar value of potential FMS sales, formally notified to Congress, also rose by more than 50 per cent from USD 58.33 billion to USD 87.64 billion. This was driven by the July potential sale of USD 23.11 billion worth of F-35 aircraft to Japan, which was the second largest single FMS notification ever authorised by the Department of State,” Cooper said.

The Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), which is the Department of State-authorised commercial export licenses, totalled USD 124.3 billion in fiscal year 2020, and this was up from USD 114.7 billion in fiscal year 2019, he said. “This represented an 8.4 per cent increase. This total value covers authorisations of hardware, defense services, and technical data. The total number of licences issued decreased by 20-per cent from 36,111 in Fiscal Year 2019 to 28,800 in Fiscal Year 2020,” Cooper said.

The top commercial DCS notified to Congress in Fiscal Year 2020 included a USD 8.39 billion sale to Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom for F-35 components.

This also included a USD 3.2 billion sale to Australia for P-8 aircraft parts, and a USD 2.48 billion sale to United Kingdom and Australia for E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft, Cooper said.

&nbsp;

India’s weapons procurement from the United States jumped from a meagre USD 6.2 million to a whopping USD 3.4 billion in the final year of the Donald Trump’s administration, according to official data.

India’s weapons procurement from the United States jumped from a meagre USD 6.2 million to a whopping USD 3.4 billion in the final year of the Donald Trump’s administration, according to official data. As per the data released by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the jump in the sale of American weapons to India comes at a time when sale of weapons from the US to other countries has dipped to USD 50.8 billion in 2020 from USD 55.7 billion in 2019. In 2019, the sale of US weapons to foreign countries was USD 55.7 billion. In 2017, it was USD 41.9 billion, it said. Major buyers of American weapons in 2020 were India (USD 3.4 billion up from USD 6.2 million in fiscal year 2019), Morocco (USD 4.5 billion up from USD 12.4 million), Poland (USD 4.7 billion up from USD 673 million), Singapore (USD 1.3 billion up from USD 137 million), Taiwan (USD 11.8 billion up from USD 876 million), and the United Arab Emirates (USD 3.6 billion up from USD 1.1 billion), the data showed. Several countries reported a drop in purchase of weapons from the US. Prominent among them were Saudi Arabia which came down from USD 14.9 billion in 2019 to USD 1.2 billion in 2020, Afghanistan (USD 1.1 billion down from USD 1.6 billion), Belgium (USD 41.8 million down from USD 5.5 billion), Iraq (USD 368 million down from USD 1.4 billion), and South Korea (USD 2.1 billion down from USD 2.7 billion). According to the 2020 edition of the Historical Sales Book, India purchased weapons worth USD 754.4 million in 2017 and USD 282 million in 2018. Between 1950 and 2020, US sale of weapons to India under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) category was USD 12.8 billion. For Pakistan, the official figures reflected that sale of weapons under FMS did happen, even though there was a freeze in any military and security assistance to Islamabad from the Trump administration. In 2020, US sale of weapons to Pakistan was USD 146 million, in 2018 it was USD 65 million and in 2017 it was USD 22 million. In 2019, there was no sale of US military weapons to Pakistan. In fact, the US refunded USD 10.8 million to Pakistan, taken for the purchase of weapons. Between 1950 and 2020, Pakistan purchased weapons worth USD 10 billion from the US under FMS. However, the total supply of American military weapons to Pakistan is much more, as a major chunk of weapons to Pakistan has gone from United States as military and security assistance. According to the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Clarke Cooper, fiscal 2020 saw a total of USD 175.8 billion in US government-authorised arms exports. This is overall a 2.8 per cent increase since fiscal year 2019. The overall value of State Department-authorised government-to-government FMS cases implemented by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency decreased 8.3 per cent from USD 55.39 billion in Fiscal Year 2019 to USD 50.78 billion in Fiscal Year 2020. “The dollar value of potential FMS sales, formally notified to Congress, also rose by more than 50 per cent from USD 58.33 billion to USD 87.64 billion. This was driven by the July potential sale of USD 23.11 billion worth of F-35 aircraft to Japan, which was the second largest single FMS notification ever authorised by the Department of State,” Cooper said. The Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), which is the Department of State-authorised commercial export licenses, totalled USD 124.3 billion in fiscal year 2020, and this was up from USD 114.7 billion in fiscal year 2019, he said. “This represented an 8.4 per cent increase. This total value covers authorisations of hardware, defense services, and technical data. The total number of licences issued decreased by 20-per cent from 36,111 in Fiscal Year 2019 to 28,800 in Fiscal Year 2020,” Cooper said. The top commercial DCS notified to Congress in Fiscal Year 2020 included a USD 8.39 billion sale to Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom for F-35 components. This also included a USD 3.2 billion sale to Australia for P-8 aircraft parts, and a USD 2.48 billion sale to United Kingdom and Australia for E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft, Cooper said.

India's weapons procurement from the US jumps to USD 3.4 billion in 2020

The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened after an 11-party Opposition alliance announced that their lawmakers will resign en masse by the end of this month from parliament to paralyse the government and force Prime Minister Imran Khan to call early snap polls.

The decision was taken after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 Opposition parties formed in September this year to overthrow Prime Minister Khan's government, held a marathon meeting in Islamabad.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/as-pak-opposition-decides-on-mass-resignation-pm-imran-khan-faces-heat-from-military-348414" hreflang="en">As Pak opposition decides to resign, PM Imran Khan faces heat from military</a>

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Tuesday night that a consensus was reached on resigning from parliament. 
"All lawmakers will submit their resignation letter to their party chiefs by 31st December," he said, flanked by PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The exact timing of stomping out of assemblies would be decided later, said Rehman.

Soon after the election in 2018, he had urged the Opposition leaders not to take oath to join parliament due to alleged rigging. But his idea was overruled by others, chiefly by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the The Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

It is believed that en masse resignation is the only way to bring the government on its knees and force it to call early elections.

The PPP government in the Sindh province was considered as a hurdle as it was not sure if that it would sacrifice its government to help the Opposition alliance.

The leaders also agreed to go ahead with a rally in Lahore on December 13 as a show of power to the government. It will be the sixth rally after similar gatherings held in Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Multan.

The Opposition parties succeeded in attracting a huge number of people despite hurdles created by the government.

Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected the demand to step down or call early elections and consistently advocated that the Opposition was protesting to put pressure to stop probes in corruption cases against their leaders.

Speaking to a group of senior journalists and columnists on Tuesday, he said that "by-election will be held on the vacant seats" and no concession would be given to the protesting parties.

However, experts and Opposition leaders argue that when hundreds of lawmakers resign from the national and provincial assemblies, it would be virtually impossible to avoid general elections.

"The government will be forced to call general elections, otherwise the legitimacy of the entire process will be questionable," said PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, warning the more protests would follow in case elections were not held.

The Opposition alliance has alleged that Khan was supported in elections by the 'establishment' and also failed to run the country and address chronic issues.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has directly named Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI head Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for meddling in political affairs

The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened after an 11-party Opposition alliance announced that their lawmakers will resign en masse by the end of this month from parliament to paralyse the government and force Prime Minister Imran Khan to call early snap polls.

The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened after an 11-party Opposition alliance announced that their lawmakers will resign en masse by the end of this month from parliament to paralyse the government and force Prime Minister Imran Khan to call early snap polls. The decision was taken after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 Opposition parties formed in September this year to overthrow Prime Minister Khan's government, held a marathon meeting in Islamabad. Also read: As Pak opposition decides to resign, PM Imran Khan faces heat from military PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Tuesday night that a consensus was reached on resigning from parliament. "All lawmakers will submit their resignation letter to their party chiefs by 31st December," he said, flanked by PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The exact timing of stomping out of assemblies would be decided later, said Rehman. Soon after the election in 2018, he had urged the Opposition leaders not to take oath to join parliament due to alleged rigging. But his idea was overruled by others, chiefly by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the The Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). It is believed that en masse resignation is the only way to bring the government on its knees and force it to call early elections. The PPP government in the Sindh province was considered as a hurdle as it was not sure if that it would sacrifice its government to help the Opposition alliance. The leaders also agreed to go ahead with a rally in Lahore on December 13 as a show of power to the government. It will be the sixth rally after similar gatherings held in Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Multan. The Opposition parties succeeded in attracting a huge number of people despite hurdles created by the government. Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected the demand to step down or call early elections and consistently advocated that the Opposition was protesting to put pressure to stop probes in corruption cases against their leaders. Speaking to a group of senior journalists and columnists on Tuesday, he said that "by-election will be held on the vacant seats" and no concession would be given to the protesting parties. However, experts and Opposition leaders argue that when hundreds of lawmakers resign from the national and provincial assemblies, it would be virtually impossible to avoid general elections. "The government will be forced to call general elections, otherwise the legitimacy of the entire process will be questionable," said PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, warning the more protests would follow in case elections were not held. The Opposition alliance has alleged that Khan was supported in elections by the 'establishment' and also failed to run the country and address chronic issues. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has directly named Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI head Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for meddling in political affairs

Pak lawmakers to resign en masse to paralyse government: PDM chief Rehman

A new antiviral oral drug called Molnupiravir has been appeared to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a single day or 24 hours.

Results of the exploration by researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, have been distributed in the diary Nature Microbiology. What's more, Indian researchers intend to apply to the drug regulator of&nbsp;Molnupiravir to lead human trials with the drug.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/anti-parasitic-drug-successfully-kills-covid-19-in-48-hours-reveals-study-346727" hreflang="en">Anti-parasitic drug successfully kills COVID-19 in 48 hours, reveals study</a>

The medication

The antiviral medication Molnupiravir, or MK-4482/EIDD-2801, is taken orally. Molnupiravir is being created by the biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics as a team with drug firm Merck. The exploration group repurposed MK-4482/EIDD-2801 against SARS-CoV-2 and tried it on ferrets.&nbsp;

This is the primary show of an orally accessible medication to quickly hinder SARS-CoV-2 transmission and it very well may be a distinct advantage, said Dr. Richard K Plemper, Distinguished University Professor. The gathering drove by Dr. Plemper initially found that the medication is powerful against flu infections. "We have described the MoA (a component of activity) of Molnupiravir against flu infections in a previous distribution," Dr. Plemper disclosed to The Indian Express by email.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-historic-week-for-the-fight-against-the-wuhan-virus-348226/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Its activity

In ferrets, the medication was appeared to totally smother transmission of SARS-CoV-2 out of 24 hours. Analysts tainted ferrets with SARS-CoV-2 and started treatment with MK-4482/EIDD-2801 when the creatures began to shed the infection from the nose. "At the point when we co-housed those contaminated and afterward treated source creatures with untreated contact ferrets in a similar enclosure, none of the contacts got tainted," said Josef Wolf, co-lead creator of the examination.&nbsp;

Nonetheless, all contacts of source ferrets that had gotten fake treatment got contaminated. The energizing improvement was that it totally smothered the spread to untreated contact creatures. As indicated by specialists, if this ferret-based information means people, Covid-19 patients treated with the medication could get non-irresistible within 24 hours subsequent to starting treatment.&nbsp;

Why ferrets

Ferrets are a famous model for flu and other respiratory diseases on the grounds that their lung physiology is like people and analysts trust they will impersonate parts of Covid-19 in individuals, for example, its spread. "They promptly spread SARS-CoV-2 yet generally don't create extreme illness – intently taking after the contamination spread in youthful grown-ups," said Dr. Robert Cox, co-lead writer.&nbsp;

Human trials

"The medication essentially stops replication of the duplicates of the infection's RNA in the cell," said Dr. Shekhar Mande, Director General Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. "The medication resembles some other enemy of the influenza drug and was on our rundown of medications to go into clinical preliminaries. There are a few promising medications and they are under assessment… We have additionally on a basic level chose to proceed with the clinical preliminaries for testing Molnupiravir in people and will apply to the controller for endorsement."

A new antiviral oral drug called Molnupiravir has been appeared to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a single day or 24 hours. Results of the exploration by researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, have been distributed in the diary Nature Microbiology.

A new antiviral oral drug called Molnupiravir has been appeared to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a single day or 24 hours. Results of the exploration by researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, have been distributed in the diary Nature Microbiology. What's more, Indian researchers intend to apply to the drug regulator of Molnupiravir to lead human trials with the drug. Also read: Anti-parasitic drug successfully kills COVID-19 in 48 hours, reveals study The medication The antiviral medication Molnupiravir, or MK-4482/EIDD-2801, is taken orally. Molnupiravir is being created by the biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics as a team with drug firm Merck. The exploration group repurposed MK-4482/EIDD-2801 against SARS-CoV-2 and tried it on ferrets. This is the primary show of an orally accessible medication to quickly hinder SARS-CoV-2 transmission and it very well may be a distinct advantage, said Dr. Richard K Plemper, Distinguished University Professor. The gathering drove by Dr. Plemper initially found that the medication is powerful against flu infections. "We have described the MoA (a component of activity) of Molnupiravir against flu infections in a previous distribution," Dr. Plemper disclosed to The Indian Express by email. Its activity In ferrets, the medication was appeared to totally smother transmission of SARS-CoV-2 out of 24 hours. Analysts tainted ferrets with SARS-CoV-2 and started treatment with MK-4482/EIDD-2801 when the creatures began to shed the infection from the nose. "At the point when we co-housed those contaminated and afterward treated source creatures with untreated contact ferrets in a similar enclosure, none of the contacts got tainted," said Josef Wolf, co-lead creator of the examination. Nonetheless, all contacts of source ferrets that had gotten fake treatment got contaminated. The energizing improvement was that it totally smothered the spread to untreated contact creatures. As indicated by specialists, if this ferret-based information means people, Covid-19 patients treated with the medication could get non-irresistible within 24 hours subsequent to starting treatment. Why ferrets Ferrets are a famous model for flu and other respiratory diseases on the grounds that their lung physiology is like people and analysts trust they will impersonate parts of Covid-19 in individuals, for example, its spread. "They promptly spread SARS-CoV-2 yet generally don't create extreme illness – intently taking after the contamination spread in youthful grown-ups," said Dr. Robert Cox, co-lead writer. Human trials "The medication essentially stops replication of the duplicates of the infection's RNA in the cell," said Dr. Shekhar Mande, Director General Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. "The medication resembles some other enemy of the influenza drug and was on our rundown of medications to go into clinical preliminaries. There are a few promising medications and they are under assessment… We have additionally on a basic level chose to proceed with the clinical preliminaries for testing Molnupiravir in people and will apply to the controller for endorsement."

Molnupiravir: New antiviral oral drug shown to stop COVID-19 spread in 24 hours

Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong&nbsp;on Wednesday lashed&nbsp;South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha who raised doubts over Pyongyang's claim that it has reported zero coronavirus cases.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said over the weekend that it's hard to believe North Korea's claim that there has been no virus outbreak on its soil. She added that the North has been unresponsive to South Korea's offer for cooperation to jointly tackle the pandemic.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/north-korea-kim-yo-jong-slams-seoul-over-questioning-zero-virus-claim-348570/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, responded in a statement carried by state media.

"It can be seen from the reckless remarks made by her without any consideration of the consequences that she is too eager to further chill the frozen relations between North and South Korea,"&nbsp;she said.

"Her real intention is very clear. We will never forget her words and she might have to pay dearly for it,"&nbsp;Kim said.

The remarks show how sensitive North Korea is to what it considers any outside attempt to tarnish its image as its guards against the pandemic and the economic fallout.

Despite its zero-virus case claim, North Korea's state media have repeatedly said there is a ''maximum emergency''&nbsp;anti-epidemic campaign in which it has closed its international borders, flown out diplomats, and isolated residents with suspected symptoms.

The North's border closure with China, its biggest trading partner, is wrecking its already fragile economy. The North has admitted it's facing multiple crises&nbsp;due to the pandemic, a spate of natural disasters last summer, and persistent US-led sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.

Experts have said a major disease outbreak in North Korea could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its fragile health care system.

South Korea’s foreign minister told a forum in Bahrain on Saturday that the pandemic had “made North Korea more North Korea — that is, more closed, very top-down decision-making process where there is very little debate on their measures in dealing with COVID-19”.

“They still say they do not have any cases, which is hard to believe,” Kang said. “So, all signs are the regime is very intensely focused on controlling the disease that they say they do not have.” Also this week, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is in Seoul for talks on North Korea and other issues.

South Korea's spy agency recently told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un had ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any acts that could provoke Washington because it is worried about President-elect Joe Biden's expected new approach toward North Korea.

Some observers say North Korea could still do something provocative to try to draw Biden's attention and create the need to restart stalled nuclear talks in which it could win concessions.

Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong on Wednesday lashed South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha who raised doubts over Pyongyang's claim that it has reported zero coronavirus cases.

Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong on Wednesday lashed South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha who raised doubts over Pyongyang's claim that it has reported zero coronavirus cases. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said over the weekend that it's hard to believe North Korea's claim that there has been no virus outbreak on its soil. She added that the North has been unresponsive to South Korea's offer for cooperation to jointly tackle the pandemic. The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, responded in a statement carried by state media. "It can be seen from the reckless remarks made by her without any consideration of the consequences that she is too eager to further chill the frozen relations between North and South Korea," she said. "Her real intention is very clear. We will never forget her words and she might have to pay dearly for it," Kim said. The remarks show how sensitive North Korea is to what it considers any outside attempt to tarnish its image as its guards against the pandemic and the economic fallout. Despite its zero-virus case claim, North Korea's state media have repeatedly said there is a ''maximum emergency'' anti-epidemic campaign in which it has closed its international borders, flown out diplomats, and isolated residents with suspected symptoms. The North's border closure with China, its biggest trading partner, is wrecking its already fragile economy. The North has admitted it's facing multiple crises due to the pandemic, a spate of natural disasters last summer, and persistent US-led sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme. Experts have said a major disease outbreak in North Korea could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its fragile health care system. South Korea’s foreign minister told a forum in Bahrain on Saturday that the pandemic had “made North Korea more North Korea — that is, more closed, very top-down decision-making process where there is very little debate on their measures in dealing with COVID-19”. “They still say they do not have any cases, which is hard to believe,” Kang said. “So, all signs are the regime is very intensely focused on controlling the disease that they say they do not have.” Also this week, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is in Seoul for talks on North Korea and other issues. South Korea's spy agency recently told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un had ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any acts that could provoke Washington because it is worried about President-elect Joe Biden's expected new approach toward North Korea. Some observers say North Korea could still do something provocative to try to draw Biden's attention and create the need to restart stalled nuclear talks in which it could win concessions.

Kim Jong-un's sister threatens South Korea's foreign minister for questioning zero-virus claim

FireEye, one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the United States, said on Tuesday that it had been hacked, likely by a government, and that an arsenal of hacking tools used to test the defenses of its clients had been stolen.

The hack of FireEye, a company with an array of contacts across the national security space both in the United States and its allies, is among the most significant breaches in recent memory. The company's shares dropped 8 per cent&nbsp;in after-hours trading.

"A Red Team is a gathering of security experts approved and coordinated to emulate an expected enemy's assault or misuse capacities against an undertaking's security act," the <a href="https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2020/12/unauthorized-access-of-fireeye-red-team-tools.html">organisation</a>&nbsp;stated, adding that while the aggressors snatched apparatuses going from "basic contents" to "whole systems," a large number of the methods were at that point openly accessible.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-us-and-canada-accuse-russia-of-vaccine-research-hacking-314318">UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of vaccine research hacking</a>

The firm didn't state precisely when the assault occurred, and ceased from crediting the penetrate to a specific entertainer, anyway organization CEO Kevin Mandia noted in a different proclamation that it gave off an impression of being completed by "a country with top-level hostile abilities."&nbsp;

"Reliable with a country state digital secret activities exertion, the assailant basically looked for data identified with certain administration clients," Mandia said. "While the aggressor had the option to get to a portion of our inward frameworks, now in our examination, we have seen no proof that the assailant exfiltrated information from our essential frameworks that store client data."&nbsp;

The CEO additionally saw that, until now, there is no sign any of the taken apparatuses have been utilized in additional assaults.&nbsp;

Despite the fact that FireEye's top digital specialists offered no thought concerning who may be behind the information burglary, corporate news sources knew better, quickly pronouncing shadowy Russian specialists as the top suspects.

In a story on the penetrate, a Washington Post feature expressed: "Spies with Russia's unfamiliar insight administration accepted to have hacked a top American network protection firm." The source refers to anonymous "individuals acquainted with the issue," offering no detail past the statement itself.&nbsp;

The New York Times, then, declined to name any nation in its feature, just referencing Russia in a subheading, asserting the assault was "in all likelihood" completed by that country. Precisely how the paper arrived at that resolution was left implicit, notwithstanding, as its story makes a solitary notice of "proof" supporting Russian inclusion however never explains. The Times additionally noticed that the FBI has been made aware of the assault and "surrendered the case to its Russia trained professionals," yet left that guarantee totally unsourced.&nbsp;

Another report by Reuters avoided straightforwardly ascribing the hack and restricted conversation of Russian obligation to one passage, refering to an unknown previous Pentagon official who said that Moscow was "high on the early rundown of suspects."&nbsp;

The FireEye break is a long way from the first run through American news sources hurried head-first to announce, liberated from proof, Russian association in a prominent hack. In October, a notice from the FBI and various other government organizations about an "approaching digital wrongdoing danger" to US clinics incited a whirlwind of articles declaring Russia as the likely culprit, regardless of the offices saying nothing regarding the character of the future programmers.&nbsp;

Comparable charges have multiplied in the western press since the 2016 US official political decision, starting with the mission of Hillary Clinton, which initially asserted a Kremlin hacking activity to take the bombed Democratic applicant's messages. While the US insight network later reinforced that account, the FBI never grabbed hold of the workers being referred to, rather depending on data gave by the Democratic National Committee's own digital firm, CrowdStrike, whose president recognized in 2017 that "there's no proof that [the emails] were really exfiltrated" from the worker.

FireEye, one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the United States, said on Tuesday that it had been hacked, likely by a government, and that an arsenal of hacking tools used to test the defenses of its clients had been stolen.

FireEye, one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the United States, said on Tuesday that it had been hacked, likely by a government, and that an arsenal of hacking tools used to test the defenses of its clients had been stolen. The hack of FireEye, a company with an array of contacts across the national security space both in the United States and its allies, is among the most significant breaches in recent memory. The company's shares dropped 8 per cent in after-hours trading. "A Red Team is a gathering of security experts approved and coordinated to emulate an expected enemy's assault or misuse capacities against an undertaking's security act," the organisation stated, adding that while the aggressors snatched apparatuses going from "basic contents" to "whole systems," a large number of the methods were at that point openly accessible. Also read: UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of vaccine research hacking The firm didn't state precisely when the assault occurred, and ceased from crediting the penetrate to a specific entertainer, anyway organization CEO Kevin Mandia noted in a different proclamation that it gave off an impression of being completed by "a country with top-level hostile abilities." "Reliable with a country state digital secret activities exertion, the assailant basically looked for data identified with certain administration clients," Mandia said. "While the aggressor had the option to get to a portion of our inward frameworks, now in our examination, we have seen no proof that the assailant exfiltrated information from our essential frameworks that store client data." The CEO additionally saw that, until now, there is no sign any of the taken apparatuses have been utilized in additional assaults. Despite the fact that FireEye's top digital specialists offered no thought concerning who may be behind the information burglary, corporate news sources knew better, quickly pronouncing shadowy Russian specialists as the top suspects. In a story on the penetrate, a Washington Post feature expressed: "Spies with Russia's unfamiliar insight administration accepted to have hacked a top American network protection firm." The source refers to anonymous "individuals acquainted with the issue," offering no detail past the statement itself. The New York Times, then, declined to name any nation in its feature, just referencing Russia in a subheading, asserting the assault was "in all likelihood" completed by that country. Precisely how the paper arrived at that resolution was left implicit, notwithstanding, as its story makes a solitary notice of "proof" supporting Russian inclusion however never explains. The Times additionally noticed that the FBI has been made aware of the assault and "surrendered the case to its Russia trained professionals," yet left that guarantee totally unsourced. Another report by Reuters avoided straightforwardly ascribing the hack and restricted conversation of Russian obligation to one passage, refering to an unknown previous Pentagon official who said that Moscow was "high on the early rundown of suspects." The FireEye break is a long way from the first run through American news sources hurried head-first to announce, liberated from proof, Russian association in a prominent hack. In October, a notice from the FBI and various other government organizations about an "approaching digital wrongdoing danger" to US clinics incited a whirlwind of articles declaring Russia as the likely culprit, regardless of the offices saying nothing regarding the character of the future programmers. Comparable charges have multiplied in the western press since the 2016 US official political decision, starting with the mission of Hillary Clinton, which initially asserted a Kremlin hacking activity to take the bombed Democratic applicant's messages. While the US insight network later reinforced that account, the FBI never grabbed hold of the workers being referred to, rather depending on data gave by the Democratic National Committee's own digital firm, CrowdStrike, whose president recognized in 2017 that "there's no proof that [the emails] were really exfiltrated" from the worker.

US cybersecurity company FireEye discloses breach; media blames Russian hackers

France will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday.

Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France's climate strategy, stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel used in other vessels.

Speaking at a nuclear facility in the Burgundy town of Le Creusot, he said "I have decided that the future aircraft carrier of our country and our Navy will be, like the Charles de Gaulle, nuclear powered

One of his advisers noted that having an aircraft carrier also helps France project its global influence. Only a few countries in the world maintain huge, costly vessels.

The new French aircraft carrier will be about 70,000 tons and 300 meters long (985ft), roughly 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle, which has been deployed for international military operations in Iraq and Syria in recent years, according to French presidential advisers.

Its catapults will be electro-magnetic, and American-made, and the ship will be designed to accommodate next-generation warplanes and serve until around 2080, the advisers said.

They didn't provide a price tag but French media estimate it will cost around 7 billion euros (8.4 billion US dollars).

Macron also pledged 500 million euros (605 million US dollars) in investment in the nuclear industry and a separate fund to modernise it and promised "progress" on the persistent problem of how to permanently get rid of nuclear waste.

France&nbsp;has said it will cut its reliance on nuclear energy to 50% from 75% by 2035 and has yet to make a final decision on whether to build next-generation EPR nuclear reactors.

That is due by 2023, by which time state-controlled utility EDF's Flamanville 3 EPR project should be up and running, but Macron said he wanted to make a big push on preparations by next year.

"The preparatory studies around the construction of new reactors are key and I want them to continue and be wrapped up in the coming months," Macron said during a visit to nuclear components maker Framatome, part of EDF.

Nuclear reactors provide the majority of France's electricity, but many reactors are aging and delays have dogged new-generation reactors.

Macron, who is co-hosting a global video summit on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord, said France also must do more to develop wind, solar, hydrogen and other renewable energies.

France will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday. Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France's climate strategy, stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel used in other vessels.

France will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday. Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France's climate strategy, stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel used in other vessels. Speaking at a nuclear facility in the Burgundy town of Le Creusot, he said "I have decided that the future aircraft carrier of our country and our Navy will be, like the Charles de Gaulle, nuclear powered One of his advisers noted that having an aircraft carrier also helps France project its global influence. Only a few countries in the world maintain huge, costly vessels. The new French aircraft carrier will be about 70,000 tons and 300 meters long (985ft), roughly 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle, which has been deployed for international military operations in Iraq and Syria in recent years, according to French presidential advisers. Its catapults will be electro-magnetic, and American-made, and the ship will be designed to accommodate next-generation warplanes and serve until around 2080, the advisers said. They didn't provide a price tag but French media estimate it will cost around 7 billion euros (8.4 billion US dollars). Macron also pledged 500 million euros (605 million US dollars) in investment in the nuclear industry and a separate fund to modernise it and promised "progress" on the persistent problem of how to permanently get rid of nuclear waste. France has said it will cut its reliance on nuclear energy to 50% from 75% by 2035 and has yet to make a final decision on whether to build next-generation EPR nuclear reactors. That is due by 2023, by which time state-controlled utility EDF's Flamanville 3 EPR project should be up and running, but Macron said he wanted to make a big push on preparations by next year. "The preparatory studies around the construction of new reactors are key and I want them to continue and be wrapped up in the coming months," Macron said during a visit to nuclear components maker Framatome, part of EDF. Nuclear reactors provide the majority of France's electricity, but many reactors are aging and delays have dogged new-generation reactors. Macron, who is co-hosting a global video summit on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord, said France also must do more to develop wind, solar, hydrogen and other renewable energies.

France to build nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, says Macron

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