Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 17, 2025 6:27 pm
Coronavirus vaccines: PM to telephone EU leaders in bid to stop export ban being imposed
BBC News says Boris Johnson is expected to speak to his EU counterparts this week as a row over Covid vaccine supplies continues.
EU leaders will discuss a ban on Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine exports to the UK – but the PM aims to put the UK’s case in one-on-one phone calls before that.
The EU says they can “forbid” vaccines made on the continent from being sent to the UK. The latest flashpoint appears to be overdoses made in a Dutch factory.
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Riot police sent in after ‘kill the bill’ protest in Bristol turns violent
The Guardian says a protest in Bristol against plans to give police increased powers to shut down peaceful protests has become violent, with riot police and horses deployed, officers injured and vehicles torched after a week of protests against the controversial legislation.
Hundreds gathered at Bristol’s College Green before marching to a police station on nearby Nelson Street. Many were wearing masks and carried placards saying “Say no to UK police state” and “Freedom to protest is fundamental to democracy” and “Kill the bill”.
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Violence against women: Thousands protest in Turkey after Erdogan ditches European treaty
Euronews says several thousand people demonstrated in Turkey on Saturday to call on President Erdogan to reverse his decision to abandon a treaty on combating violence against women, which has brought outrage across Europe.
“Annul your decision, apply the treaty!” chanted thousands of women and men gathered in Istanbul’s Kadiköy district. The demonstrators held up portraits of murdered women and placards, including one which read: “It’s the women who will win this war”.
“I’m fed up with this patriarchal state. I’m fed up with not feeling safe. Enough!” Banu, one of the demonstrators, told AFP. Other, smaller rallies were also reportedly held in Ankara and Izmir.
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Egypt government aims to vaccinate 250,000 in one week
Arab News says Egypt is aiming to vaccinate 250,000 medical staff and eligible citizens against Covid-19 by the end of this week.
Khaled Mujahid, assistant minister of health and population, and the official spokesperson of the ministry said that it is interested in expanding vaccine centres in governorates with high rates of citizens registering for vaccination.
On Saturday, the ministry received a gift of 300,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
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Congo’s opposition candidate Kolelas dies a day after elections
Aljazeera says Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, leading opposition presidential candidate in the Republic of Congo’s election, died on Sunday, a day after the country went to the polls.
Kolelas was hospitalised on the eve of the elections and died of COVID-19 as he was being taken to France for treatment.
Kolelas “died in the medical aircraft which came to get him from Brazzaville on Sunday afternoon”, added Mayanda.
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Miami extends curfew, emergency powers to control unruly crowds
TRT World says Miami voted to extend an 8 pm curfew and emergency powers for up to three more weeks to help control unruly and mostly maskless crowds that have converged on the party destination during spring break.
Thousands of people have packed the city’s Art Deco Cultural District resulting in bedlam and lawlessness in recent days when university students typically celebrate spring break.
“It looked like a rock concert. All you could see was wall to wall people,” City Manager Raul Aguila told the commission.
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Hundreds in Atlanta Rally Against Hate After Spa Shootings
VOA says a diverse crowd gathered Saturday in a park across from the Georgia Capitol to demand justice for the victims of shootings at massage businesses days earlier and to denounce racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
The hundreds of people of all ages and varied racial and ethnic backgrounds who gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta waved signs and cheered for speakers.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 05:58
SUNSET 18:20
TODAY
A bright start for parts of Wales and southern England, but it will turn increasingly cloudy through the day. Cloudy elsewhere and light rain in the north-west. Brief sunshine in eastern Scotland.
TONIGHT
Tonight will be a largely cloud night for all. It will turn breezier in the north-west, and showers will drift to Northern Ireland and western areas of Britain through the night.
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Hussain Chaudhry: Man charged with murder after stabbing of Walthamstow teenager
A man has been charged with the murder of Hussain Chaudhry, the 18-year-old law student who was stabbed in the neck near his home in Walthamstow, northeast London.
Marvin Ward, also 18, of Westwood Road, Ilford, has been charged with the crime and will appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Monday. – The Independent
COVID-19 in Europe: France and Poland begin new lockdowns to stem soaring infections
France’s new semi-lockdown suffered an immediate glitch on Saturday, as the government quickly did away with a cumbersome form-filling procedure for people wishing to leave their homes.
The people of Poland and a third of the French population have been feeling the impact of new lockdowns on Saturday to varying degrees, in the latest bid by authorities to stem the rising coronavirus tide. – Euronews
India, US pledge to expand defence ties, military engagement
The US would like to elevate and strengthen security ties with India, especially in information sharing and logistics, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Indian counterpart during his visit to the south Asian country. – VOA
Iraq, South Korea discuss development projects post-Daesh destruction
Iraqi and South Korean officials discussed development projects in areas destroyed due to battles fighting Daesh, Iraq’s state news agency reported on Sunday.
Iraq welcomes international initiative to rebuild cities that were liberated from the control of Daesh, the country’s national security advisor, Qassem Al-Araji, said during a meeting with Jang Kyung-wook, the South Korean ambassador to Baghdad. – Arab News
Myanmar activists plan new protests after weekend bloodshed
Myanmar activists plan fresh protests on Monday (Mar 22) including a call for vehicle convoys to drive through intersections honking horns with occupants raising three-finger anti-coup salutes despite reports of security forces killing more people at the weekend. – CNA
Donald Trump plans social media comeback, says adviser
Former US President Donald Trump will soon return to social media “with his own platform”, his adviser has said.
“I do think that we’re going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months,” Jason Miller told Fox News.
He said the platform “will be the hottest ticket in social media” and would “completely redefine the game”. – BBC World
Business news
UK ‘heading towards digital skills shortage disaster’ – BBC Business
Deliveroo founder Shu to serve up stake in £7.5bn flotation – Sky Business
Canadian Pacific to buy Kansas City Southern in $25 billion railway bet on trade – Reuters
Sports News
Cultura
YOUR QUESTIONS answered
The UK’s row with the EU over supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine explained
A spat over Covid vaccine doses has erupted between the European Union and the UK threatens to have far reaching implications over coronavirus jab disruption.
Brussels demanded access to AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in UK plants to make up for a shortfall after the pharmaceutical giant said it would have to cut the amount of doses delivered to the bloc by the end of March.
What do we know about the dispute? And what potential implications could the rumbling dispute have on future Covid vaccine rollouts? – (ITV) – Read on
what does brexit mean?
Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) at the end of 31 January 2020 CET.
To date, the UK is the first and only country formally to leave the EU, after 47 years of membership within the bloc, after having first joined its predecessor, the European Communities (EC), on 1 January 1973.
It continued to participate in the European Union Customs Union and European Single Market during a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020 at 23:00 GMT. – Read on
covid-19 meaning
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020.
As of 11 January 2021, more than 90.3 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 1.93 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.
coronavirus definition
Meaning of “coronavirus” and related terminology “coronavirus” means severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
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Get the latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19)