Covid-19: Rule-breakers ‘increasingly likely’ to be fined 

BBC News says the UK’s most senior police officer has said it’s “preposterous” that anyone could be unaware of the need to follow the coronavirus lockdown rules.

Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said Covid rule-breakers were now “increasingly likely” to be fined by officers. She said people were still holding house parties, raves and gambling gatherings in basements.

Matt Hancock has said tighter measures cannot be ruled out. But speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Monday, Mr Hancock pleaded for people to follow the current rules, saying: “It is your actions now that can make a difference.”

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COVID-19: People arriving in England need negative tests to enter country from Friday

Sky News says people travelling to England from abroad will have to show they have tested negative for COVID before being allowed to enter the country from Friday.

The COVID-19 test will need to be taken up to 72 hours before departure – and those who fail to comply will face an immediate £500 fine.

Inbound passengers on boats, planes and trains are covered by the regulation, which also applies to UK nationals.

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United Arab Emirates removed from travel corridor list

CITYAM says the UAE has been removed from the UK’s travel corridor list following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

From 4am tomorrow, travellers returning to the UK from the UAE — including Dubai and Abu Dhabi — will need to self-isolate for 10 days.

The decision came following a “significant acceleration” in the number of imported cases, as well as a sharp rise in the number of new reported cases in the UAE.

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Snowstorm blankets central Spain, disrupts schools, transportation

France24 says schools in Madrid were closed on Monday while most trains and flights resumed as the Spanish capital tried to return to some form of normalcy after a huge weekend snowstorm. 

Officials have asked people to stay at home if possible after Storm Filomena dumped between 20-30 centimetres (7-8 inches) of snow on Madrid on Saturday, the heaviest snowfall since 1971.

The storm killed at least three people as it swept through Spain and kept emergency services workers and army snowploughs busy, freeing 2,500 drivers trapped in their vehicles.

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Negotiations continue between South Korea and Iran over release of tanker

Arab News says South Korea’s vice foreign minister met with their Iranian counterpart to negotiate the release of the captured vessel and its crew, US-funded broadcaster Radio Farda reported.

Iran said the IRGC seized the ship because it was leaking oil in violation of environmental laws.

“Seoul shouldn’t politicize the issue and rather wait until the factual investigation of the case by the Iranian judiciary is complete,” Araqchi was quoted as saying.

South Korea used to be a major buyer of Iranian oil until US ended their sanctions waiver on imports of Iranian oil in 2019. Around $7 billion of Iran’s funds are now frozen in two South Korean banks.

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Trump approves state of emergency declaration in US capital

Aljazeera says Donald Trump has approved a state of emergency declaration in the US Capitol, the White House press office said late on Monday, after US law enforcement officials warned of threats before Joe Biden’s inauguration.

The order authorises federal assistance to be extended through January 24 to support efforts in Washington, DC to respond to the emergency situation.

Specifically, it allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to “identify, mobilise and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency”.

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Twitter bans tens of thousands of QAnon-linked accounts

TRT World says Twitter has suspended more than 70,000 accounts since Friday that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content after last week’s violence in Washington when supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol.

“Given the violent events in Washington, DC, and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon,” Twitter said in a blog late on Monday.

“These accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service,” the company said.

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FBI Looking at Threats to Biden’s Inauguration 

VOA says concerns are growing that the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week by extremists supporting Donald Trump may be the start of what could be a series of potentially armed and violent protests across the country leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday told VOA it is examining evidence suggesting groups or individuals may be looking to incite violence or engage in criminal activity in connection with the planned transfer of power. 

“While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, the FBI is supporting our state, local and federal law enforcement partners,” the bureau said in a statement. 

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