- Covid infections in England fall by 30% over lockdown.
- Maradona’s doctor has home and office searched as star’s death investigated.
- ISIS claims responsibility for rocket attack on Iraqi oil refinery.
- Gunfire at Sri Lanka prison as riot death toll hits eight.
- Trump to blacklist two more Chinese firms.
- New Zealand authorities charge 13 over volcano eruption tragedy.
Topshop owner faces collapse within hours – WTX News
UK to ban installation of Huawei 5G equipment from September 2021 – FT News
Coronavirus: Investment scams quadruple since virus lockdown – BBC Business
Universal Studios Japan to open Super Nintendo World area on February 4 – Reuters
Covid infections in England fall by 30% over lockdown – study
BBC News says Covid-19 infections in England have fallen by about a third over lockdown, according to a major study.
Some of the worst-hit areas saw the biggest improvements – but, despite this progress, cases remained high across England.
Matt Hancock said the data showed the country could not “take our foot off the pedal just yet”.
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Maradona’s doctor has home and office searched as star’s death investigated
Sky News says searches have been carried out at the home and office of Diego Maradona’s doctor as part of an investigation into the football legend’s death.
The search orders were approved by a judge following inquiries, which included the taking of statements from family members.
The prosecutor’s office said: “By virtue of the evidence that was collected, it was considered necessary to request searches at the home and office of doctor Leopoldo Luque.”
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ISIS claims responsibility for rocket attack on Iraqi oil refinery
RT News says Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that set an oil refinery in northern Iraq on fire. The refinery was previously put out of action by IS during the caliphate’s Iraqi campaign.
Two rockets struck the Siniya refinery on Sunday afternoon, hitting a fuel storage depot and setting the facility ablaze, Reuters reported.
There were no casualties reported, but the fire halted production at the site.
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Gunfire at Sri Lanka prison as riot death toll hits eight
France24 says Intermittent gunfire rang out Monday at a Sri Lankan high-security prison where a riot by inmates over a surge of coronavirus infections left at least eight dead and 55 wounded, police said.
Hundreds of police surrounded the prison just outside the capital Colombo as prison guards sought to end the unrest.
Inmates fought with guards on Sunday and into the night after setting fire to the kitchens and briefly took two warders hostage, residents and police said.
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Trump to blacklist two more Chinese firms: Report
Aljazeera News says the Trump administration is set to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC and national offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, the Reuters news agency reported based on a document and sources.
The move would curb the companies’ access to investors in the US, escalating tensions with Beijing weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
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New Zealand authorities charge 13 over volcano eruption tragedy
TRT World says New Zealand’s primary regulator for workplace-related incidents, has said in a news conference its investigations found 13 parties had not met their health and safety obligations that resulted in killing 22 and injuring dozens.
A surprise eruption on the White Island on December 9 last year, killed 22 people and injured dozens.
Majority of them were tourists. There were 47 people on the island when the volcano erupted.
US Health Experts: Coronavirus Vaccines on the Way, but Precautions Still Paramount
“We should have enough vaccine by the end of the year to immunize 20 million Americans and we have to immunize for impact,” Admiral Brett Giroir, the White House virus testing chief, told CNN. “But the American people have to do the right things until we get that vaccine widely distributed.” – VOA
45 arrested across Europe and Brazil as authorities seize ‘record haul’ of cocaine
Forty-five people have been arrested in a major international operation against a drug-trafficking network between Brazil and Europe, Europol announced on Friday.
The European police agency also revealed that more than 52 tonnes of cocaine were also seized by law enforcement agencies. – Euronews
Nigeria massacre: number shoots up to at least 110
The number of farm workers killed on a rice farm in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday has shot to at least 110 people, according to a United Nations report.
The massacre is the deadliest attacks in the region suspected to have been carried out by Boko Haram, locals said. The victims were buried on Sunday.- Africanews
Iran prepares to bury killed nuclear scientist as it mulls response
Debate raged in Iran on Sunday over how and when to respond to a top nuclear scientist’s assassination, blamed on arch-foe Israel, as his body was honored at Shiite shrines to prepare it for burial. – Arab News
