US lifts raw materials export ban to help India battle devastating COVID surge

The United States says it will send medical equipment and materials for manufacturing vaccines to India.

It is one of several countries that has pledged support to India which continues to battle against a catastrophic surge in coronavirus cases, amid a shortage of oxygen supplies and hospital beds.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington.

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Afghanistan drawdown has begun says senior US military commander

American forces have begun the process of drawing down in Afghanistan according to the most senior US commander in the country.

Army General Scott Miller's comments come almost two weeks after US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington.

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Hollywood prepares for in-person Academy Awards

The film industry is gearing up for the 93rd Academy Awards - which take place Sunday - and despite the coronavirus pandemic, it's going to be an in-person affair.

But the ceremony is going to look very different than previous years, with strict COVID protocols and a new location.

Ira Spitzer has more from Los Angeles,

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Tech earnings set to dominate in the week ahead [PREVIEW]

Some of the biggest names in tech are slated to release quarterly
earnings in the coming week.

Earnings season is always a market mover on Wall Street but especially
when it involves the biggest players in Silicon Valley.

William Denselow reports from New York.

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FRENCH FISHERMEN THREATEN PORT BLOCKADE

French fishermen are threatening to block the port of Calais if they do not receive licences to fish in UK waters.

They say they've been waiting months to receive the permits, but the UK says all eligible vessels have already received them, and so the protests are "unjustified".

Stuart Smith reports from Brussels.

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Combatting climate change is a job creation opportunity says Biden

US President Joe Biden has pitched the fight against climate change as an opportunity for job creation during remarks on the second day of his global climate change summit.

My Biden opened the summit by pledging the US would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2023.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington.

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U.S. advisory panel meets to discuss J&J vaccine pause

In the U.S., an advisory panel is meeting on Friday to discuss lifting restrictions on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.

Earlier this month, U.S. regulators recommended a pause after a handful of people who'd received the vaccine developed a rare type of blood clot.

Giles Gibson reports from Washington.

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US helps search for missing Indonesian submarine

The US military is helping in the search for the missing Indonesian
submarine with authorities warning remaining oxygen for the 53 crew is
running out.

The submarine disappeared on Wednesday during naval exercises near Bali.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Alexey Navalny ends hunger strike

Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has announced an end to his hunger strike in prison. After more than three weeks of refusing food, he says he has been visited by civilian doctors and advised that his life was in danger. Julia Chapman reports.

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Covid-19 variant contributing to surge in India detected in Belgium

The Covid-19 variant behind a surge in cases in India has been detected in Belgium. 

Twenty nursing students who arrived from Paris tested positive for the new variant, and have now been placed into quarantine. 

Lucy Hough has more from Brussels 

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UK PLACES INDIA ON RED TRAVEL LIST

India has been placed on the UK's 'red' travel list - meaning anyone arriving from the country must spend 10 days in quarantine in a government approved hotel. A further 55 cases of the B.1.617 variant first detected in India were found in the UK in the last recorded week. Laura Makin-Isherwood has more.

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At leat 14 Covid-19 patients killed in India hospital fire

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At least 14 Covid-19 patients have died after a fire in an intensive care unit of a hospital near Mumbai.

The incident took place as India is grappling with a massive second wave of infections, reporting a record 332,730 cases in one day on Friday.

Rebecca Bundhun reports from Mumbai.

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European Union to sanction individuals undermining South Sudan’s peace process

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The European Union is urging South Sudan's political leaders to fully implement the country's 2018 peace deal to break the cycle of violence in the East African country.

The EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Mr. Janez Lenarčič, a member of the European Commission said Thursday in Juba that the EU will not hesitate to sanction individuals blocking the implementation of the South Sudan's peace deal.

Patrick Oyet reports from Juba

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Uganda to Temporarily Reopen Borders to Refugees

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Uganda is considering reopening its borders to refugees following an influx of illegal entries through porous border-points.

Uganda's Minister for Disaster Musa Ecweru says refugees fleeing violence pose a risk of spread of Ebola and COVID-19 from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Isabel Nakirya reports.

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India reports world record COVID-19 infections again amid oxygen shortage

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Severe oxygen crisis in New Delhi is costing lives by the hour.

Twenty-four patients died in one of the biggest hospitals in the state…

As ventilators malfunctioned due to low oxygen.

And the crisis could worsen as India reported a world record 330,000 cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

Ishan Garg reports.

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New York subway bomber sentenced to life

A man who set off a bomb in a New York subway station during rush hour, has been sentenced to life in prison.

31-year-old Akayed Ullah detonated the pipe bomb in Times Square Station in December 2017.

US correspondent Kate Fisher reports

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U.S. stocks tumble on reports of Biden tax increase

U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday on reports that the Biden
administration is planning a capital gains tax increase.

The losses on Wall Street come despite jobless claims figures falling
to a pandemic-era low.

William Denselow reports from New York.

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US vaccinations slow amid sign of lessening demand

The number of Covid-19 vaccinations administered in the US has slowed
for the first time since February.

There are concerns vaccine demand is dropping despite more Americans
now being eligible.

US correspondent Nick Harper reports.

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Ireland to join EU legal action taken against AstraZeneca

The European Union has begun legal action against AstraZeneca over delays in delivering doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Ireland's health minister says the company had failed to meet its contractual obligations between April and June. 

Lucy Hough has more from Brussels. 

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U.S. jobless claims dip to pandemic-era low

The number of Americans filing for first time unemployment benefits
has fallen to the lowest level during the Covid-19 era.

It's another sign the economy is improving but the labor market
remains a fair distance from where it was before the pandemic hit.

William Denselow reports from New York.

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