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A30 world news
Diaranson 9 December 2020

Mexico to launch COVID-19 vaccinations this month

President Andrés Manuel contracted for 34.4 million Britain was the first nation to
López Obrador said the vac- doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech approve the Pfizer-BioNTech
cines will be “universal and vaccine and it said earlier that vaccine and began its innocu-
free” — and also voluntary — 250,000 of those are expected lation campaign on Monday.
and he hopes the full popula- to arrive around Dec. 17. López-Gatell said the pace of
tion will be vaccinated by the The armed forces will dis- vaccination could be acceler-
end of 2021. tribute them to vaccination ated as more approved vac-
sites, initially in Mexico City cines arrive from other sourc-
Officials said that starting in and the northern border state es. Mexico this week plans
February, those over 60 will of Coahuila. to sign a deal to purchase 35
receive vaccinations, fol- million doses of the CanSino
lowed by those over 50 in The government’s point vaccine from China.
April and over 40 in May. man on the pandemic, Assis-
They urged people with risk tant Secretary Hugo López- Mexico has reported 1.18
factors to get vaccinated first. Gatell, said Mexico’s health million confirmed infections
The 67-year-old president regulatory agency is expected with the new coronavirus
(AP) — Mexico plans to of December, starting himself said he would get to approve the vaccine on and at least 110,074 deaths
being vaccinating its peo- with health workers, the vaccinated in February, along Dec. 11, a day after the U.S. from COVID-19, though
ple against COVID-19 at government announced with his age group. Food and Drug Administra- both are acknowledged to be
the end of the third week Tuesday. The government already has tion is expected to do so. undercounts.

1 killed, 2 critically injured in Omaha house explosion

pital, Fitzpatrick said. Their when the explosion occurred. man sitting outside what was
names were not immediately “I heard a massive boom, and left of the house. Neighbors
released. my house shook,” Grabowski wrapped him in blankets and
said. “I looked outside, and I carried him across the street
The explosion also caused sig- saw debris flying in the air.” from the explosion site, she
nificant damage to homes on Grabowski said she and her said.
either side of the house that neighbors rushed to the “His clothes were burned off
exploded, the chief said. The house and found a young him,” she said.
blast in south-central Omaha
rained splintered lumber and
other debris throughout the
neighborhood, and witness-
es said it was felt and heard
miles away.
The cause was not immedi-
ately released, but crews from
the city’s natural gas utility
(AP) — An explosion that Omaha Fire Department were on the scene.
leveled a home in Omaha Battalion Chief Scott Fitz- Melanie Grabowski, who
killed one person and left patrick said firefighters who lives down the street from
two others critically in- responded to the explosion the house that exploded,
jured Tuesday morning, shortly after 8 a.m. found told the Omaha World-Her-
fire officials said. one person dead. Two other ald she had just returned
people were rushed to a hos- home from walking her dog

Iran’s Supreme Court upholds journalist’s death sentence

(AP) — Iran’s Supreme the biggest challenge to Iran times and organizational de-
Court upheld the death since the 2009 Green Move- tails for the protests.
penalty of a once-exiled ment protests and set the
journalist over his online stage for similar mass unrest Telegram shut down the
work that helped inspire in November of last year. channel over Iranian govern-
nationwide economic The initial spark for the 2017 ment complaints it spread
protests three years ago, protests was a sudden jump information about how to
Iranian media reported on in food prices. Many believe make gasoline bombs. The
Tuesday. that hard-line opponents of channel later continued un-
Iranian President Hassan der a different name. Zam,
The semiofficial Tasnim Rouhani instigated the first who has said he fled Iran af-
news agency quoted judi- demonstrations in the con- ter being falsely accused of
ciary spokesman Gholam- servative city of Mashhad in working with foreign intel-
hossein Esmaili as saying eastern Iran, trying to direct ligence services, denied incit-
that the country’s Supreme public anger at the president. ing violence on Telegram at
Court confirmed Ruhollah But as protests spread from the time.
Zam’s death sentence. It was finds it in violation of Shariah Zam’s website and a chan- town to town, the backlash
not clear precisely when the law. nel he created on the popu- turned against the entire rul- The details of his arrest still
court made its ruling. lar messaging app Telegram ing class. remain unclear. Though
It is also not clear when In June, a court sentenced had spread the timings of the he was based in Paris, Zam
Zam’s sentence will be car- Zam to death, saying he had protests and embarrassing Soon, cries directly challeng- somehow returned to Iran
ried out. Under Iranian law, been convicted of “corrup- information about officials ing Rouhani and even Su- and found himself detained
Zam has another chance to tion on Earth,” a charge often that directly challenged Iran’s preme Leader Ayatollah Ali by intelligence officials. A se-
appeal and the judiciary chief used in cases involving es- Shiite theocracy. Those dem- Khamenei could be heard in ries of a televised confessions
has the power to cancel the pionage or attempts to over- onstrations, which began at online videos shared by Zam. aired earlier this year over his
ruling and order a retrial if he throw Iran’s government. the end of 2017, represented Zam’s channel also shared work.