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world news Diahuebs 7 Januari 2021

Dates, plans of WHO expert visit to China under negotiation

(AP) — China said this news, given that two
Wednesday it was still ne- members had already begun
gotiating with the World their journeys and others
Health Organization the were not able to travel at the
dates and itinerary for a last minute, but had been in
visit by international ex- contact with senior Chinese
perts looking into origins officials,” he said.
of COVID-19, after the U.N. spokesman Stephane
head of the agency criti- Dujarric told reporters at
cized Beijing for not final- U.N. headquarters in New
izing permissions for the York that Secretary-General
mission. Antonio Guterres “is fully
supportive of Dr. Tedros’ and
China’s position on the hunt WHO’s efforts to get a team
for the origins of the pan- in there.”
demic “has always been open
and responsible,” Foreign “It’s very important that as the
Ministry spokesperson Hua WHO is in the lead in fight-
Chunying told a daily news ing the pandemic that it also
briefing in Beijing. has a leading role in trying to
She said that China has look back at the roots of this
a close cooperation with pandemic so we can be better
WHO. However, the dates prepared for the next one,”
and itinerary need to be final- Dujarric said. “We very much
ized, she said. hope” that China’s reported
“The origins problem is very Both sides are still in close An international team of ex- as part of an arrangement comments that it is working
complex. To ensure that the communication.” perts had been due to visit between WHO and the Chi- with WHO and looking for
work of the global experts the central city of Wuhan in nese government. a smooth visit “will happen.”
group in China is success- China’s disease experts are January, where the pandemic The Chinese government
ful, we need to carry out the currently busy with multiple first appeared a year ago. “Today, we learned that Chi- has been strictly controlling
necessary procedures and small-scale clusters and out- WHO Director-General nese officials have not yet fi- all research at home into the
relevant concrete plans. Cur- breaks reported in the past Tedros Adhanom Ghebreye- nalized the necessary permis- origins of the virus, an AP in-
rently both sides are still in couple of weeks, she added. sus said on Tuesday that sions for the team’s arrival in vestigation found, and state-
negotiations on this,” Hua “Our experts are wholeheart- members of the international China,” Tedros said during a owned media have played up
said. “I understand that it’s edly in the stressful battle to scientific team began depart- news conference in Geneva reports that suggest the virus
not just a visa problem and control the epidemic,” she ing from their home coun- on Tuesday. could have originated else-
the actual date and itinerary. said. tries over the last 24 hours “I’m very disappointed with where.

Putin observes Christmas at 13th century island church

(AP) — Russian President The Russian Orthodox of Moscow. The small stone
Vladimir Putin attended Church, like many other Or- church is a UNESCO-listed
Orthodox Christmas ser- thodox churches, observes heritage site.
vices Wednesday at a small Christmas on Jan. 7, with The Russian Orthodox
13th century church on an main services starting late on Church held its main mid-
island. Christmas Eve. night Christmas service at
Christ the Savior Cathedral
During two decades in Putin on Wednesday went in Moscow, an elaborate cer-
power, Putin generally has to the Saint Nikolai on Lip- emony with dozens of clerics
marked Christmas outside no Church, on an island in led by church head Patriarch
Moscow, often at relative- the river delta near Veliky Kirill chanting and holding
ly little-known provincial Novgorod, about 500 kilo- long candles while masked
churches. meters (300 miles) northwest worshipers watched.

Virus, more than Brexit fallout, worry in and near Gibraltar

(AP) — Fears of disruptions following Brit- more than double from the levels in early Decem- last week after Spain and the U.K. clinched a pre-
ain’s departure from the European Union ber, and are investigating if the surge is linked to the liminary agreement for making Gibraltar part of
were replaced by coronavirus-related restric- new virus variant that has rapidly spread in Britain. the Schengen area group of European nations shar-
tions on border traffic between Spain and Gi- In remarks over the weekend, Gibraltar’s chief ing borders.
braltar on Monday, the first working day at minister, Fabian Picardo, said that the first batch of
the United Kingdom’s only land border with 5,000 vaccines would arrive in Gibraltar on Jan. 9. Madrid and London had been engaging for months
the European mainland. At least 200,000 people across the border in Spain, in diplomatic negotiations over the post-Brexit fu-
in the so-called Campo de Gibraltar subregion, are ture of Gibraltar, whose British sovereignty since
Only a share of essential workers from an average also under similar levels of restrictions. The area the 18th century has been often disputed by Spain.
of 15,000 who cross the fence between Spain’s La has seen a surge of the 14-day infection rate per
Línea de la Concepción and the British territory on 100,000 inhabitants to 300 cases, twice the average The “agreement in principle” should essentially
a normal day were venturing into Gibraltar, which in the broader Andalusia region of southern Spain. lead to move border checks from the current fence
went into lockdown late Saturday amid a surge in Despite having overwhelmingly voted against the with Spain to the international airport and the Gi-
virus cases that is putting under pressure its limited U.K.’s EU departure, Gibraltar entered the new braltar port, but a new treaty to be negotiated di-
health infrastructure. year with tighter new controls on what for decades rectly between the EU and the U.K. needs to be
Under the new stay-at-home order, the 30,000 has been an open border with the 27-nation bloc signed after jurisdiction issues and import duties
residents on the British speck of land on Spain’s through Spain. The most immediate effect is on are ironed out, according to authorities on both
southern tip are only permitted to venture out for customs controls for some consumer goods in- sides.
work, exercise, medical appointments or to buy es- tended for personal use, such as meat, milk, pet A major hurdle in the negotiations is whether the
sential items. Gibraltar authorities have reported food, and fish produce in most forms. EU’s police force, Frontex, could be stationed in
more than 1,300 new cases during the last month, Some of the longer-term concerns were dispelled the British territory.