Europe

ZURICH (Reuters) - Austria’s Labour Minister Christine Aschbacher has resigned after allegations that she plagiarised some of her university work, but denied any wrongdoing and said she was stepping down to protect her family.

Aschbacher, a member of the conservative Austrian People’s Party which leads the coalition government, allegedly copied at least one fifth of her doctoral dissertation from other sources, as well as chunks of her diploma thesis, according to academic Stefan Weber who specialises in plagiarism.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said constitutional reforms would be drawn up by the end of the year and then put to a national referendum, RIA news agency reported on Sunday.

Belarus has been rocked by protests since an Aug. 9 presidential election marred by voter fraud allegations. Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has rejected criticism while presiding over a sweeping crackdown in the ex-Soviet republic.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged Americans on Sunday to shun violence, seek reconciliation and “protect democratic values” following the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building by supporters of President Trump that left five people dead.

“I repeat that violence is self-destructive, always. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,” the pope said in his Sunday address.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium’s death toll from coronavirus infections, one of the highest per capita in the world, has breached the 20,000 mark, according to official data published on Sunday.

The country, home to the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, has played down comparisons that show it to be one of the world’s worst hit by the pandemic, but virologists point to some missteps and systemic problems. A country divided by language, Belgium gives regions substantial autonomy and has nine health ministers.

SKOPJE, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients being hospitalized in North Macedonia has more than doubled in one day to 766, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

According to the ministry, a total of 426 patients were hospitalized in infectious wards throughout the country in the last 24 hours.

On Saturday, the country reported 556 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 86,150, with 67,164 recoveries and 2,614 fatalities.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/: The price of futures contracts of Brent crude oil for March 2021 delivery went up by 3.11% on London's ICE on Friday trading compared with the previous closing to $56.07 per barrel, surpassing $56 per barrel for the first time since February 25, 2020, according to the trading data.

Meanwhile, the price of futures contracts of WTI crude oil was up by 2.95% at $52.33 per barrel.

KRASNOYARSK, January 9. /TASS/: The Investigative Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk region and the republic of Khakassia has initiated a criminal case on the provision of services that do not meet safety requirements after the death and injury of tourists under an avalanche at a ski base near the city of Norilsk. This is according to a statement the Investigative Department issued on Saturday.

KRASNOYARSK, January 9. /TASS/: The body of a man who disappeared during the avalanche at the ski base in Norilsk was found. Thus, the death toll has increased to three people, investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia told reporters.

"The body of a man was found," the department said.

MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/: The number of coronavirus cases in Russia increased by 23,309, which was a new minimum since November 18 last year. The total number of cases in the country has reached 3,379,103, the operational headquarters against coronavirus told reporters on Saturday.

In relative terms, the increase in new cases, according to the headquarters, does not exceed 0.7%.

The lowest growth rates were recorded per day in the Republic of Tyva (0.1%) and the Republic of Altai (0.2%).

ZURICH (Reuters) - Austrian schools will receive 5 million coronavirus testing kits from Jan. 18, the government said on Saturday, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus when pupils eventually return to the classroom.

Education Minister Heinz Fassmann announced the delivery of the voluntary tests which pupils and teachers will be able to take at least once a week.

“Testing is the right answer to bridge the difficult months until the vaccine coverage is complete,” Fassmann said.