Europe

GENEVA (AP) — Athletes at the Beijing Olympics were urged by human rights activists Tuesday to avoid criticizing China because they could be prosecuted.

The International Olympic Committee has said athletes will have freedom of speech at next month’s Winter Games when speaking to journalists or posting on social media. However, the Olympic Charter rule that prohibits political protests at medal ceremonies also requires “applicable public law” to be followed.

GENEVA (AP) — The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization said Tuesday that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic — deaths, hospitalizations and lockdowns — could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly.

Dr. Michael Ryan, speaking during a panel discussion on vaccine equity hosted by the World Economic Forum, said “we may never end the virus” because such pandemic viruses “end up becoming part of the ecosystem.”

18 Jan 2022; MEMO: The military has been commissioned to take over operations in the English Channel as Boris Johnson attempts to save his job, reports The Times, following growing pressure on the prime minister to resign after revelations that he attended parties at Downing Street whilst the rest of the country was in lockdown.

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma (lower house) has unanimously decided to withdraw the bill on introducing COVID-19 certificates with QR codes for visiting public places, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said on his Telegram channel.

"The State Duma unanimously dropped the bill on [introducing] QR codes," the senior lawmaker revealed.

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/: Moscow does not plan any further discussion at the OSCE on security guarantee proposals, Russian Ambassador to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich told an online briefing on Monday.

"I want to say that we did not, nor are we going to hold any discussions on our initiatives at the OSCE. This is an amorphous structure that has no international legal status," he stressed.

MOSCOW, January 17./TASS/: The friendship of Russia and China is not aimed against anyone, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Croatian counterpart Gordan Radman on Monday.

"As for our relations with the People’s Republic of China, they are not subject to the situation and are developing regardless of what our Western colleagues think about this. Our friendship with China is not aimed against anyone," Lavrov stressed.

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/: American experts’ comments on Russia’s alleged arms supplies to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in the Panjshir province are insinuations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Monday.

MOSCOW, January 17./TASS/: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives late on Monday in Moscow, where she is scheduled for talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. Her working visit will continue until Tuesday evening, the press service of the German Embassy in Moscow told TASS.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Sweden's Security Service has taken over an investigation regarding unauthorized drones at three Swedish nuclear power plants on Friday, it said in a statement on Monday.

Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a drone seen flying over the site late on Friday, but were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle. L1N2TV06U

Police said the drone was large and able to operate despite high winds at the Forsmark plant.

COPENHAGEN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Denmark registered a record number of coronavirus infections on Monday, as cinemas, museums and other cultural institutions reopened after a month-long COVID-19 lockdown.

The Nordic country registered 28,780 new cases in the space of 24 hours and the number of coronavirus-related hospitalisations rose to 802, the highest in a year.