Italy: Shutting shops and schools amid Covid-19 infection spike

Shops, restaurants and schools will be closed across most of Italy on Monday, with PM Mario Draghi warning of a “new wave” of the coronavirus outbreak. For three days over…

China: Zoo ‘tries to pass dog off as wolf’

A zoo in central China has raised eyebrows this week after it was caught seemingly trying to pass off a dog as a wolf. Social media footage appeared on Tuesday…

Netherlands: Thor the lion has a vasectomy in Dutch zoo

A lion at a zoo in the Netherlands has been given a vasectomy after he fathered five cubs last year. The 11-year-old lion, named Thor, impregnated two lionesses. The first…

UK: Head of the Society of Editors resigns over reaction to Harry’s tabloid media comments

The executive director of an industry body for the UK press has resigned after a row over its reaction to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s comments about racism in…

UK: Royal Family ‘very much not racist’ – William

The Duke of Cambridge has said the royals are “very much not a racist family” in his first comments after accusations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a…

Thailand: Delays AstraZeneca vaccine rollout after blood clot fears

Thailand has delayed the rollout of the AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine over reports of blood clots. The country’s prime minister and several cabinet members were due to kick off the country’s…

USA: Pentagon rebukes Fox host Tucker Carlson for mocking female troops

The Pentagon has condemned a Fox News host who called female troops “a mockery of the US military”. Tucker Carlson, one of the most popular hosts on the network, made…

Europe: Declared ‘LGBT freedom zone’ in response to Poland’s ‘LGBT-free zones’

The European Parliament has declared that the whole of the European Union is an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone”. The symbolic resolution was passed in response to local authorities in Poland labelling…

USA: Netflix considers crackdown on password sharing

Netflix is trialling a crackdown on password sharing. Some users have reported seeing a screen saying, “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own…

Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific posts record $2.8bn loss for 2020

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has reported a record annual loss of $2.8bn (£2bn) for 2020. Its poor results were due to a sharp downturn in travel during the pandemic…