The Serbian government has officially abandoned a project with Australian-British Rio Tinto to mine lithium in the northwest of the country, plans for which have sparked massive environmental protests, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said. Serbia's president said in late December that the project would not be withdrawn under the threat of more protests, but that it was not moving forward either....

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lifted some of the previous coronavirus restrictions as of 25 January. The decision was taken amid a scandal involving parties at the government residence during the lockdown. These include vaccine passports, the requirement to wear masks in public places and the recommendation to work from home. "Mandatory certification will end, organisations can...

Hong Kong has decided to euthanize 2,000 hamsters, chinchillas and rabbits after a shop assistant was found to be infected with the Delta coronavirus strain. Authorities in Hong Kong have ordered pet shops and pet owners to hand over about 2,000 hamsters for euthanasia after finding evidence that the coronavirus appears to be able to be transmitted from animal to human. This was reported by the...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos called for reform of the global financial system to make it work for the benefit of all countries. "We need to reform the global financial system to make it work for all countries. More than eight out of ten recovery dollars are spent in developed countries," Guterres said in a video message. Low-income countries...

Thailand plans to introduce a tourist levy from April. The country intends to spend the proceeds to develop tourist facilities and cover insurance for tourists. Thailand will charge foreign tourists a tourist fee of 300 baht ($9) from April, said the government spokesperson, quoted by The Bangkok Post. The official explained that the money will be used to develop tourist attractions and cover...

Australia became the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas last year, pushing Qatar into second place, while the US remained third, data from market research firm Kpler show. Australia exported 80.23 million tonnes of LNG compared with 77.63 million in 2020. Qatar delivered almost as much last year as it did a year earlier - 77.83 million tonnes compared with 77.88 million tonnes. The US is...

The situation with the coronavirus will remain dire for the next three months, David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation's special envoy for COVID-19, told Sky News TV. "I am afraid we are running a marathon distance, but it is too early to say we are close to the end," he said. Nabarro stressed that the end of the pandemic is in sight, but we have not yet reached it. He warned that the...

The UK economy could suffer almost $50bn in two months due to the spread of the Omicron strain. The spread of the Omicron strain could damage the UK economy to the tune of £35 billion (about $48 billion) in January and February, The Sunday Times wrote, citing analysis by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR). The economy's losses are primarily threatened by the isolation of...

The Mexican Attorney General's Office has formally charged Emilio Lozoya Austin, the former head of oil and gas corporation Petróleos Mexicanos, in the Odebrecht corruption case and demanded 39 years in prison for him, Milenio reported. "The Mexican Attorney General's Office (FGR) has formally charged Emilio Lozoya Austin, former director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), in the Odebrecht case and...