Handelsblatt economic daily had reported Monday that Berlin had estimated the efficacy of the jab among over-65s was just eight percent, citing unnamed sources.

The deepening political crisis is playing out against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 85,000 Italians -- the second highest death toll in Europe after Britain and the sixth highest in the world.

The remarks came after Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Monday, called for global cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges, while warning that confrontation, including trade wars, will only end up hurting the interests of all countries.

Some $600 billion is spent for government procurement every year, with a federal law requiring agencies to give preferences to American firms, according to Biden.

The recent community case, in a woman who returned to New Zealand on Dec. 30 and had tested positive for the South African strain of the virus after leaving a two-week mandatory quarantine, led Australia to immediately suspend a travel bubble with New Zealand for 72 hours.

"The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism," a statement said.

Officials from China and ASEAN nations are revisiting the idea of negotiating in person a set of binding guidelines to prevent all-out conflict in the South China Sea, despite COVID-19 restrictions.

Vladimir Putin's top opponent has been imprisoned since mid-January on his return to Russia from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from poisoning with a nerve agent that he blames on the Russian president.

The two vaccine candidates "were generally well tolerated, but the immune responses were inferior to those seen following natural infection" and compared with other Covid-19 vaccines, Merck said in a press release.

Xi also said in a speech at a virtual event hosted by the World Economic Forum that "small circles" and a "new Cold War" only "lead to a division in the world" and "conflict," apparently urging new US President Joe Biden to pursue multilateralism.

Interior Minister Olga Sanchez told reporters at a regular government news conference that Lopez Obrador feels well after he announced on Sunday that he had mild symptoms of Covid-19.

Japan attended the meeting for the first time after the European Union asked Motegi to join amid China's rising assertiveness to reinforce expansive maritime claims in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the East and South China seas.

Police arrested around 250 people after using water cannon and tear gas during demonstrations in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other towns on Sunday, local media said.

Led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the carrier strike group entered the area Saturday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said, the same day Taiwan reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defense zone.

Opposition lawmakers were also increasingly frustrated with Suga's taciturn leadership style, demanding he provide detailed answers to questions about the COVID-19 crisis and the Tokyo Olympics set to start in less than six months.

Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, vowed last week that the trial -- already scheduled to open in the second week of February -- should proceed, saying, "I don't think it will be long, but we must do it."

Sanders will announce on video her intention to seek the Republican nomination for the November 2022 election, the source added.

Biden will also on Monday extend the ban to travelers who have recently been to South Africa amid warnings that new, more transmissible coronavirus variants are already establishing themselves in the United States, the official said, confirming US media reports.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted provisional approval for the Pfizer product, making it the first Covid-19 vaccine to get the green light in Australia.

"I regret to inform you that I am infected with Covid-19. The symptoms are mild but I am already undergoing medical treatment," the 67-year-old said in a message on social media.

The miners were brought to the surface starting from around 11 am Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported -- a major breakthrough for a rescue operation that has captivated the nation. 

Police clashed with demonstrators in Moscow as tens of thousands took to the streets across the country on Saturday following Navalny's call to demonstrate against President Vladimir Putin's 20-year rule.

The comments are the first from Washington on relations with Taiwan since President Joe Biden's inauguration last week, and came on the same day Taipei reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defence zone.

After one week, India has vaccinated 1.4 million people, or 200,000 people per day. It had initially hoped to process 300,000 per day before ramping up the rollout and inoculating 300 million by July.

The 56-year-old, who returned to New Zealand on Dec. 30, tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 days after leaving a two-week mandatory quarantine at the border where she had twice tested negative.

"We agreed to oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China seas," Kishi told reporters after the two held phone talks.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund advocacy group said that of the 782 out candidates at all levels of government who appeared on the ballots voters also used to unseat Donald Trump as president in favor of Joe Biden, 334 won their races in November, more than ever before.

During the conversation, which Canada said lasted approximately 30 minutes, the two leaders covered everything from the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to the closure of the US-Canada border since March, to environmental protections.

Between the anticipated supply agreements for the Pfizer vaccine and ongoing work to approve an AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine candidate, the UN health body expects to begin delivering COVID-19 vaccines by late February under an allocation framework designed to ensure access for low- and middle-income countries, the WHO said in a statement.

As many as 72 players have been confined to their hotel rooms for two weeks upon arrival and unable to train for the Feb. 8-21 Grand Slam after passengers on three charter flights tested positive.