March 18, 2021 – Page 2 – THE OVAL CIRCLE

Delaying sanctions-lift even for 1 hour is ‘great betrayal’ of Iran, Rouhani warns factions, ahead of presidential election

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has sent a stern warning to hardliners seeking to derail the country’s quest to get rid of the US sanctions. He himself is set to leave office after an election in June. … Read More >Delaying sanctions-lift even for 1 hour is ‘great betrayal’ of Iran, Rouhani warns factions, ahead of presidential election

EU

European Commission chief warns bloc could bar Covid vaccine exports to countries with higher inoculation rates

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

The European Commission (EC) president has warned it could block vaccine exports “to countries who have higher vaccination rates than us,” and describes the slow rollout and rise in Covid as “the crisis of the century.” … Read More >European Commission chief warns bloc could bar Covid vaccine exports to countries with higher inoculation rates

EU

Poland announces new national lockdown as Covid-19 third wave gathers pace, with UK variant becoming most prevalent

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

The Polish health minister has announced a new national lockdown, to come into force on Saturday, as the government looks to slow surging infections across the country and deal with more contagious Covid-19 variants. … Read More >Poland announces new national lockdown as Covid-19 third wave gathers pace, with UK variant becoming most prevalent

EU

Spain investigating woman’s death two weeks after dose of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

Spanish health authorities say they are investigating the death of a 43-year-old woman who died on Tuesday after receiving her first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as two other cases of blood-clotting among recipients. … Read More >Spain investigating woman’s death two weeks after dose of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Israel’s top court annuls Netanyahu govt’s daily cap on citizens returning to the country during Covid-19 pandemic

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

An order by PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to only allow 3,000 Israeli citizens per day back into the country violates civil rights, while that arbitrary figure was pulled out of the hat, Israel’s High Court ruled. … Read More >Israel’s top court annuls Netanyahu govt’s daily cap on citizens returning to the country during Covid-19 pandemic

Lebanon’s president demands PM quit if he can’t form govt to tackle pandemic fallout and economic crisis

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

The Lebanese Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, has been handed a dramatic ultimatum by the country’s president – to either form a new cabinet or quit, as the country remains paralyzed by a deep-seated economic crisis. … Read More >Lebanon’s president demands PM quit if he can’t form govt to tackle pandemic fallout and economic crisis

UK

False alarm or malicious rumor? Twitter account claiming to be Ecuadorian FM falsely announces death of Julian Assange

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

A Twitter account purporting to belong to Ecuador’s newly promoted foreign minister has falsely reported Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s death, acknowledging the news is “unconfirmed.” It’s not clear who’s behind the report. … Read More >False alarm or malicious rumor? Twitter account claiming to be Ecuadorian FM falsely announces death of Julian Assange

World

Health officials investigating ‘white woman only’ job posting by Canadian hospital

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

Canadian health officials are investigating a Quebec hospital over a recent job posting asking for a candidate with “white skin” to help with a patient who refused service from people of color. … Read More >Health officials investigating ‘white woman only’ job posting by Canadian hospital

EU

Half of Austrians fear stating opinions publicly, citing over-the-top political correctness & fear of being branded ‘alt right’

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

One in two Austrians prefers to keep their opinions to themselves, partly due to fear of being labeled an “alt right,” a new survey shows, as people in the Alpine land appear to grow wary of “exaggerated” political correctness. … Read More >Half of Austrians fear stating opinions publicly, citing over-the-top political correctness & fear of being branded ‘alt right’

EU

Strikingly-high Covid-19 mortality rate reported in Spanish children could have been centenarians ‘misreported as kids’

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021By Editor

Figures published by The Lancet journal last week suggest Spain has an alarmingly high mortality rate from Covid-19 among children. But there’s a catch – most of the deaths included were likely old people misreported as minors. … Read More >Strikingly-high Covid-19 mortality rate reported in Spanish children could have been centenarians ‘misreported as kids’