News in pictures: Google defers Indian in-app fees, Mali frees 100 prisoners, Rockets fall in Baghdad, COVID in Philippines, New Zealand wildfires, Lana Del Rey slammed for mesh mask, Etihad offers student discounts...

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MALI FREES OVER 100 JAILED RADICALS: Mali has freed more than 100 suspected or convicted radicals as part of negotiations for the release of a prominent Malian politician and a kidnapped French charity worker, sources close to the talks said Monday. "As part of the negotiations to obtain the release of Soumaila Cisse and Sophie Petronin, more than one hundred radical prisoners were released this weekend," one of those in charge of the negotiations, who asked not to be named, told AFP. An official at the security services confirmed the information. Sophie Petronin, a French charity worker, was abducted by gunmen on December 24, 2016, in the northern city of Gao. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: Agency

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'NOT GETTING POST-BREXIT TRADE DEAL WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE': The COVID-19 pandemic has made sealing a post-Brexit trade relationship with Britain more urgent than before and failing to get a deal would be irresponsible, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. Speaking after a meeting European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, Maas said the EU wanted to be constructive and was still aiming for a deal. "With today's health and economic challenges, people on both sides of the channel have enough to shoulder, so it would be totally irresponsible to burden them in this position with additional problems through a no-deal," Maas said. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: AFP

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TWO ROCKETS FALL IN BAGHDAD: Iraq's military said in a statement on Monday that two Katyusha rockets had fallen late on Sunday in Baghdad's Jadiriya area, near the heavily fortified Green Zone, without causing any casualties. One of the rockets landed near the Babylon hotel, which is used by Iraqi travelers and sometimes for government meetings, the military said in the statement. https://gulfnews.com/world/mena Image Credit: Shutterstock

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PHILIPPINES CONFIRMS 2,291 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES, 64 MORE DEATHS: The Philippine health ministry on Monday reported 2,291 new coronavirus infections and 64 more deaths. In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases in the Philippines have increased to 324,762, the highest in Southeast Asia, while deaths have reached 5,840. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: Pixabay

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CLIMATE ACTIVISTS START PROTEST WEEK IN GERMANY: Climate activists on Monday began a week of action seeking a halt to all airport, motorway and federal highway projects in Germany with a sit-in blockade at the transport ministry in Berlin. Dozens of Extinction Rebellion activists sat in front of the ministry from early morning, holding placards with the protest week's motto "Stop the destruction of our basic resources". They called for a stop to the felling of part of the Dannenroeder forest, which started last week to make way for a highway. The forest, which the activists call "Danni", lies in a nature protection area north of Frankfurt. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: AFP

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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS CASES CROSS 35.11 MILLION, DEATH TOLL AT 1,035,247: More than 35.11 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,035,247 have died, according to a Reuters tally published on Monday. The United States topped the list of twenty countries with the highest recorded infections and deaths in the world, followed by India, Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, Iran, Chile, Iraq, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey and the Philippines. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: AFP

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DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR STUDENTS ON ETIHAD AIRWAYS: The UAE national carrier, Etihad Airways, has launched its 'Global Student' offer to make it easier for students to travel between university and home or to discover new horizons and cultures. "Students who book before 30th November, 2020, for travel by 30th September, 2021, will save up to 10% on Economy tickets and 5% on Business class tickets", the airline said in a statement on Monday. Family members can also benefit from the same discount provided their tickets are booked under the same reservation and they travel with the student. https://gulfnews.com/business Image Credit: Etihad Aiways

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GOOGLE DEFERS INDIAN IN-APP FEES: Alphabet Inc's Google has extended its deadline for Indian app developers to comply with a new billing system for commission fees by six months, it said on Monday, days after local startups voiced anger about the charges. Google will now enforce its global policy more strictly and charge a 30% commission fee for in-app purchases from Indian developers from March 31, 2022, the company said, saying it was "being mindful of local needs and concerns". The move comes after many startups in India banded together to consider ways to challenge the company by lodging complaints with the government and courts over the original deadline for compliance of September 30 next year. They were upset about the commission fee and also criticised several other Google Play Store policies for hurting their businesses. "We do not succeed unless our partners succeed," Google said in a blog post, adding that it will set up "listening sessions" with leading Indian startups to understand their issues. https://gulfnews.com/business https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india Image Credit: Reuters

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BRITAIN PASSES 500,000 CORONAVIRUS CASES: The United Kingdom passed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus infections on Sunday, official figures showed, in the latest grim milestone for the European country worst-hit by the pandemic. Health authorities blamed a technical glitch for a sudden spike in cases announced in evening figures that had kept several thousand cases from the last week of September off the official tally. Sunday's numbers showed 22,961 cases for the day, a rise of more than 10,000 on Saturday's figures. Officials said the issue had now been resolved and earlier cases missed in the official count would be included in future figures. Image Credit: Reuters

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WILDFIRES RAZE DOZENS OF HOMES IN NEW ZEALAND: Wildfires have destroyed up to 50 homes in New Zealand, authorities announced Monday, saying it was a miracle no one was hurt as "a wall of orange" razed most of a remote South Island village. The blaze began in a mountain forest early Sunday morning and, fanned by strong winds, swept through the village of Lake Ohau, forcing residents to flee for their lives. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said the unpredictable winds made fighting the fire "challenging" and by Monday afternoon it had razed 4,600 hectares (18 square miles) of land. https://gulfnews.com/world Image Credit: AFP

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LANA DEL REY RECEIVES BACKLASH AFTER WEARING MESH FACE MASK: The fans of American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey are upset over the artist's decision to wear a mesh face mask to a fan meet and greet. According to E!News, the 35-year-old singer made a spontaneous stop at the Barnes & Noble at shopping complex The Grove in Los Angeles to promote her new poetry book 'Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass'. In a series of Instagram photos and videos, Lana is wearing a mesh face mask that provides no protection from the spread of the coronavirus. However, her team, who can be seen in the background of the videos, do seem to be wearing the proper face coverings. Fans called the 'Cinnamon Girl' singer out in the comments section, with many asking her to apologise for her choice of mask. https://gulfnews.com/entertainment Image Credit: Instagram

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'NOT SURPRISED BY AIIMS REPORT IN SUSHANT CASE': We are not at all surprised by the top Indian hospital AIIMS report on Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death as the Cooper Hospital, Mumbai team too had found the same, said Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh on Monday. Talking to reporters after the AIIMS forensic team tasked with re-evaluating Sushant's post-mortem report concluded that the actor died by suicide, and wasn't murdered, Singh hailed the professionalism of both the Mumbai Police and doctors from Cooper Hospital. https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india https://gulfnews.com/entertainment Image Credit: Twitter

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UNPAID FOR MONTHS, DOCTORS GO ON STRIKE: Irked over non-payment of salaries, doctors and staff members of India's North Delhi Municipal Corporation's Hindu Rao Hospital have decided to sit on indefinite agitation from Monday onwards. The emergency services will, however, operate. The doctors and staff members of the hospitals have not been paid since June. Last week, the staffers were on a 'Pen Down Strike' from 9 am to 12 pm to display their ordeal. According to the civic body, the matter is being looked into. The letter written by the Resident Doctor Association to the hospital administration stated, "We apologise to announce that we are forced to go for an indefinite agitation w.e.f. October 5, 2020 considering strictly 'No pay, No work', while operating the emergency services smoothly." https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india Image Credit: AP

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News in pictures: Google defers Indian in-app fees, Mali frees 100 prisoners, Rockets fall in Baghdad, COVID in Philippines, New Zealand wildfires, Lana Del Rey slammed for mesh mask, Etihad offers student discounts...

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