While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 31
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US President Joe Biden (left) has been pushing direct diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) as an alternative for resolving the Ukraine crisis.
PHOTO: AFP
Biden-Putin talk for 50 mins as Russia pushes security agenda
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked by phone on Thursday as the US and its allies raise alarm over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 50-minute call call began at 3.35pm Washington time (4.35am on Friday, Singapore time), 11.35pm in Moscow, according to the White House.
Putin sought the call – which Biden took from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he is vacationing – as a prelude to negotiations on European security at the start of the year, the Kremlin said.
The talks follow a Dec 7 Biden-Putin video call in which the American president affirmed a commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and warned that Russian aggression would be met with unprecedented economic penalties.
Covid-19 deaths in Eastern Europe surpass one million
Coronavirus deaths in Eastern Europe topped one million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Omicron variant threatened to batter the region.
Three out of the five countries reporting the highest number of daily deaths in Europe are from the East, including Russia, Poland and Ukraine, Reuters data through Thursday showed.
Eastern Europe makes up 39 per cent of the region's population and has reported more than half the total Covid-related deaths in Europe, according to the Reuters tally. The death toll in Eastern Europe reached 1,045,454 on Thursday, compared with 1,873,253 in all of Europe..
Anti-vax community blasts Trump after pro-shot comments
Former Republican president Donald Trump's recent comments touting Covid-19 vaccines as safe and a major achievement of his presidency have roiled extreme anti-vaxers, which include many of his ardent supporters.
After months of a relatively low profile on vaccines and no photos of him getting inoculated, Trump on Dec 19 told former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly during an event in Dallas that he had received the booster - eliciting some boos from the audience.
In an interview with right-wing pundit Candace Owens released two days later, Trump pushed back when Owens suggested the shots were not safe.
Furniture giant Ikea raises prices as supply chain woes persist
The world's biggest furniture brand Ikea is raising prices by an average of 9 per cent as it faces increasing costs in transport and raw materials, the owner of most of its stores worldwide said on Thursday.
Ikea had previously said it was leasing more ships, buying containers and re-routing goods between warehouses to mitigate supply chain disruptions but said it was now having to pass the costs onto customers, as it expected the turbulence to continue.
Ingka Group said prices would go up around 9 per cent on average across its markets, with local variations reflecting different inflationary pressures, including commodity and the supply chain issues.
Football: Lukaku 'not happy with situation' at Chelsea
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku said he is unhappy with manager Thomas Tuchel's system while also admitting he would like to return to Serie A side Inter Milan at some point in his career.
Lukaku left Inter in August and returned to Chelsea for a second stint in a deal worth a club record £97.5 million (S$178 million).
"After two years in Italy, in which I worked a lot at Inter with trainers and nutritionists, I am physically fine. But I'm not happy with the situation, this is normal," Lukaku told Sky Italy.
