Reuters World News Summary

South Korea reached deals to buy additional COVID-19 vaccines for 23 million people: Yonhap South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Tuesday that the government reached deals to buy additional coronavirus vaccines for 23 million people, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. South Korea reached deals to buy additional COVID-19 vaccines for 23 million people: Yonhap

South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Tuesday that the government reached deals to buy additional coronavirus vaccines for 23 million people, the Yonhap news agency reported. The deals include Novavax vaccines for 20 million people and Pfizer products for 3 million, Yonhap said, quoting Chung as saying at a meeting. Exclusive: Russia in prisoner swap talks with U.S. over detained American - lawyer

Russia and the United States are in talks on a possible prisoner swap that could secure the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine jailed for spying, within two to three months, his lawyer told Reuters on Monday. Russia convicted Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, of spying last June and sentenced him to 16 years in jail. He denied spying and said he was set up in a sting operation. Washington demanded his release. Guinea tracks potential Ebola contacts, says it can overcome new outbreak

Guinea is tracking down people who potentially had contact with Ebola patients and will rush vaccines to the affected area as soon as possible following at least three deaths from the disease, Health Minister Remy Lamah said on Monday. Lamah said that unlike during the deadliest known outbreak, which tore through West Africa in 2013-2016, Guinea had the means to halt the resurgence of the virus. At least 60 killed after passenger barge crashes on Congo river

At least 60 people died when a passenger barge carrying more than 700 people became shipwrecked on the Congo river at night, Democratic Republic of Congo's humanitarian affairs minister said on Monday. Some 300 survivors had been found near the scene of the accident in Mai-Ndombe province in the west of the country, but another 240 remained unaccounted for, Steve Mbikayi wrote on Twitter. Mexico begins rocky rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations for elderly

Mexico on Monday began the task of vaccinating millions of senior citizens against the coronavirus, with dozens of Mexicans over 60 years old waiting in line for hours because of delays in administering shots. Mexico began vaccinating healthcare workers in late December, and is starting a second phase for the elderly, even as it waits for more vaccine shipments. Iraq rocket attack kills contractor, wounds U.S. service member: U.S. coalition

A rocket attack at a U.S.-led military base in Kurdish northern Iraq on Monday killed a civilian contractor and wounded five other people including a U.S. service member, according to initial reports, the U.S. coalition in Iraq said. It was the most deadly attack to hit U.S.-led forces for almost a year in Iraq, where tensions have escalated between U.S. forces, their Iraqi and Kurdish allies on one side and Iran-aligned militias on the other. Less joy, more guilt: Japan coronavirus doctor torn over Olympic torch relay

It was Manabu Yoneshima's dream to cap his medical career by running in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay, a festive occasion he had been training for during nights and weekends. Instead, Yoneshima has postponed his retirement and his lifelong goal to run the torch relay has been replaced by feelings of guilt as he and his colleagues battle the resurgent virus. UK's Johnson says: world needs pandemic treaty to ensure transparency

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that world powers should clinch a global treaty on pandemics to ensure proper transparency after the novel coronavirus outbreak which originated in China. Johnson said he would be keen to agree a global treaty on pandemics where countries agreed to share data, amid British and U.S. concern over access given to a World Health Organization (WHO) mission to China. Smaller protests in Myanmar as junta deploys more troops, armoured vehicles

Protesters in Myanmar kept up demands on Monday for the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule despite the deployment of armoured vehicles and more soldiers on the streets. Suu Kyi, detained since a Feb. 1 coup against her elected government, had been expected to face a court in connection with charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios, but a judge said her remand lasted until Wednesday, her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said. U.S. Vice-President Harris speaks with France's Macron, seeks to strengthen ties

U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, expressing her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, her office said in a statement. President Joe Biden, a former vice president himself under Barack Obama, has had Harris at his side for multiple events during his early White House tenure, indicating he wants her to have a key role in implementing his political and policy agenda.