India’s quick grant to homegrown COVID-19 vaccine seeds doubt
NEW DELHI (AFP): A homegrown COVID-19 vaccine will be rolled out in India from Saturday even though clinical trials haven’t been completed but the country’s government insists it will be safe and effective. In early January 2021, New Delhi greenlighted
Powerful earthquake in Indonesia kills at least 35, injures hundreds
JAKARTA: At least 34 people were killed and hundreds injured following a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island early on Friday morning, prompting landslides and destroying houses. Thousands of people fled their homes to seek safety when the 6.2-magnitude
Global COVID-19 death toll passes two million
WASHINGTON: The global pandemic coronavirus has infected more than 93.53 million people worldwide and killed 2,02,407 people. More than 668.12 million patients of coronavirus have been cured in the world and more than 24.718 million are undergoing treatment. The coronavirus
Turkey’s President Erdogan receives COVID-19 vaccine
ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan received the COVID-19 vaccine in front of TV cameras on Thursday, a move which a spokesman for his party said aimed to alleviate any public doubts about the effectiveness of the shot. Erdogan received his
Sweden unveils climate activist Greta Thunberg stamp
STOCKHOLM: Swedish teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg will appear on a postal stamp that will be issued in her native Sweden and is part of a series focusing on the environment. The stamps “should reflect our time, where the environmental
Trump impeached for unprecedented second time
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump became the first president in US history to be impeached twice, as 10 of his fellow Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to charge him with inciting an insurrection in last week’s violent rampage in
China reports first COVID-19 death in eight months
BEIJING: China on Thursday reported its first death from Covid-19 in eight months as the country battles to contain a resurgence in cases and prepares for the arrival of an expert team from the WHO. More than 20 million people
Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 92 million
WASHINGTON: The coronavirus has infected more than 92,778,786 million people worldwide and killed 1,986,900 people. More than 66.29 million coronavirus patients have been cured in the world and more than 24.49 million are undergoing treatment. Coronavirus is the worst-hit country
Iran is new ‘home base’ of Al-Qaeda, alleges Pompeo
WASHINGTON: Outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new “home base” for Al-Qaeda, an assertion mocked by Tehran and questioned by experts. A week before President-elect Joe Biden takes over, Pompeo confirmed
Pence rejects invoking 25th Amendment to oust Trump
WASHINGTON: US Vice President Mike Pence told House leaders he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment process to remove Donald Trump as lawmakers push for an impeachment vote against the besieged president. “With just eight days left in the
Eldest son of Oman’s sultan becomes first crown prince
MUSCAT: The oldest son of Oman’s sultan became the first crown prince in the country’s history as the Gulf state published a new “fundamental law” stipulating the line of succession. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said issued a decree setting
‘Oppressive’: Report finds 9,000 babies died in Ireland’s Church homes
DUBLIN: Thousands of children died in Ireland’s mother and baby homes run by Ireland’s Catholic Church where unmarried women were sent to deliver their babies in secret, often against their will from the 1920s to 1990s, an inquiry found on
Divers recover ‘black box’ from crashed Indonesian aircraft
JAKARTA: Indonesian navy divers searching the ocean floor have recovered a “black box” from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea with 62 people on board. The recovery of the device is expected to help investigators determine
Indian Supreme Court suspends implementation of new agriculture laws
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court of India has stayed the implementation of new agriculture laws against which thousands of farmers were protesting. The court has directed that a four-member committee of agricultural expertise formed to negotiate with the farmers. The Supreme
British Airways suspended flight operations to Lahore
ISLAMABAD: British Airways has suspended its flight operations to Lahore just after three months starting the direct flights to the provincial capital of Punjab. The airline announced, it will suspend direct flights from Lahore, Pakistan to London Heathrow from April
Coronavirus active cases in Saudi Arabia fall below 2,000 mark
RIYADH: The number of active coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia has fallen below 2,000 marks for the first time in many months. The number of coronavirus patients in the country has been remaining very small as the daily cases of
US rebrands Cuba as state sponsor of terrorism
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration returned Cuba to the US blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, erecting a last-minute roadblock to expected efforts by President-elect Joe Biden to ease tensions. The terror designation severely hampers foreign investment and can
‘Breaking Point’: Malaysia declares state of emergency, suspends parliament
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah declared a state of emergency across the country on Tuesday to curb the spread of COVID-19, after consenting to a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. An emergency would give the prime minister and
Guterres to run for second term as UN chief
NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will run for a second five-year term as the organization’s chief, his spokesman said. Guterres informed the president of the General Assembly and Security Council that “he is available to serve a second
FBI warns of armed protests ahead of Biden’s inauguration
WASHINGTON: The FBI has warned of armed protests being planned for Washington and all 50 US state capitals in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. The FBI issued warnings for next weekend that run at least
Joe Biden receives second COVID-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden has received his second COVID-19 shot, and said that getting vaccines injected would be a “number one priority” for his incoming administration. It comes as vaccine rollout has faltered badly in the world’s hardest-hit country, where
Biden picks career diplomat William Burns as CIA chief
WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden announced William Burns as his pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, tapping a retired veteran diplomat who helped lead secret talks with Iran. Burns, along with Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Avril
Indonesia uses unmanned undersea vehicle to search air crash victims, black boxes
JAKARTA: Indonesia has deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to help divers search for the remains of victims and recover the flight recorders from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea three days ago soon after takeoff. The
Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 91 million
WASHINGTON: The global coronavirus has infected more than 91,319,487 million people worldwide and caused 1952,932 deaths. More than 648.13 million patients of coronavirus have been cured in the world and more than 239.34 million are undergoing treatment. India ranks second
US Supreme Court shuns election-related disputes
WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court steered clear of more cases involving bids by President Donald Trump and some Republican allies to overturn his election loss and turned away a Democratic effort to expand mail-in voting in Texas. The justices, as
Qatar Airways resumes flight to Saudi Arabia after 3 years
DOHA: Qatar Airways has resumed flight operations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after nearly three years. On a social media website Twitter, the international airways said it had resumed flight operations to Riyadh on Monday. In another tweet, it said
Netanyahu orders new Israeli settlement in occupied West Bank
(REUTERS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, an early test for the administration of President-elect Joe Biden who has been a fierce critic of projects built on land that the
Oman to get its first crown prince under new royal laws
OMAN: Oman’s sultan has issued a new law on the appointment of a crown prince for the first time in the country’s history, aimed at creating a more “specific and stable” transfer of power, according to the new royal decree.
India hands back detained Chinese soldier after swift demand by China
LADAKH: The Indian military has said that it had handed back a Chinese soldier held near a remote Himalayan border after swift demand by the Chinese government. The Indian military had apprehended the Chinese soldier near the Himalayan border where
Turkish users quit WhatsApp, switch to local apps
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s media office has reportedly planning to shut down its WhatsApp groups over privacy concerns. The move comes after Ankara called for a nationwide boycott of the Facebook-owned messaging app. The office is switching over