UK adds Sinopharm and Sinovac to approved vaccine list
The British government on Tuesday said it had added Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covaxin Covid-19 vaccines to its approved list starting November 22. British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner shared the update on Twitter and said it was “good news for Pakistani travellers”. The update means that travellers from Pakistan who have received the full […]
Astronaut becomes first Chinese woman to walk in space
BEIJING: Astronaut Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space, authorities said on Monday, as her team completed a six-hour stint outside the Tiangong space station as part of its ongoing construction. Tiangong — meaning “heavenly palace” — is the latest achievement in China’s drive to become a major space power, after […]
Over 100 hurt as protesters clash with police in Iraq
BAGHDAD: Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iran groups clashed with security forces in Iraq’s capital on Friday, leaving more than 100 people injured as they vented their fury over last month’s election result, medical and security sources said. “There were 125 people injured, 27 of them civilians and the rest from the security forces,” the health […]
UK becomes first country to approve anti-Covid pill
LONDON: Britain on Thursday became the first country to approve an anti-Covid pill, as it greenlit the use of Merck’s antiviral drug to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate coronavirus, regulators said. “Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that […]
25 people killed, over 50 injured in Kabul hospital raid
At least 25 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in an attack on Afghanistan’s biggest military hospital on Tuesday which saw two heavy blasts followed up by gunmen assaulting the site in central Kabul, officials said. The explosions took place at the entrance of the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital and were […]
Uzbek traders learn to do business with Taliban
TERMEZ (Uzbekistan): As lorries arrive in bursts of dust at a logistics hub in Uzbekistan’s southern city of Termez, squatting drivers share complaints about how trade has suffered since the Taliban seized power next-door. “Before, our journey there and back took three days, now we are there for a week,” said Rafik Khujakov, an Uzbek […]
G20 agrees on 1.5°C target ahead of UN climate talks
ROME: G20 leaders meeting in Rome on Sunday committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and pledged action on the use of coal, but fell short on a target of zero emissions, according to a final draft communique. The pledges by the Group of 20 major economies, which emit […]
Flights, weddings cancelled as China tackles Covid cases
BEIJING: Beijing officials on Friday told residents to postpone weddings and keep funeral ceremonies short, as disease controls across China were tightened just months before the Winter Olympics kicks off in the capital. The world’s most populous nation has reduced infection numbers to a trickle since its initial epidemic last spring thanks to a zero-tolerance […]
Facebook asks workers to preserve internal documents since 2016
Facebook has told employees to “preserve internal documents and communications since 2016” that pertain to its businesses because governments and legislative bodies have started inquiries into its operations, according to a company email sent on Tuesday night. The move, known as a “legal hold”, follows intense media, legal and regulatory scrutiny over the social network’s […]
Israel gives final OK to 1,800 West Bank settler homes
JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday advanced plans for building more than 3,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, a move condemned by the Palestinians that came a day after the US forcefully criticised such construction. The Civil Administration’s high planning committee gave final approval to 1,800 homes and initial endorsement for another 1,344, a spokesman […]
