Russia reports cases of more contagious Covid-19 variant: Reports
Russia has reported some COVID-19 infections with a new coronavirus variant believed to be even more contagious than the Delta one, the RIA news agency said on Thursday. It is possible that the AY.4.2 variant will spread widely, RIA quoted the state consumer watchdog’s senior researcher Kamil Khafizov as saying. That could cause the rate […]
2 Taliban fighters, 4 school children wounded in Kabul grenade attack
A grenade was thrown at a Taliban vehicle in the Afghan capital on Wednesday morning, wounding two fighters and four nearby school children, government officials said. “This morning a grenade was thrown at a mujahideen vehicle in Deh Mazang, wounding two mujahideen,” Taliban interior ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti told AFP. Another official said: “Our initial […]
Afghanistan-wide polio vaccination starts next month: UN
KABUL: Afghanistan will kick off its first countrywide polio immunisation campaign in years next month to protect millions of unvaccinated children, the UN said on Monday. The United Nations’ health and children’s agencies said the campaign to vaccinate against the crippling and potentially fatal disease would begin on Nov 8, with full support from the […]
Iran to resume nuclear talks this week
TEHRAN: Iran is to resume nuclear negotiations with world powers on October 21 that were suspended in June, an Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday after a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The minister said that “talks with the 4+1 Group will restart on Thursday in Brussels”, Ahmad Alirezabeigui told the ultra-conservative news agency Fars after […]
US to lift curbs from Nov 8 for vaccinated foreign travellers
WASHINGTON: The White House said on Friday it would lift Covid-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective Nov 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States. Announcing the starting date for the new rules on travel into and out of the country, White House spokesman […]
Turkey ready to help, but will not recognise Taliban
ANKARA: Turkey said on Thursday it was ready to help the Taliban overcome Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, but would not recognise its rule as it hosted the war-scarred country’s new leaders for the first time. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received his acting counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi as the movement seeks to gain international legitimacy upon […]
46 killed, 41 injured as fire engulfs 13-story building in southern Taiwan
The death toll from a fire in southern Taiwan that engulfed a building overnight has further risen to 46 killed, according to local officials Thursday who said at least another 41 people were injured. The 13-story building caught fire around 3 a.m. on Thursday, fire officials in the city of Kaohsiung said. A fire department […]
Humanitarian crisis in focus as Italy hosts G20 Afghan summit
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will host a special summit of the Group of 20 major economies on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan, as worries grow about a looming humanitarian disaster following the Taliban’s return to power. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Aug 15, the country — already struggling with drought and severe poverty […]
Taliban say US has agreed to provide humanitarian aid
ISLAMABAD: The United States has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, while refusing to give political recognition to the Taliban rulers, according to a statement released on Sunday. The statement came at the end of the first direct talks between the former foes since […]
10 injured in 2 drone attacks at Saudi’s King Abdullah airport
Ten people were injured in two explosives-laden drone attacks at King Abdullah airport in the southern Saudi city of Jizan late on Friday and early on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said. The military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing forces of the ousted government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi […]
