EU launches legal action against AstraZeneca
BRUSSELS: The European Union’s executive branch said on Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 27-nation bloc. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europe’s immunisation campaign, and a linchpin in the global strategy to get vaccines to poorer countries. […]
US, China commit to climate cooperation ahead of summit
WASHINGTON: The United States and China are “committed to cooperating” on the pressing issue of climate change, the two sides said on Saturday, issuing the pledge days ahead of a key summit hosted by President Joe Biden. The joint statement came after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry, the first official […]
New Mexico: Scientists Unearth 300-Million-Year-Old ‘Godzilla’ Shark Fossil
The 300-million-year-old shark’s teeth were the first sign that it might be a distinct species. The ancient chompers looked less like the spear-like rows of teeth of related species. They were squatter and shorter, less than an inch long, around 2 centimeters. “Great for grasping and crushing prey rather than piercing prey,” said discoverer John-Paul […]
Bangladesh virus shutdown triggers exodus from capital
DHAKA: Tens of thousands of people scrambled to get the last trains, buses and ferries out of Dhaka on Tuesday before a nationwide transport shutdown to halt the spread of coronavirus took hold. With new cases and deaths hitting record numbers, Bangladesh’s government has ordered all offices and shops to close for eight days from […]
Suu Kyi faces new criminal charges
YANGON: Myanmar’s detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi asked a court on Monday to be allowed to meet her lawyers in person when she appeared at a hearing via video link to face charges brought by the military junta that could see her jailed for years. As Suu Kyi appeared, her supporters called for […]
China Admits That Its Covid-19 Vaccines ‘Don’t Have High Protection Rates’
In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country’s top disease control official says their effectiveness is low and the government is considering mixing them to get a boost. Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates,” said the director of the China Centres for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a […]
WHO slams vaccine imbalance between rich, poor nations
GENEVA: The World Health Organisation on Friday condemned the chasm between rich and poor nations in accessing coronavirus vaccines, saying more than a dozen countries were still completely unprotected. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — a fierce critic of wealthy countries buying up vaccine supply for themselves — blasted the scarcity of doses available for […]
SEARCH Violence rocks N. Ireland as unionists clash with nationalists
BELFAST: Leaders in Northern Ireland came together on Thursday to condemn days of violent unrest stemming from the territory’s pro-UK community, including a petrol-bomb attack on a moving bus. The British and Irish governments also denounced the latest unrest, which has erupted amid anger over apparent economic dislocation as a result of Brexit and existing […]
New Zealand Bans Entry Of Travelers From India Amid Surge In Covid Cases
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday announced a temporary suspension of travellers, including its citizens, from India for about two weeks from April 11 to combat the surge in Covid-19 cases among visitors to the island country. The ban will begin on Sunday and will remain in place until April 28, she said. […]
Death toll from floods in Indonesia, East Timor tops 110
LEMBATA: Tropical cyclone Seroja pounded Indonesia and East Timor on Monday after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides that have killed at least 113 people and left dozens more missing. Packing heavy winds and rain, the storm heaped more misery on the Southeast Asian nations after Sunday’s disaster turned small communities into wastelands of mud, […]
