Fire at migrant camp in Greece leaves thousands homeless
LESBOS ISLAND: Thousands of asylum seekers were left homeless on Wednesday after a fire gutted Greece’s largest migrant camp on Lesbos, plunging the island into crisis and sparking pledges of help from around Europe. The blaze, which began hours after 35 people tested positive for coronavirus at the Moria camp, sent thousands fleeing for safety […]
Burning oil tanker leaks diesel off Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: A burning oil tanker began leaking diesel off Sri Lanka’s coast, naval officials said on Tuesday, fuelling fears of a major environmental disaster. The Panama-flagged New Diamond, carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil and another 1,700 of diesel fuel, has been burning since Thursday. A diesel oil slick was observed near the crippled vessel […]
China displays Covid-19 vaccines for first time
BEIJING: China has put its homegrown coronavirus vaccines on display for the first time, as the country where the contagion was discovered looks to shape the narrative surrounding the pandemic. High hopes hang on the small vials of liquid on show at a Beijing trade fair this week — vaccine candidates produced by Chinese companies […]
Germany threatens sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s poisoning
BERLIN: Tensions deepened between Germany and Russia over the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Sunday, with Germany threatening sanctions and Russia accusing Berlin of delaying the investigation it demanded. Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner Navalny fell ill on a flight last month and was treated in a Siberian hospital before being evacuated to […]
‘Rare, dangerous’ heat wave to hit California, US West
LOS ANGELES: A record heat wave with temperatures of up to 125 Fahrenheit (49 Celsius) was set to punish California starting on Friday as another extreme weather event raised risks of more forest fires and rolling blackouts. The “deadly heat wave” of “rare, dangerous and very possibly fatal” temperatures was forecast across Southern California for […]
43 crew members missing after ship carrying 6,000 animals capsizes
TOKYO: More than 40 crew members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the Japanese coastguard said on Thursday. A lone crew member from the Gulf Livestock 1 had been rescued so far. Three vessels, four aeroplanes and two divers were […]
Uzbekistan stages outdoor exams for 1.4m university applicants
TASHKENT: Tens of thousands of youngsters headed to sports arenas across Uzbekistan on Wednesday to sit university entrance exams in the open air due to the coronavirus pandemic. The massive exercise, which will span two weeks, will see more than 1.4 million applicants take a three-hour test while seated at desks on the running tracks […]
US Says It Won’t Join Global Effort To Develop Covid Vaccine
The Trump administration has said it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organisation. The decision to go for it alone, first reported by The Washington Post, follows the White House’s decision […]
Lt Gen Bajwa will explain, says Imran Khan’s minister after corruption scandal hits home
China Pakistan Economic Corridor chairman Lt General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, who has landed in the middle of a scandal over his family’s rise in assets that coincided with his elevation in the army, will come up with a detailed explanation of the family’s growth in assets, Pakistan’s information minister Shibli Faraz said late on […]
Qatar introduces major changes to labour law
ISLAMABAD: Qatar has introduced major changes to its labour market and has ended the requirement for migrant workers to obtain their employers’ permission to change jobs, thus becoming the first country in the region to adopt non-discriminatory minimum wage. The new law, coupled with the removal of exit permit requirements earlier in the year, effectively […]
