World

Madrid's restaurants struggle with wave of Omicron cancellations 31 Dec 2021 - 01:39 pm

MADRID- After nearly two years of COVID-19-induced uncertainty, Madrid's restaurants had been counting on solid bookings over the festive season to bolster their...

Hong Kong says Omicron has breached its strict COVID-19 restrictions 31 Dec 2021 - 12:46 pm

HONG KONG- Hong Kong's health officials said on Friday the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has made its way past some of the...

India's Serum Institute applies for full approval of Covishield vaccine 31 Dec 2021 - 11:50 am

BENGALURU- Serum Institute Of India has applied to the country's drug regulator and the health ministry for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine...

Philippine death toll from its strongest typhoon of year tops 400 31 Dec 2021 - 11:40 am

MANILA- The Philippine death toll from Typhoon Rai has crossed the 400 mark, the disaster agency said on Friday, as officials in some...

S.Korea to extend curbs amid Omicron surge, serious COVID-19 cases 31 Dec 2021 - 11:34 am

SEOUL- South Korea said on Friday it will extend stricter social distancing rules for two weeks amid a persistent surge in serious coronavirus...

Wind-driven wildfires prompt evacuation order for Colorado town of 13,000 31 Dec 2021 - 12:22 am

DENVER- Wind-driven wildfires prompted an evacuation order on Thursday for the entire town of Superior, Colorado, a community of roughly 13,000 residents, according...

Germany to drop quarantine, negative COVID-19 demand for UK arrivals 30 Dec 2021 - 10:56 pm

LONDON- Germany will on Jan. 4 drop its demand for travellers from Britain to quarantine and provide a negative COVID-19 test, requirements that...

S.Africa lifts curfew as it says COVID-19 fourth wave peaks 30 Dec 2021 - 10:50 pm

CAPE TOWN- South Africa lifted a midnight to 4 a.m. curfew on movement with immediate effect as it believes the country has passed...

British Airways scraps Hong Kong flights until March on virus 30 Dec 2021 - 09:11 pm

British Airways has scrapped flights to Hong Kong until March as the territory further tightens aircrew quarantine restrictions to contain the spread of...

US FDA expected to approve Pfizer boosters for 12-15 year-olds Monday -NYT 30 Dec 2021 - 08:48 pm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans on Monday to authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, the New...

China's CanSino says it plans further vaccine deliveries to Mexico 30 Dec 2021 - 08:45 pm

MEXICO CITY- China's CanSino Biologics said on Thursday it will resume supplies of its COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico next year, following a Reuters...

Experts warn Omicron 'blizzard' to disrupt US for next month 30 Dec 2021 - 08:18 pm

WASHINGTON- U.S. health experts on Thursday warned Americans that a rising tide of COVID-19 cases led by the Omicron variant threatens major disruptions...

Portugal cuts COVID-19 isolation from 10 days to seven 30 Dec 2021 - 08:07 pm

LISBON- Portugal on Thursday cut the mandatory isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic from 10 days to...

JetBlue cuts about 1,280 flights through mid-January on Omicron hurdles 30 Dec 2021 - 07:58 pm

JetBlue Airways Corp is reducing its schedule through Jan. 13 by about 1,280 flights due to a surge in crew members falling sick...

Royal Caribbean bookings take a hit as Omicron fears worsen 30 Dec 2021 - 07:36 pm

Royal Caribbean Group said on Thursday it was grappling with a drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations as COVID-19 cases surge...

Saudi Arabia reports 752 new coronavirus cases, one death 30 Dec 2021 - 07:31 pm

Riyadh- The Saudi Ministry of Health reported 752 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of...

Russia's COVID-19 death toll climbs to world's second highest 30 Dec 2021 - 07:28 pm

MOSCOW- Russia has overtaken Brazil to have the world's second-highest death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic, behind the United States, data from Russia's...

Russia extends production of COVID-19 drug remdesivir without patent for a year 30 Dec 2021 - 07:23 pm

MOSCOW- The Russian government extended on Thursday its approval for drugmaker Pharmasyntez to produce a generic version of U.S. anti-COVID-19 drug remdesivir without...