World

Philippines limits mobility, business in capital area over Omicron threat 31 Dec 2021 - 07:53 pm

MANILA: The Philippines will impose tighter curbs in the capital region for the next two weeks, the acting presidential spokesperson said on Friday,...

Portugal's COVID-19 cases hit record, Omicron dominates at 83% 31 Dec 2021 - 07:19 pm

LISBON: Portugal reported on Friday a new daily record of 30,829 coronavirus cases, up from 28,659 the previous day, with the rapidly spreading...

Britain approves Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 pill 31 Dec 2021 - 05:57 pm

Britain has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 pill for adults who have mild to moderate infection and are at high risk of their illness worsening,...

Wildfires burn hundreds of homes in Colorado, thousands flee 31 Dec 2021 - 05:49 pm

DENVER: Tens of thousands of Coloradans driven from their neighborhoods by wind-whipped wildfires anxiously waited to learn what was left standing of their...

New virus infections driven by omicron soar in Australia 31 Dec 2021 - 05:39 pm

SYDNEY: New coronavirus infections soared again in Australia on Friday to a record of more than 32,000, just days after surpassing 10,000 for...

France urges green habits with new car ads, bans on plastic 31 Dec 2021 - 05:24 pm

PARIS: No more plastic packaging around fruits and vegetables and car ads promoting walking and cycling instead of driving: in 2022, French customers...

Year-end cheer for South Africans as midnight curfew lifted 31 Dec 2021 - 05:20 pm

CAPE TOWN: South Africans cheered the government's decision to lift its midnight curfew after nearly two years of COVID-19 restrictions, a relief for...

COVID-driven flight delays, cancellations persist on 2021's final day 31 Dec 2021 - 04:41 pm

Thousands of flights within the United States and internationally were delayed and hundreds were canceled early on Friday, adding to the tally of...

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...