World

S.Korea warns against lax distancing as daily COVID-19 count hits one-month high 17 Feb 2021 - 12:15 pm

SEOUL: South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday warned against loosening enforcement of social distancing rules after the number of new coronavirus...

Indonesian firms sign up in droves to take part in proposed private vaccination scheme 17 Feb 2021 - 11:56 am

Jakarta: Nearly 4,000 Indonesian firms, many of them textile companies, have signed up to take part in a proposed scheme that would allow...

Iran's Khamenei says Tehran wants "action not words" from parties to 2015 deal 17 Feb 2021 - 11:29 am

DUBAI: Iran wants to see "action not words" from parties to the country's 2015 nuclear deal, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on...

Myanmar coup opponents in big show of rejection of military claims 17 Feb 2021 - 10:18 am

Opponents of Myanmar's military coup, including celebrities, veteran activists and students, rejected on Wednesday an army assertion that there was public support for...

Victoria state to end snap lockdown, allow fans at Australian Open 17 Feb 2021 - 10:17 am

SYDNEY: A five-day snap lockdown in Australia's Victoria state will end on Wednesday, officials said as they reported no new cases in a...

Japan begins COVID-19 vaccination in 'first major step' to halt pandemic 17 Feb 2021 - 09:55 am

TOKYO: Japan launched its COVID-19 inoculation drive on Wednesday, administering the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine to Tokyo hospital workers, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attempts...

UK could give two doses of COVID vaccine to all adults by Sept, task force says 16 Feb 2021 - 11:41 pm

LONDON - The United Kingdom could give two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults by August or September, helped by its portfolio...

Scottish pupils to begin returning to school from Monday 16 Feb 2021 - 11:30 pm

LONDON - Pupils in Scotland will begin returning to schools from Monday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, but the move would mean...

Covid-19 deaths seen falling to slowest pace since November 16 Feb 2021 - 11:11 pm

The pace of Covid-19 deaths will drop sharply in the next four weeks, according to a new forecast that shows a brutal wave...

"We are like captives": life in Britain's quarantine hotels 16 Feb 2021 - 10:28 pm

LONDON - Mohamed Noor faces 10 days in COVID-19 quarantine in a hotel room near London's Heathrow Airport after falling foul of new...

Mexico says local AstraZeneca vaccine lab almost rebuilt to meet standards 16 Feb 2021 - 10:19 pm

MEXICO CITY - The packaging and distribution of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico had been held up due to a complex certification process...

Tornadoes, historic cold across U.S. kill seven, disrupt COVID-19 vaccinations 16 Feb 2021 - 09:06 pm

NEW YORK - Killer tornadoes in the U.S. Southeast and historic subzero cold as far south as Texas were blamed on Tuesday for...

Charges dropped against white New York woman who falsely accused Black man 16 Feb 2021 - 08:59 pm

NEW YORK - A misdemeanor charge was dropped on Tuesday against a white New York City woman who became an internet video sensation...

Zimbabwe says it will start COVID-19 vaccinations this week 16 Feb 2021 - 08:46 pm

HARARE - Zimbabwe will begin vaccinating against COVID-19 on Thursday, starting with health workers and other essential service personnel, the cabinet announced on...

Pakistan meets conditions to get next $500 million from IMF 16 Feb 2021 - 08:39 pm

ISLAMABAD - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan on Tuesday reached a staff-level agreement that Pakistan had completed reforms required for the...

England identifies extra 1.7 million people vulnerable to COVID 16 Feb 2021 - 08:06 pm

LONDON - English authorities have identified an extra 1.7 million people vulnerable to becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19 by combining factors...

Dutch coronavirus cases rising again, driven by UK variant -health authorities 16 Feb 2021 - 07:47 pm

AMSTERDAM - COVID-19 cases are rising again in the Netherlands after weeks of decline as cases of the British variant of the virus...

EU regulator to give verdict on J&J COVID-19 vaccine by mid-March 16 Feb 2021 - 07:40 pm

Europe's drugs regulator said on Tuesday it could issue an opinion by mid-March on whether to approve drugmaker Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine...