JERUSALEM: Israeli troops on Friday shot dead a Palestinian man who allegedly attempted to stab soldiers and civilians at a bus stop in the occupied West Bank, the military said. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the death of the alleged assailant, identifying him as Amir Atef Rayyan. The army said the attempted stabbing took place […]
KABUL: The Taliban’s supreme leader has ordered fighters not to punish members of Afghanistan’s former regime for past “crimes”, days after a video of an army commander being beaten went viral on social media. The order, tweeted on Thursday by group spokesman Mohammad Naeem, also urged Taliban authorities to discourage Afghans from leaving the country […]
A Covid “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday, as record surges fuelled by the Omicron variant dampened New Year celebrations around the world once again. Governments are walking a tightrope between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep societies and economies open, as the highly transmissible variant drove cases […]
The death toll from a shooting spree across multiple locations in the US state of Colorado, which ended when the gunman was himself shot dead, has risen to five, police said on Tuesday. The trail of shooting began around 5:00pm on Monday and unfolded across at least four different locations in the cities of Denver […]
BEIJING: China reported its highest daily rise in local Covid-19 cases in 21 months as infections more than doubled in the northwestern city of Xian, China’s latest Covid hot spot. The city of 13 million, which entered its fourth day of lockdown, detected 155 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms for Saturday, up from 75 […]
The United States on Wednesday authorised Pfizer Inc’s antiviral Covid-19 pill for people ages 12 and older at risk of severe illness, the first oral and at-home treatment as well as a new tool against the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Pfizer’s antiviral regimen, Paxlovid, was nearly 90 per cent effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in […]
Resort and bar owners on a Philippine island popular with surfers and tourists were expecting a bumper Christmas holiday after Covid-19 restrictions finally eased. Then Super Typhoon Rai wiped them out. The strongest storm to hit the archipelago this year cut a swathe through Siargao, a tropical paradise known for its sandy beaches, big waves and relaxed […]
SURIGAO CITY: The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year surged to 375 on Monday, as desperate survivors pleaded for urgent supplies of drinking water and food. The Philippine Red Cross reported “complete carnage” in coastal areas after Super Typhoon Rai left homes, hospitals and schools “ripped to shreds”. The […]
The death toll in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Rai has risen to 208, after the storm carved a trail of destruction in central and southern provinces late last week, the national police spokesperson said on Monday. There were 52 people still missing, according to police data, as relief efforts continued following one of the […]
MOSCOW: Russia on Friday published draft security demands that Nato deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe, bold ultimatums that are almost certain to be rejected by the US and its allies. The proposals, which were submitted to the US and […]