Category: World

Iran reported its single biggest jump in deaths from the new coronavirus, saying on Wednesday another 147 had died in a nearly 15 per cent spike that raises the death toll to 1,135 people nationwide. The rise in deaths comes as the number of infections continues to grow each day, with some 17,361 people infected, […]

BEIJING: An influential former Chinese property executive who called President Xi Jinping a “clown” over a speech he made last month about the government’s efforts to battle the coronavirus has gone missing, three of his friends said. Ren Zhiqiang, a member of China’s ruling Communist Party and a former top executive of state-controlled property developer […]

Cannabis smokers aiming to keep calm and carry on despite coronavirus queued up outside Dutch “coffee shops” on Sunday after the government ordered their closure to beat the outbreak. Customers lined up in their dozens as they tried to beat a deadline for the closure of the marijuana cafes and stockpile weed supplies for what […]

The coronavirus outbreak in France is “very worrying” and “deteriorating very fast”, the head of the country’s health service said Monday. “The number of cases double every three days,” Jerome Salomon said on France Inter radio. “I want our citizens to realise that there are people who are sick, who are in intensive care and […]

Health authorities across South Asia reported rising tallies of coronavirus cases on Monday, raising the prospect of rapidly spreading outbreaks overwhelming poor medical facilities in a region that is home to a quarter of the world’s people. South Asia has been relatively lightly hit by the virus compared with neighbours to the east, like China […]

Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday the rights to coronavirus vaccine research were not for sale, following reports Donald Trump wanted the US to buy exclusive access to a potential vaccine developed by a German biotech firm. The comments, made in an interview to media group Funke, come as scientists raced to develop a vaccine against […]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday signalled its willingness to help Afghans deal with challenges in efforts for peace in their country. “Collaborative approach and patience can help overcome all challenges for which Pakistan is ready to play its part with utmost sincerity,” Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa said while chairing the 230th Corps Commanders’ […]

WASHINGTON: Societal violence based on religion continued to be a serious concern in India during 2019 and Muslims and lower-caste Dalit groups continued to be the most vulnerable. The US State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights, released late Wednesday, noted 703 incidents of religious violence in India between 2016-17, in which 86 persons were […]

BAGHDAD: Iraqi and United Nations officials scrambled on Thursday to contain the fallout from an unprecedented rocket attack that killed three US-led coalition members and threatened yet another escalation of Iran-US tensions. Within hours of the attack on Taji airbase, north of Baghdad — the deadliest in years on a base used by US forces […]

Justin Trudeau’s wife has tested positive for novel coronavirus, his office said late on Thursday, while assuring the public the Canadian prime minister is fine. Canada’s leader and his 44-year-old wife announced on Thursday they were self-isolating while she was tested for coronavirus after a public event. “Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The […]