Foreign
80 healthcare staff in Spain catch Covid after Christmas party
December 8, 2021, 5:53 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – At least 80 Spanish healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a hospital Christmas party in the city of Malaga, officials confirmed on Tuesday. All 80 are asymptomatic or have only mild cases, but the hospital is struggling to replace the confined… Read More
EU health bodies approve combined use of different Covid vaccines
December 8, 2021, 3:10 pm
BRUSSELS – European Union health agencies approved on Tuesday the mixing of traditional and mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines. "The combination of viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines produces good levels of antibodies against the Covid-19 virus and a higher T-cell… Read More
Omicron spreading via community transmission in UK: official
December 7, 2021, 1:49 pm
LONDON – British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told parliament Monday that the Omicron coronavirus variant is now spreading in the UK through community transmission rather than solely via people who have traveled to Britain from abroad. He said there was now a total of 336 cases of Omicron in the… Read More
Pandemic adds financial needs of $1.7T for developing countries
December 6, 2021, 9:46 pm
ISTANBUL – The Covid-19 pandemic has created an additional need of USD1.7 trillion for developing countries, said Haoliang Xu, the assistant secretary-general of the United Nations. In a video message at the 12th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul, Xu, who is also the director of Bureau for Policy and… Read More
Two 2,500-year-old tombs uncovered in Upper Egypt
December 6, 2021, 5:11 pm
CAIRO – A Spanish archaeological mission discovered two adjacent tombs in Upper Egypt's Minya Governorate dating back to the Saite Dynasty (664-525 BC), the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Sunday. The mission from the University of Barcelona in Spain found the remains… Read More
Myanmar military court sentences Suu Kyi to 4 years in jail
December 6, 2021, 4:40 pm
ISTANBUL – A military court in Myanmar on Monday convicted Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's deposed leader, to four years in prison for violating coronavirus restrictions and "incitement." Former President Win Myint was also sentenced to four years in prison by the court in Naypyidaw, the… Read More
World arms sales hit $531-B in 2020
December 6, 2021, 4:20 pm
ANKARA – Marking the sixth consecutive year of growth, sales by the world's top 100 arms producers reached USD531 billion (PHP26.5 trillion) in 2020 with the US taking a 54 percent share, according to an international think tank on Monday. Sales of arms and military services by the industry’s… Read More
We are witnessing a retreat from democracy: Pope Francis
December 5, 2021, 8:02 pm
ATHENS, Greece – Pope Francis told journalists and officials on Saturday that the world is seeing a scaling back of democracy. “We cannot avoid noting with concern how today, and not only in Europe, we are witnessing a retreat from democracy," the pope said at his welcome ceremony at the Greek… Read More
Death toll from Mt. Semeru's eruption reaches 13
December 5, 2021, 4:05 pm
JAKARTA – The death toll from the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang District, East Java, rose to 13 as of Sunday morning, according to Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lt. Gen. Suharyanto. The eruption also left tens of people injured and they have been receiving medical… Read More
No deaths related to Omicron variant seen so far: WHO
December 4, 2021, 1:38 pm
GENEVA – A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman said Friday the health body has not seen reports of deaths related to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus and stressed that Delta remains the focus of the fight against the pandemic. At a United Nations (UN) news conference, WHO… Read More
UN headquarters on lockdown due to security situation
December 3, 2021, 2:16 pm
WASHINGTON – The United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York is on lockdown Thursday because of an armed suspect outside the building. Police cordoned off the area along 42nd Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan where the entrance to the international building is located. The New York Police… Read More
People in need of aid, protection jump to nearly 275M: UN
December 2, 2021, 8:39 pm
GENEVA – About 274 million people worldwide will need emergency aid and protection in 2022, a 17 percent increase from last year, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian affairs chief said on Thursday. “This is equivalent to the world’s fourth most populous country,” Martin Griffiths said at… Read More
Americans urged to get vaxxed as 1st Omicron case detected in US
December 2, 2021, 7:59 pm
WASHINGTON – White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Wednesday urged Americans to get vaccinated or boosted against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as the first US case of Omicron variant was found in California. "We know what we need to do to protect people. Get vaccinated, if… Read More
23 countries report cases of Omicron variant: WHO
December 2, 2021, 2:10 pm
GENEVA – At least 23 countries from five of six World Health Organization (WHO) regions have reported cases of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), and the number is expected to grow, the WHO chief said Wednesday. “The emergence of the Omicron variant has… Read More
Taliban, Myanmar junta not allowed at UN for now
December 2, 2021, 12:57 pm
UNITED NATIONS – A UN committee on Wednesday delayed a decision on who will represent Afghanistan and Myanmar at the 193-member world body. Sweden’s UN Ambassador Anna Enestrom told reporters after a closed meeting of the General Assembly Credentials Committee which she chaired that the… Read More
2.9B people still offline, 4.9B used internet in 2021: UN
December 1, 2021, 4:38 pm
GENEVA – An estimated 37 percent of the world's population, or 2.9 billion people, are still offline, while a record 4.9 billion people have used the internet in 2021, a new UN report said Tuesday. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for information and communication… Read More
WHO rejects blanket travel bans vs. Omicron variant
December 1, 2021, 4:14 pm
ANKARA – The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday temporary travel bans will not prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and instead all countries should include any travel-related measures as part of their strategy to fight the deadly virus. The organization on its website… Read More
2.9B people still offline, 4.9B use internet in 2021: UN
December 1, 2021, 3:37 pm
GENEVA – An estimated 37 percent of the world's population, or 2.9 billion people, are still offline, while a record 4.9 billion people have used the internet in 2021, a new UN report said Tuesday. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for information and communication… Read More
Global vaccination plan only way to stop pandemic: UN chief
December 1, 2021, 1:43 pm
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres argued on Tuesday that "the only way out of a global pandemic and out of this unjust and immoral situation is through a global vaccination campaign." The secretary-general was speaking at a meeting at the UN headquarters in New… Read More
WHO special session seeks 'pandemic treaty' amid Omicron concerns
November 30, 2021, 5:40 pm
GENEVA – A special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) kicked off here on Monday amid growing concerns over the latest Omicron coronavirus variant, where the participants aimed to negotiate a new "pandemic treaty." Legally binding pandemic treaty The WHA May session this year decided to… Read More
