Foreign
Canada lifts advisory vs. non-essential int'l travel
October 23, 2021, 6:03 pm
OTTAWA – The Canadian government has lifted its advisory against all non-essential international travel by Canadians outside the country which were in place since the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in March 2020. The new advisories for each country have now reverted to… Read More
Covid-19 vaccines available for all in 2022: BioNTech founders
October 23, 2021, 3:50 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – BioNTech co-founders Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci said Friday they expect there would be enough supply of Covid-19 vaccines by mid to late 2022 to immunize the global population. Speaking at a press conference here where they will later accept the prestigious Princess of Asturias… Read More
Pfizer says its Covid-19 vax 90% effective in kids
October 23, 2021, 1:27 pm
WASHINGTON – Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said their coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine is safe and 90.7 percent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 in children aged 5 to 11. The companies revealed the data in a document posted Friday ahead of a meeting of advisers to the US Food and Drug… Read More
Vaccine booster restores full protection vs. Covid-19: Pfizer
October 22, 2021, 12:29 pm
WASHINGTON – Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that a large-scale trial of their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine booster showed it restored full protection against the disease. In Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial, a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose was administered to more… Read More
Japan’s ex-minister accepts 3-year jail term over vote buying
October 21, 2021, 4:49 pm
ISTANBUL – A ruling party member and former minister in Japan on Thursday accepted a three-year jail term for corruption during the 2019 elections. The move by former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai comes as Japan goes to general elections at the end of this month where the ruling Liberal… Read More
Moderna, Johnson & Johnson approved for booster shots in US
October 21, 2021, 4:16 pm
NEW YORK – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved emergency use of booster doses by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson against the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA said in a statement that it has approved the "use of each of the available Covid-19 vaccines as a heterologous (or 'mix… Read More
IMF revises Asia growth forecast to 6.5% amid Covid-19 resurgence
October 20, 2021, 12:49 pm
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday revised down its 2021 economic growth forecast for Asia to 6.5 percent, down by 1.1 percentage points from its April projection, according to a newly released regional economic outlook. "The resurgence of the pandemic, amid initially… Read More
Facebook plans to hire 10K workers in EU to build metaverse
October 20, 2021, 12:17 pm
ANKARA – Facebook said it is planning to create 10,000 new high-skilled jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build the next computing platform metaverse. US-based global social media and networking service firm said metaverse, the new phase of interconnected virtual… Read More
NoKor fires ballistic missile toward East Sea
October 19, 2021, 12:27 pm
SEOUL – North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the eastern waters, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. The JCS, in a statement, said the South Korean military spotted one unidentified ballistic missile, which Pyongyang launched towards the East Sea from the… Read More
Former US Secretary of State dies of Covid-19 complications
October 19, 2021, 7:47 am
ANKARA – Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell died due to complications from Covid-19, his family confirmed on Monday. “We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment,” his family said in a statement. “We have lost a remarkable and… Read More
Former US President Clinton discharged from hospital
October 18, 2021, 11:31 am
ANKARA – Former US President Bill Clinton was discharged from a California hospital on Sunday after being treated for an infection, his spokesman said. Angel Urena said that after being admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Clinton's fever and white blood cell count… Read More
Former US President Bill Clinton hospitalized
October 15, 2021, 11:08 am
WASHINGTON – Former US President Bill Clinton was hospitalized earlier this week, his spokesperson said Thursday. Clinton was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday "to receive treatment for a non-Covid-related infection," Angel Urena said in a statement. "He… Read More
Global markets in positive territory on Fed minutes
October 14, 2021, 7:23 pm
ISTANBUL – A positive trend is observed in global markets after investors shifted their focus from inflationary concerns to strong balance sheets, and uncertainty regarding monetary policy eased. According to the data released on Wednesday in the US, the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.4… Read More
UN chief asks for USD3.12-B for 2022 budget
October 14, 2021, 3:06 pm
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday asked for nearly USD3.12 billion as the world body's regular budget for 2022. "To fully implement the mandates entrusted to us, we will require a total of 3.12 billion U.S. dollars before re-costing, which represents a net… Read More
Downward trend continues in weekly Covid deaths globally: WHO
October 14, 2021, 2:07 pm
GENEVA – The number of weekly reported deaths from Covid-19 continues to decline worldwide and is now at the lowest level in almost a year, the World Health Organization chief said Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said at a coronavirus webinar that there are still three… Read More
US drug overdose deaths jumped by nearly 30%
October 14, 2021, 1:45 pm
CHICAGO, United States – The number of US drug overdose deaths jumped nearly 30% from March of 2020 to March of 2021, according to newly-released figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were a little more than 96,000 lives lost during that time. The CDC looked… Read More
G20 meeting on trade ends with commitment to multilateralism, WTO
October 13, 2021, 6:42 pm
ROME – Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday called on ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) to reinforce the global trade system through the World Trade Organization (WTO). Speaking at the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in the southern Italian city of Sorrento, Di… Read More
UN chief calls for injection of liquidity into Afghan economy
October 12, 2021, 2:50 pm
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the injection of liquidity to keep the Afghan economy afloat. In addition to humanitarian aid, the international community needs to act to prevent the economic collapse of Afghanistan, he told reporters.… Read More
WHO advisory group urges extra Covid dose for immunocompromised
October 12, 2021, 2:33 pm
GENEVA – An advisory group to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Monday that people with weakened immune systems who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) should get an additional dose of any WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccine. "SAGE recommended that… Read More
WHO says climate, health intimately linked
October 12, 2021, 1:43 pm
GENEVA – Climate and health are intimately linked, so countries must set ambitious commitments to sustain a healthy and green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. “The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the intimate and delicate links… Read More
