Foreign

WHO reports alarming hospitalization of 25 to 59-year-olds

WHO reports alarming hospitalization of 25 to 59-year-olds

April 20, 2021, 1:53 pm

GENEVA – New cases of Covid-19 increased for the eighth week in a row, with more than 5.2 million reported -- the most in a week so far -- and alarming hospitalizations among people aged 25 to 59 worldwide, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. “Deaths rose… Read More

NASA's helicopter makes first flight on Mars

NASA's helicopter makes first flight on Mars

April 19, 2021, 9:36 pm

ANKARA – The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has conducted the first helicopter flight on planet Mars, it announced Monday. "Ingenuity has performed its first flight — the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet!" NASA wrote on Twitter, adding data that… Read More

Covid-19 cases across globe up by over 809K Sunday

Covid-19 cases across globe up by over 809K Sunday

April 19, 2021, 2:05 pm

GENEVA – More than 809,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection were registered worldwide in the past day, with the overall number exceeding 140.32 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Sunday. As of 15:35 Moscow time on April 18, as many as… Read More

Covid-19 surge rattles hospitals in India

Covid-19 surge rattles hospitals in India

April 18, 2021, 7:54 pm

NEW DELHI – In New Delhi, one sound is conspicuous these days -- the siren of ambulances. More so outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, one of India's largest Covid-19 facilities. As India is witnessing an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases, the hospitals in Delhi and other… Read More

Asean leaders eye in-person summit on Myanmar situation

Asean leaders eye in-person summit on Myanmar situation

April 18, 2021, 4:54 pm

JAKARTA – Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will convene a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24 to discuss efforts in building the Asean Community, external relations, and regional issues including the crisis in Myanmar. Plans for the meeting have been in the… Read More

World has alarming increase in Covid cases: WHO chief

World has alarming increase in Covid cases: WHO chief

April 18, 2021, 11:02 am

GENEVA – There is an alarming increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths worldwide, and cases each week have nearly doubled over the past two months, the World Health Organization chief said on Friday. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus was addressing a top-level virtual meeting held under the… Read More

New Vietnam foreign minister talks with PH, Australia, Malaysia

New Vietnam foreign minister talks with PH, Australia, Malaysia

April 15, 2021, 4:49 pm

HANOI – Newly-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn on Wednesday held separate online conversations with Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. During the… Read More

Afghanistan respects US troop withdrawal: President

Afghanistan respects US troop withdrawal: President

April 15, 2021, 3:29 pm

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan respects the US decision to withdraw troops and will work with American partners to ensure a smooth transition, President Mohammed Ashraf Ghani said after a telephone conversation with his American counterpart late on Wednesday. Ghani said Afghanistan would work… Read More

Biden announces US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

Biden announces US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

April 15, 2021, 2:34 pm

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that all United States troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, a decision to end the longest war in American history. "The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year," Biden said in his… Read More

Pfizer jab drastically reduces virus infections: study

Pfizer jab drastically reduces virus infections: study

April 14, 2021, 1:02 pm

OVIEDO, Spain – The Pfizer vaccine is highly effective in preventing Covid-19 infections, deaths, and hospitalizations, according to a new study in Spain. The investigation followed more than 116,000 nursing home residents, staff, and healthcare workers who were vaccinated in Catalonia starting… Read More

US health agencies call for halt to J&J vaccine shots

US health agencies call for halt to J&J vaccine shots

April 14, 2021, 7:07 am

ANKARA – US federal health agencies on Tuesday called for an immediate pause for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine amid reports of clotting issues. The announcement came after the discovery of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot that developed about two weeks after… Read More

UN chief calls for 6 measures to finance recovery from Covid-19

UN chief calls for 6 measures to finance recovery from Covid-19

April 13, 2021, 6:13 pm

UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for six measures to help countries recover from Covid-19 and keep them on track toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Financing for development in the context of Covid-19 means an unprecedented effort to mobilize… Read More

Japan decides to dump Fukushima wastewater into sea amid concerns

Japan decides to dump Fukushima wastewater into sea amid concerns

April 13, 2021, 5:57 pm

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday that his government has decided to discharge contaminated radioactive wastewater in Fukushima Prefecture into the sea amid domestic and international opposition. Suga made the announcement after convening a meeting of relevant… Read More

Myanmar military slaps Suu Kyi with another charge

Myanmar military slaps Suu Kyi with another charge

April 13, 2021, 1:56 pm

ANKARA – Myanmar’s military regime on Monday filed another lawsuit against ousted state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing her of “violating natural disaster law." "A new charge of violating natural disaster law was added to charges ... bringing the total to six cases," Myanmar Now news… Read More

Europe has most new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours: WHO

Europe has most new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours: WHO

April 12, 2021, 12:44 pm

GENEVA – More than 646,000 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed globally in the past 24 hours, which pushed the total number of infections to 134.95 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Sunday. According to the WHO updates, coronavirus-related deaths… Read More

6 dead, 1 injured in East Java quake

6 dead, 1 injured in East Java quake

April 11, 2021, 5:28 pm

JAKARTA – Six persons died and one sustained serious injuries after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Malang district, East Java on Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency informed. Three deaths were reported in Lumajang district, one in Malang district, and two between Lumajang and… Read More

Prince Philip funeral set April 17

Prince Philip funeral set April 17

April 11, 2021, 5:22 pm

LONDON – Prince Philip’s funeral will take place next Saturday and there will be a national minute’s silence at 3 p.m., local time (1400GMT), local media reported on Saturday. Due to the pandemic, the public will not be allowed to attend the funeral that will be televised. “While this is… Read More

No state funeral for Prince Philip due to pandemic

No state funeral for Prince Philip due to pandemic

April 10, 2021, 1:37 pm

LONDON – Arrangements of Prince Philip’s funeral have been revised due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to exclude lying in state and other ceremonies with public participation, the College of Arms said on Friday. "The funeral will not be a State Funeral and will not be preceded by a Lying-in-State.… Read More

Covid-19 cases worldwide reach 132 million: WHO

Covid-19 cases worldwide reach 132 million: WHO

April 9, 2021, 5:17 pm

GENEVA – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has exceeded 132.73 million across the globe, growing by more than 667,000 cases in the past 24 hours, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday. It was the highest single-day figure since January 17, the WHO said. As of 5:08 p.m.… Read More

French Senate OKs proposal to ban prayers at universities

French Senate OKs proposal to ban prayers at universities

April 8, 2021, 8:02 pm

PARIS – France’s Senate approved the addition of a ban on religious practices in university corridors to a controversial bill to fight "Islamist separatism" late Wednesday. Discussing the draft bill, which has been criticized for alienating Muslims, the center-right Republicans (LR) party… Read More