WORLD
Facing large-scale unrest, Kazakhstan launches counter-terrorist operation with Russian backing
A two-week state of emergency was declared in the western Mangistau region and the city of Almaty on Wednesday after violent protests triggered initially by a fuel price hike spread all over the country and led to the sacking of the ruling government.
Taliban bans women from coffee shops
Sheikh Azizi ur Rahman Al-Mohajer, the head of virtue and vice of the Taliban office in Herat, said from now on playing music and women and girls without a ‘mahram' (relative) are forbidden, the report said. Also, Women and girls without a close male relative accompanying them were banned from entering coffee shops in Afghanistan's Herat province, Raha Press reported.
N.Korean nuke, missile programs pose ongoing threat: Blinken
Blinken made the remarks on Thursday during annual security consultative talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, that also involved US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi, reports Yonhap News Agency.
US trade deficit widens in November as imports surge
In a statement on Thursday, the Department said that US exports rose by 0.2 per cent to $224.2 billion in November, while imports increased by 4.6 per cent to $304.4 billion, reports Xinhua news agency.
New Covid variant detected in France not a threat yet: WHO
The new Covid-19 variant called B.1.640 is also known as the 'IHU' variant because it was first identified by academics at the IHU Mediterranee Infection institute in Marseille, France, reports Xinhua news agency.
Omicron not mild, hospitalising and killing people: WHO chief
In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world, he stressed. "Hospitals are becoming overcrowded and understaffed, which further results in preventable deaths from not only Covid-19 but other diseases and injuries where patients cannot receive timely care," saidGhebreyesus. According to him, first-generation vaccines may not stop all infections and transmission but they remain highly effective in reducing hospitalisation and death from this virus.
Australia sets Covid booster dose record: PM
Scott Morrison said that a record of 222,565 booster vaccines were administered on Wednesday, two days after the minimum recommended interval between second and third jabs for the population was reduced from five to four months, reports Xinhua news agency. "So the booster program is up and running," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
UK PM shoots down easing of immigration rules for Indians
Negotiations on an Indo-British FTA are scheduled to begin this month. Sir Edward Leigh, a right-wing Conservative party MP, concerned about reports that Britain was contemplating making such a concession, asked in the House of Commons: "Apparently, the government are thinking of relaxing visa controls for India in order to get a free trade deal. While a free trade deal is valuable in itself, we should not be held to ransom.
Omicron might be last phase of Covid-19 pandemic: Experts
Experts believe that a severe rise in the daily recorded cases have not translated into alarming rates of hospitalisation and deaths. The first Omicron case was reported in South Africa last month and contrary to the scare expressed by scientific experts and government officials at that time, the corroborated data has shown that high prevalence of vaccination rates coupled with antibodies formed from previous COVID infections have subdued symptoms in an Omicron case.
Covid-19 Update: US sets new record, registers over 1 million Covid cases in a day
The U.S. recorded 1,080,211 fresh cases in the country on January 3, with the weekly numbers catalogued up until the same date being a record high of 3.4 million cases and the daily average being 486000 per day. The previous highest daily average recorded for a week was 258000 cases per day in January last year.
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