WORLD
Biden signs US defense budget bill
The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law on Monday, less than two weeks after the Senate approved it in a 89-10 vote, reports Yonhap News Agency. The House of Representatives had also approved the bill earlier this month. According to Biden, "the Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country's national defense".
Omicron pushes world's daily Covid cases to new record
The seven-day average of Covid cases was nearly 841,000 on Monday, a 49 per cent rise from November 24 when Omicron was first identified in Africa. More than 11,500 international flights have been cancelled across the globe amid reports of record surge in the new cases of the variant. The UK is currently reporting more than 100,000 new infections a day.
'Death to stooges of Pak' chants in protest against Taliban at Panjshir
The protesters carried the dead body of the victim to the office of the provincial governor and asked for justice. The angry protesters were chanting "Death to Taliban", "Death to stooges of Pakistan", and "Long live Ahmad Masoud", the report said. Residents of Annaba district claimed that the victim was murdered by the Taliban affiliates but the motive behind the killing is yet to be unveiled.
14 years after her assassination, Benazir Bhutto's followers urge Taliban to extradite hit-squad member
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has now asked Sirajuddin to hand over Mehsud, who was part of a suicide member squad deployed to kill former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. "I appeal to the Haqqani Network and Afghanistan interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani to arrest Ikramullah and hand him over to us, because we need him," said Rehman Malik, former Interior Minister and a close confidant of Bhutto.
There is no freedom of speech, living, or even breathing in Pak: Bilawal Bhutto
Highlighting the issues that the country is facing, Bilawal said that in Pakistan, there is no freedom of speech, freedom of living, or even breathing. "We had said that democracy is the best revenge and hence, we restored the system despite all the ill-practices," he said, adding that democracy was snatched from the people of Pakistan, the report said.
UK coronavirus cases top 12 million
The country also reported a further 143 coronavirus-related deaths, taking the national death toll to 148,003. According to the figures released on Monday, England had its highest ever daily number on Christmas day. A total of 113,628 cases were recorded on December 25, two days after hitting the previous record of 107,055 cases.
Russia arms Tajikistan amid concern over Afghanistan
The shipments were aimed at helping Tajikistan effectively counter threats coming from outside, Putin said on Monday during a meeting with visiting Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Russia's St. Petersburg. Calling Tajikistan a reliable and close ally of Russia, the Russian President expressed concern over the situation on the Tajik-Afghan borders, Xinhua news agency reported.
Omicron drives record-high daily Covid-19 infections in US since January
The country is averaging more than 176,000 new cases daily, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 300,000 new cases were reported this past Monday, a new high since January 8 this year.
Egypt, Palestine, Jordan discuss ways to revive Mideast peace process
During a meeting in Cairo on Monday, the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, and the Heads of the three countries' intelligence services held talks to coordinate positions and vision on how to follow-up on the results of the tripartite summit held in Cairo in September, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
US CDC shortens Covid-19 isolation, quarantine time
"Given what we currently know about Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with Covid-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others," said the agency in a statement on Monday.
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