WORLD
Taliban signal early Islamic era of Saudi Arabia with diktat to stop work for congregational prayers
The officials of Islamic Emirate Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Badakhshan drove a Ranger and announced through loudspeakers that all shopkeepers and car owners in Faizabad, the capital city of Badakhshan, should stop working when it is time for congregational prayers.In accordance with the new Taliban orders, women are denied free movement across the city and are urged to wear a complete Islamic Hijab, the report said.
Biden vows boosters for all, expands war to Omicron, augments plan on schools, biz, winter surge
Biden also reinforced America's continued commitment to the global vaccination effort and steps to flatten a winter surge. Key here is that 100 million eligible Americans who have not yet gotten their booster shot, get one as soon as possible. Biden believes boosters increase the strength of human antibody response, make the virus mutate and protect against the new variant, Omicron.
Any military action against Taiwan would amount to 'economic suicide' for China, warns Shinzo Abe
“A military adventure would be the path to economic suicide, we must keep reiterating that peaceful ties between China and Taiwan are the only option,” Shinzo Abe said. Abe made these remarks while delivering a video speech at the Institute for National Policy Research, a think-tank in Taiwan.
Russia says US not "beacon of democracy"
The Western countries have many "chronic problems" regarding freedom of speech, election administration, corruption and human rights, the Ministry on Wednesday said in a statement, commenting on the upcoming US "summit for democracy". The Ministry pointed out to the "hypocrisy" at the core of this summit to be held on December 9-10 at the initiative of the US administration, Xinhua news agency reported.
Americans urged to get vaxxed as 1st Omicron variant case detected in US
"We know what we need to do to protect people. Get vaccinated, if you're not already vaccinated. Get boosted if you've been vaccinated for more than six months with an mRNA or two months with Johnson & Johnson," he told reporters on Wednesday in a news conference at the White House. As of November 30, 197.1 million people, or 60 per cent of the US population, have been fully vaccinated. And 41.1 million received a booster shot, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Xinhua news agency reported.
US mulls tighter Covid-19 mandates amid federal court blockades
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to toughen coronavirus testing and screening of international fliers to the US by requiring them to provide a negative result from a test taken within 24 hours of departure, said The New York Times on Wednesday. Administration officials are also considering a requirement that all travellers get re-tested within three to five days of arrival.
Russia orders US diplomats to leave in retaliation
the Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday during her weekly briefing, "By January 31, 2022, those who have been working at the US Embassy in Moscow for more than three years must leave Russia,". If Washington does not correct its policy, another batch of US diplomats must depart by July 1, 2022, she added, without specifying the number of the affected personnel.
Iran says not to sacrifice demands for meeting deadline of nuke talks
After a nearly six-month pause, the talks aimed at salvaging the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal resumed on Monday in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the IRNA report, with the presence of representatives from Iran, the P4+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia plus Germany as well as the European Union, the nuclear talks began at the expert level on Wednesday morning.
"NuXious" fumes rise in China-west slugfest on Omicron
Chinese state media has been balking at western reports pointing a finger at the East Asian nation warming up to the 2022 Winter Olympics amid citizens taking to winter sports refusing to be cowered by the intensifying freeze. An opinion piece in the daily -- published in English and Chinese -- took umbrage at the western world by underscoring the resilience of its citizens.
Afghanistan's GDP likely to drop 20% in one year: UN
The agency warned in its Socio-Economic Outlook for Afghanistan that the economic base for the poorest country in Asia has long been, too, small to support its population of 40 million, Xinhua news agency reported. "This new socio-economic assessment on Afghanistan estimates that restricting women from working could result in an immediate economic loss of up to $1 billion, or up to 5 per cent of the country's GDP," said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
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