Foreign
WHO says Covid-19 pandemic still 'an extraordinary event'
January 20, 2022, 11:09 am
ANKARA – The World Health Organization (WHO) agreed Wednesday that the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic still constitutes “an extraordinary event" following the 10th meeting of its Emergency Committee. In a statement, the international health organization said the virus "continues… Read More
‘Volcanic eruption contaminated entire water supply in Tonga’
January 19, 2022, 9:33 pm
ISTANBUL – The undersea volcanic eruption has contaminated the entire water supply in the South Pacific nation of Tonga, the Chinese ambassador to the island country said. "Water supply of the entire country of Tonga has been contaminated and people are struggling to access clean water. The… Read More
China's pilot digital yuan hits 87.57-B yuan
January 19, 2022, 7:21 pm
BEIJING – China's digital yuan transactions hit nearly 87.57 billion yuan (13.78 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2021, as the country ramped up research and pilot use of the central bank's digital currency. A total of 261 million personal wallets for the digital yuan had been opened, and… Read More
US health officials caution against optimism over Covid-19 peak
January 19, 2022, 4:46 pm
NEW YORK – A wave of Omicron cases may be cresting in the northeastern United States, but the number of Covid-19 patients is at a record high and climbing, overwhelming hospitals whose staffs have been hollowed out by the coronavirus, major US news portals have reported. Public health leaders… Read More
Omicron continues to sweep world with 18M cases last week: WHO
January 19, 2022, 1:24 pm
GENEVA – As Covid-19's Omicron variant continues sweeping the world with 18 million cases last week, people in countries with low coronavirus vaccination rates are at risk of severe illness and death, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. "The number of deaths remains… Read More
Indonesia passes law to move capital from Jakarta to Borneo
January 18, 2022, 9:17 pm
JAKARTA – Indonesia's parliament has approved a bill to relocate the nation's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, an official said on Tuesday. “The new capital city has a central function and is a symbol of national identity, as well as a new economic center,”… Read More
Researchers find gene variant protective vs. severe Covid-19
January 18, 2022, 7:43 pm
ISTANBUL – An international team of researchers has discovered a specific gene variant that protects against severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital in Canada, and the VA… Read More
Experts urge caution over prospect of Covid-free future
January 18, 2022, 5:18 pm
ANKARA – Prominent experts urged caution Monday over the prospect of a Covid-free future during an online panel hosted by the World Economic Forum. On whether 2022 will witness the transformation of Covid-19 from a pandemic to an endemic, Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the US… Read More
Diplomatic talks for denuclearization of Korean Peninsula pushed
January 18, 2022, 3:06 pm
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for diplomatic talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and all parties concerned toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, said his spokesman on Monday. The DPRK reportedly fired two short-range… Read More
World’s 10 richest men’s fortune more than doubled in pandemic
January 17, 2022, 9:47 pm
ANKARA – The world’s 10 richest men have more than doubled their collective fortunes – from USD700 billion to USD1.5 trillion – in the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, UK-based charity Oxfam said on Monday. Incomes of the 99 percent of the world population have dropped in the same… Read More
NoKor fires 2 short-range projectiles to eastern coast
January 17, 2022, 3:49 pm
SEOUL – North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into eastern waters, the fourth launch in less than two weeks, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday. The JCS said in a statement that the South Korean military detected two projectiles, presumed to be short-range ballistic… Read More
US sees highest rate of children Covid-19 hospitalizations
January 17, 2022, 1:47 pm
WASHINGTON – US pediatric hospitalizations related to Covid-19 are at the highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The country is averaging 893 new hospital admissions each day for children 17 years… Read More
Communication problems reported in Tonga amid volcanic eruption
January 16, 2022, 6:27 pm
MELBOURNE, Australia – Communication difficulties were reported in Tonga following a massive underwater volcanic eruption in the Pacific country, according to local media on Sunday. In a news conference, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said communication with the country had been… Read More
NoKor fires another projectile after warning shot on US sanctions
January 14, 2022, 6:12 pm
ANKARA – North Korea may have possibly tested another missile on Friday, hours after rebuking the US for trying to undermine Pyongyang’s “legitimate right to self-defense”. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed North Korea fired an unidentified projectile in the early hours of… Read More
US sanctions 5 North Koreans after ballistic missile launches
January 13, 2022, 4:35 pm
WASHINGTON – The US on Wednesday sanctioned five North Koreans allegedly involved in Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs after the North repeatedly tested apparent hypersonic missiles. The North has carried out roughly six ballistic missile launches since… Read More
Omicron less severe than Delta strain, but still dangerous: WHO
January 13, 2022, 2:01 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization head warned Wednesday the Omicron coronavirus variant may be less severe than delta, but remains a dangerous variant, particularly for the unvaccinated. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said at a coronavirus webinar that the record number of 15… Read More
Large asteroid to pass close to Earth
January 13, 2022, 1:28 pm
TRENTON, Canada – An asteroid wider than the tallest building in the world will cross Earth's orbit next week, media reports said Wednesday. Named 7482 (1994 PC1), the asteroid is slated to fly by Jan. 18 but is not expected to threaten Earth with a direct collision. But it will come within… Read More
North Korea claims it successfully test-fires hypersonic missile
January 12, 2022, 6:36 pm
ANKARA – North Korea on Wednesday said it has “successfully” conducted the final test-firing of its newly developed hypersonic missile, state-run media reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un along with other senior government officials witnessed the flight test conducted by the Academy of… Read More
US calls on North Korea to halt 'provocations,' turn to talks
January 12, 2022, 1:12 pm
WASHINGTON – The US urged North Korea to halt "provocations" after a recent test launch was determined by regional countries to be an advanced hypersonic missile. "It is, we think, incumbent on the DPRK to cease these provocations, to demonstrate that they too are interested in, and serious… Read More
US, other countries condemn NoKor’s ballistic missile launch
January 11, 2022, 4:50 pm
ANKARA – The US and five other countries urged North Korea on Monday to end its nuclear program and ballistic missile tests. The US, UK, France, Ireland, Albania, and Japan issued a joint statement ahead of a UN Security Council session that discussed Pyongyang’s latest missile test. US… Read More
