Foreign
More than 3.3M people died from Covid-19 in 2021: WHO chief
December 21, 2021, 4:37 pm
GENEVA – More than 3.3 million people have lost their lives to Covid-19 this year – more deaths than from HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), malaria and tuberculosis combined in 2020, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the… Read More
Malaysia flood evacuees rise to 64K, 8 deaths reported
December 21, 2021, 11:29 am
KUALA LUMPUR – Eight people have been reported dead due to severe flooding in Malaysia as of Monday, authorities in Selangor state said. Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said floods hit various districts in Selangor and claimed eight lives so far, according to state news agency Bernama.… Read More
UK records biggest daily jump of Omicron cases
December 20, 2021, 3:18 pm
LONDON – Another 12,133 Omicron cases have been recorded in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 37,101, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Sunday. Meanwhile, Britain reported… Read More
EU to supply 20M more vaccine doses to fight Omicron variant
December 20, 2021, 2:00 pm
BRUSSELS – Member states of the European Union (EU) will receive an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first three months of next year to hasten the pace against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the European Commission said on Sunday. "The Commission has today… Read More
More than 10K new Omicron cases confirmed in UK
December 19, 2021, 5:06 pm
LONDON – Britain on Saturday reported more than 10,000 new Omicron coronavirus variant cases as the new variant-related death toll rose to seven. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed an additional 10,059 cases of the new variant, three times as many as Friday and taking the total… Read More
WHO Europe urges caution over double coronavirus surge
December 17, 2021, 3:21 pm
COPENHAGEN – The World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday urged people to exercise caution this holiday season, as the region is now coping with two highly transmissible coronavirus strains that have the potential to overload the already overburdened health… Read More
UK records highest daily infections since start of pandemic
December 16, 2021, 9:15 pm
LONDON – The UK on Wednesday recorded its highest daily number of Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. The daily case-count reached 78,610, beating the Jan. 8 record when the UK was in its third national lockdown. The substantial rise in cases has prompted a warning by UK’s Chief… Read More
History-making NASA spacecraft touches sun for 1st time
December 16, 2021, 5:23 pm
ANKARA – A NASA spacecraft has entered the solar atmosphere, making a piece of human technology touch the sun for the first time in history. “NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there,”… Read More
US agency releases John F. Kennedy assassination document
December 16, 2021, 3:17 pm
WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden released secret documents Wednesday concerning the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) published nearly 1,500 confidential documents about the assassination, which include memos by CIA… Read More
Omicron spreading faster than any other variant: WHO chief
December 15, 2021, 2:15 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Tuesday the new omicron variant of coronavirus has been confirmed in 77 countries and is spreading faster than any previous variant. "Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at… Read More
US, China, NoKor agree in principle to officially end Korean War
December 14, 2021, 1:21 pm
ANKARA – The United States, China and North Korea have agreed “in principle” to officially end the Korean War, South Korea President Moon Jae-in said Monday. South Korea will push for this accord to happen, said Moon during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott… Read More
Kentucky tornado death toll may reach 100, governor says
December 12, 2021, 11:12 am
ANKARA – The death toll from tornadoes that hit the southeastern US state of Kentucky overnight will "probably end up closer to 70-100 lost lives," the governor said Saturday. Describing the area as "devastated," Andy Beshear told a press briefing that multiple counties were affected by strong… Read More
New omicron variant detected in 57 countries: WHO
December 9, 2021, 4:46 pm
GENEVA – The new omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 57 countries so far, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. "Even if the severity is equal or potentially even lower than for delta variant, it is expected that hospitalizations will increase if more people… Read More
Japan develops glowing masks to detect coronavirus
December 8, 2021, 8:10 pm
ISTANBUL – Scientists in Japan have developed masks that “can trace coronavirus” after being exposed to ultraviolet light (UV). A team of scientists at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan developed the masks using antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs, Kyodo News reported on… Read More
80 healthcare staff in Spain catch Covid after Christmas party
December 8, 2021, 5:53 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – At least 80 Spanish healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a hospital Christmas party in the city of Malaga, officials confirmed on Tuesday. All 80 are asymptomatic or have only mild cases, but the hospital is struggling to replace the confined… Read More
EU health bodies approve combined use of different Covid vaccines
December 8, 2021, 3:10 pm
BRUSSELS – European Union health agencies approved on Tuesday the mixing of traditional and mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines. "The combination of viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines produces good levels of antibodies against the Covid-19 virus and a higher T-cell… Read More
Omicron spreading via community transmission in UK: official
December 7, 2021, 1:49 pm
LONDON – British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told parliament Monday that the Omicron coronavirus variant is now spreading in the UK through community transmission rather than solely via people who have traveled to Britain from abroad. He said there was now a total of 336 cases of Omicron in the… Read More
Pandemic adds financial needs of $1.7T for developing countries
December 6, 2021, 9:46 pm
ISTANBUL – The Covid-19 pandemic has created an additional need of USD1.7 trillion for developing countries, said Haoliang Xu, the assistant secretary-general of the United Nations. In a video message at the 12th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul, Xu, who is also the director of Bureau for Policy and… Read More
Two 2,500-year-old tombs uncovered in Upper Egypt
December 6, 2021, 5:11 pm
CAIRO – A Spanish archaeological mission discovered two adjacent tombs in Upper Egypt's Minya Governorate dating back to the Saite Dynasty (664-525 BC), the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Sunday. The mission from the University of Barcelona in Spain found the remains… Read More
Myanmar military court sentences Suu Kyi to 4 years in jail
December 6, 2021, 4:40 pm
ISTANBUL – A military court in Myanmar on Monday convicted Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's deposed leader, to four years in prison for violating coronavirus restrictions and "incitement." Former President Win Myint was also sentenced to four years in prison by the court in Naypyidaw, the… Read More
