AMSTERDAM: A national lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the Netherlands will probably have to last at least until mid-February and even then can only be partially lifted, one of the country’s health chiefs said today. Jaap van Dissel, head of infectious disease control at the National […]
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ADEN: Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck targets in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa today in retaliation for attacks in the southern port city of Aden the previous day that took place as officials in a government backed by Riyadh arrived there. The coalition accused the Houthi movement, which it has been fighting […]
SYDNEY: Blue and gold fireworks soared into the sky above the Sydney Opera House as they do every year, but the harbour below was a ghost town, a fittingly creepy send-off for a year that will not be missed. No light show will illuminate Beijing from the top of the […]
DUBAI: Iran’s Cabinet yesterday allocated US$150,000 (RM607,178) for the families of each of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian plane shot down in Iranian airspace in January, the official Irna news agency reported. Describing Iran’s handling of the situation as “unacceptable,” Ukraine said the amount of compensation should be negotiated […]
LOS ANGELES: The leading US infectious disease specialist, Dr Anthony Fauci, said yesterday he foresees America achieving enough collective Covid-19 immunity through vaccinations to regain “some semblance of normality” by autumn 2021, despite early setbacks in the vaccine rollout. Fauci made his remarks during an online discussion of the pandemic […]
DHAKA: Bangladesh is set to move a second batch of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal this month, officials said today, despite calls by rights groups not to carry out further relocations. Around 1,000 Rohingya refugees, members of a […]
WEST PALM BEACH: Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as President Donald Trump refused to signed an end-of-year COVID-19 relief and spending Bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections. The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo […]
FREMANTLE: Even in the scorching Australian summer sun, long queues of customers snake around Fremantle harbour – a soothing sight for beleaguered local fishermen trying to replace lost business with China. Australia’s rock lobster exports are worth half a billion US dollars a year – and in normal times, 94 […]
MEXICO CITY: Mexico City registered 2,664 more deaths than usual earlier this month as authorities fought to contain the spread of Covid-19 that has strained hospitals and forced the city into a semi-lockdown. The populous capital’s “excess mortality” from December 1 to 12 — deaths above the typical number from […]
PARIS: The Covid-19 pandemic cast a long pall over 2020 but it also saw President Donald Trump beaten by Joe Biden in a tumultuous US election and the Black Lives Matter movement shake the world. Here are some of the key events of the year: Rampaging virus On January 11, […]