SYDNEY: Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained by Chinese authorities for 18 months, has told family he has refused to make a false confession, as his case appears to move closer to trial. Yang’s lawyer was yesterday allowed access to the Beijing detention facility where the 55-year-old writer is being held, […]
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RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil topped four million Covid-19 cases yesterday as health ministry officials said infections were beginning to slow in the world’s second worst-hit country. Since the first case came to light on February 26, the South American colossus has registered more than 4.04 million infections and over 124,600 […]
TOKYO: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is now the most preferred candidate among the public to become the next prime minister, surging in popularity after he entered his party’s leadership race, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed today. The survey highlights the growing momentum for Suga, the government’s chief spokesman, […]
MELBOURNE: An Australian state reported a record 59 deaths today, the highest ever daily total for the country, including previously unrecorded fatalities in aged care homes over the past several weeks. The increase fatalities in Victoria state pushed the country’s death toll to 737 as the national cabinet — made […]
NEW YORK: Unprecedented quantities of vaccines could be produced by 28 manufacturers in 10 countries over the next two years to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN children’s agency Unicef said yesterday, as it announced it would help lead efforts to procure and distribute them. Unicef’s role is part of […]
PARIS: Tens of millions of pupils returned to school in France, Poland and Russia today, their rucksacks loaded with exercise books, geometry sets and, for many, face masks to protect them from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic. Hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time will become the new normal […]
FILE PHOTO: A Facebook logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. SYDNEY: Facebook said on Monday (Aug 31) that it would block news publishers and people in Australia from sharing news on Facebook and Instagram if a proposal to force the US tech […]
PITTSBURGH: Joe Biden on Monday (Aug 31) accused President Donald Trump of stoking violence after a week of deadly unrest catapulted law and order to the top of the political agenda barely two months before the US election. The stakes for Biden’s speech in Pittsburgh, in the swing state of […]
BRUSSELS: The European Commission said on Monday (Aug 31) that it would contribute to an initiative led by the World Health Organization to buy COVID-19 vaccines, while the WHO said Germany had joined the pact and that the agency was still negotiating with the bloc. The Commission, announcing that it […]
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said on Monday (Aug 31) it had erred in blocking a pro-Biden ad submitted by Democratic political action committee Priorities USA, after initially telling the group the video violated its policy against “sensational” content. A company spokesman cited an “enforcement error” and said Facebook was approving the […]