LONDON: The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading among over-50s, but data do not suggest further restrictions are needed because of the high uptake of booster jabs by older people, British Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said today. “We’re seeing leakage into the over-50s in terms of infection,” he told BBC […]
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Turkey’s annual inflation rate has soared to a 19-year high, underlining the country’s financial turmoil and alarm over its president’s policies. Prices hit more than 36% December as the cost of transport, food and other staples ate into household budgets. Most central banks raise interest rates to help cool inflation […]
Two of the biggest US phone firms have rejected a government request to delay the rollout of 5G services this week. The US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over concerns about aviation safety. However, AT&T and Verizon did say they will implement […]
WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday with mild symptoms and would attend meetings virtually as he quarantined at home for the next five days. News of Austin’s positive test comes after the Pentagon last week tightened restrictions at its headquarters over concern about […]
Nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb won Monday’s second stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia to trim Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah’s overall lead to just over nine minutes. The 47-year-old Frenchman finished three minutes and 28 seconds ahead of the Toyota driver, who won Saturday’s prologue and Sunday’s […]
SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed today to use his last months in office to press for a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea, despite public silence from Pyongyang over his attempts for a declaration of peace between the two sides. “The government will pursue normalisation of inter-Korean relations and […]
BEIJING: New Covid-19 cases in the locked-down Chinese city of Xi’an fell to their lowest in a week, health officials said today, as residents face their eleventh day under strict home confinement. China has followed a “zero Covid” approach involving tight border restrictions and swift, targeted lockdowns since the virus […]
The fourth Test is scheduled to start on January 5. England’s preparations for the fourth Ashes Test against Australia took another hit on Sunday after one of their net bowlers tested positive for COVD-19, leading to cancellation of their training session with other net bowlers deemed as close contacts. Having […]
JERUSALEM: A surge of Omicron infections could see Israel reaching herd immunity, the country’s top health official said today as daily cases continued to climb. The highly transmissible Omicron variant has brought a surge in coronavirus cases across the globe. Worldwide infections have hit a record high, with an […]
China’s Eileen Gu recovered from a disappointing first run to claim her second victory in three days in the halfpipe competition at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in Calgary, Canada. Gu recorded 92.80 points to beat local favourite Rachael Karker (89.40) and American Hanna Faulhaber (88.60) on Saturday to […]