World

Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition in UK Supreme Court

Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition in UK Supreme Court

Assange’s lawyers argued that he should not be taken to the US because of a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide

UAE shoots down 2 ballistic missiles fired by Houthis over Abu Dhabi

UAE shoots down 2 ballistic missiles fired by Houthis over Abu Dhabi

The attack did not result in any human losses

Mutinous soldiers take over Burkina Faso military barracks

Mutinous soldiers take over Burkina Faso military barracks

Amid growing frustration with the government's handling of the Islamic insurgency

‘Bleisure’ trips boom as travellers mix work and play

Such excursions have been on the rise as the spread of the Omicron variant has delayed the return to offices

Beijing tests shoppers buying fever drugs to root out Covid

Beijing residents who purchase antipyretics, antivirals and drugs that target coughs and sore throats will get an alert on the mobile app China uses f

Russia sets another daily virus record amid omicron surge

The Omicron variant has been detected in 64 of the country’s 89 regions

New Zealand adds new Covid restrictions as omicron spreads

The country has managed to contain the spread of the delta variant

Vaccine passport protests in Europe draw thousands of people

Demonstrations took place in Athens, Helsinki, London, Paris and Stockholm

Inflation skyrockets in Sri Lanka; food prices at record high

Sri Lanka currently banks on the Indian economic assistance with credit lines being made available to finance fuel and food imports

Thich Nhat Hanh, influential Zen Buddhist monk, dies at 95

Nhat Hanh distilled Buddhist teachings on compassion and suffering into easily grasped guidance over a lifetime dedicated to working for peace.

UK designates Omicron sub-lineage a variant under investigation

Britain has sequenced 426 cases of the BA.2 sub-lineage

Dozens of firms to make cheap version of Merck Covid pill for poorer nations

Deal negotiated by UN-backed agency to expand output of drug

Sri Lanka settles sovereign bond payment as reserves dwindle

The nation is in its worst crisis in decades, with people facing shortages of basic essentials like milk powder, cooking gas

AI model helps discover genetic risk factors for motor neurone disease

One of the genes highlighted as a new MND gene is called KANK1

Japan widens virus restrictions as Omicron surges in cities

The restraint, which is something of a pre-state of emergency, is the first since September and is scheduled to last through February 13

Red Cross: Hack exposes data on 5,15,000 vulnerable people

Cyber intruders broke into servers of the Geneva-based agency and gained access to personal, confidential information

US faces wave of Omicron deaths in coming weeks, models say

However, new evidence from nearly 70,000 patients in Southern California suggests Omicron is causing milder illness than delta

Covid-19 health emergency could be over this year: WHO

WHO also slammed the imbalance in Covid-19 vaccinations between rich and poor countries as a catastrophic moral failure

Report: Chinese Olympic app has serious security flaws

Citizen Lab said the MY2022 app has seriously flawed encryption that would make users' sensitive data vulnerable to being hacked

Democracies on the decline? Autocracies outperform democracies on public trust, says survey

Public trust in institutions fell in Germany, Australia and the United States at 43, while it increased in China, the UAE and Thailand.

Failure to vaccinate everyone will give rise to new variants: UN chief

Antonio Guterres lamented that “shamefully”, vaccination rates in high-income countries are seven times higher than in African countries

Israel study: 4th vaccine shows limited results with Omicron

The clinical trial found that both groups showed increases in antibodies “slightly higher” than following the third vaccine last year

No vaccine? No cafe, according to new French virus law

More than 91 per cent of French adults are already fully vaccinated

Nearly half of GDP in cities at risk from nature loss: World Economic Forum survey

Says there is an urgent need to protect and add nature back into urban environments

China's economy grows 8.1 per cent in 2021, slows in second half

In the final three months of 2021, the world's second-largest economy expanded at a 4 per cent annual pace

Tax rich to fund vaccines for poor hit by pandemic: Oxfam

Their ranks have swelled during Covid thanks to ample financial stimulus that pumped up stocks, it said

Philippines to acquire missile system from India for $375 million

The Philippines is in the late stages of a five-year project to modernise its military's outdated hardware

North Korea says it test launched missiles from train

Move seen as an apparent retaliation against fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration

Virgin Orbit launches 7 satellites into orbit

Virgin Orbit's modified Boeing 747 took off on Thursday from the Mojave Air and Space Port in the Southern California desert

Covid-19 pill roll-out stymied by shortages as Omicron rages

They are the first Covid-19 treatments patients can take at home, and thus could reduce the burden on hospitals

UN forecasts lower global economic growth for 2022 and 2023

The world economy is projected to grow by only 4 per cent in 2022 and 3.5 per cent in 2023, it says

Omicron surge threatens to slow down Australia's economic recovery

Australian businesses are grappling with the growing toll of workers out sick or ordered to isolate for being close contacts

Pak refuses IMF’s proposal to renegotiate loan fearing it might impose new conditions

Pakistan and the IMF had signed a $6 billion deal in July 2019

Russia: Infections could surge 6 times higher due to Omicron

Russia this year has been reporting between 15,000 and 18,000 new infections a day, compared to December's rate of about 30,000 daily cases

US airlines say China is forcing them to cancel some flights

China ordered the cancellations after some passengers tested positive for Covid-19

Home Covid tests to be covered by insurers starting Saturday

Administration works to make Covid-19 home tests more accessible, both by increasing supply and bringing down costs

US hospitals letting infected staff members stay on the job

The move is a reaction to the severe hospital staffing shortages and crushing caseloads that the Omicron variant is causing

EU ends omicron travel ban on flights from southern Africa

The French EU presidency made the announcement on Monday

In one of the worst fires in NYC, nine children among 19 charred to death

Over 30 people were seriously injured in the incident.