News Archives for World - 2021-12-29

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World - 2021-12-29

USA

Biden, Putin to hold phone call on Thursday: W.House

WASHINGTON: Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak by telephone Thursday amid high tension on Ukraine...

Updated 29 Dec, 2021 11:39pm

Europe

Italy reports record 98,030 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, 148 deaths

MILAN: Italy reported another fresh record daily tally of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with new cases hitting 98,030...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 10:50pm

USA

US COVID cases hit record high, officials eye hospitalizations

The average number of daily COVID-19 cases in the United States has hit a record high of 258,312 over the past seven...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 08:15pm

Europe

Swiss new COVID-19 infections hit record high at 17,634

ZURICH: New COVID-19 infections in Switzerland hit a record high of 17,634 within the past 24 hours, figures...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 08:05pm

South Asia

Blinken to name former US official Rina Amiri as special envoy for Afghan women

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday will name former US official Rina Amiri as a special...

Updated 29 Dec, 2021 08:20pm

Europe

France sets new daily record of over 200,000 new COVID-19 cases

PARIS: France is seeing a tsunami of COVID-19 infections, with 208,000 new cases recorded over the past 24 hours, a...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 07:30pm

Middle East

Two die of wounds from Israel strike on Syria port

BEIRUT: At least two members of a pro-government militia were killed in an Israeli strike on the Syrian port of...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 06:23pm

Middle East

UAE daily COVID-19 cases climb above 2,000

DUBAI: Daily coronavirus infections in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf region's tourism and commercial hub, have...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 06:20pm

Middle East

Kuwait swears in fourth govt in two years

KUWAIT CITY: A new Kuwaiti government was sworn in on Wednesday, the oil-rich Gulf emirate's fourth in two years,...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 03:49pm

Europe

UK's Johnson says people without COVID boosters ending up in hospital

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to come forward to have a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday,...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 03:47pm

World

World hits record number of Covid cases in a week: AFP tally

PARIS: The world hit a record number of Covid infections in a seven-day period, with more than 935,000 cases ...

Updated 29 Dec, 2021 04:07pm

Stocks

Most Gulf markets track losses in Asian shares

Most stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Wednesday, in line with Asian shares, as investors positioned...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 02:05pm

Europe

France extends nightclub closures as Covid cases surge

PARIS: France said Wednesday that nightclubs would remain closed for a further three weeks, after nearly 180,000 new...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 01:47pm

Europe

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Crete, felt in Egyptian cities

ATHENS: An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck Crete, Greece, on Wednesday, the country's Geodynamic Institute said....

Published 29 Dec, 2021 12:22pm

World

Delta, Alaska cancel hundreds of flights due to bad weather, Omicron cases

U.S carriers Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group cancelled hundreds of flights on Tuesday due to adverse weather...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 12:18pm

Europe

Poland reports highest daily number of COVID-related deaths in fourth wave

WARSAW: Poland reported 794 COVID-related deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily number in the fourth wave of the...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 12:09pm

Asia

China reports 197 new COVID-19 cases on Dec 28 vs 209 a day earlier

BEIJING: China reported 197 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Dec. 28, down from 209 a day earlier, its health...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 10:53am

Asia

Australia seeks to ease COVID-19 test rules as cases hit records

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE: Australia will seek to make urgent changes to COVID-19 testing rules to ease pressure on test ...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 10:26am

World

New Zealand records first community exposures from border-related Omicron case

WELLINGTON: New Zealand said on Wednesday that a person who tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 10:15am

World

Blinken calls Russian closure of Memorial 'affront' to human rights

WASHINGTON: Washington on Tuesday condemned the closure by Russia's Supreme Court of the prominent rights group...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 10:00am

USA

Former US Senate leader Harry Reid dies at 82

WASHINGTON: Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who rose from humble beginnings to lead...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:55am

Asia

Philippines lifts ban on new open-pit mines

MANILA: The Philippines has lifted a four-year ban on new open-pit mines, an official said Wednesday, in a bid to...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:54am

Europe

Russia to consider shutting down Memorial's rights centre

MOSCOW: A Moscow court on Wednesday hears a case against the rights centre of Memorial group, which chronicled...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:52am

Middle East

Palestinian leader Abbas visits Israel's Gantz in rare trip

JERUSALEM: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas visited Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday during a rare ...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:48am

World

Omicron risk remains 'very high': WHO

GENEVA: The risk posed by the Omicron variant is still "very high", the World Health Organization said Wednesday,...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:46am

World

Five dead, two wounded in US shooting: police

WASHINGTON: The death toll from a shooting spree across multiple locations in Colorado, which ended when the gunman...

Published 29 Dec, 2021 09:27am

World

China slams US after space station ‘close encounters’ with Musk’s satellites

BEIJING: Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two “close...