WHO eyes Brighter Future despite COVID
GENEVA: WHO Emergencies Chief Michael Ryan is optimistic that humanity will change course and take the steps needed to tame COVID-19. As concern grows about the fast-spreading coronavirus variant Omicron…
COVID-19: WI postpones Pak ODI series
KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have issued a joint statement after five more COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the West Indies camp following…
UK: Stop exploiting travelers
LONDON: Britain on Wednesday urged private Covid test firms to stop exploiting travelers, after a former competitions chief said the market was a "rip-off jungle". "We've been clear it is unacceptable…
Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS: Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - WHO says no compulsory jabs - The World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe cautions against making Covid vaccines mandatory,…
Omicron spreads in US, Australia
WASHINGTON: The United States and Australia announced their first locally transmitted cases of the Omicron variant as authorities worldwide rushed Friday to stem the spread of the heavily mutated strain of…
Covid-19: Crackdown on unjabbed
BERLIN: Leaders in Germany were poised to approve a de-facto lockdown for the unvaccinated Thursday with the United States set to ramp up testing requirements for travellers in a winter battle…
What is known about Omicron?
JOHANNESBURG: South African scientists have discovered a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, with multiple mutations that is thought to be highly contagious. The World Health Organization has designated it a variant of…
UK to toughen Covid entry rules
LONDON: Britain will require all arriving passengers to isolate until they can show a negative PCR test against Covid-19 and is restoring a mandate to wear face masks in shops…
Omicron affects int’l sport in S. Africa
JOHANNESBURG: International sport in southern Africa effectively ground to a halt on Saturday as a result of travel bans caused by the new Omicron coronavirus variant. The Joburg Open golf tournament,…
Covid-19: Australia bans S. Africa flights
SYDNEY: Australia banned flights from nine southern African countries on Saturday, tightening its borders to prevent the entry of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant. Non-Australians who visited South Africa, Zimbabwe…
Covid-19 national positivity ratio
ISLAMABAD: Covid-19 active cases on Thursday in Pakistan was recorded 22,501 with 460 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 336 people recovered from the disease during the…
COVID-19 and Germany’s Christmas markets
DRESDEN: COVID-19 cases are soaring here and affecting the Germany's famous Christmas markets. Wine is brewing and the chestnuts are ready to roast, but with Covid-19 cases soaring the festive…
Winter Olympics in Beijing
BEIJING: Winter Olympics is also bracing against the mysterious malady caused by Coronavirus. A major venue will only let in one-fifth the spectators it normally holds due to the pandemic.…
Covid-19: US reopens borders after 20 months
NEW YORK: Eager travelers and their relatives rejoiced, wept and breathed sighs of relief Monday as the United States reopened to vaccinated visitors, ending 20 months of Covid-19 restrictions that separated…
Over 28M extra years of life lost in 31 countries in 2020
ISLAMABAD: Over 28 million more years of life were lost than expected in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic, finds a study. The study, published by The BMJ, analysed the effects…
Covid: What next after 5 million deaths?
PARIS: With the world poised to hit more than five million people officially dead from the covid, experts maintain that the pandemic's future path will depend greatly on vaccinations. -…
Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS: Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - Beijing cancels flights, weddings - Beijing's airports cancel hundreds of flights and residents are told to postpone weddings and keep…
Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS: Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - Brazil senators against Bolsonaro - A Brazilian Senate commission approves a damning report that recommends criminal charges be brought…
UK Covid
UK monitors a subvariant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus
LONDON: Britain on Tuesday said it was monitoring a subvariant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus, which has been seen in a growing number of cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's…
US donates some 10M additional Pfizer vaccine doses to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The United States is shipping an additional 9.6 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility to Pakistan. This donation brings the total number of COVID-19 vaccines donated…
Pakistan posting rise in TB cases due to Covid-19: WHO
UNITED NATIONS: Tuberculosis deaths have increased for the first time in a decade as resources have been directed to tackling the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020,…
Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS: Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - Anti-Covid drug - Pharmaceutical giant Merck applies for emergency use authorisation of its oral anti-Covid drug, molnupiravir, in the…
FM calls for revisiting global trade, investment, technology regimes
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday called for revisiting the international policy frameworks governing trade, investment, finance, taxation and technology. In a video statement at the General Debate…
Covid-19: Pandemic slows for fourth week
PARIS: The coronavirus pandemic continued to slow down for a fourth week in a row around the world. Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database.…