ROME: Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi urged Italy’s splintered parties Wednesday to get behind him as he tries to form a new government and lift his country out of the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic.After receiving a mandate from President Sergio Mattarella to open talks on a national unity government, Draghi stressed the…
PARIS: Pharma giant Pfizer tried to ease concerns in Europe about deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine as nations across the world doubled down on restrictions to fight the rampaging pandemic.The coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, with infections surging past 94 million and more than two million deaths, and Europe among the…
PARIS: Police fired tear gas and stun grenades during a protest march against police violence in Paris on Saturday after masked protesters launched fireworks at their lines, put up barricades and threw stones.The majority of the thousands of protesters marched peacefully, but several small groups clashed with police. Two cars, a motorcycle and building materials…
GLASGOW: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday said she had “never been more certain” of achieving independence, with Britain’s final departure from EU trading arrangements set to precede key Scottish elections in the months ahead. The head of Scotland’s devolved government and the leader of the pro-independence SNP told supporters at the party’s virtual conference…
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: When Jordanian travel vlogger Joe Hattab visited Pakistan for the first time two years ago, he experienced something he never expected to: Unparalleled hospitality that has kept him coming back. The 30-year-old filmmaker runs his own YouTube travel channel, which has over 5.7 million subscribers, mainly from Arabic-speaking countries. He has been to…
MANILA: The Philippines on Friday signed a supply agreement for 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to inoculate some 1.5 million Filipinos. The purchase deal for the experimental vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical giant with the University of Oxford will support the Philippine government’s plans to immunize against COVID-19 some two-thirds…
UK sees rise in Islamist extremist cases referred to counter radicalization program LONDON: The number of people referred to the UK government’s counter extremism program has jumped amid concerns over increased radicalization among young people.Cases involving Islamist extremism increased by 6 percent from 1,404 to 1,487. The numbers, which represent individuals of concern referred to the…
UK sees rise in Islamist extremist cases referred to counter radicalization program LONDON: The number of people referred to the UK government’s counter extremism program has jumped amid concerns over increased radicalization among young people.Cases involving Islamist extremism increased by 6 percent from 1,404 to 1,487. The numbers, which represent individuals of concern referred to the…
CHICAGO: President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to appoint a Palestinian American to a key White House position sparked a storm of political controversy.He announced on Monday that Reema Dodin will serve as one of two deputy directors of his legislative affairs team, which helps define presidential policies. The other is Shuwanza Goff, who is an African…
CHICAGO: President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to appoint a Palestinian American to a key White House position sparked a storm of political controversy. He announced on Monday that Reema Dodin will serve as one of two deputy directors of his legislative affairs team, which helps define presidential policies. The other is Shuwanza Goff, who is an…
JAKARTA: Indonesia on Tuesday committed $1 million to the Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop vaccines for various diseases that could develop into pandemics. Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and CEPI officials made the announcement during a virtual signing of the bilateral contribution agreement earlier today. In her remarks, Marsudi said that…
ADDIS ABABA/NAIROBI: Ethiopia’s state-appointed rights watchdog accused a Tigrayan youth group on Tuesday of killing hundreds of civilians as federal and local forces both claimed advances in a three-week war in the country’s mountainous north.Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government said enemy soldiers were surrendering as it advanced toward the regional capital, but the Tigrayans reported…
DUBAI: This year marks the 75th anniversary year of the United Nations. The world has seen massive changes since the League of Nations ceased operations in 1946, just 26 years after coming into existence, but its aims of promoting peace and well-being continue to live on in the work of the UN. The UN’s 75th…
NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to list the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel as an anti-Semitic organization has reignited a ferocious debate over what constitutes anti-Semitism, and where the line should be drawn regarding freedom of speech. Kenneth Stern, an American attorney and director of the Bard Center…
WASHINGTON: The United States hopes to begin coronavirus vaccinations in early December, a top government health official said Sunday, the latest positive news to emerge even as cases surge across the worst-hit nation and elsewhere around the globe.The beginning of vaccinations could be a crucial shift in the battle against a virus that has claimed more…
WASHINGTON: The United States hopes to begin coronavirus vaccinations in early December, a top government health official said Sunday, the latest positive news to emerge even as cases surge across the worst-hit nation and elsewhere around the globe.The beginning of vaccinations could be a crucial shift in the battle against a virus that has claimed more…
LONDON: Two former British prime ministers have warned the country’s current leader Boris Johnson against cuts to foreign aid spending. David Cameron and Tony Blair urged Johnson not to commit to a proposed 0.2 percent cut to the UK’s £15 billion ($20 billion, EUR17 billion) international development budget. The UK has proposed the cuts to pay…
ADDIS ABABA: The Ethiopian government said on Saturday its forces had seized another town in their advance on the rebel-held capital of northern Tigray region, and rebuffed an African diplomatic push to mediate. More than two weeks into Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s offensive, his government said Tigrayan forces were digging in and using bulldozers to…
Pandemic tough on millions of Mideast, N. African children, says UN CAIRO: The global pandemic and ensuing lockdown have taken their toll on the mental and physical well-being of millions of kids in the Middle East and North Africa, the UN children’s agency said on Friday. In a survey of more than 7,000 households in…
NAIROBI: A university official says the latest airstrike by Ethiopia’s military has struck the school in the capital of the defiant Tigray region and caused major damage, while the United States says neither side in the conflict is heeding calls for de-escalation.The senior official described Thursday’s airstrike in an email shared with The Associated Press.…
