CAPE TOWN: The head of the World Health Organization said Friday the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70 per cent of the world gets vaccinated. “Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, […]
Month: February 2022
WASHINGTON: The United States dramatically raised the alarm Friday over Ukraine, warning that a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could begin in days and telling US citizens to leave within 48 hours. An attack by the more than 100,000 Russian troops currently massed next to Ukraine […]
MOSCOW: Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said today Moscow’s ties with London were at a low point as he met with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for rare talks amid soaring tensions over Ukraine. “Unfortunately, the level of our cooperation is close to zero and about to cross the zero […]
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden seized US$7 billion in assets belonging to the previous Afghan government today with the aim of splitting the funds between victims of the 9/11 attacks and desperately needed aid for post-war Afghanistan. Biden formally seized the assets in an executive order. The money had been stuck […]
MELBOURNE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today said Russia is amassing yet more troops on Ukraine’s border, and warned an invasion during the ongoing Winter Olympics was possible. “We’re in a window when an invasion could begin at any time, and to be clear that includes during the Olympics,” […]
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economic growth, measured by gross domestic product (GDP), is likely to grow at 5.4 per cent for 2022 from the 5.0 per cent initial forecast, said OCBC Bank. OCBC Bank made the revised forecast after considering the consumption propensity and still-supportive exports environment. Its economist Wellian Wiranto […]
Price rises in the US accelerated by more than expected last month, pushing annual inflation up to 7.5% – the highest rate since 1982. Food and energy costs helped to drive the increases, which left few spending categories untouched. The rising prices are squeezing household finances as wages fail to […]
BEIJING: The 15-year-old figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva, who led Russia to team gold at the Beijing Olympics this week, tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Games, Russian media have reported. The positive test could cost Russia the team gold and also threatens Valieva’s participation in the […]
Russia and Belarus have started 10 days of joint military drills amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has a long border with Ukraine. France called the drills – believed to be Russia’s biggest deployment to Belarus since the Cold […]
Tesla is being sued for alleged racial discrimination and harassment by a California regulator which claims the electric carmaker operates “a racially segregated workplace”. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) said it had received “hundreds of complaints” from workers at the Fremont factory. Tesla called the lawsuit […]