International

WASHINGTON: Nine days after testing positive for Covid-19, US President Donald Trump was readying to host hundreds of partisans at the White House on Saturday, in hopes of relaunching his struggling campaign less than four weeks from Election Day. Trump has declared he is feeling “really good” — but doubts linger over his health, with the president’s doctor appearing more concerned about …

United States President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late on Saturday. “I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning’s Covid PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is …

SRINAGAR: Indian troops have martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their fresh act of state terrorism. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Chingam area of the district. The operation was continued till last reports came in. On …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected next week to outline a new three-tier lockdown system as rates of coronavirus infection surge particularly in northern England. Under stinging criticism after media leaks detailed the government’s plan without consultation with local leaders, Johnson will give a statement to parliament on Monday after stepping up contacts with regions affected. His chief strategic …

BISHKEK: Two large crowds supporting rival politicians clashed in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek on Friday as a power vacuum persisted and President Sooronbay Jeenbekov said he was ready to resign. The new clashes broke out after Jeenbekov imposed a state of emergency in the capital and said he would resign to end post-vote chaos. A disputed parliamentary election sparked a fresh …

MADRID: Spain’s government declared a state of emergency and a new partial lockdown for the virus-hit Madrid area on Friday after seeing its previous measures struck down in court, with the wrangling emblematic of the difficulties faced by governments around Europe. While drastic restrictions imposed on citizens during lockdowns in March and April were largely accepted, governments are facing increased …

WASHINGTON: Software giant Microsoft will let employees work from home permanently if they choose to, US media reported on Friday, becoming the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Verge said most Microsoft employees are still at home as the health crisis drags on, and the company doesn’t expect to reopen its US offices until January …

LONDON: The British government said on Friday it will pay two- thirds of the salaries of workers in companies that have to close as a result of new coronavirus restrictions widely expected to come into effect next week. In a change of policy, Treasury chief Rishi Sunak has responded to calls from businesses, local leaders and unions to provide a …

PARIS: French aid worker Sophie Petronin was reunited with her family on home soil on Friday, a day after being freed by insurgents in Mali who abducted the 75-year-old on Christmas eve nearly four years ago. President Emmanuel Macron and other officials greeted Petronin, France’s last known citizen to be held hostage anywhere in the world, as she stepped off …

WASHINGTON: A Singa­porean academic who recruited US officials to provide classified political and defence information to China was sentenced to 14 months in prison by a US court on Friday. Working with Chinese intelligence since 2015, Jun Wei Yeo, also called Dickson Yeo, set up a political consultancy in Washington which he used to identify Americans with high-level security clearances …