International

India said on Wednesday it has found around 40 cases of the Delta coronavirus variant carrying a mutation that appears to make it more transmissible, and advised states to increase testing. Here is what we know about the variant. WHAT IS DELTA PLUS? The variant, called “Delta Plus” in India, was first reported in a Public Health England bulletin on …

Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are set to meet on Wednesday to assess the possibility of a link between rare cases of heart inflammation and the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and partner BioNTech and from Moderna. The CDC has been investigating cases of heart inflammation mainly in young men for several months. The …

Tawakkalna (Covid-19 KSA) is the official app. approved by the Saudi Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This is in addition to enabling accommodation facilities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, to manage institutional quarantine. To support the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to serve pilgrims, Tawakkalna, in cooperation with the Ministry of …

WASHINGTON: The United States has cautioned the Taliban that the world will not accept a government imposed by force in Afghanistan as an intelligence report warned that the current setup in Kabul could collapse within six months after the American withdrawal. At a Tuesday afternoon news briefing in Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price also indicated that US financial assistance …

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily announced on Wednesday it would print its final edition after authorities arrested staff and froze its assets using a sweeping new national security law, silencing the independent media outlet. The decision is the latest blow to Hong Kong’s freedoms and deepens unease over whether the international finance centre can remain a media hub as …

PARIS: Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on the planet in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to a landmark draft report from the UN’s climate science advisers. Species extinction, more widespread disease, extreme heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas — these and other devastating climate impacts are accelerating and bound …

MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday said it fired warning shots at a British navy destroyer in the Black Sea after it violated the country’s territorial waters, but the UK denied the incident had occurred. Incidents involving Western aircraft and ships are not uncommon at Russia’s borders, especially during heightened tensions with Washington, Brussels and London, but rarely result in open fire. …

At the Ananas Hotel on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, the rooms were cleaned, the pool filled and the sun loungers distanced, as staff prepared to welcome back Russian tourists after nearly 20 months of pandemic-induced closure. Hotels in Turkey’s popular Antalya region are ready to reopen after Moscow announced it was lifting flight restrictions to Turkey. Tourism representatives are hoping that …

BARCELONA: Technology entrepreneur John McAfee apparently hanged himself in his Spanish prison cell on Wednesday after a high court authorised his extradition to the United States, according to his lawyers. Known for his eccentric behaviour and videos, the US entrepreneur was a pioneer of anti-virus software and indicted in Tennessee on tax evasion charges. McAfee was charged in a cryptocurrency …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Facebook have partnered to fight Covid-19 as the world’s prominent social media platform has provided Marketing Partner Support and Ad Credits for campaigns against the deadly virus and helped the government increase its engagement rates with the public on these posts. As part of these campaigns, Facebook and some ministries focused on creating videos and messages for …