SHANGHAI: A senior Chinese expert said the United States should be the priority in the next phase of investigations into the origin of COVID-19 after a study showed the disease could have been circulating there as early as December 2019, state media said on Thursday. The study, published this week by the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), showed that …

TOKYO: Japan will decide this month on whether to allow domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, the government’s chief spokesman said on Wednesday, after experts signed off on a plan to allow crowds of up to 10,000 people at events. The final call on attendance at the Games will be made taking into account coronavirus infection conditions and the prevalence …

KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ miserable campaign in the HBL Pakistan Super League ended on Wednesday in an ignominious exit from the playoff race for the second straight season when the former champions crashed to a record 110-run defeat against Multan Sultans at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Needing a victory to keep themselves alive in the competition, Quetta were …

WhatsApp for iOS will reportedly be getting a new ‘archived chats’ tab in an upcoming update, according to WABetaInfo. The app just submitted a new beta for its iOS version on TestFlight with new features for archived chats. According to WABetaInfo, with WhatsApp beta version 2.21.120.10, the app will feature a brand-new Archived Chats tab. With that, when the “Keep chats …

German biotech CureVac said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study’s main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union. The disappointing efficacy of the shot known as CVnCoV emerged from an interim analysis based on 134 COVID-19 cases in the …

KARACHI: Table-toppers during the Covid-hit first leg in their hometown just over three months ago, Karachi Kings are now experiencing a shattering meltdown in defe­nce of their HBL Pakistan Sup­er League crown in Abu Dhabi after Peshawar Zalmi became the latest opponents to humiliate Imad Wasim’s charges. Of late, Imad has had portrayed himself as reluctant captain of a side …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan on Wednesday allowed banks and other service providers to charge a minimal fee on high-value transactions while the low-income segments of population will continue to use digital transactions free of cost. After emergence of Covid in the first quarter of 2020 the State Bank took a number of measures to cope with the extraordinary …

ST PETERSBURG: With a slick one-two and a beautiful curling shot, Aleksei Miranchuk finally gave Russia something to smile about at Euro 2020. The left-footed playmaker produced the one moment of class in a chaotic game on Wednesday to give Russia a 1-0 win over Finland and their first points. It blows open the section after Russia, one of nine …

ABU DHABI: Former South African captain Faf du Plessis, who had suffered concussion during a Pakistan Super League match, was on Wednesday ruled out of the remaining matches of the tournament. Du Plessis suffered the concussion following a nasty collision with his Quetta Gladiators team-mate Mohammad Hasnain while trying to save a boundary during their PSL match against Peshawar Zalmi …