Iraq pays final Kuwait war reparations

Iraq has paid its last war reparations to Kuwait more than 30 years since the invasion of the Gulf country by former autocrat Saddam Hussein,
23 December 2021

High temperatures hit Greenland

Temperatures have soared in Greenland recently, the Danish Meteorological Institute said on Wednesday, in line with warming trends experts have linked to global warming.
23 December 2021

Hospital risk lower with Omicron

Two separate studies from UK published Wednesday showed Covid infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalization compared to the Delta variant.
23 December 2021

Russia doesn’t want conflict: Putin

Russia wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, demanding an “immediate” response from the US and its allies to Moscow’s demand for security guarantees.
23 December 2021

US Navy seizes guns it says heading from Iran to Yemen

The US Navy has seized 1,400 AK-47 rifles and ammunition from a fishing boat it claimed was smuggling weapons from Iran to Huthi rebels in war-torn Yemen.
23 December 2021

FDA authorises Merck’s Covid-19 antiviral pill

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorised Merck & Co's (MRK.N) antiviral pill for Covid-19, after giving the go-ahead to a similar treatment from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) a day earlier.
23 December 2021

UNSC adopts resolution to ease aid to Afghanistan

The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted a US-proposed resolution that facilitates humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which is on the verge of economic collapse, while keeping funds out of Taliban hands.
22 December 2021

Well-preserved dinosaur embryo found in China

Scientists on Tuesday announced the discovery of an exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo from at least 66 million years ago that was preparing to hatch from its egg just like a chicken.
22 December 2021

Only weeks left to revive Iran nuclear deal: US negotiator

There are only “some weeks” left to revive the nuclear deal with Iran if it continues its nuclear activities at the current pace, US negotiator Rob Malley said Tuesday.
22 December 2021

Nigeria ethnic violence toll jumps to 45

Some 45 farmers were killed in attacks carried out by herders in Nigeria’s central Nasarawa state, the presidency said on Tuesday, giving a higher toll than local officials.
22 December 2021

Saudi-led coalition rejects Iran charges on Yemen envoy

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen yesterday rejected accusations that it was slow to facilitate the evacuation from Sanaa of an Iranian diplomat who later died of coronavirus.
22 December 2021

AstraZeneca, Oxford to produce Omicron-targeted vaccine

AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday it is working with Oxford University to produce a vaccine for the Omicron coronavirus variant, joining other
22 December 2021

Libya delays Friday election

Authorities overseeing war-torn Libya’s first presidential election have confirmed that holding it on Friday as scheduled is “impossible” and
22 December 2021

Dozens missing as migrant boat sinks off Greece

A massive search and rescue operation was underway off the Greek island of Folegandros yesterday, after a dinghy carrying migrants sank, killing at least one person, Greek authorities said.
22 December 2021

From Everest to Mariana Trench

From Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, microplastics are everywhere – even high in the Earth’s troposphere where wind speeds allow them to travel vast distances, a study showed Tuesday.
22 December 2021

Cambodia tests Asean

As Cambodia prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) next year, Prime Minister Hun Sen is splitting with most of the bloc by looking to bring Myanmar’s military leadership into the fold.
22 December 2021

‘My children are cold’

Umm Raghad’s children don’t have proper clothes or a furnace at home to stay warm during Syria’s bitter winter so they burn scraps of garbage to keep the biting cold at bay.
22 December 2021

'Not my time to die': 57yr old Madagascar minister swims 12hrs after helicopter crash

A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum some 12 hours to shore Tuesday after their helicopter crashed off the island's northeastern coast, authorities said.
22 December 2021

At least $100bn from US pandemic relief funds stolen: Secret Service

Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the US Secret Service said Tuesday.
22 December 2021

How closely related are modern birds to dinosaurs?

Scientists yesterday announced the discovery of an exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo from at least 66 million years ago that was preparing to hatch from its egg just like a chicken.
22 December 2021