Omicron spreads to 57 nations

The Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of patients needing hospitalisation is likely to rise as it spreads, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
8 December 2021

New German Era: Scholz takes reins from Merkel

Olaf Scholz became Germany’s new chancellor yesterday after 16 years with Angela Merkel at the helm, pledging his centre-left-led coalition would offer a “new beginning” for Europe’s top economy.
8 December 2021

Two dead, 12 hurt as truck ploughs into Lagos students

Two students were killed and 12 injured when a truck rammed into them near their school in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, police said yesterday.
8 December 2021

23 people burn to death

Gunmen in Nigeria attacked a bus in the country’s northwestern Sokoto state, causing a fire that killed 23 people, police and the governor’s spokesman said yesterday.
8 December 2021

Biden-Putin talks ‘positive’

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that a video call between US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “positive”.
8 December 2021
8 December 2021

US hits Iran with new sanctions for rights abuses

The United States slapped fresh sanctions on a dozen Iranian officials and entities for “serious” human rights abuses Tuesday, ahead of the
8 December 2021

UK, Australia join US diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

Australia and Britain will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, their prime ministers said
8 December 2021

Explosion in central Mali kills 7 UN peacekeepers

An explosion on Wednesday in central Mali killed seven United Nations peacekeepers and seriously wounded three others, the U.N. mission said on Twitter.
8 December 2021

Khashoggi killing: France frees Saudi man mistakenly held

France on Wednesday released a Saudi national arrested at a Paris airport over suspected links to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after officials concluded it was a case of mistaken identity.
8 December 2021

Beijing Winter Olympics: After US, Australia's diplomatic boycott, UK now follows suit

No UK government minister will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday, calling it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott.
8 December 2021

Olaf Scholz new German chancellor, ending Merkel’s 16-year tenure

Center-left leader Olaf Scholz on Wednesday became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure.
8 December 2021

This day in history

1940 - German bombers staged a heavy overnight raid on London, causing the first serious war damage to House of Commons and Tower of London.
7 December 2021

Syrian port of latakia::Israel strike targets Iran weapons

An Israeli air strike hit a shipment of Iranian weapons in the Syrian port of Latakia yesterday, in the first such attack on the key facility, a war monitor said.
7 December 2021

Coral reefs at risk of collapse: study

Rising sea temperatures and overfishing threaten coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean with complete collapse in the next 50 years, according to a groundbreaking study of these marine ecosystems.
7 December 2021

Instagram tightens teen defences as US hearing looms

Instagram yesterday tightened protections for teens on the eve of a Senate hearing about whether it is “toxic” for young
7 December 2021

US will ‘pay the price’: China

The United States will have to “pay a price” for its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China said yesterday, just weeks after talks aimed at easing tense relations between the two sides.
7 December 2021

38 perish in Burundi prison fire

A massive fire tore through an overcrowded prison in Burundi before dawn yesterday, killing dozens of inmates and seriously injuring many more, the country’s vice president said.
7 December 2021

Rohingya Hate Speech: Refugees sue Facebook for $150b

Rohingya refugees sued Facebook on Monday for $150 billion over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the vulnerable minority.
7 December 2021

Vaccine mandates should be ‘last resort’

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe yesterday cautioned against making Covid vaccines mandatory, while urging better protection of children among whom cases are high.
7 December 2021