Embattled Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare survived a no-confidence vote Monday while accusing “Taiwan’s agents” of orchestrating recent political violence that plunged the Pacific island nation into crisis. The pro-Beijing leader comfortably saw off an opposition attempt to oust him, winning 32 votes to 15 after a fractious and hot-tempered day-long debate. The febrile … Read more
MUMBAI: India hammered New Zealand by 372 runs to win the second Test on Monday, despite the Black Caps’ Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel making history with 10 wickets in the first innings. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a match tally of eight wickets — and 300th scalp on home soil — as the hosts clinched … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Malaysia reported 4,298 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Sunday, bringing the national total to 2,658,772, according to the health ministry. Some 23 of the new cases are imported, with 4,275 being local transmissions, data released on the ministry’s website showed. Another 40 deaths have been reported, bringing the … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday announced to include eight more countries in the ‘C’ category, which restricts travelling from those countries, over fear of the emergence of a new coronavirus variant. The fresh eight countries include six European countries, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Earlier, Pakistan had restricted six African countries and … Read more
BRISBANE: Captain Joe Root expects all-rounder Ben Stokes to play a major part in the Ashes but warned Monday that England must manage his bowling workload on his hotly anticipated return. The 30-year-old Stokes took an indefinite break from all cricket in July to prioritise his mental well-being and rest a fractured finger. There was doubt whether … Read more
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 jolted 104 km NW of Alianza Cristiana, Peru at 0630 GMT on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 2.8247 degrees south latitude and 77.12 degrees west longitude.
PERTH: Perth was axed Monday as host of the potentially pivotal fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England because of tough Covid rules which require players to spend 14 days in quarantine. A decision on the new venue for the Test, scheduled to start on January 14, is yet to be made with Hobart, Melbourne and … Read more
WELLINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — New Zealand has secured supplies of another medicine to treat COVID-19, Health Minister Andrew Little said on Monday. In October, New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to make an advance purchase of a promising new antiviral drug, molnupiravir, Little said in a statement. The national … Read more
PERTH: The high-profile case of a man charged with abducting a four-year-old girl from a remote Australian campsite was delayed Monday after his lawyer won an adjournment. Cleo Smith disappeared from her family’s tent in Western Australia in October, sparking a major search operation that many feared would end in tragedy. But the little girl … Read more
South Australian authorities have warned the state’s border could still be slammed shut to interstate travellers in response to the Omicron variant. South Australia (SA) Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said on Monday he could not rule out hard border closures to keep the Omicron COVID-19 variant out of SA before Christmas on Dec. 25. His … Read more
PARIS: International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said Sunday that his organisation will not boycott China over the Peng Shuai affair as “we don’t want to punish a billion people”. The WTA, which controls the women’s game, last week suspended all tournaments in China amid what its chairman called “serious doubts” about the safety of … Read more
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed two agreements related to the workers’ recruitment and skills verification programme of the Pakistani workforce being employed in the Kingdom, said Radio Pakistan on Monday. The signing ceremony of the agreements took place during the visit of the Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood to Saudi Arabia. Read more: Pakistan receives … Read more
JEDDAH: Lewis Hamilton kept his hopes of an eighth world championship title alive with a thrilling victory in a dramatic and at times chaotic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. The result left the seven-time champion level on 369.5 points with title rival Max Verstappen ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Hamilton was behind … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) leaders mocked Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) for allegedly failing to galvanise the masses in Lahore’s NA-133 by-election, as the latter won it with less than 20 per cent turnout. Read more: NA-133: PTI leader asks voters to stay at homes According to unofficial results, PML-N leader Shaista Malik won … Read more
MILAN: Junior Messias’ composure in his first season at AC Milan should come as no surprise despite the former delivery man’s remarkable rise from amateur football to the Champions League. As recently as 2019, Brazilian Messias was plying his trade in Italy’s third-tier Serie C, a past in local leagues and a former job shifting fridges not that … Read more
HARBIN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — A high-speed railway linking the cities of Mudanjiang and Jiamusi in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province started operation on Monday, stretching 372 km in the frigid zone. As the country’s easternmost high-speed railway, it extends the existing Shenyang-Mudanjiang Railway in northeast China to link with more cities, including Jixi, Qitaihe, Shuangyashan … Read more
TAIYUAN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — A fire that broke out in an accommodation site of a thermal power company in north China’s Shanxi Province early Monday morning has left eight people dead, according to local authorities in Shouyang County. The fire broke out at around 1:36 a.m. and was put out at 4:20 a.m. Rescuers … Read more
PARIS: Fans will this week get their hands on the latest “Halo” video game, as Microsoft marks 20 years of the franchise that turned its Xbox console into a hit. “Halo Infinite” is out Wednesday — but to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the cult sci-fi series, Microsoft and developer 343 Industries have already released … Read more
KARACHI: The Pakistan stocks opened on a bearish note as the KSE-100 index was down 32.13 points, or 0.07 per cent, in the first hour of trading on Monday. The Pakistan equity market witnessed a roller-coaster ride on Friday with the first session posting impressive gains in the oversold market; however, the second session witnessed … Read more
YANGON, Dec 6, 2021 (AFP) – A Myanmar court on Monday jailed ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi for four years for inciting dissent against the military and breaching Covid rules, a spokesman for the junta told AFP. Suu Kyi “was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment under section 505(b) and two years’ imprisonment under natural … Read more
PARIS: Xavi Hernandez faces his first critical test as Barcelona coach with the club at risk of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in two decades. A goalless draw at home to Benfica last month left Barca with their destiny in their own hands, but with a much trickier final game … Read more
OTTAWA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Canada’s populous provinces saw increasing daily COVID-19 cases recently, as more people gather indoors in the winter. Ontario, the most populous province with a population of 14 million, reported 1,184 new COVID-19 cases Sunday morning. It is the highest number in a single day since May 28. The province’s rolling … Read more
LUMAJANG, Indonesia, Dec 6, 2021 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Semeru spewed more ash on Monday, forcing rescuers to suspend the search for survivors as aerial images showed the extent of the devastation unleashed by the volcano’s deadly weekend eruption. The biggest mountain on the island of Java thundered to life Saturday, ejecting a mushroom of volcanic … Read more
RAMALLAH, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — Palestine sent 100 COVID-19 samples to an Israeli hospital to test for the Omicron variant, a senior official said Sunday. The West Bank does not have labs to test for the new variant, so the samples were sent to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila … Read more
A private football venture, featuring former England and Liverpool star Michael Owen, has joined Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive to groom and mobilize Pakistan’s football talent. Read more: Over Rs22 billion soft loans disbursed under Kamyab Jawan Programme Prime Minister Imran Khan is inaugurating the largest sports initiative in the history of the … Read more
BRISBANE: England captain Joe Root welcomed reports Monday that Darren Gough is set to become director of cricket at Yorkshire and said he would work with him to help the troubled club. British media said ex-England star Gough was on the verge of leaving behind a successful broadcasting career to spearhead Yorkshire’s recovery from a damaging racism … Read more
WELLINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — New Zealand reported 135 new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the community on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country’s current community outbreak to 9,171. Among the new infections, 125 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, eight in nearby Waikato, and two in … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec 6, 2021 (AFP) – Stevie Wonder headlined a star-studded gala Sunday saluting Motown founder Berry Gordy, folk legend Joni Mitchell and other recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, one of America’s highest arts awards — with the president back in the audience. Glitzy red carpet events are rare in the US capital, but on … Read more
