WASHINGTON: Standing with the pump in her hand, Telila Scott was stunned to see the price of gas in Washington, a sentiment many are feeling as costs rise across the United States. “This is outrageous,” said Scott, who is currently unemployed. “I’ll pay $20 to try to fill my tank back up, but it still doesn’t … Read more
JINAN, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — An international standard for marine surveys, proposed and formulated by China, was published on Friday by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard was jointly proposed by the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) and the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural … Read more
LONDON: The US government on Friday won an appeal against a London court ruling that had blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from Britain. Washington challenged a decision made in January that the 50-year-old Australian would be a suicide risk if he was transferred to the US justice system. The US government wants … Read more
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan exporters are optimistic about growth in exports, despite increases in global freight and shipping costs, local media citing a survey reported here Friday. According to data from the bi-annual Export Barometer Survey by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 48 percent of respondents … Read more
BUFFALO: The ballots have been cast and, on Thursday, employees of three Starbucks cafes in New York state will learn whether they have created the first unions at outlets owned by the retail coffee giant in the United States. The move to unionise by baristas and shift supervisors, in the face of fierce resistance from … Read more
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order to make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, aiming for a 65 per cent reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an all-electric fleet of car and trucks five years later, Arab News quoted AP as saying. The White House said the order shows how the government … Read more
Pakistan on Wednesday snubbed the United States invitation for Islamabad to join the virtual “Summit for Democracy”. “We are thankful to the United States for inviting Pakistan for participation in the Summit for Democracy, being held virtually on 9-10 December 2021,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a statement. The FO reminded Washington … Read more
FRANKFURT, Dec 8, 2021 (AFP) – The coronavirus vaccine developed jointly by BioNTech and Pfizer is “still effective” against the Omicron variant of the virus after three doses, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday. A laboratory study by its makers found the vaccine “is still effective in preventing Covid-19, also against Omicron, if it … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 7, 2021 (AFP) – Instagram announced new protections on Tuesday for young users, a day before the photo-sharing app’s CEO faces a grilling from US lawmakers on whether the platform is “toxic” for children. The app will be stricter about what it recommends to teen users and will suggest a break if they … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia will not send officials to February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the Games. Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreement” with China over a slew of issues that have plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. … Read more
SYDNEY: After months of speculation that Novak Djokovic may miss the Australian Open over tough Covid vaccination requirements, the world number one was on Tuesday named to play in a Sydney tournament weeks before. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had cast doubt on whether he would defend his title at Melbourne Park next month, refusing … Read more
BEIJING: From human rights to coronavirus and tennis star Peng Shuai, February’s Beijing Olympics have been overshadowed by several controversies. With under two months, until the Games begin, the United States on Monday reacted by announcing a diplomatic boycott. AFP Sports looks at the issues hanging over the Olympics: Peng Shuai There was a grave international concern … Read more
BEIJING: China warned on Tuesday the United States would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns. The US move — which stopped short of preventing athletes from attending — comes after Washington spent months wrangling over what position to take on the Games beginning in February next … Read more
WASHINGTON: China has an important part to play in the global economy, as it recovers from the Covid-19, but its growth is slowing, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday. The head of the Washington-based crisis lender held a virtual meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and discussed topics ranging from inflation to the recovery … Read more
LONDON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — The United States could rebrand itself by helping overcome the global COVID-19 vaccine shortage, the Financial Times said recently in an opinion article. “The U.S. could show itself capable of giving the world’s poor what they need, as opposed to lecturing from a distance,” it said. According to the World … Read more
CANBERRA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Australia’s national science agency has opened a purpose-built facility to test technology before it is sent to the Moon. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on Thursday opened the In-situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) Facility in Brisbane. The facility provides a Moon-like environment to test rovers and related equipment … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — As the heavily mutated COVID-19 Omicron variant sounds a global alarm, China said it will stick to its strict anti-virus policy, taking all necessary measures to eliminate infections before the new virus variant could wreak havoc. Cases of Omicron, a “variant of concern” according to the World Health Organization (WHO), … Read more
WASHINGTON: Lowering tariffs imposed by the former Trump administration on Chinese goods could help ease some inflationary pressures, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said. Yellen made the remarks on Thursday at Reuters Next, a virtual global conference held from Wednesday to Friday, during which she said the tariffs of up to 25 per cent on … Read more
HOUSTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — The first possible case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been reported in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, local authorities said on Friday. The case was reported to be someone in the Greater New Orleans area who recently traveled within the United States, said the Louisiana Department of … Read more
WASHINGTON: The US Congress approved a stopgap funding bill on Thursday in a rare show of cross-party unity to keep federal agencies running into 2022 and avert a costly holiday season government shutdown. With the clock ticking down to the 11:59 pm Friday deadline, the Senate voted by 69 to 28 to keep the lights on … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec 2, 2021 (AFP) – India announced its first two cases of the highly infectious Omicron Covid variant on Thursday, months after a devastating wave of the virus killed more than 200,000 people around the country. Top health ministry official Luv Agarwal said two men in southern Karnataka state, aged 66 and 46, had tested positive … Read more
UNITED NATIONS, United States, Dec 1, 2021 (AFP) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday slammed travel bans targeting specific countries and regions imposed over the new Covid-19 variant as “unfair” and “ineffective.” “With a virus that is truly borderless, travel restrictions that isolate any one country or region are not only deeply unfair and punitive … Read more
LONDON: Opec+ oil producers meet on Thursday under pressure from US President Joe Biden, who has opened up his country’s taps hoping to bring down crude prices, and a new Covid-19 variant that has complicated the equation. The meeting “is shaping up to be one of the most significant since the pandemic demand recovery began, … Read more
GENEVA, The World Health Organization warned Monday the new Covid-19 Omicron variant poses a “very high” risk globally, despite uncertainties about the danger and contagion levels of the new strain. The UN health agency said the Covid strain first discovered in southern Africa was a “highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations… some of which are concerning … Read more
PARIS: Whether it is the heating bill, pump prices or making the weekly run to the supermarket, consumers are having to dig deeper and deeper into family budgets. Inflation is complicating the recovery of individual consumers from the pandemic and putting the recovery of the global economy at risk. What does the data say? Inflation figures … Read more
Influenza cases have been on the rise among young people in recent weeks, stated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The H3N2 lineage is responsible for the majority of illnesses, which scientists believe is particularly dangerous since it mutates more quickly than other influenza strains. Although flu activity in the United States is relatively … Read more
National Security Advisor Dr Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday reiterated his call for immediate assistance to avert the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. A six-member US delegation led by Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Congressman Gregory Meeks called on the NSA to discuss Pak-US bilateral relations and the overall situation in Afghanistan. Yusuf stressed that … Read more
ROME: Italy’s Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs has challenged Usain Bolt to a charity team sprinting contest after the retired Jamaican said he could have won the blue riband race in Tokyo. Bolt told AFP in an interview last week that it was frustrating to watch the delayed 2020 Games from his home in Jamaica as … Read more
