International

December 20, 2023 9:57 AM

WHO says JN.1 COVID strain a ‘variant of interest’, poses low risk

 The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest" and said current evidence shows risk to public health was low from the strain. At least two experts said that while the strain can evade the immune system and transmit more easily th...

December 19, 2023 4:23 PM

Icelandic volcano erupts, local town spared

The government said that flights are unlikely to be affected, dismissing concerns about international travel disruption reminiscent of the chaos caused by the ash cloud from an eruption in 2010. The eruption on Monday on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland sent lava and smoke more th...

December 19, 2023 10:07 AM

North Korea says Hwasong-18 ICBM test was response to U.S. hostility

 North Korea said on Tuesday it had tested the isolated state's newest ICBM on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear force against mounting U.S. hostility, as Washington and its allies began operating a real-time missile data sharing system. North Korean state media said leader K...

December 19, 2023 9:58 AM

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake kills 118 in northwest China

Rescue and relief operations are underway, with a team dispatched to assess the disaster’s impact. The exact number of missing individuals following the quake remains unknown, as per reports. The western provinces, like Gansu, located on the eastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-T...

December 19, 2023 9:34 AM

U.S.-led Red Sea patrol force to respond to attacks by Houthis

Several countries have agreed to jointly carry out patrols in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to try to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who say they are supporting Palestinians under siege by Israel in the Gaza Strip. U.S. Defense Secretary L...

December 18, 2023 4:56 PM

India and Oman advance economic ties during Sultan’s state visit

Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the ongoing negotiations, highlighting the swift pace in talks for signing an India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The commitment to deepening economic relations was evident as two rounds of negotiations occurred within a month. Sub...

December 18, 2023 12:21 PM

Car collides with parked SUV in Biden’s motorcade during Delaware event

US President Joe Biden and the First Lady emerged unharmed on Sunday night after a car collided with an SUV that was part of the president's motorcade. The incident occurred as the Bidens left the Biden-Harris 2024 headquarters in rainy downtown Wilmington at 8:07 p.m. (0107 GMT) after havin...

December 18, 2023 12:03 PM

Rare snowfall in southern China as deep freeze grips the north

The cold weather sweeping China brought rare snowfall on Monday as far south as the province of Guangdong, while temperatures in the chilly north plunged to near historic lows for the month. In a week of unexpectedly frigid weather, temperatures have fallen to lows below zero in northern areas, d...