THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, even as dozens of countries have already introduced such restrictions. Although Omicron has been labeled a “variant of concern” by the WHO, it said on Tuesday that blanket travel bans will only place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, while also “disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data.”..

THE new Omicron variant of coronavirus has reportedly got over 30 mutations in the spike protein region giving it the potential to develop a immunoescape mechanism, and thus the efficacy of vaccines against it needs to be evaluated critically, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guelria has said. The presence of spike protein facilitates a virus’ entry into the host cell and is responsible for making it transmissible and causing infection. “The new variant of coronavirus reportedly has got more than 30 mutations ..

WOMEN have been banned from appearing in television dramas in Afghanistan under new rules imposed by the Taliban-led Government, the BBC reported. Female journalists and presenters have also been ordered to wear headscarves on screen, although the guidelines do not say which type of covering to use. Reporters say some of the rules are vague and subject to interpretation, according to the BBC report. The latest set of Taliban guidelines, which have been issued to Afghan television channels, features ..

GLOBAL wealth tripled over the last two decades, with China leading the way and overtaking the US for the top spot worldwide, Bloomberg reported. A report by McKinsey & Co. that examines the national balance sheets of 10 countries representing more than 60 per cent of the world’s income. China accounted for almost one-third of gains in global net worth over the past two decades. “We are now wealthier than we have ever been,” Jan Mischke, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute in Zurich, said in ..

NEGOTIATORS at the this year’s UN climate talks pored over fresh proposals on Saturday aimed at sealing a deal that could credibly be said to boost the world’s efforts to tackle global warming. British officials chairing the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, released new draft agreements a day after the official deadline passed. A proposal for the overarching decision retains contentious language calling on countries to accelerate “efforts towards the phase-out of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil ..

WHILE conducting research in Greenland, ice scientist Twila Moon was struck this summer by what climate change has doomed Earth to lose and what could still be saved. The Arctic is warming three times faster than the rest of the planet and is on such a knife’s edge of survival that the UN climate negotiations underway in Scotland this week could make the difference between ice and water at the top of the world in the same way that a couple of tenths of a degree matter around the freezing mark, scientists ..

ENVIRONMENT experts on Monday hailed as “real climate action” India’s pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070, saying that by making this big promises at COP 26, India has put the ball in the court of developed nations to fulfill promise of climate finance. Lauding the national statement delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 26th international climate conference in Glasgow, experts said India is rightly demanding USD 1 trillion from the developed nations. “I want to congratulate ..

THE US will lift all restrictions for fully-vaccinated international travellers, including from India, from November 8 but they will have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight to the country, the White House has announced. The updated travel guidelines issued on Monday also include new protocols around testing. To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travellers - whether US Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of accepted unvaccinated ..

SOUTH Korea test launched its first domestically produced space rocket on Thursday in what officials describe as an important step in the country’s pursuit of a satellite launch programme. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the three-stage Nuri rocket succeeded in delivering a dummy payload – a 1.5-ton block of stainless steel and aluminum – into orbit 600 to 800 km (372 to 497 miles) above Earth. Live footage showed the 47-meter (154 foot) rocket soaring into the air with bright yellow flames ..

THE death toll from a fire in southern Taiwan that engulfed a building overnight has further risen to 46 killed, according to local officials on Thursday who said at least another 41 people were injured. The 13-story building caught fire around 3 a.m. Thursday, fire officials in the city of Kaohsiung said. A fire department statement said the blaze was “extremely fierce” and destroyed many floors. At least 11 bodies were sent straight to the morgue, Fire Chief Li Ching-hsiu told reporters at the scene. ..

TWO scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch, revelations that could lead to new ways of treating pain or even heart disease. Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian identified receptors in the skin that respond to heat and pressure. Their work is focused on the field of somatosensation, which explores the ability of specialised organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel. The committee said ..

BRITAIN’S royals joined Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux and the cast of “No Time to Die” on the red carpet for the new Bond film’s world premiere Tuesday, a glittering event that marked the movie’s release after multiple delays caused by the pandemic. The film, the 25th in the long-running series and Craig’s last outing as 007, was initially due to be released in April 2020...

INDIA and the US have called on the Taliban to adhere to its commitments and respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children and minority groups, and asked the new rulers in Kabul to make sure that the war-torn country’s territory is never again used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists. In a US-India Joint Leaders’ Statement issued after the first in-person bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ..

CHINA on Friday announced that the manned mission to construct its first space station was a complete success after three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after 90 days, concluding the country’s longest crewed mission. The Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship carrying astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at around 13:35 local time, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. The mission to construct ..

THE World Bank is cancelling a prominent report on business conditions around the world after investigators found staff members were pressured by the bank’s leaders to alter data about China and some other Governments. The bank said on Thursday it would discontinue “Doing Business” following an investigation prompted by internal reports of “data irregularities” in its 2018 and 2020 editions and possible “ethical matters” involving bank staff. Staff members changed data on China to improve its ranking ..

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for setting ambitious climate targets and added that India has demonstrated that economic development and clean energy can go hand-in-hand. While congratulating India for making significant progress in climate targets, Kerry said that the 450 gigawatts renewable energy goal will be reached by India. “PM Modi has set very ambitious targets in India. The target of 450 GW by 2030, of renewable energy, ..

THE United Nations is making an emergency appeal for $606 million to help nearly 11 million people in Afghanistan for the four remaining months of 2021. It says they face a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by drought, displacement, chronic poverty and the sharp increase in hostilities as the Taliban swept to power. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs already has a $1.3 billion appeal for Afghanistan for the entire year of 2021, but it is only 39% funded -- at just $498 million. ..

A NUMBER of men and women took to the streets of Kabul chanting slogans against Pakistan as they claim the latters jets conducted airstrikes in Panjshir province. They have gathered at the gate of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and said that they do not support a puppet government in Afghanistan and asked for an inclusive government. The people gathered after co-leader of the resistance front in Panjshir province Ahmad Masoud in a voice clip called on people of Afghanistan to resurrect against the ..

AFTER days of consultations, the Taliban have nominated Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as the new head of state, according to senior leaders, a media report said. They said the new Government was likely to be installed on Wednesday, “or may get delayed for a few more days”, The News International reported. “Ameerul Momineen Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada had himself proposed Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as Raees-e-Jamhoor, or raees-ul-wazara or the new head state of Afghanistan. Mullah Baradar Akhund and ..

TALIBAN co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is set to lead a new Afghan Government, sources in the Islamist group said on Friday. The development comes as the Taliban is battling rebel fighters in Panjshir Valley and was striving to ward off an economic collapse, ‘TOLO News’ reported. The formation of a new Afghan Government by the Taliban, which was to be announced on Friday, has now been delayed by a day, according to the spokesman of the insurgents Zabiullah Mujahid...

THE US needs to closely watch China as it might try to take over the Bagram air force base in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the war-torn country and use Pakistan to get stronger to go against India, a former senior American diplomat has warned. America’s former envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley said President Joe Biden has lost the trust and confidence of American allies after his hasty decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. She said there are many challenges in front ..

THE Taliban leaders have said that negotiations over the future set-up of Government in Kabul have ended and will announce new Government soon. Officials in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that negotiations led by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada -- the supreme leader of IEA -- ended on August 30, ‘Khaama News’ reported. Mullah Hibatullah has recently come to the Afghan capital from Kandahar province where he had held a series of talks with tribal elders. The exact date of announcing the new Government ..

THE Taliban have proclaimed “full independence” for Afghanistan after the last US soldiers flew out following 20 years of war. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said early Tuesday that “American soldiers left the Kabul airport, and our nation got its full independence.” The US confirmed its last forces withdrew ahead of a Tuesday deadline, ending America’s longest war and a frantic two-week evacuation effort...

THE country’s Intelligence agencies have warned of a possible terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir after they got inputs regarding the movement of terrorists from across the border. A senior official said that the input was shared with the State Intelligence and security agencies concerned to prepare themselves for any untoward situation. He added that all Intelligence agencies have been put on high alert after they learnt about a meeting between Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leaders ..

ADMITTING that women are not safe in the present Taliban regime, the outfit directed Afghan women to work from home. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said at a news conference on Tuesday that women should not go to work for their own safety, undermining the group’s efforts to convince international observers that the group would be more tolerant towards women than when they were last in power, reported CNN. As per Mujahid, the measure was necessary because the Taliban “keep changing and are ..

TWIN suicide bombings struck on Thursday outside Kabul’s airport, where large crowds of people trying to flee Afghanistan have massed, killing at least 13 people, Russian officials said. Western nations had warned earlier in the day of a possible attack at the airport in the waning days of a massive airlift. Suspicion for any attack targeting the crowds would likely fall on the Islamic State group and not the Taliban, who have been deployed at the airport’s gates trying to control the mass of people. ..

INDIGENOUSLY developed Zydus Cadila COVID vaccine ZyCoV-D has received approval for Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India and it will be administered to people 12 years and above, the Department of Biotechnology said on Friday. ..

THE United States struggled on Thursday to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an Aug 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country. Taliban fighters and their checkpoints ringed the airport — major barriers for Afghans who fear that their past work with Westerners makes them prime targets for retribution. ..

A WEEK after Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin sued NASA over awarding Moon lander contract to Elon Musk, the US space agency has put SpaceX’s $3 billion contract on hold for the second time, the media reported. According to court filings, NASA voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the contract until November 1, this year, while the US Court of Federal Claims adjudicated the case, the Verge reported on Friday. ..

AN AFGHAN official familiar with talks with the Taliban says, the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming Government until after the August 31 US withdrawal date passes. The official, who is not authorised to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-Government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the US “to do nothing” until after the final withdrawal date passes. ..

LANCASTER (UK), SPRING 2060. In dark glasses, a wide sunhat and with what little exposed skin left caked in sun cream, a child stares at the woodland across from their house. It looks scraggly and stunted, and with far fewer leaves than in the old photos she has seen. Still, no time to dwell on it: there’s a UV index of 20 and she’s already spent five minutes outside...

AFGHAN protesters defied the Taliban for a second day on Thursday, waving their national flag in scattered demonstrations that were met with renewed violence by the militants who are facing growing challenges to their rule. A UN official warned of dire food shortages in this nation of 38 million people reliant on imports and experts said the country was severely short on cash, highlighting that the Taliban face the same problems as the civilian Government they dethroned without the level of international ..

AIR Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria flew a sortie in an F-15 fighter aircraft in Israel on Thursday apart from holding wide-ranging talks with his Israeli counterpart Major General Amikam Norkin on further boosting bilateral military cooperation, officials said. ..

IRAN and India can play a “constructive and useful” role in ensuring security in the region, especially in Afghanistan, and Tehran welcomes New Delhi’s role in the war-torn country, newly-elected President Ebrahim Raisi told External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here on Friday. Raisi’s comments came during his meeting with Jaishankar, a day after the 60-year-old Iranian leader was sworn in as the country’s President. ..

SCANNING through data fresh off the telescope, Australian scientists saw two ghosts dancing deep in the cosmos. Scientists said that they had never seen anything like it before, and had no idea what they were. Several weeks later, they had figured out that they were seeing two radio galaxies, about a billion light years away. In the centre of each one is a supermassive black hole, squirting out jets of electrons that are bent into grotesque shapes by an intergalactic wind. But where does the intergalactic ..

FRESH from his trip to the edge of space, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has offered NASA a discount of up to $2 billion to give his space company Blue Origin the human lunar landing system (HLS) contract, won by Elon Musks SpaceX earlier this year. Escalating his space war with Musk, Bezos in an open letter to the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Monday that his company would close US space agency’s near-term budgetary shortfall and producing a safe and sustainable lander that will return Americans ..

AS COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalisations continue to increase among the unvaccinated across the US, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said that the country is “going in the wrong direction”, the media reported. “If you look at the inflection of the curve of new cases, that it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50 per cent of the country is not fully vaccinated, that’s a problem,” Fauci was quoted as saying to CNN on Sunday. The majority of deaths could be, thus, among the ..

FOLLOWING the abduction of the Afghan Ambassador’s daughter in Pakistan, the Afghan leadership has called back the envoy Najibullah Alikhel and senior diplomats from Pakistan until all security threats are addressed, including the arrest and trial of the perpetrators of abduction. An Afghan delegation will visit Pakistan soon to assess and follow up on the case and all related issues and subsequent actions will follow based on the findings...

AFGHANISTAN President Ashraf Ghani on Friday lambasted Pakistan for not severing its ties with terrorist organisations groups and said that according to Intelligence reports over 10,000 ‘jihadi’ fighters had entered Afghanistan in the last month, while the Imran Khan’s Pakistan Government had failed to convince the Taliban to “negotiate seriously” in the ongoing peace talks. ..

THE death toll from a fire that swept through a hospital coronavirus ward in Iraq has climbed to at least 92, the Iraqi state news agency reported on Tuesday. The announcement came as anguished family members buried their loved ones and lashed out at the government over the tragedy. The blaze that erupted on Monday in the city of Nasiriyah was the second catastrophic fire in less than three months to kill hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Iraq, where the health care system has been crippled by ..

THE United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Hope Mars Mission has snapped the most detailed pictures yet of the ‘discrete nightside auroras’ of the Red Planet, which scientists have struggled to study for decades. The ultraviolet emissions arise when solar wind runs into magnetic fields that emanate from Mars’s crust. Charged particles then collide with oxygen in the upper atmosphere, causing it to glow, Nature reported...

IN A bold decision, Pakistan has decided and announced that it will not provide any bases on its soil to the US to operate from, after its troops exit Afghanistan. ..

JUPITER’S clouds have water conditions that would allow earth-like life to exist, but this isn’t possible in Venus’ clouds, according to the groundbreaking finding of research led by Queen’s University Belfast scientists. For some decades, space exploration missions have looked for evidence of life beyond earth where we know that large bodies of water, such as lakes or oceans, exist or have previously existed...

THE highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the “greatest threat” to America’s attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s leading infectious disease expert and White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned. The variant, which was first detected in India, is more contagious and causes more severe disease than other circulating variants, he said on Tuesday during a White House COVID-19 response team briefing. Fauci said the Delta variant now makes up more ..

TAMIL Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin on Friday met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence, where Rahul Gandhi was also present. This is the first meeting between Stalin and Sonia Gandhi after the DMK-Congress alliance was elected to power in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. ..

THREE Chinese astronauts on Thursday entered the country’s new space station after their spaceship successfully docked with it, just over seven hours after the launch from the Gobi Desert, in a major milestone for the Communist giant’s space exploration plans and its bid to become a leading space power. According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship successfully docked with the space station core module Tianhe on Thursday and entered the orbital capsule from the return ..

US PRESIDENT Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit meeting on Wednesday between what the American leader called “two great powers,” wrapping up more quickly than expected. The pair’s second sit-down, with aides present on both sides, lasted about 65 minutes. That session was to be divided into two parts with a break in between, but concluded without a second part...

LEADERS of the world’s largest economies unveiled an infrastructure plan on Sunday for the developing world to compete with China’s global initiatives, but they were searching for a consensus on how to forcefully call out Beijing over human rights abuses. Citing China for its forced labour practices is part of President Joe Biden’s campaign to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with Beijing. But while they agreed to work toward competing against ..

JEFF Bezos will be aboard for Blue Origin’s first human space flight next month. In an Instagram post on Monday, Bezos said he, his brother, and the winner of an ongoing auction, will be aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft during it’s scheduled launch on July 20. July 20 is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The trip will be a brief hop to space from Texas. Bezos said in early February that he was stepping down as CEO of Amazon to spend more time, among other things, focused ..

AMID the leaked Anthony S Fauci emails and independent investigations into the Wuhan lab secrets, reports have emerged again that the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China was funded by the US Government and the virology lab, headed by Shi Zhengli, received nearly $6,00,000 in ‘gain-of-function’ research. At a US Senate hearing on May 11, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) said that scientists in the US have long known how to mutate animal viruses to infect humans. “For years, Dr Ralph Baric, a virologist in ..