International

US: With a new US school year beginning, US President Joe Biden warned Governors who oppose student mask requirements that they could face legal action for intimidating educators seeking to protect children against COVID-19. In…

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand reported a breakthrough on Thursday in tracing the source of a Covid-19 outbreak that plunged the nation into lockdown, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying it should help “stamp out” the virus.…

SINGAPORE: A British man was sentenced to six weeks’ jail in Singapore for not wearing a mask and harassing police, officials confirmed Thursday. The city-state, which has had comparatively mild COVID-19 outbreaks, has taken a…

INDIA: India had administered at least 571 million Covid vaccine doses by Thursday, August 19. Meanwhile, by 7pm on Thursday, 571,671,264 vaccine doses were given across the states and UTs. As many as 4,884,440 doses were administered…

UK: Two doses of Pfizer shot have greater initial efficacy against a new infection, but this declines faster compared with two doses of the Oxford jab. The efficacy of these two vaccines may be similar after 4-5 months, the study…

US: People who were infected with SARS in 2003 and recovered are able to produce antibodies that can potentially neutralise all known COVID-19 variants of concern, scientists have found. The findings, published in The New England…

FLASH BACK: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Hyderabad House in New…

AFGHANISTAN: Flag-waving protesters took to the streets of more Afghan cities on August 19 as popular opposition to the Taliban spread, and a witness said several people were killed when the militants fired on a crowd in Asadabad in…

AFGHANISTAN: China can play a big role in the “rebuilding, rehabilitation, reconstruction of Afghanistan”, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told Chinese national broadcaster CGTN late on Thursday in an interview. Shaheen’s…

UK: The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will inspire terrorists and trigger an “explosion” of extremism and security challenges for the world, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned on Thursday. Speaking to the BBC, the Cabinet…