Category: WORLD NEWS

A fired American scientist has alleged that the Trump administration ignored the concern of doctors in the US over the importation of hydroxychloroquine from “uninspected factories” in India and Pakistan and flooded the country with the “unproven and potentially dangerous” anti-malarial drug. In a complaint filed on Tuesday before the US Office of Special Counsel, which oversees the protection of whistleblowers, Rick Bright alleged that top officials of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) repeatedly ignored his messages and that of others over the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)…

Read More

A Senate panel is considering Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe’s nomination for director of national intelligence, holding the in-person hearing amid President Donald Trump’s shakeup of the intelligence community and under drastic new distancing rules to protect Capitol Hill from the coronavirus.   Ratcliffe’s confirmation hearing in the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday comes nine months after Trump first submitted and then abruptly withdrew the three-term lawmaker’s nomination. The August withdrawal came after bipartisan Senate criticism that Ratcliffe, one of the president’s most ardent defenders during the Russia investigations and Trump’s…

Read More

Pakistan’s tally of the coronavirus cases crossed the 20,000-mark on Monday after 1,083 new infections were diagnosed, the health ministry said. In the last 24 hours, 1,083 new cases were reported, taking the total to 20,186 patients. There were 22 deaths during this period, upping the fatalities to 462. A total of 5,590 patients have recovered in the country, the ministry said. The authorities have so far conducted 212,511 tests, including 9,522 during the period. The Ministry of National Health Services said that out of the total number of patients,…

Read More

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, a South Korean official said Sunday, amid speculation about his health that continues to linger even after he reappeared publicly in recent days.   North Korea had said Saturday that Kim attended the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang on Friday, in his first public appearance in about 20 days. While North Korean video showing a smiling Kim moving around, cutting a red ribbon and smoking quelled intense rumours that he might be gravely…

Read More

Labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta on Friday endorsed Joe Biden for president, giving him the backing of one of the nation’s most prominent Latino leaders.   The endorsement comes as the campaign says it’s ramping up Latino outreach, expanding some of the efforts it launched in key states during the primary in an effort to strengthen Biden’s support with a voting bloc it acknowledges could be pivotal to his success in November. The former vice president initially struggled to win over Latino voters during the primary after facing…

Read More

Joe Biden won Ohio’s presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus.   The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak. There were reports of confusion but no widespread disruption. It wasn’t like Wisconsin earlier this month, when voters were forced to overlook social distancing guidelines to stand in line wearing masks to cast ballots. Within the context of the threat of the virus,…

Read More

France and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, were laying out separate roadmaps Tuesday for lifting their lockdowns, while signs emerged the virus has been all but vanquished in New Zealand and Australia.   But on the other side of the globe, Brazil is emerging as a new hotspot for infections. And new doubts were raised over whether Japan would be able to host the already postponed Summer Olympics next year without the development of a vaccine. In Europe and elsewhere, the key question of when…

Read More

During times of war and strife, national leaders often aim to unite a broken country and, in the process, broaden their appeal beyond their most loyal supporters. Not President Donald Trump.   Confronting a pandemic that has upended his presidency and threatened his reelection prospects, Trump has focused almost exclusively on tending to his base. While the coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 Americans, eliminated more than 20 million jobs and dashed the routines of daily life for nearly everyone, Trump has leveled attacks on Democrats. He’s…

Read More

Will the fans rush back? Will training abroad be as hassle-free as it used to be? What about contact sports where social distancing can’t really be practised? In a nutshell, will sports and watching sports ever be the same again in a world scarred by the COVID-19 pandemic? Seeking answers to these questions, PTI sports team reached out to some of India’s biggest sportspersons — current and former — who gazed into the crystal ball and predicted the future of sports once the action resumes. The responses were a mix…

Read More

Coronavirus cases in Singapore crossed the 13,000-mark on Sunday after 931 positive cases were confirmed with majority of them continued to be foreign workers, including Indian nationals, living in dormitories. The vast majority of the news cases are work permit holders residing in dormitories for foreign workers, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary release of figures. Foreign workers’ dormitories have been locked down as the government struggles to curb the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fifteen of the new cases confirmed on Sunday are Singaporeans or…

Read More