Archaeologists have uncovered a room at a villa just outside Pompeii containing beds and other objects that shed light on the living conditions of slaves in the ancient Roman city buried by a volcanic eruption. The room, in an excellent state of preservation, contains three wooden beds and a series …
Read More »Man City cruise to derby win as United home woes continue
Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United in their derby at Old Trafford on Saturday. Gifted two goals by United in the first half, City were happy to control the game after the break, while their hosts failed to present any sort of …
Read More »US blacklists Israeli firm behind Pegasus spyware
The United States has put an Israeli spyware company on its blacklist following confirmation that the firm’s phone-hacking tools, like Pegasus, had been used by foreign governments to “maliciously target” journalists and officials. The US Commerce Department said in a statement on Wednesday that the Joe Biden administration had added …
Read More »India’s first homegrown COVID-19 shot Covaxin wins WHO emergency use listing
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that it has granted approval for Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech’s home-grown COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use listing, paving the way for it to be accepted as a valid vaccine in many poor countries. The WHO tweet that its technical advisory group had …
Read More »As national leaders exit COP26, $130 trln worth of financiers take the stage
With national leaders gone from the UN climate conference in Scotland, attention turned on Wednesday to the state treasuries and the businesses and financiers responsible for carrying out the pledges to cut emissions and build infrastructure. A main aim of the COP26 talks is to secure enough national promises to …
Read More »Facebook is pulling the plug on its facial recognition system
Facebook’s new parent company Meta will shut down its facial recognition system and delete the faceprints of more than one billion users. Facebook announced it is pulling the plug on its facial recognition system and will delete the faceprints of over one billion users, as the company tries to rebound …
Read More »UK, India launch green energy plan to connect world’s power grids at climate summit
Britain and India launched a plan on Tuesday to improve connections between the world’s electricity power grids to help accelerate the world’s transition to greener energy. Launched at the COP26 climate talks in Scotland, the plan dubbed the “Green Grids Initiative –- One Sun One World One Grid,” was backed …
Read More »Opinion | 5 Million People Have Now Died Of COVID-19 But It’s Likely To Be Much, Much More
The COVID-19 global death toll has just passed another grim milestone: more than 5 million people have now died from the disease. However, most experts agree that number is hugely underestimated and the real figures could be two to four times that. Vaccines have hugely slowed the death rate but …
Read More »Ex-FIFA president Blatter and ex-UEFA boss Platini charged with fraud
Former Fifa officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been charged with fraud and other offenses in Switzerland. Swiss prosecutors say Mr. Blatter unlawfully arranged a transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.19m; £1.6m) to Mr. Platini in 2011. Prosecutors say the payment “damaged Fifa’s assets and unlawfully enriched Platini”. …
Read More »Iraq authorizes Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine use for Children over 12
The Iraqi Ministry of Health authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include children 12 through 18 years of age. An official document issued by the Ministry on Monday said that the authorization was based on the recommendations of advisory committee experts …
Read More »Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader appears, belying rumours of his death
Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, made a rare public appearance in the southern city of Kandahar, Taliban sources said on Sunday, belying widespread rumors of his death. Akhundzada, known as the leader of the faithful or Amir ul Momineen, had not been seen in public even after the Taliban’s …
Read More »NASA, SpaceX delay ISS mission due to bad weather
NASA and SpaceX have delayed a mission sending four astronauts to the International Space Station to avoid “a large storm system,” the agency said Saturday. The astronauts of “Crew-3” were due to launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft named “Endurance” fixed atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space …
Read More »A World Remembers: Memorials honor COVID-19’s five million dead
The Italian city that suffered the brunt of COVID-19’s first deadly wave is dedicating a vivid memorial to the pandemic dead: A grove of trees, creating oxygen in a park opposite the hospital where so many died, unable to breathe. Bergamo, in northern Italy, is among the many communities around …
Read More »Being vaccinated offers better protection than being infected: CDC study
A new study from the CDC finds that people with “natural” immunity through infection were more than five times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 compared to people who were fully vaccinated. The study reviewed more than 7,000 people across nine states, measuring infections and hospitalization rates three to …
Read More »‘Everything is at stake’ as world gathers for COP26 climate talks
More than one world leader says humanity’s future, even survival, hangs in the balance when international officials meet in Scotland to try to accelerate efforts to curb climate change. Temperatures, tempers, and hyperbole have all ratcheted up ahead of the United Nations summit. And the risk of failure looms large …
Read More »Apple results hit by supply chain woes
Supply chain woes cost Apple Inc $6 billion in sales during the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which missed Wall Street expectations, and Chief Executive Tim Cook said that the impact will be even worse during the current holiday sales quarter. Cook told Reuters on Thursday the quarter ended Sept. 25 …
Read More »G20 wants 70% of world vaccinated by mid-2022, sets up pandemic task force
Finance and health ministers from the world’s 20 biggest economies (G20) said on Friday they would take steps to ensure 70% of the world’s population is vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-2022 and created a task force to fight future pandemics. They could not reach an agreement on a separate financing …
Read More »Ancient dog-sized scorpion fossil discovered in China
Imagine a scorpion! What usually comes to mind is a reasonably small, finger-length, venomous creature who primarily inhabits the land. But imagine diving into a sea and coming face-to-face with a meter-long scorpion! Scientists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology recently unearthed a fossil of a scorpion that …
Read More »China urges World Bank, IMF to help cash-strapped Afghanistan
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday to resume financing support to cash-strapped Afghanistan for reconstruction. The Taliban takeover in August saw billions of dollars in central bank assets frozen and international financial institutions suspend access to funds, although humanitarian aid …
Read More »Russia’s capital embarks on sweeping lockdown as COVID-19 deaths surge
The Russian capital brought in its strictest lockdown measures since June 2020 on Thursday as hospitals confront a rising wave of coronavirus cases that has sent one-day pandemic deaths to record highs. The partial lockdown, in which only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets are allowed to remain open, while …
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