California and New York City officials have ordered government workers to get fully vaccinated or face regular tests, ratcheting up the pressure on reluctant residents to curb rising COVID-19 cases blamed on the Delta variant. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, “The Delta variant is deadly and …

The European Union on Tuesday called for a speedy return to political stability in Tunisia after the country plunged into turmoil following the president’s ousting of the prime minister. “The European Union is following developments in Tunisia with the greatest attention,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in …

US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday sealed an agreement formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, more than 18 years after U.S. troops were sent to the country. Coupled with Biden’s withdrawal of the last American forces in …

India will miss a target to administer over a half-billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of the month as Bharat Biotech — maker of its only approved homegrown shot — struggles to boost output, an analysis of government data showed on Monday. India has undertaken one of the world’s …

Japan shot to the top of the medal tally with eight golds on Monday night when mixed doubles partners Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito upset China in a table tennis thriller. Here’s what you need to know about the Tokyo Games: GOLDEN HOME TEAM The table tennis capped off a …

New legislation extends the use of health certificates in daily life, introduces mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers. France’s parliament has approved legislation to make COVID passes a key part of daily life and vaccinations mandatory for health workers amid a surge in infections across the country. Monday’s move means people …

The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said, on Monday, the Eid Al-Adha celebrations caused the unprecedented rise in Coronavirus infections. The Ministry’s spokesperson, Seif Al-Badr, said in a statement, “Today, the Ministry recorded the highest daily infection rate, with more than 12,000 cases,” adding that “this unprecedented rise is …

Lebanon’s businessman Najib Mikati has secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations to be nominated as the country’s new prime minister-designate, ending a months-long political deadlock over the matter. According to media reports, Mikati secured 73 votes out of 118 members of the parliament during consultations that followed his meeting with …

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed the country’s prime minister and suspended parliament following a day of rallies against the ruling Ennahda Party, a move greeted with both celebrations and protests on the streets. Saied announced on Sunday he would assume executive authority with the assistance of a new prime …

A top Chinese diplomat took a confrontational tone on Monday in rare high-level talks with the United States, accusing it of creating an “imaginary enemy” to divert attention from domestic problems and suppress China. Amid worsening relations between the world’s two largest economies, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the …

A mixed vaccination of first AstraZeneca and then a Pfizer COVID-19 shot boosted neutralizing antibody levels by six times compared with two AstraZeneca doses, a study from South Korea showed. The study involved 499 medical workers – 100 receiving mixed doses, 200 taking two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, and …

The past 12 months may have been a year marked by COVID-19, the impeachment of former US President Donald Trump, Brexit – and even Megxit, but it also marked an explosion of new billionaires across the planet. Rapid-fire public offerings, skyrocketing stock prices, and surging cryptocurrencies led to the number …

France’s 83-76 victory was the first Olympic men’s basketball loss for Team USA since 2004. The US men’s basketball team has been defeated 83-76 by France, losing at the Olympics for the first time since 2004 and for just the sixth time in the history of the tournament. The French …

Countries across Europe have begun to tighten borders and implement stricter quarantine requirements as governments seek to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the continent as the fast-spreading Delta variant continues to paralyze nations. Authorities in Malta have barred entry to unvaccinated travelers, while Germany has targeted people arriving from …

French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for national unity and mass vaccination to fight the resurgent coronavirus and lashed out at those fueling anti-vaccine sentiment and protests. About 160,000 people protested around France on Saturday against a special COVID-19 pass for restaurants and mandatory vaccinations for health workers. Many marchers shouted …

Greek police used teargas and water cannon to disperse people who had gathered in central Athens on Saturday to protest against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. More than 4,000 people rallied outside the Greek parliament for a third time this month to oppose mandatory inoculations for some workers, such as healthcare and …

The Iraqi Ministry of Health confirmed over 9000 COVID-19 cases and 55 deaths from its complications in the past 24 hours.   The daily situation report issued by the Ministry said that 9,147 swabs have tested positive for the virus on Saturday, bringing the cumulative count of confirmed cases since …

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff said on Sunday he fears the number of new coronavirus cases in Germany could soar to 100,000 a day in about two months unless many more people get vaccinated and those who refuse may face restrictions. His suggestion quickly hit resistance from several senior …

Protesters have staged huge rallies against COVID-19 restrictions in several countries around the world as governments move to make vaccination mandatory. In France, demonstrators held rallies Saturday to protest the compulsory vaccination for certain workers and the mandatory use of a health pass imposed by the French government. French police …

Emerging from the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, Hans-Juergen Fercher has just returned from his fourth dive to where mounds of 2,500-year-old wine pots mark the site of an ancient shipwreck — and Greece’s first underwater museum. “This is a combination of diving and archaeological diving. It’s diving …