International

14-12-2021 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI: It’s a frantic time at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in the western city of Pune, India’s oldest genome sequencing facility. As the country tries to contain the spread of the Omicron variant, laboratories like the NIV are working round the clock …

14-12-2021 MEXICO CITY: A large group of thousands of migrants from across Latin America, which has slowly been winding its way through Mexico, has clashed with police. Sunday’s clash happened as the group approached the capital, Mexico City. Their plan was to reach the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, …

14-12-2021 ABU DHABI/ TEHRAN: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan hosted Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday in the first ever public meeting between the United Arab Emirates’ de facto ruler and an Israeli leader. Israel’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi said the issue of Iran was …

13-12-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ NEW YORK: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal Twitter account has been “very briefly compromised,” the prime minister’s office has said. A swiftly deleted tweet from his main @narendramodi handle declared India had adopted Bitcoin as legal tender and was distributing the cryptocurrency …

13-12-2021 KENTUCKY/ WASHINGTON: A desperate search for survivors is under way in parts of six US states devastated by powerful tornadoes that have left at least 83 people dead. Dozens more people are missing and entire towns were destroyed by about 30 tornadoes on Friday. President Biden has declared a …

13-12-2021 DUBAI/ JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel to the United Arab Emirates to meet the Gulf state’s de facto ruler, in the first-ever visit to the UAE by an Israeli prime minister. Bennett will depart for the high-level public visit on Sunday and will meet Crown Prince …

12-12-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: International donors have agreed to transfer $280m (£210) from a frozen fund to UN food and health services in Afghanistan, the World Bank says. The country faces a deep humanitarian and economic crisis made worse by the removal of financial support after …

11-12-2021 SANA’A/ RIYADH/ TEHRAN: A Saudi spy drone was shot down by Yemeni forces over oil-producing province of Ma’rib, a spokesman said on Friday. It is an area where Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from the Popular Committees, are advancing on Saudi-backed forces. The spokesman for Yemeni Armed …

12-12-2021 GENEVA/ TEHRAN: Talks are continuing in Vienna to restore Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, but a final agreement still appears elusive as Iran and the West have varying views on the path forward. After a week-long pause, representatives of Iran, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and …

12-12-2021 NEW YORK/ KENTUCKY: US President Joe Biden has pledged support to states affected by a swarm of devastating tornadoes that demolished homes, levelled businesses and left at least 100 people feared dead. Describing the tornadoes as likely “one of the largest” storm outbreaks in history, Biden on Saturday approved …