Author: News Desk

London : A British court dismissed an appeal on Thursday by a newspaper publisher seeking to overturn a previous ruling that found the Mail on Sunday had breached the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy by publishing portions of a letter she sent to her father. Britain’s Court of Appeal upheld the earlier High Court decision, handed down in February, that the Mail had in fact breached Meghan’s privacy in a way that was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.” In a statement provided by Meghan and husband Prince Harry’s Archwell non-profit organization, the duchess called the appeal court’s decision “a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has…

Dubai :  Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at Expo 2020 Dubai today. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), they discussed the friendly relations, joint cooperation and development opportunities in various fields under the strategic partnership that brings the two countries together, especially in the investment and economic aspects, advanced technology, energy and food security, in addition to the cultural, educational…

A former Arizona nurse was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman at a long-term care facility where she later gave birth. Nathan Sutherland received the maximum punishment called for under his agreement to plead guilty to sexual assault. He also received lifetime probation for a conviction for abuse of a vulnerable adult stemming from his treatment of the woman. “It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable adult than the victim in this case,” said Superior Court Judge Margaret LaBianca, adding that Sutherland exploited his position of trust as a caregiver to sexually abuse the…

OXFORD TOWNSHIP :  A teenager accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school was called to the office before the shooting but “no discipline was warranted,” the superintendent said Thursday in his first extended remarks since the tragedy. Tim Throne, leader of Oxford Community Schools, said Oxford High School looks like a “war zone” and won’t be ready for weeks. But he repeatedly credited students and staff for how they responded to the violence Tuesday. “To say that I am still in shock and numb is probably an understatement. These events that have occurred will not define us,”…

BEIJING :  China and the United States are tussling over President Joe Biden’s upcoming democracy summit, which the ruling Communist Party sees as a challenge to its authoritarian ways. The party maintains China has its own form of democracy and plans to issue a report titled “China: Democracy that Works” on Saturday, five days before the opening of Biden’s two-day virtual meeting with about 110 other governments. The White House pushed back Thursday against Chinese criticism of Biden’s “Summit for Democracy,” after a senior Chinese official said that it divides countries and points fingers at others. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki…

Manila :  World Health Organization officials in the Western Pacific say border closures adopted by some countries may buy time to deal with the omicron coronavirus variant, but measures put in place and experience gained in dealing with the delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the pandemic. While a few regional countries are facing surges, COVID-19 cases and deaths in many others have decreased and plateaued, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Takeshi Kasai told reporters Friday in a virtual news conference broadcast from Manila, Philippines. “Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy…

Washington :  NASA has commissioned three companies to develop designs for new commercial space stations, said dpa international. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin firm is among them, and will receive 130 million dollars. Texas firm Nanoracks will get 160 million dollars and Virginia’s Northrop Grumman 125.6 million dollars, NASA said Thursday. NASA said it was seeking to transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to other platforms and thereby maintain an “uninterrupted US presence in low-Earth orbit.” “With commercial companies now providing transportation to low-Earth orbit in place, we are partnering with US companies to develop the space destinations…

Washington :  The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Earlier in the day, congressional leaders announced they had finally reached an agreement to keep the government running for 11 more weeks, generally at current spending levels, while adding $7 billion to aid Afghanistan evacuees. Once the House voted to approve the measure, senators soon announced an agreement that would allow them to vote…

Bahrain :  HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the General Sports Authority and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee has received at his office Dr Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, Sustainable Energy (SEA) Chairman and Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, CEO of the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). The meeting was attended by HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Vice President of the General Sports Authority and Dr Abdulrahman Sadiq Askar, CEO of the General Sports Authority. HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa welcomed the…

Wellington :   After 107 days, New Zealand’s largest city is now free from strict Covid-19 restrictions as the country moves to a new strategy on Friday. Auckland, with a population of about 1.7 million, has been under strict rules after a single case was detected on August 18. The number of cases in the outbreak has now reached 8,745. The city’s Mayor Phil Goff said Friday was a day to celebrate after a “long and challenging” lockdown, but that it was necessary to continue to take steps to keep safe, said dpa international. A “traffic light” system has come into force…