Author: News Desk

Washington: President Joe Biden is urging those now eligible for COVID-19 booster shots to get the added protection. His plea comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the doses for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late Thursday. Biden praised the decision and aimed to set aside any unease about the vaccination by saying that he would get his own booster soon, The advisers say boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents…

Madrid : Spain plans to declare a state of emergency on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, due to the ongoing volcanic eruption that has already destroyed hundreds of homes there, said dpa international. A further vent in the volcano broke open on Friday and began to spew lava, prompting officials to evacuate 1,000 residents from the villages of Tajuya and Tacande, state broadcaster RTVE reported. So far, 6,000 people have been evacuated since the volcano first erupted, on an island of some 83,000 inhabitants. The Spanish government plans to designate the island a disaster zone and…

Washington :  The U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 stood on the verge of a major new phase as government advisers recommended booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans — despite doubts the extra shots will do much to slow the pandemic. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot, reports…

Berlin :  With three days to go until Germany’s elections, the candidates took part in a final televised debate on Thursday focusing on differences in foreign and security policy, said dpa. After three previous debates that featured only the three top candidates for chancellor – from the CDU/CSU, the SPD and the Greens – all parties currently represented in the Bundestag took part in the final round. The Social Democrats’ (SPD) candidate, Olaf Scholz, pledged to increase defence spending for the German army on Thursday and added that the most important foreign policy goal would be a strong, sovereign Europe.…

Los Llanos de Aridane, Spain: In more than 50 years growing bananas on the Spanish island of La Palma, Antonio Brito Alvarez has never seen anything like the devastation wrought by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which has been spewing out molten rock and ash since Sunday. “All this is burnt, burnt from the heat and the wind … The bananas are totally burnt,” said Alvarez, 65, picking off charred black fruit from a tree in his small plantation in the agricultural heartland of Los Llanos de Aridane. Fruit that was spared the scorching heat has been spoiled by fine particles…

Mexico City : Mexico’s foreign ministry said it had recovered valuable manuscripts from the 16th century, including some relating to conquistador Hernan Cortes, months after a group of academics reported them missing from Mexico’s national archives. In apparently systematic fashion, 10 documents were stolen over several years from a collection dedicated to Cortes and later put up for sale in international auction houses including Swann, Bonhams and Christie’s, the academic investigators said. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter that the documents had been recovered by U.S. investigators and the office of the attorney general of New York. Among…

Vienna : Special Envoy for Climate Affairs, Supreme Council for the Environment, Dr. Mohammed Mubarak bin Daina held a meeting Head of GCC Permanent Mission to the United Nations Col. Dr. Ali Al Jowder, one the sidelines of the 65th session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Congress, in Viena, Austria. The two sides discussed key issues featuring on the IAEA conference agenda, mainly nuclear security and the peaceful uses of atomic energy, as well as technical cooperation. Dr. Al Jowder commended the efforts of Bahrain’s National Committee on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use…

New York : Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, attended the reception hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations on the occasion of the ninety-first anniversary at Cipriani Grand Central Hotel in New York City. The event was held under the patronage of Saudi Foreign His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud who hailed deep-rooted historical relation that bind Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, government and people . Dr. Al Zayani expressed his sincere congratulations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people on this occasion, praising Saudi strategic…

New York: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday it would take “time and actions” to restore confidence in ties after a crisis triggered by Australia’s cancellation of a submarine contract with Paris. France was incensed by Australia’s decision last week to opt instead for a deal with the United States and Britain to purchase nuclear-powered submarines, and it recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra for consultations. The meeting of Blinken and Le Drian came after U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone on Wednesday and…

Sharjah: The 21st edition of the Sharjah International Narrator Forum (SINF), organized annually by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, has had a successful launch. The prestigious event, taking place the Expo Centre Sharjah on September 22-30 under the theme “Animal Stories”, has attracted more than 38 countries from around the world. One of its major objectives is to illuminate the stories of narrators and their heritage, especially those of the Emirates and the Arab Gulf, and to bestow upon them the recognition and consideration they deserve. SINF is filled to the brim with cultural sessions, a highlight of which has…