Google News - Al Bawaba

Hospital Fire in Russia Kills Five COVID-19 Patients

Five COVID-19 patients died at a hospital in St. Petersburg, Russia, when a fire was caused by faulty ventilators, emergency officials said Tuesday. The fire began in a sixth-floor intensive care unit at St. George's Hospital, which had been designated to treat coronavirus patients. The ICU held 20 patients, 15 of whom were rescued. Officials said five died. Dozens of other patients were evacuated from the hospital and the fire was extinguished after a few hours. The patients were later readmitted and the hospital has since returned to normal operations. Alexei Anikin, head of the regional ...

Al Bawaba37 minutes ago

Can Trump Block Investigators Attempt to access His Financial Documents?

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in three cases on Tuesday that will determine whether President Donald Trump can block congressional investigators' years-long attempts to access his tax returns and other financial documents. The high court will hear all cases via teleconference beginning at 10 a.m. The hearings are available to the public with a live audio feed, as the court has done since it first began remote sessions due to the coronavirus pandemic. All three cases were initially scheduled to be heard by the high court in March, but were postponed due to the health emerge...

Al Bawaba37 minutes ago

Fire in Rohingya Refugees Camp Ravages 673 Shanties

More than 670 makeshift dwellings for Rohingya refugees in a camp across Bangladesh's southern district of Cox's Bazar were damaged in a fire on Tuesday morning, according to officials. "We've been confirmed about the fire incident and are now assessing the extent of damages officially," Bangladesh's Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mahbub Alam Talukder said. No casualties were reported so far, he said. "The UNHCR [UN refugee agency] will repair the damaged tents soon." Speaking to Anadolu Agency, UNHCR communication officer in Bangladesh Louise Donovan said that a total ...

Al Bawaba37 minutes ago

Five People Killed in Kabul Hospital Attack, Dozens Rescued

At least five people were killed and dozens of patients were rescued Tuesday during an attack at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, authorities said. Witnesses heard gunfire and two explosions at the onset of the attacks by suicide bombers, officials said. Three women, one child and security force member are among the dead. The medical facility is operated by the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders. Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, said several assailants were involved in the attack. Arian said special forces killed one attacker during a "clearing operation."...

Al Bawaba1 hour ago

18-Ton Piece of Chinese Rocket Crash-Lands in The Atlantic Ocean

An 18-tonne piece of a Chinese rocket used to launch an experimental spacecraft that could send people to the Moon has crash-landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The core stage of the Long March 5B rocket that was sent into space on May 5 fell to Earth at 16:34 BST on Monday, just off the coast of West Africa. Astronomers say the rocket part, which was 93ft long and weighed 17.8 tonnes, is the most massive object to make an uncontrolled reentry in decades. Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics said the last major uncontrolled descent was the 39 tonne Salyu...

Al Bawaba1 hour ago

Museveni: It Will be Madness to Hold Elections in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said late Monday that the country’s general elections will not be held as scheduled given the novel coronavirus outbreak. In an interview with NBS TV, Museveni, who has ruled the country for 34 years, said the possibility of holding elections under the current delicate atmosphere is suicidal. “It will be madness to say you go and people gather. I don’t think it will be wise,” he said. According to a roadmap issued by the Uganda Electoral Commission, the 2021 presidential, parliamentary and local council elections will be conducted in March next year. Charit...

Al Bawaba38 minutes ago

UNDP: Saudi-Led War Has Pushed Yemen's Development Back 20 Years

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says a Saudi-led military campaign underway against Yemen has pushed back the country’s development more than two decades, and is now complicating the war-torn nation’s efforts to rein in the spread of the deadly coronavirus. In a tweet on Tuesday, the UNDP stated that not only has the Saudi-led war hindered Yemen’s development but it also has brought catastrophic consequences for the war-ravaged country amid the coronavirus outbreak. The UN body called for immediate action to assist the Yemenis in acquiring basic survival needs such as food and...

Al Bawaba7 hours ago

Pompeo Travels to Israel to Show Support For Netanyahu's West Bank Annex Plans

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Israel Wednesday for talks with the country’s unity government, a strong show of support for Israel at a time of global crisis and as it considers going ahead with plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Pompeo, who will be making his first trip abroad in over a month amid the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to stay in Israel for only a few hours, during which he will meet with incoming Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his coalition partner Benny Gantz. After over a year of deadlock and three inconclusive elections, the rival Israeli po...

Al Bawaba7 hours ago

The EU Considers Punishing Israel For its Plan to Annex Parts of The West Bank

European Union foreign ministers will meet in Brussels Friday, a day after the swearing-in of Israel’s new government, to consider punitive responses to Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank, multiple reports have indicated. Several European nations led by France, and including Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg, have reportedly expressed support for threats of punitive action in a bid to deter the new Israeli government from carrying out the move with a green light from Washington. The EU bloc is Israel’s largest trading partner, grants Israel favored trading status, a...

Al Bawaba8 hours ago

Yemeni Activist Tawakkol Karman Complains of 'Widespread Bullying' After Joining Facebook Board

Yemeni journalist and political activist Tawakkol Karman has complained of “widespread bullying and smear" after Facebook’s decision to induct her into its content Oversight Board plunged her into controversy. But what if her credibility was more at risk from her own words and actions than any alleged “smear campaign?” To much of the globe, Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Khalid Karman is the first Arab woman — and the second Muslim woman — to win a Nobel Prize, in 2011. Less well known is the fact that Karman held a senior position with her country’s Al-Islah Party, an affiliate of the Muslim Broth...

Al Bawaba10 hours ago

New Iraqi PM Promises to Bring to Justice Those Who Attacked Protesters

After releasing anti-government protesters from jail, new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced Monday he would bring to justice those who attacked them. Kadhimi, Iraq's former intelligence head, said he responded to weekend attacks on protesters in the Basra region with warrants and arrests. Internet videos showed that armed men fired down from a building in Basra on protesters Sunday, killing one and wounding others, the news agency Rudaw reported. "I ordered today a dawn military raid to arrest everyone involved in the recent attack against protesters in Basra," Kadhimi tweet...

Al Bawaba11 hours ago

Haftar's Army Accuse Turkey, Qatar of Seeking to Build Bridges With Tunisia's Islamists

The Libyan National Army (LNA) questioned a recent statement by the Turkish foreign ministry that threatened to attack the military should it target Ankara's interests in Libya. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the Turkish statement is "misleading because Ankara has been fighting the army since 2014 through its proxies in Libya." It wasn't up until recently that it became directly involved in the fight, he noted in televised remarks on Sunday. On the ground, he revealed that the militias that are loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) have retreated somewhat in Tripoli, but the...

Al Bawaba11 hours ago

ISIS Takes Advantage of Iraq's Preoccupation With COVID to Stage a Comeback

ISIS is taking advantage of Iraq's preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic and the turbulent political upheaval to stage a strong comeback. Last April 21, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement that the Iraqi security forces conducted 1,060 anti-ISIS operations, during which a total of 135 ISIS militants were killed. It said that up to 88 security members and 82 civilians were also killed by the militants during the same period. According to official statistics, the terrorist group has maintained a considerable capacity in launching attacks on Iraqi security forces. The ...

Al Bawaba11 hours ago

WHO Has 'No Mandate' to Invite Taiwan to Participate in The World Health Assembly

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s chief has “no mandate” to invite self-ruled Taiwan to participate in this month’s World Health Assembly (WHA), the body’s lawyer has announced, amid the differing viewpoints of member states about the matter. Speaking during an online news briefing on Monday, WHO’s principal legal officer, Steven Solomon, said only member states could decide who attends the assembly of the health agency’s decision-making body, noting that they had “divergent views” on Taiwan’s participation. Taiwan, backed by the United States, has stepped up lobbying to be allowed to j...

Al Bawaba11 hours ago

Trump Abruptly Ends His COVID Press Briefing After Clashing With Reporters

US President Donald Trump abruptly ended his coronavirus press briefing at the White House on Monday after clashing with female reporters. The discussion flared up after Weijia Jiang, a White House correspondent for CBS News, asked why he has repeatedly been saying that the US is doing better than other countries when it came to testing for the virus while people are dying. "Why does that matter? Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we are still seeing more cases every day?" said Jiang. In response, Trump said people are dying ever...

Al Bawaba12 hours ago

America May Slam Sanctions on Russia For Alleged Rights Abuses

The chairman and top-Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced Monday a bipartisan resolution calling for sanctions on the Russian government over alleged rights abuses. The bill calls on Moscow to immediately release political prisoners, condemns the practice of imprisoning political opponents, and urges the Trump administration to hit Russian government officials deemed to be responsible with sanctions. “Vladimir Putin is a cruel authoritarian with a long track record of silencing civil liberties, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, political opposition, ...

Al Bawaba12 hours ago

Why Are The Jordan Covid Figures in Double Digits?

Minister of Health Saad Jaber announced that 22 new coronavirus cases were registered in the Kingdom on Monday, bringing the total caseload to 562, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During a press briefing at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, Jaber said that the new cases include eight truck drivers who tested positive at the Omari border crossing, three of whom were Jordanian and were transferred to Prince Hamzah Hospital, along with two students who were quarantined at the Dead Sea. Also among the cases are 12 contacts of Al Khanaseri truck driver, three of wh...

Al BawabaYesterday

Russia Ranks 3rd Globally in The Number of Coronavirus Cases

Russia on Monday outnumbered the UK and Italy, and ranked third in the number of coronavirus cases globally. Over the last 24 hours, 11,656 additional people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total figure to 221,344, the emergency task force said in a daily report. Fatalities from COVID-19 reached 2,009 as 94 more people died over the past day, it said. Recoveries rose by 5,495 to hit 39,801 while 247,000 are currently under medical surveillance. To date, 5.6 million tests were carried out in Russia aiming to diagnose the disease at early stages when it is less contagious. Four to...

Al Bawaba15 hours ago

Violent Clashes Across Africa Leave at Least 24 People Dead Including UN Workers

Violent incidents in several African countries have claimed the lives of more than two dozen people. In Niger, at least 20 people were killed when unidentified gunmen raided several villages in the Tillaberi region in the west. Governor of Tillaberi Ibrahim Tidjani Katchella said on Sunday that the raids had been carried out a day earlier by motorcycle-riding gunmen. In Sudan, violent clashes broke out between two rival tribes in the eastern city of Kassala, leaving three people dead and nearly 80 others injured. The acting governor of the region said on Sunday that members of the Beni Amer...

Al Bawaba20 hours ago

US Officials: China Plans to Steal Vaccine From America

US officials are reportedly planning to issue a warning that hackers in China are preparing to steal vaccine and treatment research from America. According to The New York Times, hackers are seeking an advantage in the pandemic, which includes 'valuable intellectual property and public health data through illicit means related to vaccines, treatments and testing'. A draft of the warning, which is expected to be released in the coming days, focuses on cybertheft and action by 'nontraditional actors'. The Times reports that these 'nontraditional actors' are researchers and students who the T...

Al BawabaYesterday

Indian, Chinese Troops Clash at Strategic Pass in Himalayas

A violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers broke out at a strategic mountain pass in the Himalayas on Saturday. According to the Press Trust of India, 150 soldiers were involved in the face-off which took place near the 15,000 feet Nathu La crossing which connects India's Sikkim state with Tibet. Several troops were injured with soldiers from both sides throwing both fists and stones at one another. Indian Army Eastern Command spokesman Mandeep Hooda told AFP: 'Aggressive behaviour by the two sides resulted in minor injuries to troops. It was stone-throwing and arguments that ended...

Al BawabaYesterday

Why Did Shady Habash Have to Die?

Shady Habash, a young Egyptian filmmaker held in pretrial detention for more than two years, has died in the Tora maximum security prison complex. Shady never thought he would be death no. 1005 inside Egypt's cavernous places of detention. He was just 24-years-old when he did post-production on a music video by Ramy Essam, mocking President Sisi and criticising the authorities. Just a few months ago, Habash wrote to his friends about his loneliness, and struggling to "stop [himself] from going mad." The Egyptian attorney-general issued a statement about Shady's death, a rare incident in thi...

Al BawabaYesterday

China's Wuhan Announces First Coronavirus Case Since Lifting Lockdown

Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, reported on Monday its first cluster of infections since a lockdown on the central Chinese city was lifted a month ago, stoking concerns of a wider resurgence of the disease. The new infections sounded a note of caution amid efforts to ease coronavirus-related restrictions across China as businesses restart and individuals go back to work. Wuhan reported five new confirmed cases, all of whom live in the same residential compound. One of them was the wife of an 89-year-old male patient reported a day earlier in the first confir...

Al BawabaYesterday

Three Gulf States Seek Israeli Help in Fighting Covid-19

Three Gulf states have reached out to Israel in recent weeks to receive information and assistance in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19. The three make up half of the countries that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Bahrain and another Gulf state reached out to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, expressing interest in the hospital's response to the pandemic, and the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United Nations said publicly that her government would be willing to work with Israel on a vaccine. “I have heard leaders in the Gulf sa...

Al BawabaYesterday

Anti-government Protests Resume in Hong Kong

Anti-government protests have resumed in Hong Kong as restrictions in the city began to ease, following a period of enforced calm due to the coronavirus pandemic. Riot police chased protesters through Hong Kong's shopping malls and streets on Sunday as democracy activists launched Mother's Day flash mob rallies calling for independence and for the city's unpopular leader to resign. The semi-autonomous Chinese city was convulsed by seven straight months of often violent pro-democracy protests last year with millions hitting the streets Mass arrests and the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a...

Al BawabaYesterday