WORLD

Washington, US | Xinhua | Vaccine distribution could be “tricky and kind of weird” in the United States because the country’s Centers for Disease Control hasn’t had a visible role during the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has told media. “The federal government has abdicated on many things during the …

Washington, US | Xinhua | A U.S. federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s ban on the popular video-sharing app TikTok, the latest defeat in the administration’s clamp down on the app. “For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction is granted as to all the prohibitions listed …

✳ Leipzig ⚽⚽⚽ ✳ Manchester Utd ⚽⚽ Berlin, Germany| THE INDEPENDENT | Manchester United endured a difficult night in Germany as RB Leipzig claimed a 3-2 victory and sent the Reds out of the Champions League. The hosts, who needed to win to qualify for the knock-out stages, took a very early lead …

Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT |     Iran reported on Monday 10,827 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally to 1,051,374 in the country. Meanwhile, Turkey’s daily coronavirus deaths rose to a record 203, taking the death toll to 15,103 in the country. Of the newly infected in Iran, 1,691 were hospitalized, …

Washington, USA | THE INDEPENDENT |    Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, said on Friday that he has accepted President-elect Joe Biden’s offer to be his chief medical adviser. “Oh, absolutely. I said yes right on the spot,” Fauci told NBC’s “Today” in an interview. The confirmation came …

  Manama, Bahrain | Xinhua |  Bahrain’s health regulator on Friday announced the authorization of emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. “Bahrain has approved the emergency use of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that will be used for high risk groups,” said the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). It added that …

London, UK | Xinhua | Fans will be allowed back in some stadiums in the Premier League this weekend for the first time since March to enjoy another vital round of matches in this intense non-stop season. It seems ironic that the first time up to 4,000 supporters will be allowed …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Xinhua | The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries decided at a meeting on Thursday to increase oil production by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January 2021. In light of the current oil market fundamentals and the outlook for 2021, OPEC+ agreed …

United Nations | Xinhua | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated that slavery is not allowed in the 21st century. Commemorating the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the UN chief highlighted the impact of the contemporary forms of slavery, underscoring that “such abhorrent practices have no space in the …

Houston, US | Xinhua | The Boeing 737 Max completed its first public flight Wednesday after being grounded for 20 months following two fatal crashes last year. With a group of journalists on board, the 45-minute flight from Dallas, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma was the latest effort of American Airlines, one …