Author: News Desk

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas will start the Formula One season on pole position after denying Mercedes team mate and six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton the top slot in Austria on Saturday. The front-row lockout by Mercedes equalled Ferrari’s record of 65, and the “Black Arrows” — their new livery a statement against racism – were in a private duel at the scenic Red Bull Ring. Hamilton had started as favourite after dominating all three practice sessions but Bottas shifted up a gear just when it mattered. “It feels really good, I’ve missed this feeling,” said the Finn of a third career…

As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not President Donald Trump’s style, and he aimed to go big, promising a “special evening” in Washington that could bring tens of thousands to the National Mall. Trump’s “Salute for America” celebration on Saturday evening was to include a speech from the White House South Lawn that he said would celebrate American heritage, as well as a military flyover over the city and an enormous fireworks display that could pack people downtown. The president kicked…

Egypt will hold inaugural elections for a new second parliamentary chamber on Aug. 11-12, election commissioner Lasheen Ibrahim said on Saturday. Amendments made to Egypt’s constitution last year provided for the creation of the Council of Senators, a 180-member secondary chamber that will be two-thirds elected by the public and the remainder appointed by the president. “Holding elections during the pandemic that has swept the world necessitates that we take several precautionary measures to protect ourselves and society,” Ibrahim said during a televised press conference. He said all polling stations will observe health guidelines, with all voters and polling staff…

India’s leading clinical research agency said Saturday its decision to fast-track development of a potential coronavirus vaccine was in line with international standards, after health experts raised concerns about the schedule for clinical trials. The Indian Council of Medical Research issued a statement after a letter was leaked on Friday showing ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava as saying the agency “envisaged” launch of the vaccine for public health use by Aug. 15, with the aim to begin patient enrolment for human trials by July 7. The vaccine, being jointly developed by India’s Bharat Biotech and ICMR, is one of several…

Saudi Arabia has reported 4,128 new cases and 56 deaths from coronavirus, taking the total cases to 205,929. Saudi Arabia is holding the 13th position for most coronavirus cases worldwide. The death toll raised to 1,858 after reporting the new deaths. Meanwhile, 2,642 patients fully recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 143,256. In line with recent trends, the majority of the new cases are in Riyadh (360), followed by Dammam (315) and Al Hofuf (217). https://twitter.com/media_ksa/status/1279393270368366592?s=20

Kuwait has reported 631 new coronavirus cases, of which 386 are citizens, taking the total confirmed cases in the country to 49,303, according to the Ministry of Health. 5 patients died of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 365. 667 new recoveries have been reported in the country, raising the total recoveries to 39,943. Kuwait has done 3,443 NP swab tests in the past 24 hours, as the country ramps up its efforts to test more people and detect cases early, according to the health ministry. So far, the country has conducted…

Russia is not in talks with Washington about its potential role at an expanded Group of Seven summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday, insisting that China should also be included in the event. His comments to TASS news agency countered those of John Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on Friday that Washington was “engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7.” U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of Russia’s return to the…

India recorded its highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases on Saturday, with over 22,000 new cases and 442 deaths, as infections rose in the western and southern parts of the country amid heavy monsoon rains. The western state of Maharashtra, home to the densely packed financial capital Mumbai, has the country’s highest total, recording 6,364 fresh cases of the virus on Saturday and 198 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. India has the fourth-most confirmed cases in the world, exceeding 640,000 on Saturday, according to health ministry data. It follows the United States, Brazil and Russia. Officials…

Russia on Saturday said that it recorded more than 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, a toll that is still far lower than in other countries with major outbreaks. The number of deaths has now reached 10,027, the government information website said, up by 168 from Friday. Russia has confirmed 674,515 cases, the third largest total in the world, although the daily infection rate has been falling over the last month. The country’s death toll is much lower than in other countries with large outbreaks, raising questions over possible underreporting of deaths. Russia has acknowledged that the death figure on the government website only…

UAE records 716 cases, and 3 fatalities from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total cases in the country to 50,857. The new death takes the total fatalities to 321. The new cases were found after conducting more than 71,000 coronavirus tests across the country. Meanwhile, 704 new recoveries were also announced, bringing the total recoveries to 39,857. This means that over 77 percent of the confirmed cases have fully recovered from the virus.