Author: Gulf News Week
NEW YORK (news agencies) — A study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness has finally been published after being blocked from a government health journal.The vaccine was found to be about 55% effective against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations, and reduced COVID-19-related trips to emergency departments and urgent care clinics by 50%, according to the study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open.The findings are not particularly surprising: Researchers have repeatedly found that COVID-19 vaccines work. But the paper drew public attention after Trump administration political appointees decided not to run it in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication.They argued that the study’s design…
LIVECroatia take on Panama with both looking for first pointsWatch, listen and follow live text updates as Croatia take on Panama in Group L of the FIFA World Cup.
ReutersA DB Deutsche Bahn passenger train is seen at a standstill with passengers waiting on the platform.German rail company Deutsche Bahn had to pause its train services across the country due to a nationwide IT disruption on Tuesday night.All its trains were held at stations following a malfunction with the country’s digital railway radio network, causing widespread disruption.Deutsche Bahn later said the disruption had been fixed after trains were at a complete standstill for more than two-and-a-half hours.”Our IT experts worked tirelessly to resolve the issue – successfully. The disruption was quickly fixed, and service is now gradually resuming,” it…
AFP via Getty ImagesThe Republican-controlled US Senate has approved a measure instructing President Donald Trump to halt the war in Iran or seek congressional approval before continuing military action.A handful of Republicans joined Democrats in the 50-48 vote on Tuesday, marking a bipartisan show of disapproval of the war, which began in February.The same measure was passed by the US House of Representatives in June, where several Republicans also joined Democrats to approve it. But the measure is largely symbolic because the resolution, even after passing both chambers of Congress, will not be sent to Trump for his consideration and…
EPAThere has been a lull in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since SundayIsraeli soldiers have shot dead two people in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry says, in the first fatal incident reported since the latest ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah appeared to take hold at the weekend.Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two men were killed while they were standing near a bulldozer that was unblocking a road in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa.Hezbollah condemned the shooting as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire”.Israel’s military said soldiers in the Ali al-Taher ridge area, just…
ReutersSecretary of State Marco Rubio speaking to reporters after landing in Abu DhabiThe UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who have been stranded in the Gulf because of the US-Israel war against Iran.IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said the “large-scale operation” would be carried out in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the US, other coastal states in the region and the maritime industry. “We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” he added.An interim deal was signed last week to end the conflict,…
Getty ImagesGrowing uncut, uncombed hair into dreadlocks is a symbol of devotion and spiritual growth for RastafariansThe US Supreme Court has ruled that a former Louisiana inmate cannot sue prison officials who forcibly shaved his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafarian faith. In a 6-3 ruling, the top court said the prisoner, Damon Landor, was not entitled to monetary damages under a federal religious freedom law as it did not apply to individual officials. The justices said state employees did not consent to face lawsuits in their personal capacities when Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act…
Getty ImagesMuch like the UK, countries across Europe are experiencing intense heat this weekEurope is in the throes of a scorching heatwave, with temperature records expected to tumble in the coming days.We asked our reporters across the continent how people are dealing with the searing temperatures where they are.Dutch schools go ‘tropical’ and ‘cool-down’ spots in AmsterdamGetty ImagesAmsterdam’s heatwave is expected to peak at 38C later this weekAmsterdam is rolling out a network of “cool‑down” spots across the city, offering residents a place to escape the worst of the heat. These spaces – in libraries, city farms, theatres, churches, community…
BBCAt least 172 vessels have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the war, including 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to new data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.The number of vessels making the transit from 18 June, the day after the deal was signed, is still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day.Ship-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait on Tuesday, with at least 10 ships moving west into the Gulf so far.The price…
EPAMahrang Baloch denies inciting protesters before a soldier was killed at rally in 2024A leading human rights activist who has spent years campaigning against enforced disappearances in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier at a rally in 2024.Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC), was convicted of murder and terrorism alongside fellow activist Sibghatullah.Prosecutors accused the pair of inciting a mob which fatally attacked paramilitary soldier Shabbir Ahmed.The activists, who boycotted the trial along with their legal team, deny the charges.The official claimed Shabbir Ahmed…