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Omicron slams UK retail recovery
LONDON: Restrictions imposed in the wake of the Omicron coronavirus variant have "wiped out" much of a recent recovery enjoyed by UK bricks-and-mortar stores, the British Retail Consortium revealed Friday. It comes as UK businesses and consumers face mounting fallout from surging inflation, including higher interest rates.Much of the progress made in late 2021 "was wiped out in December as surging Omicron cases and new work-from-home advice...
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Threats and theft: The wretched life of C Africa's peanut growers
PAOUA, Central African Republic: Hunching over her work, Marissa shells peanuts under a blazing sun, sweat dripping down her face. Growing peanuts is a mainstay activity in the Paoua region in the Central African Republic, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northwest of the capital Bangui. But for many growers, life is a daily battle.First, they have to coax the plants from the ground, harvest the nuts and shell them. And then they have to survive...
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Erdogan courts evasive youth vote ahead of 2023
ANKARA: Yusuf Ziya Guler is one of nearly seven million Turks who grew up with Recep Tayyip Erdogan as their only leader and who can vote for the first time in general elections due by mid-2023. Like his peers, Guler has faded memories of Turkey's economic revival during Erdogan's first decade in power - and a clear impression of the turmoil during his second one."I am pessimistic about the future," said the 20-year-old medical student, adding he...
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Ethiopian oppn leaders freed under amnesty
NAIROBI: Several high-profile Ethiopian opposition leaders were tasting freedom yesterday after the government granted a surprise amnesty for prominent political detainees, including senior Tigrayan figures. The government said the move was designed to promote "national dialogue" and follows a dramatic shift in fortunes in the brutal 14-month war between forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front...
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Russia hits back at US criticism of its deployment of troops
ALMATY: Kazakhstan said yesterday its former security chief had been arrested for suspected treason during days of unrest, as Russia hit back at US criticism of its deployment of troops to the crisis-hit country. News of the detention of Karim Masimov, a former prime minister and longtime ally of Kazakhstan's ex-leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, comes amid speculation of a power struggle in the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation.The domestic intelligence...
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After fiery speech on democracy, can Biden deliver on promises?
WASHINGTON: It was a defining moment: Joe Biden vowed in a searing speech on the first anniversary of the Capitol riot to defend American democracy from mortal danger, while skewering his predecessor Donald Trump. But what comes next? The veteran Democrat now wants to galvanize his party faithful in the run-up to midterm elections in November, and reboot his stagnant presidency.But he's taking a major political risk, with little time and limited...
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Scholz pushes mandatory jabs amid resistance
BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted Friday that his plan to introduce mandatory coronavirus jabs was on track, despite fierce debate about the controversial move and growing resistance from his own coalition partners. Scholz, who recently took over as chancellor from Angela Merkel, in late November touted compulsory jabs for all adults as the surest way out of the pandemic.The center-left Social Democrat asked MPs in the lower of house...
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'I am not a virus,' insists Indian man named Kovid
NEW DELHI: What's in a name? For Indian travel start-up founder Kovid Kapoor, it has made him a social media sensation. The 31-year-old's Twitter profile declares: "My name is Kovid and I am not a virus." He posted this week that he had travelled outside India for the first time since the onset of the pandemic "and got a bunch of people amused by my name". "Future foreign trips are going to be fun!" he said in a tweet that had been liked 40,000...
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As cases rise, India fearing another COVID catastrophe
NEW DELHI: Haunted by the specter of last year's crisis, India is bracing for a deluge of COVID-19 cases, with authorities of various megacities bringing in restrictions in a bid to keep infections in check. Case numbers have yet to match the enormous figures seen last spring, when thousands died each day and the Hindu holy city of Varanasi maintained round-the-clock funeral pyres for the mass cremation of virus victims.New cases passed 100,000...
Health Minister Khaled Al-Saeed
Kuwait records new high of 2,413 coronavirus cases
By B IzzakKUWAIT: Newly-appointed Health Minister Khaled Al-Saeed yesterday tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed under home quarantine for 10 days, the health ministry announced. The minister, who was a top official on the health ministry committee fighting the pandemic before his appointment to the Cabinet last week, attended a Cabinet meeting on Monday. He also attended National Assembly meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.Under Kuwaiti...
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Iraqi women boxers aim sucker punch at gender taboos
NAJAF: Iraqi boxer Bushra Al-Hajjar jumps into the ring, gloves raised to eye level, and strikes out at her sparring partner. Her bigger struggle, though, is to deliver a blow against social taboos. In Iraq's Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf, the sight of a women's boxing hall is unusual but, like others here, the 35-year-old boxing instructor is fighting deeply-ingrained taboos."At home, I have a full training room, with mats and a punching...
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Africa Cup of Nations poses massive challenges for host
YAOUNDE: The Africa Cup of Nations, kicking off Sunday in Cameroon after a delay over COVID concerns, is also posing major security, political and organizational challenges for the host nation. Some were fearing yet another postponement, with African football chief Patrice Motsepe saying late last month that the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in a country with a low vaccination rate is "an enormous challenge".The African Football...
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Crackdown on visa violators
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Kuwait expands ‘open door’ policy to virtual domain
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Minister of Municipal Affairs Dr Noura Al-Mashaan and Head of the Municipal Council Abdullah Al-Mahari inspect the Darwazat Abdulrazzaq project. – KUNA photos
Darwaza Abdulrazzaq project set to reopen
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HATHRAS, India: Policemen carry a person who died in a melee during a sermon in Uttar Pradesh state on July 2, 2024. - AFP
Stampede at India religious event kills 116
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Interior cracks down on residency violators