Tag Archives: covid-19

It goes without saying that it is not an easy skill and one has to be gifted to draw – political – cartoons. The Levant News’ own Joon W. (45) is a gifted cartoonist with a cynical sense of humor and has the talent of producing drawings that bring out …

A preponderance of evidence proves the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from a Chinese research facility, said a report by U.S. Republicans released on Monday, a conclusion that U.S. intelligence agencies have not reached. The report also cited “ample evidence” that Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists – …

A Palestinian activist who died in the custody of President Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces took blows to the head, a Palestinian rights group said after conducting an autopsy, adding the wounds indicated “an unnatural death”. According to relatives, Nizar Banat was severely beaten during his arrest by Palestinian security forces …

The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with the efforts to contain the pandemic. President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised …

The Palestinian Authority (PA) cancelled a deal on Friday to receive soon-to-expire COVID-19 vaccines from Israel after an initial Israeli shipment showed an expiration date sooner than had been agreed, the PA health minister said. Israel and the PA announced a vaccine swap deal earlier on Friday that would have …

Part-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid recently opened up about a host of personal topics in an interview with i-D magazine, shedding light on her experience of giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling “weird” during her pregnancy during fashion month, her multi-cultural roots and how she intends to help her daughter …

Two seven-year-old boys have single-handedly managed to up the world of philanthropy and the act of giving, as they aim to raise “a quadrillion pounds for every single country” they are supporting. Best friends Ayaan Moosa and Mikaeel Ishaaq, from Ilford in east London, set up their homemade lemonade stand …

French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face on Tuesday by a man in a crowd of onlookers while on a walkabout in southern France, video of the incident showed. Macron’s security entourage quickly intervened to pull the man to the ground and move Macron away from him. Two …

Senior Saudi and Omani officials on Tuesday discussed investment opportunities in both countries, state media reported, a few days after Oman was hit by protests over unemployment. The virtual meeting was held by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih and Omani Commerce and Industry Minister Qais al-Yousef, Oman’s state television channel …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD Ramadan television is changing, and not just in Egypt it seems. The previous year we were greeted to Egypt’s first sci-fi production, Al-Nihaya (The End), helmed by Egyptian actor extraordinaire Youssef El Sherif. This Ramadan he did a significantly smaller SF production with Covid-25, with …

A second Nuremberg tribunal is being prepared under the aegis of thousands of lawyers worldwide behind the German lawyer Reiner Fuellmich. The German attorney is prosecuting all those responsible for the Covid-19 scandal used by the Davos Forum. Global officials will be prosecuted under the pretense that COVID 19 is …

The U.N. Security Council will publicly discuss the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants on Sunday, diplomats said, reaching a compromise over U.S. objections to a meeting on Friday. Diplomats said the United States, a close ally of Israel, had initially suggested a virtual public meeting could be held …

It is time for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to help find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and resolve other conflicts in the region, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN said on Friday. Speaking on behalf of the UN Arab regional group, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told Secretary-General …

Researchers and collaborators from the Salk Institute collaborators show how the spike protein damages cells, confirming COVID-19 as a primarily vascular disease.Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2’s distinctive “spike” proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells. Now, a major new study shows …

Tunisia will seek a $4 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund in talks starting next week, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi told Reuters on Friday, saying politicians faced a “last opportunity” to save the economy. Mechichi said he expected talks to last about two months and had “confidence” Tunisia …

Egypt is aiming to raise EGP 1.25 trillion ($80 billion) as part of its investment plan for the fiscal year 2021/2022, according to the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed. The investment plan forecasts a 125 percent increase in funding for the production sector, the minister said, …

League of Arab States Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Monday called on the Security Council and other UN bodies to establish a strategic working partnership with the league and its member states. The aim, he said, would be to lay the foundations for “security, stability and sustainable development in the …

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told the annual conference of the progressive American Jewish lobby, J Street, that he would return to the peace table to negotiate over a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During his presentation on Sunday, Abbas accused the current Israeli government of being an obstacle …

A grand parade conveyed 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies in special capsules across the capital Cairo on Saturday to a new museum home where they can be displayed in greater splendour. Ancient Egyptian royal mummies paraded through Cairo. The convoy transported 18 kings and four queens, mostly from the New Kingdom, …

Jordan used tear gas on Monday to suppress protests against a curfew imposed to stem a severe outbreak of COVID-19, witnesses and residents said. Police took action after hundreds of protesters in several cities including Amman demonstrated for a second day and defied a night curfew which was extended last …

Pope Francis condemned weapons manufacturers and traffickers for selling arms to “terrorists” in comments on Wednesday reflecting on his recent trip to Iraq. He said he was grateful to have been able to make a visit that eluded his predecessors and described it as a “sign of hope after years …

Facebook Inc. said on Wednesday it would temporarily reduce political content appearing on New Feeds for some users in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week and in the United States within the coming weeks. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in January that he wanted to “turn down the temperature” …

The Tawakkalna app that helps prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has been fixed following a massive surge in applications which caused it to crash. Almost 10 million users registered with Tawakkalna since May 2020 – that number recently rose by 22.5 percent to 12.5 million. But …

The United States said on Friday it intends to revoke the terrorist designation for Yemen’s Houthi movement in response to the country’s humanitarian crisis, reversing one of the most criticised last-minute decisions of the Trump administration. The reversal, confirmed by a State Department official, comes a day after President Joe …

The Palestinians will receive 10,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine on Thursday, enough to cover 5,000 people, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila told Voice of Palestine radio. The Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, launched a vaccination campaign on Tuesday after a small delivery …

The United States on Tuesday exempted aid groups, the United Nations, the Red Cross and the export of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices from its designation of Yemen’s Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization. The carve-outs are not enough to allay U.N. fears that Washington’s move would push …

The problems that continue to plague the Arab world were top of the agenda for the UN Security Council on Monday, as it considered ways in which cooperation with the League of Arab states might be enhanced. Members discussed the protracted conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan, and the …

Twitter chief Jack Dorsey backed the messaging platform’s ban of US President Donald Trump, but said Wednesday it sets a “dangerous” precedent and represents a failure to promote healthy conversation on the social network. “Having to ban an account has real and significant ramifications,” Dorsey said in a string of …

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday Tehran was in no rush for the United States to rejoin a 2015 nuclear deal, but that sanctions on the Islamic Republic must be lifted immediately. “We are not insisting nor in a hurry for the U.S. to return to the …

A series of phishing messages about the newly released coronavirus vaccine has cybersecurity experts cautioning Saudi citizens to take increased care when it comes to their private data. The messages, which appear to come from official government email addresses, use the Health Ministry COVID-19 vaccine center registration as a hook …

The Chinese Coronavirus (COVID-19) hit American shores — officially, anyway, there is significant evidence that it arrived earlier — in late January 2020. The American public was then told that a two-week shutdown of the economy would “flatten the curve,” relieving the pressure on hospital intensive care units and saving …

It was feared by many to be the perfect winter storm, a nightmare situation that would push our global health service over the edge: the ‘twin-demic’ of flu, which kills about 10,000 Britons, 10,000 Dutch and over 100,000 Americans every year; and a second deadly wave of Covid-19. By the …

The World Health Organization’s special envoy on COVID-19 urged world leaders earlier this month to reconsider ‘using lockdowns as the primary control method’ of battling Covid-19. After first creating global panic by putting the Covid-19 mortality rate higher than 3 percent and urging governments in an unprecedented move to lockdown …

The Levant News publishes voices from a wide variety of people with different backgrounds. After stories from Italy, Saudi Arabia, America and Lebanon today Dutch actor and entrepreneur Arjan Kindermans elaboration on COVID-19, its consequences and ‘the new normal’.. Do you think covid will ever go away? The flue vaccine …

Israel’s tourism minister resigned on Friday in protest at a new law that curbed demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the measure left him without a “shred of trust” in the veteran leader. Azaf Zamir will be replaced by Orit Farkash Hacohen, a fellow member of the Blue and …

Saudi Arabia will partially lift the suspension of international flights from Sept. 15, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday, six months after travel restrictions were imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Kingdom will end all restrictions on air, land and sea transport “after Jan. 1” next year, the ministry …

Republicans made the case for President Donald Trump to be re-elected in November in the Republican National Convention on Monday night.The party made pointed attacks against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, warning of a grim future under his leadership. Unlike the Democratic Party’s convention, which was held entirely online because …

The Beirut explosions on August 4, resulting from 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate igniting along with other explosive materials present in far lesser quantity in a warehouse, left more than 200 dead, dozens missing and around 300,000 homeless. The explosions raised global concern and empathy for Lebanon. Importantly, the explosions …

Indonesian news outlets all reported on the new Corona-virus medicine. The drug is a result of research performed by a collaboration between the University Of Airlangga, the Indonesia Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN). Not the slightest bit of doubt appeared on the face of Airlangga University …

The Levant News publishes voices from a wide variety of people with different backgrounds. After stories from the Netherlands, America, Saudi Arabia and Italy today reporter Alberto de Luca writes about the tragic events in Beirut earlier this week.. Tuesday the 4th was a day awaited by many Lebanese in …

It seems like the whole world is going crazy: the most recent trend in the United States is buying guns and ammo in mass quantities. This unprecedented surge in gun buying seems to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s not the first time something like this has happened. …

Sudan’s prime minister replaced the finance, foreign, energy and health ministers and three other senior cabinet post-holders on Thursday as part of a sweeping reshuffle, the government said. Authorities had said a reshuffle was coming, but few had expected the exit of Ibrahim al-Badawi, who as finance minister led efforts …

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Thursday protests over the economic slowdown could soon turn violent as restrictions to contain the coronavirus are reimposed and state assistance for the jobless lags. Alarmed by a new spike in COVID-19 cases, conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week ordered a slew …

The coronavirus outbreak may not have originated in China and instead lay dormant around the globe waiting for the right conditions to activate, a university expert has suggested. Rather than the city of Wuhan being the centre for Covid-19, the disease might have been lying in wait in several countries …