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London: Vaccinated people who were infected by the earlier Omicron subvariants have four times greater protection than vaccinated people who were not infected against the new variants like BA.5, finds a new study. The study indicates that previous infection in vaccinated people (the so-called hybrid immunity) continues to confer immunity for the variants that are known for their ability to evade the immune response. “Vaccinated people who were infected by Omicron sub variants BA.1 and BA.2 have a protection against infection with subvariant BA.5, in circulation since June, about four times…

~ Kerala shoppers get a chance to win a premium motorcycle and other gift hampers ~ Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Terrain has announced a grand Onam Celebration ahead of the most sought after festival in Kerala which is to be celebrated on 8 Sep. 2022. Shoppers stand a chance to win a premium motorcycle, lots of gold and an assured gift against purchases across the 11 Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) and select Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs)in the state. Mr. Charath Narasimhan, MD, Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd. said, “We are delighted to announce…

BAGHDAD (AFP) – A months-long political crisis in Iraq showed little sign of abating Wednesday despite a fresh push for negotiations after nearly 24 hours of deadly violence between rival Shiite factions ended. Baghdad s Green Zone, home to government buildings and embassies, returned to normality after 30 people were killed and 570 wounded in clashes pitting supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr against pro-Iran factions. Since elections in October 2021, political deadlock has left Iraq without a new government, prime minister or president, due to disagreement over forming a…

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid discussed Iran s nuclear deal with US President Joe Biden Wednesday, as the Jewish state makes concerted efforts to block a return to the 2015 accord. Israel has long opposed a revival of the deal, which was left hanging by a thread when then US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions on Tehran. With momentum building to restore the agreement, Israel has waged a last-minute push to convince allies to halt talks. This campaign has seen its defence…

ZAPORIZHZHIA – UN inspectors said Wednesday they would seek to establish a permanent presence at a Russian-held plant in southern Ukraine to avoid “a nuclear accident” at the facility on the frontline of the fighting. The 14-strong team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to arrive at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies inside Russian-held territory, on Thursday. “My mission is… to prevent a nuclear accident and preserve the largest nuclear power plant in Europe,” IAEA director general Rafael Grossi told reporters after travelling from Kyiv to…

PARIS – Iran and Turkey are preventing entry of Afghan refugees or forcibly returning them to face life-threatening risks under the Taliban regime, in violation of international law, Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands fled Afghanistan in August 2021 after the US left the country in a chaotic military pullout, allowing the hardline Taliban Islamists to retake control. But while many who assisted US forces in particular were airlifted out, the vast majority have had to flee by land, in particular towards Iran and eventually Turkey.…

MOSCOW – Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died in Moscow aged 91, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. “Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev died this evening after a serious and long illness,” the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow said, quoted by the Interfax, TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies. Gorbachev, who was in power between 1985 and 1991 and helped bring US-Soviet relations out of a deep freeze, was the last surviving Cold War leader. He spent much of the past two decades on the political periphery,…

KABUL  – The Taliban declared Wednesday a national holiday and lit up the capital with coloured lights to celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan after a brutal 20-year war. The country s new rulers — not formally recognised by any other nation — have reimposed their harsh version of Islamic law on the impoverished country, with women squeezed out of public life. But despite the restrictions, and a deepening humanitarian crisis, many Afghans say they are glad the foreign force that prompted the Taliban insurgency…