An IED attack targeted a convoy of the US-led coalition forces, for the second time today. A security source reported today that a logistics convoy of the Global Coalition had been targeted in al-Diwaniyah Governorate, south of Iraq. No causalities were recorded. Earlier today, a security source reported today that …

The first text message ever sent, reading “Merry Christmas,” was sold on Tuesday for 107,000 euros ($121,000) as a ‘Non-Fungible Token’ at a Paris auction house. The text, which was sent on Dec. 3, 1992, was put up for auction by the British telecoms company Vodafone. Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth …

The fast-spreading Omicron variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Omicron now accounts for 73.2 percent of new US cases over the past week ending on Saturday, the CDC reported on Monday. In some …

Iran has fired ballistic and cruise missiles as part of a five-day military drill, which extends across the country and into the Persian Gulf. State media also hailed the pinpoint accuracy of bomb-dropping drones. On Tuesday, Iranian state media reported on the second day of the Payambar-e Azam 17 military …

Britain on Tuesday launched a £1.0 billion support package for Covid-hit businesses, as staff absences from rising cases began to bite in the run-up to Christmas. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said some 200,000 firms would be eligible for one-off grants to offset losses from what is normally the busiest time …

Belarus and Poland are pushing refugees back and forth across their border and leaving them with little if any food, clean water, or shelter, the U.N. Human Rights office said on Tuesday, urging both countries to address “this appalling situation”. Refugees and migrants interviewed by a U.N. human rights team …

China will not shy away from confrontation with the United States and would “fight to the end,” the country’s senior diplomat said in a keynote speech on Monday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would welcome cooperation with Washington, as long as it’s mutually beneficial, according to a transcript …

Tigrayan forces fighting the central government have withdrawn from neighboring regions in Ethiopia’s north, a Tigrayan spokesman said on Monday, a step towards a possible ceasefire after major territorial gains by the Ethiopian military. The 13-month-old war in Africa’s second-most populous nation has destabilized an already fragile region, sent 60,000 …

The spokesman for the Iraqi joint operations, Mr. Tahsin al-Khafaji, confirmed that the U.S. combat forces have completed their withdrawal from the “Ain al-Assad” base in western Iraq. Al-Khafaji said in a statement today that “only military advisors remain in the base, and their role is limited to advisory only”. …

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. “There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly …

The World Economic Forum (WEF) will defer its 2022 annual meeting from January to early summer, it said on Monday. The meeting, scheduled for Jan. 17-21 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, was postponed due to the “continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak.” “Current pandemic conditions make it extremely difficult to deliver a …

A truck crashed into several U.S. army vehicles, including two fuel tankers, that had pulled over to the side of a highway in southern Germany on Monday, setting off a blazing inferno and injuring several people, police and the U.S. military said. The driver of the truck was believed to …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may introduce new restrictions to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant after Christmas, the Times and other media reported on Monday. Britain has reported record levels of COVID-19 cases over the past week, with officials and ministers warning that hospitalizations are also rising. …

Russia on Monday expelled two German diplomats in response to a spat with Berlin over a German court’s ruling that Moscow had ordered the 2019 assassination of an ex-Chechen commander in a Berlin park. “The German ambassador was informed that two diplomatic employees of the German embassy in Russia were …

British Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of Boris Johnson’s government, dealing a major blow to the embattled prime minister as the Omicron variant sweeps the country. The resignation of Frost, a core architect of Johnson’s tumultuous Brexit strategy, raised questions about the future …

The new Pfizer COVID-19 pill may not see Emergency Use Authorization for another month as health officials continue to highlight the promising effects it may bring. Dr. Anthony Fauci praised the data presented by Pfizer regarding the COVID pill, which someone would take within 48 hours of showing symptoms and …

President Tayyip Erdogan said he had lowered Turkey’s inflation to around 4% before and that he will achieve that again soon as annual price rises exceeded 21% due to his push for aggressive monetary easing that has sent the lira crashing. Erdogan has said the new policy based on low-interest …

The death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has reached at least 146, and the governor of an island province especially hard-hit by Typhoon Rai said there may be even greater devastation that has yet to be reported. Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province in …

Never underestimate your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, even with a mutating virus afoot. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only shattered pandemic-era box office records; it became the third-best opening of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame” ($357.1 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257.7 million). The …

The Netherlands went into lockdown on Sunday and the possibility of more COVID-19 restrictions being imposed ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays loomed over several European countries as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly. In the United States, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci urged people traveling to …