Author: HeraldStar

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, announced on Monday that polio vaccination coverage in Gaza has reached an impressive 90%. This milestone marks a significant achievement in the agency’s campaign to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children under 10 years old against polio. The success of the first round of vaccinations comes despite the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which presented numerous challenges to UNRWA and its partners. The vaccination campaign, launched on September 1, was prompted by the World Health Organization’s confirmation last month of a polio case in Gaza – the first in 25 years. A baby was…

Reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering firing Defence Minister Yoav Gallant sent shockwaves through the country’s political landscape and financial markets on Monday. The news, which was carried by Israel’s leading television channels and news websites, suggested that Netanyahu was contemplating replacing Gallant with former ally turned rival Gideon Saar, currently a member of the opposition. The potential move has significant implications for Israel’s security and political stability, particularly given the looming threat of all-out war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. The shekel weakened 1% to nearly 3.75 versus the dollar, while main Tel Aviv…

The normally-bustling financial hub of Shanghai was brought to a standstill on Monday as residents sheltered at home to wait out the worst of Typhoon Bebinca, the most powerful tropical cyclone to directly hit the city in more than seven decades. Packing top wind speeds of 151 kph (94 mph) near its eye, Bebinca landed in the city of nearly 25 million around 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT), state media reported, the strongest storm to strike Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949. Rain lashed the city and strong winds felled more than 10,000 trees across Shanghai as more than 400,000 people…

The United States has secured the release of American Pastor David Lin from China, where he had been imprisoned since 2006. Lin, 68, was reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years after his release, which was announced by the State Department on Sunday. The department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said that the US had been working to secure Lin’s freedom for some time and would continue to push for the release of other Americans still detained in China. Miller mentioned two other detainees, Mark Swidan and Kai Li, and declined to rule out that Lin’s release…

Intel Corporation (INTC.O) has suffered a significant setback in its efforts to build its fledgling contract manufacturing business, losing out on a lucrative contract to design and fabricate Sony’s (6758.T) next-generation PlayStation 6 chip. According to sources familiar with the matter, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) emerged victorious in a competitive bidding process, securing the contract to design and fabricate the chip for Sony’s highly anticipated gaming console. The contract, worth billions of dollars, was seen as a crucial opportunity for Intel to establish itself as a major player in the contract manufacturing space. However, a dispute over profit margins and…

Japan’s Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi has called on the central bank to maintain ultra-low interest rates, citing concerns that recent rate hikes may hinder the country’s fragile economic recovery. Takaichi, a top contender in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership race, expressed her views at a news conference on Saturday. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) had ditched negative interest rates in March and raised short-term rates to 0.25% in July, citing progress toward achieving its 2% inflation target. However, Takaichi emphasized the need for continued fiscal and monetary support to sustain economic growth. Her remarks follow those she…

At least two people have lost their lives as devastating wildfires swept through central and northern Portugal on Monday, prompting widespread evacuations, motorway closures, and an urgent appeal for international assistance. The most critical situation was reported in the Aveiro district, where a massive forest blaze reached the outskirts of Albergaria-a-Velha, burning several houses and threatening many more. Mayor Antonio Loureiro confirmed that four homes had been destroyed, with 20 additional structures at risk. More than 1,100 firefighters were deployed to combat the inferno, supported by 12 water-bombing aircraft. However, authorities warned that conditions were expected to worsen due to…

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was safe after the Secret Service foiled what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt on the Republican candidate for president while he was golfing in Florida. Several Secret Service agents fired on a gunman in bushes after he was spotted near the edge of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, a few hundred yards from where Trump was playing on Sunday, law enforcement officials said. The suspect was arrested after fleeing the scene in a vehicle, leaving behind two backpacks and an AK-47-style assault rifle. The apparent attempt on Trump’s life came just two months after he was…

At least four people died in eastern Romania after torrential rain caused flooding, the country’s emergency response unit said on Saturday, as river levels surged in several other central and eastern European nations following days of heavy rainfall. More rain is forecast in much of the region over the coming days, putting authorities on alert in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and southern Germany and parts of Austria. Officials in some towns along the Czech-Polish border carried out evacuations as rivers rose past alert levels while the Czech capital, Prague, which suffered catastrophic floods in 2002, has put up flood…

Iran has launched a research satellite into orbit using a rocket built by the Revolutionary Guards, state media reported on Saturday. The launch comes at a time when the United States and European countries have accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia, which could potentially be used in the ongoing war with Ukraine. Iran has denied these allegations. The Chamran-1 satellite was launched into a 550-kilometer orbit using the Qaem-100 satellite carrier, which was designed and built by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards. The satellite, weighing 60 kg, has begun transmitting signals, and its primary mission is…