LONDON: Former prime minister Boris Johnson (pic) asked the UK government’s top scientific advisors early in the pandemic if a “special hairdryer” could be used against COVID, it emerged on Wednesday. As the virus began to spread worldwide in March 2020, Johnson shared with officials a YouTube video of the
FRANKFURT: German output shrank slightly in the third quarter, official data published yesterday showed, as Europe’s largest economy continued to battle high interest rates, elevated energy costs and a manufacturing slowdown. The economy contracted by 0.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter, federal statistics agency Destatis said in preliminary figures. The performance was
HONG KONG: Banking giant HSBC said yesterday that pre-tax profit in the third quarter more than doubled to $7.7 billion, reflecting the “positive impact of a higher interest rate environment”. The on-year spike from $3.2 billion was partly down to an impairment in the same period last year over the
WHEN Scout Frank lost her mother, she knew she needed to keep her close — and hit upon the perfect solution when she found she could have her ashes tattooed into her skin. Clutching a small wooden box containing the cremated remains of her mom, Frank was emotional as she
NEW YORK: ExxonMobil and Chevron reported lower profits Friday compared with the year-ago blowout quarter as the oil giants touted recent acquisitions they said balance economic and environmental priorities. The two petroleum heavyweights — which in recent weeks have unveiled large takeovers of midsized fossil fuel players — both reported
KINGS LYNN (United Kingdom): In a workshop packed with historic memorabilia, from rusty petrol pumps to vintage enamel signs, Carl Burge skilfully applied the finishing touches to the red British telephone box he was restoring. “They’re iconic,” said Burge, 54, who has been working on revitalising the tired, ageing phone
WASHINGTON: A key indicator of US inflation stayed steady in September, the government reported Friday, as policymakers push on in their battle against persistent price increases. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, rose 3.4 per cent from a year ago —
GAZA STRIP (Palestinian Territories): Israel pounded the Hamas-run Gaza Strip with air and artillery strikes on Saturday after an intense night of attacks when it said 150 “underground targets” were hit. No official toll was immediately given, but a Gaza civil defence official told AFP a “large number” of dead
PARIS: Like humans, baboons are able to cooperate with another of their kind for the common good — or punish them if they don’t reciprocate, a study said on Friday. Scientists have long debated whether animals other than humans are capable of this complicated tit-for-tat interaction known as “strategic cooperation”.
JERUSALEM: A UN agency warned it could be forced to stop aid operations in war-riven Gaza on Wednesday due to dwindling fuel supplies, as calls mounted for a humanitarian “pause” in fighting. After 18 days of withering Israeli air strikes and a near-total land, sea and air blockade of the
