Name: Quake strikes near Iran nuclear power plant
Uploaded: 2019-12-27T05:00:05.fff+05:30
Duration: T00M32S
Channel: editorji

An earthquake struck Iran on Friday less than 50 kilometres from the country's only nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. Th

Quake strikes near Iran nuclear power plant

An earthquake struck Iran on Friday less than 50 kilometres from the country's only nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. The US Geological Survey said the 5.1 magnitude quake struck 44 kilometres from the southwestern city of Borazjan and at a depth of 38 kilometres.&nbsp;Iran's nuclear programme is at the centre of a dispute with the United States, which suspects Iran is trying to obtain a nuclear weapons capability, something the Islamic republic vehemently denies.

An earthquake struck Iran on Friday less than 50 kilometres from the country's only nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. The US Geological Survey said the 5.1 magnitude quake struck 44 kilometres from the southwestern city of Borazjan and at a depth of 38 kilometres. Iran's nuclear programme is at the centre of a dispute with the United States, which suspects Iran is trying to obtain a nuclear weapons capability, something the Islamic republic vehemently denies.

The World Health Organisation in its weekly update said that the new strains of the Covid variant found in India are deadlier and more infectious. The world healt

The World Health Organisation in its weekly update &nbsp;said that the new strains of the Covid variant found in India are deadlier and more infectious. The world health body said B.1.617 variant first detected in India in October and now found in 44 countries, has a higher rate of transmission and reduced susceptibility to neutralisation antibodies
It also said the potential impact of these mutations on the effectiveness of vaccines is uncertain. Some studies revealed&nbsp;the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown "reduced effectiveness" against variants in India, the WHO said.
According to WHO, the B.1.17 variant found in UK and the India-dominant B.1.617 will wane, but there are more dangerous mutations of the B.1.617 now.
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In the latest escalation of violence between Israel-Hamas, Israeli airstrikes toppled a high-rise building in central Gaza on Wednesday. A dramatic video showed fighte

In the latest escalation of violence between Israel-Hamas, Israeli airstrikes toppled a high-rise building in central Gaza on Wednesday.
A dramatic video showed fighter jets dropping bombs on the Al-Farouk tower which housed businesses in addition to offices for Hamas&rsquo; Al-Aqsa satellite channel.
The building was located in the busiest shopping street of Gaza in the Roman neighbourhood. As many as 10 senior Hamas military figures maybe have been killed in these air strikes, say reports.

As incidents of violence escalates between Israel and Palestine, popstar Rihanna has raised her voice and said that she stands with humanity. Taking to Instagram, Riha

As incidents of violence escalates between Israel and Palestine, popstar Rihanna has raised her voice against it&nbsp;and said that she stands with humanity.
Taking to Instagram, Rihanna wrote, 'My heart is breaking with the violence I'm seeing displayed between Israel and Palestine'.
Stating that she can't bare to see innocent Israeli and Palestinian children hiding in bomb shelters, Rihanna said that 'this cycle needs to be broken'.

Even as world is vaccinating the adults against Covid-19... the big question on everyone's mind is when will we have a vaccine for children? ((When will we have a

Even as world is vaccinating the adults against Covid-19... the big question on everyone's mind is when will we have a vaccine for children?&nbsp;
Second wave in India has seen more children getting infected.
Nearly 11.5% of the 56 lakh Covid-19 cases reported between January and April this year were in the age group zero to 20 years, government data shows.&nbsp;
Parents, school administrators and public health officials have eagerly awaited approval for the shot to be made available to more kids.
A group of parents have launched a tweetathon to demand vaccine for children at the earliest
In a big move drug regulator on Thursday cleared clinical trials for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in 2 to 18 years age group.
Bharat Biotech will conduct trials in 525 healthy volunteers...
Till now only US and Canada have started giving Pfizer vaccine to children 12 years and older.
The US Food and Drug Administration declared that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 US volunteers aged 12 to 15.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Outside of the US, AstraZeneca is studying its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. And in China, Sinovac recently submitted preliminary data to the regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.
Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson are currently testing their vaccines on those aged 12-18.
Moderna and Pfizer are also testing their jabs on younger children between six months and 11 years old.
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Gal Gadot, who hails from Israel, released a statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict as she said, ‘Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, our neigh

Gal Gadot, who hails from Israel, released a statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict and said, &lsquo;Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, our neighbors deserve the same&rsquo;.&nbsp;
The Wonder Woman actress' statement&nbsp;sparked online war and she had to turn&nbsp;off comments on her post.
Netizens&nbsp;accused her of being a &lsquo;propaganda&rsquo; tool for Israel, given her past military service record.&nbsp;
Gadot, a former Israeli Defense Forces fighter also added that&nbsp;her &lsquo;country is at war&rsquo; and told how her &lsquo;heart breaks&rdquo; at the conflict&rsquo;.&nbsp;

American talk show star Ellen DeGeneres has announced that she is ending her long-running TV show. Her decision to call it quit after anchoring 19 seasons of 'The Ellen

American talk show star Ellen DeGeneres has announced that she is ending her long-running TV show. Her decision to call it quit after anchoring 19 seasons of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' comes amid allegations of toxic workplace culture.
On Wednesday, she insisted that her decision had nothing to do with the allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and racial discrimination that hit her show last year. "As great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore," DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter.
The 63-year-old host, writer, producer, actress and comedian won dozens of Emmy awards for the show. She has been a pioneer of the LGBTQ community in the US since she came out as gay in 1997.
DeGeneres is scheduled to have Oprah Winfrey as a guest on her show on Thursday to talk about ending the programme. The final episode is scheduled for the spring of 2022.

Israel has pressed ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, killing as many as 10 senior Hamas military figures. The Israeli strikes toppled a pair of

Israel has pressed ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, killing as many as 10 senior Hamas military figures. The Israeli strikes toppled a pair of high-rise towers housing Hamas facilities in a series of airstrikes. Hamas also showed no signs of backing down and fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities.
In just three days, this latest round of fighting between the bitter enemies has already begun to resemble a devastating 50-day war in 2014.
Gaza's Health Ministry said the death toll rose to 65 Palestinians, including 16 children and five women. A total of seven people have been killed in Israel in Hamas rocket attacks.
The fighting has triggered the worst Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel in decades.
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Billionaire and Bitcoin backer Elon Musk backtracked from his commitment towards the cryptocurrency as he tweeted that Tesla will stop accepting the digital a

Billionaire and Bitcoin&nbsp;backer Elon&nbsp;Musk backtracked from his commitment towards the cryptocurrency as he tweeted that Tesla will stop accepting the digital asset as payment. Musk cited environmental&nbsp;concerns rising from excessive Bitcoin&nbsp;mining.&nbsp; "We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel," Musk said in a statement on twitter. &nbsp; Technoking of Tesla, however reassured that the company would not be selling any of its bitcoin and intends "to use it for transactions as soon as mining transitions to more sustainable energy." The value of bitcoin declined sharply after Musk's tweet, dropping from about $54,700 per coin to about $52,000 in less than an hour.

The family of a 30-year-old Kerala woman, Soumya Santosh who lost her life in a deadly Palestinian rocket attack in Israel, is yet to recover from shock. Her husband, a

The family of a 30-year-old Kerala woman, Soumya Santosh who lost her life in a deadly Palestinian rocket attack in Israel, is yet to recover from shock. Her husband, a resident of Kerala&rsquo;s Idukki district, is struggling to console their nine-year-old son, who could not cope with the situation.
Ron Malka, Israel's ambassador to India, spoke to the family and expressed grief that Soumya&rsquo;s young son had lost his mother. Soumya&rsquo;s family is yet to come to terms with her tragic end. It happened at a time when Soumya was planning to return to Kerala, for a better life back home.
The Indian embassy authorities in Tel Aviv are making efforts to bring Soumya's mortal remains to India.

China's Sinovac Biotech vaccine is 98% effective at preventing death and 96% effective at preventing hospitalisation, an analysis of Indonesian health wo

China's Sinovac&nbsp;Biotech&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;is 98% effective at preventing death and 96% effective at preventing hospitalisation, a Indonesian study on health workers reportedly showed.
The controversial Chinese shot, however, performed far worse than western vaccines in clinical trials.
The preliminary study was done from data on healthcare workers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta who had received the CoronaVac vaccine between January and March this year.

A panel of independent experts who reviewed the World Health Organization's response to the coronavirus pandemic says the UN health agency should be granted “guar

A panel of independent experts who reviewed the World Health Organization's response to the coronavirus pandemic says the UN health agency should be granted &ldquo;guaranteed rights of access&rdquo; in countries to investigate emerging outbreaks, a contentious idea that would give it more powers and require member states to give up some of theirs.
In a report released Wednesday, the panel faulted countries worldwide for their sluggish response to COVID-19, saying most waited to see how the virus was spreading until it was too late to contain it, leading to catastrophic results. The group also slammed the lack of global leadership and restrictive international health laws that &ldquo;hindered&rdquo; WHO's response to the pandemic.
Some experts criticized the panel for failing to hold WHO and others accountable for their actions during COVID-19, describing that as &ldquo;an abdication of responsibility.&rdquo; Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said the panel "fails to call out bad actors like China, perpetuating the dysfunctional WHO tradition of diplomacy over frankness, transparency and accountability.&rdquo; The panel was led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who were tapped by WHO last year to examine the UN agency's response to COVID-19 after bowing to a request from member countries.
&ldquo;The situation we find ourselves in today could have been prevented,&rdquo; Johnson Sirleaf said.
Beyond the call to boost WHO's ability to investigate outbreaks, the panel made an array of recommendations, such as urging the health agency and the World Trade Organization to convene a meeting of vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers to quickly reach deals about voluntary licensing and technology transfer, in an effort to boost the world's global supply of coronavirus shots.
The panel also suggested that WHO's director-general &mdash; currently Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia &mdash; should be limited to a single seven-year term. As it stands, the WHO chief is elected to a five-year term that can be renewed once.
The suggestion to limit the tenure of WHO's top leader appeared in part designed to ease the intense political pressure that WHO director-generals can face. Last year, the Trump administration repeatedly inveighed against the agency's handling of the pandemic &mdash; taking aim at WHO's alleged collusion with China.

Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants, India has expressed deep concern at clashes and violence in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount as well as

Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants, India has expressed deep concern at clashes and violence in Jerusalem&rsquo;s Temple Mount as well as over evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods. &nbsp;India&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti tweeted that India calls on both sides to avoid changing the status-quo on the ground. He stressed on the need to immediately resume direct peace talks and commitment to a two-state solution. India also urged restraint of all parties and to adhere to Security Council resolution, which reaffirms that &lsquo;the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967&rsquo;

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, took part in an exhibition ice hockey match in Sochi on Monday night. Among the leader's teammates were Russian def

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, took part in an exhibition ice hockey match&nbsp;in Sochi on Monday night.&nbsp;
Among the leader's teammates were Russian defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu&nbsp;and Olympic champion, Viacheslav Fetisov.
The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel also took part in the game as a referee.
Putin scored at least eight times during the match helping his team to win 13-9.

The UN has called for "immediate stop" of fire as Israel and Hamas escalated hostilities on Wednesday with deadly air strikes and retaliatory rocket fire. U.N. Middle

The UN has called for "immediate stop" of fire as Israel and Hamas escalated hostilities on Wednesday with deadly air strikes and retaliatory rocket fire.
U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland tweeted: "Stop the fire immediately. We're escalating towards a full scale war. Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation.
"The cost of war in Gaza is devastating &amp; is being paid by ordinary people. UN is working w/ all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now," he wrote.
Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza into the early hours of Wednesday, while Hamas claimed that it fired 200 rockets at Israeli towns of Tel Aviv and Beersheba.

A 30-year-old Indian woman in Israel has been killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, PTI has reported quoting officials. Soumya Santosh, who hai

A 30-year-old Indian woman in Israel has been killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, PTI has reported quoting officials.
Soumya Santosh, who hailed from Kerala&rsquo;s Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.
The Indian woman was said to be living in Israel for the last seven years. She has a nine-year-old son whom she had left with her husband in Kerala.
Ashkelon, which borders the Gaza Strip, has come under a massive fire from the Palestinian militants.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes at Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the coastal strip.
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Israel on Tuesday stepped up its air attacks on the Gaza Strip, bombing a high-rise building that it claimed was being used by Hamas militants. At least alleged militan

Israel on Tuesday stepped up its air attacks on the Gaza Strip, bombing a high-rise building that it claimed was being used by Hamas militants. At least 3 alleged militants were killed in the strike. In retaliation, Hamas has continued to rain down rockets almost non-stop on parts of Israel.
The death toll in Gaza rose to 43 Palestinians, including 10 children, according to the Health Ministry. Over 200 people were wounded.
It was the heaviest fighting between the two bitter enemies since 2014, and it showed no signs of slowing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive, while Gaza militants unleashed a fierce late-night barrage of rockets that set off air-raid sirens and explosions throughout the densely populated Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Five Israeli civilians, including 3 women, were killed by rocket fire, and dozens of people wounded.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday said that a variant of Covid-19 that is behind India's devastating second wave has been found in dozens of countries all...

The World Health Organization on Wednesday said that a variant of <a href="https://www.editorji.com/covid-19" target="_blank">Covid-19</a> that is behind India's devastating second wave has been found in dozens of countries all over the world.
The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in more than 4,500 samples uploaded to an open-access database "from 44 countries in all six WHO regions".
Also Read: <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/ask-the-doctor-how-to-use-oxygen-concentrator-outside-hospitals-1620743134420" target="_blank">Ask The Doctor | How to increase O2 levels if there's no oxygen cylinder available</a>
Earlier this week, the <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/coronavirus-strain-in-india-a-variant-of-concern-at-global-level-who-1620669620290" target="_blank">WHO declared B.1.617</a> as a "variant of concern". It was therefore added to the list containing three other variants of Covid-19 -- those first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
The world body explained on Wednesday that B.1.617 was added to the list because it appears to be transmitting more easily than the original virus.
Also Read | <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/4-205-covid-19-deaths-in-india-highest-ever-in-24-hours-1620792756163" target="_blank">4,205 Covid-19 deaths in India, highest ever in 24 hours</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to the UK to attend a summit of the G7 grouping in person in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation.The G7 summit is

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to the UK to attend a summit of the G7 grouping in person in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation. The G7 summit is scheduled to take place in Cornwall in the UK next month.
While appreciating the invitation to the Prime Minister by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday that given the prevailing Covid situation, it has been decided that the Prime Minister will not attend the G7 Summit in person. The G7 comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

One dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines reduces the risk of death from the disease by 80%, a study done by the UK govt's health agency shows. Publi

One dose of the AstraZeneca&nbsp;Covid-19 vaccines reduces the risk of death from the disease by 80%, a study done by the&nbsp;UK govt's&nbsp;health agency shows. Public Health England has said in a statement that 'people who had a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine were 55% protected against death, with a figure of 44% protection for a single dose of Pfizer, compared to unvaccinated people.'
The statement further added that 'combined with the protection vaccines offer against becoming a case in the first place, this is equivalent to approximately 80% protection against mortality in individuals vaccinated with a single dose of either vaccine."
It also said protection against death from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine rises from approximately 80% after one dose to 97% after two doses in its new analysis.
PHE has said that their study looked at new symptomatic cases of Covid-19 between December and April and people who died within 28 days of their positive test by vaccination status.&nbsp;

A US man, who was earlier freed on bond from a murder charge, was again taken into custody on Monday after neighbours complained of a pet tiger roaming around a neighbo

A US man, who was earlier freed on bond from a murder charge, was again taken into custody on Monday after neighbours complained of a pet tiger roaming around a neighbourhood in Houston.
The Bengal tiger was seen roaming freely in front of the houses in Houston, Texas in a 54-second video shared on social media. The Bengal tiger could be seen prowling around the front yard of a house&nbsp; with some neighbours had also started to come on the street with &ldquo;guns&rdquo;.

Quake strikes near Iran nuclear power plant

International

'Uncertain': WHO on vaccine effectiveness on India-dominant variants

Israel-Gaza fight continues, Israeli air strikes bomb high-rise building

'This cycle needs to be broken': Rihanna condemns Israel-Palestine violence

Covid-19: When Will We Have Covid Vaccine for Kids?

Gal Gadot faces backlash for tweet on Israel-Palestine conflict, disables comments

US TV icon Ellen DeGeneres to end her long-running show

Israel intensifies Gaza air strikes, top Hamas leaders killed

Musk backtracks on Bitcoin, Tesla stops accepting cryptocurrency payments

Family of Kerala woman killed in Israel rocket strike in shock, her son inconsolable

Indonesian study: Chinese Sinovac shot shows high efficacy

WHO must have more power to probe: Independent panel on Covid response

India expresses deep concern over escalating Israel-Palestine tensions

Watch! Putin scores 8 goals in an ice hockey game

UN says 'stop fire immediately' as Israel & Hamas escalate strikes

Indian woman in Israel killed in Hamas rocket fire

43 Palestinians, including kids, killed in Israel air raids in Gaza

Indian Covid variant found in 44 countries: WHO

Covid-19: PM Modi will not attend G7 summit in person

One shot of AstraZeneca vaccine reduces death risk by 80%: new study

Watch: US man held after his Bengal tiger roams freely in Houston

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