Global COVID cases top 89.5mn
Washington, Jan 10: The overall global coronavirus caseload has topped 89.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.92 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 89,571,229 and 1,924,331, respectively. The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 22,110,203 and 372,152, respectively, according to the CSSE. India comes in second place in terms of cases at 10,431,639, while the country’s death toll soared to 150,798. (IANS)
Man shoots 7 people in US
Chicago, Jan 10: A man killed three people and wounded four others in a series of shootings that started on Chicago’s South Side and ended with his death in a shootout with police in a parking lot just north of the city. Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the attacks, which began Saturday afternoon with the killing of a 30-year-old University of Chicago student who was shot in the head while sitting in his car in a parking garage in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown told reporters. He didn’t release any of the victims’ names. The shooter, 32-year-old Jason Nightengale, then “just randomly” walked into an apartment building a block away, where he shot and a 46-year-old security guard who was sitting at the desk and a 77-year-old woman who was getting her mail, Brown said. (AP)
130 airstrikes target IS positions
Damascus, Jan 10: More than 130 airstrikes have targeted the positions of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in the Syrian desert in the last two days, a war monitor reported. The intensified airstrikes were carried out by Russian warplanes against the IS positions in the Syrian desert as the latter attacked and captured several Syrian military sites, Xinhua news agency quoted the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying on Saturday. The watchdog group said the IS militants later withdrew from the sites they had advanced to, fearing the airstrikes. During the battles over the past 48 hours, 19 government soldiers were killed as well as 12 IS militants, said the Observatory. After losing key areas across Syria, the IS group stationed in several parts of the Syrian desert and has carried out countless attacks on Syrian government forces. (IANS)
Iraq likely to reimpose curfew
Baghdad, Jan 10: The Iraqi Ministry of Health has warned of reimposing a nationwide curfew if there was an increase in new coronavirus infections due to the non-compliance of citizens with the protective measures. Health teams have spotted non-compliance and resumption of social customs such as shaking hands, hugging, and kissing like situation before the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. “These indicators are very dangerous and warn of an increase in infections again, especially after the emergence of new strains of coronavirus in many countries,” reported Xinhua news agency. (IANS)