Author: Steven Sahiounie

The US Food and Drug Administration’s scientific advisory committee unanimously recommended against approving a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people aged 16 and up. After a day-long public debate on whether booster shots are necessary and, if so, for whom, the committee voted 16 to 2. Biden’s administration had hoped that the FDA would approve a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine in time, for booster shots to be distributed to Pfizer recipients next week. A committee member and official at the National Institutes of Health Dr. Michael G. Kurilla said, “It’s unclear that everyone needs to be boosted,…

Working from home during the pandemic has forced Australians to spend more time online – this caused cyber crimes to shoot up. Governmental bodies reported that cyber crime rates have increased 13% over the past year, with over 25% of all cyber crime incidents targeting infrastructure and services. Every 8 minutes over a year to June 30, 2021, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) would report one cyber crime. According to the Assistant Minister of Defense, Andrew Hastie, hackers have diverted their focus to target citizens working remotely online and used fear inspired by the pandemic to aim for vulnerable…

After mosquitoes began to disrupt tourism in Hyères, France, more than 300 mosquito-catching machines were installed. The Qista machines imitate human breathing in order to attract mosquitos and trap them in a net, according to BBC. The devices reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes by about 80%, according to the company. “Qista’s eco-friendly, easy-to-use solution using smart technology has revolutionized mosquito control by creating mosquito traps which pose no danger to people or our ecosystems,” adds the company’s website.

US cigarette manufacturing company Philip Morris International took over Vectura, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures breathing inhalers. The takeover was deemed incredibly controversial and was faced with heavy opposition from medical groups. PMI invested some $1.4 billion in July as part of its push into the healthcare market. It said Thursday that since that payment, it obtained the necessary support from investors and gained regulatory approvals. This acquisition came as part of the Marlboro-maker’s expansion plans, under which they plan to move into the healthcare business, rather than only adhering to nicotine and tobacco. The group’s CEO, Jacek Olczak, said…

According to a report by Reuters, despite US stringent sanctions, Iranian fuel and petrochemical exports continued to boom in recent years. This will be “leaving Iran well placed to expand sales swiftly in Asia and Europe if Washington lifts its curbs,” trading sources and officials said. In 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s main energy sectors: oil and gas industries. The aim of these sanctions was to “choke off the Islamic Republic’s main source of revenues in a dispute with Tehran over its nuclear work”, the report added. Since it is more difficult to trace fuel and petrochemicals,…

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez announced a new cabinet on Friday in a bid to end a political crisis with his Vice President Cristina de Kirchner this week, following an electoral defeat in legislative primaries. Juan Manzur, governor of Tucuman Province, will take over as Prime Minister from Santiago Cafiero, one of Kirchner’s most controversial officials, the presidency announced. The new cabinet will be sworn in on Monday. What caused the political crisis? The crisis flared up after the resignation of left-wing ministers who allied with Vice President de Kirchner due to the economic crisis, as a result of which the…

Syria stressed that “Israel” remaining outside the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) “represents a grave danger to regional and international peace and security.” Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, Hussein Khaddour, stated in a statement published by SANA that with the Israeli occupation entity with all its nuclear capabilities remaining outside the framework of the NPT and the comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA poses a grave danger to the non-proliferation system. Khaddour’s statement came during the September session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna. He…

Washington admitted on Friday that it had killed 10 civilians, including seven children, in the drone strike the US airforce carried out in Kabul. The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologized Friday for a drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed 10 civilians, including children, during the chaotic US pullout last month. “I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed,” Austin said in a statement. “We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake,” he said. It is worth mentioning that a US drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians, including…

The former president of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has died at the age of 84, as announced by the Algerian state television. Bouteflika had ruled Algeria for 20 years since 1999. He was forced to relinquish power following pressure from a popular movement that rose to reject his candidacy for a fifth term. At the time, the popular demand was supported by army generals led by the late Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah. Bouteflika assumed the presidency in 1999 Since his resignation, Bouteflika has been living out of sight in isolation in his medically equipped residence in Zeralda, in western…

Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the second group of diesel tankers (of the first shipment), which Hezbollah brought from Iran for the people of Lebanon, has crossed the Syrian border toward Lebanon. Images of the new batch entering Lebanon last night were circulated on social media. On Thursday, the first batch of 104 diesel tankers had arrived in Lebanon. Earlier, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called on people to refrain from organizing any popular gatherings in Baalbeck in celebration of the diesel trucks’ arrival. Meanwhile, the Director of Al-Amana Petroleum, which is set to distribute the fuel, told Al Mayadeen that the shipment is being…