As Qatar and Turkey seek to take control of operations at the Kabul airport, Afghan businessmen are urging the government to sign a contract with a company from the United Arab Emirates instead, as many Afghans have investments in the UAE and they fear access will be restricted, Tolo News reported. ....

At 30 people were killed and over 200 others injured after a massive blaze ripped through a passenger ferry in Bangladesh, officials said. ....

People infected with the Omicron variant of Covid are 15 per cent less likely to attend hospital, and 40 per cent less likely to be hospitalised for a night or more, compared to Delta, according to a new study. ....

As Omicron variant spreads globally, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the Pfizer antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 along with caution for people with certain pre-existing conditions -- heralding a new era for the future, over-the-counter treatment of the deadly respiratory disease that has killed millions. ....

Omicron will dominate European countries within weeks, pushing an already stretched health system further to the brink, said head of the European office of the World Health Organization (WHO) while urging people to get a booster jab. ....

The European Union (EU) digital Covid-19 certificate will only be valid for travel for nine months, the European Commission has said. ....

In a new effort, the Kabul municipality has taken steps to remove the photos of women on storefronts in the capital city, Tolo News reported. ....

Senior Pakistan TV anchor Kamran Khan has said that the biggest proof of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governments unpopularity is that they have lost the local government polls in Peshawar. ....

Horrific accidents, losses amounting to billions, and most recently the stoppage of a train by the driver to buy yogurt for himself sum up the rapidly deteriorating state Pakistan Railways finds itself in, The Express Tribune reported. ....

The New Zealand government on Tuesday urged parents and caregivers to consider protecting their children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19 with a suitable jab to be unveiled in January next year. ....