COVID-19: Israel Receives 1st Batch Of Pfizer Vaccine As UK Begins Mass Vaccination

Israel has on Wednesday announced that it has received the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Brussels, the country's health ministry said. According to the ministry, the first batch of vaccines arrived on a DHL cargo flight at the Ben Gurion airport, outskirts of Tel Aviv, adding that another batch is expected on Thursday. The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu while receiving the shipment said, "I believe in this vaccine" adding that the vaccines are expected to be approved by the regulatory authorities "in the coming days."

Bahrain Longest Serving PM, Salman Al Khalifa Dies At 84

Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the longest serving Prime Minister of Bahrain since its independence in 1971 has died at age 84 at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States. The Bahrain News Agency confirmed the death on Wednesday, saying "The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness ... who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic in the United States of America." King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has announced a week of mourning of the deceased where flags will be flown at half-mast in honour of the late PM.

Yoshihide Suga Named As Japan New Prime Minister As Shinzo Abe Steps Down

Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet have resigned following health problems and Yoshihide Suga has been elected as Japan's new Prime Minister following a vote in the country's Parliament on Wednesday. The former cardboard factory worker and head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) replace outgoing leader Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, who announced his intention to resign in August due to health problems related to colitis a non-curable inflammatory bowel disease that he was able to manage for most of his tenure.

Image of UAE Flag

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced on Sunday that it plans to grant all infectious disease experts and doctors in the country a 10-year golden visa, especially those assisting to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This announcement was made in a series of tweets by the Prime Minister of UAE, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Others eligible include graduates with a minimum of 3.8 Grade Point Average (GPA) from a UAE-accredited university and all Ph.D. holders in the UAE. The Prime Minister tweeted, “UAE Golden Visa will also include UAE-based physicians as well as engineers in the fields of computer science, electronics, programming, electricity, and biotechnology.

Saudi Arabia Will Gradually Resume Umrah Pilgrimage In October

The Saudi Arabian Government has announced its plans to resume Umrah Pilgrimage from October 4th after a seven-month pause due to COVID 19 pandemic. In March, the kingdom halted the Umrah, which is an Islamic minor pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and can be undertaken at any time of the year.

COVID-19: Thousands Of Chinese Attend Party Crowded Together Without Face Masks In Wuhan

The central Chinese city of Wuhan seems to have moved on from the coronavirus pandemic, as thousands of partygoers congregated in an open-air water park for an electronic music festival, without any form of social distancing measures or face masks insight. Over the weekend, the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park was filled with revelers in swimsuits crammed together shoulder to shoulder, waving to the beat of the music and cooling down in hip-high water. Others relaxed on inflatable rubbers tubes that filled the pool to the brim, with little space to float around.