Rishi Sunak unveils new wage top-up scheme
London: UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Thursday unveiled a new Covid-19 emergency Jobs Support Scheme, which will see the Government top-up wages of workers covering up to two-thirds of their hours for the next six months.
Israel tightens second lockdown
Jerusalem: Israel on Thursday moved to further tighten its second countrywide lockdown as coronavirus cases continued to soar, ordering all nonessential businesses to close and requiring people to stay within 1,000 metres (yards) of their homes.
amendments: Protests as Thai lawmakers vote
Bangkok: Thai lawmakers met to vote on six proposed amendments to the country’s military-backed constitution, as protesters pushing for charter reform gathered outside the Parliament building. Changes to the constitution are one of three core demands that a coalition of protest groups has been seeking in recent months.
Over 360 more detained in Belarus in protests
Kyiv, Ukraine: Over 360 more people have been detained in Belarus during protests against the country’s authoritarian president, who was unexpectedly sworn in to his sixth term in office after an election the opposition says was rigged.
Indian students appeal to UK PM on visa row
London: Several Indian students are among over 200 overseas student signatories of a letter delivered to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street in London on Thursday, seeking justice in the wake of being accused of cheating in a compulsory English language test six years ago. The scandal, believed to have impacted around 34,000 international students, relates to the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), a compulsory requirement in some student visa cases.