London: The chief scientist at the World Health Organization estimates that about 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the population will need to be immune to the coronavirus for there to be any protective herd immunity effect.

Mumbai: SpiceJet has been designated as an "Indian scheduled carrier" to operate flight services to the UK from India, the Gurugram-based no-frills airline said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

Jerusalem: Merging Israel's technological expertise with India's mass production capabilities, experts from the two countries have joined hands to develop rapid testing for COVID-19 in under 30 seconds.

Beirut: The pandemic will exact a heavy toll on Arab countries, causing an economic contraction of 5.7% this year, pushing millions into poverty and compounding the suffering of those affected by armed conflict, a UN report said on Thursday.

Beijing: China successfully launched its first Mars probe on Thursday from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, official media here reported.

United Nations: World leaders will submit pre-recorded video statements for the United Nations General Assembly session in September, the 193-member organisation has decided, as heads of state and government will not be physically attending the annual gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic and the high-level session goes virtual for the first time in the UN's 75-year history.

California: Airlines are taking extreme measures to survive the pandemic, with Asiana Airlines Inc. flying the world's biggest commercial plane more than 20 times, going nowhere and carrying no passengers, just to keep trainee pilots certified.