Newswatch

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait recorded 616 new coronavirus cases and two deaths in the past 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

The new figures raised the total number of cases to 101,299 and deaths to 580, said the ministry official spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad in a statement to KUNA.

He noted that 152 cases were in Hawally Governorate, 171 in Ahmadi, 91 in Farwaniya, 107 in Asimah and 95 in Jahra.

There are currently 101 patients in ICUs, as the total number of patients still receiving medical care is 8,368, he has added. (KUNA)

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said Muslims will be allowed to perform the smaller, year-round pilgrimage starting Oct 4 as the Kingdom gradually begins lifting restrictions that had been in place on Islam’s holiest site for the past seven months due to the coronavirus.

State media reported the government plans to allow up to 6,000 visitors a day at the sprawling Grand Mosque in Makkah, which will be open to Saudi citizens and residents only during this first phase.

Before visitors can enter the mosque to pray or perform the “Umrah” pilgrimage, they will have to apply and reserve a specific time and date through an online application that is launching Sept 27 to avoid crowding and maintain social-distancing guidelines. (AP)

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WASHINGTON: Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday the launch of its “large-scale, pivotal, multi-country Phase 3 trial (ENSEMBLE)” for its coronavirus vaccine candidate.

“The initiation of the ENSEMBLE trial follows positive interim results from the Company’s Phase 1/2a clinical study, which demonstrated that the safety profile

and immunogenicity after a single vaccination were supportive of further development,” the company said in a statement.

It added that “based on these results and following discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ENSEMBLE will enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across three continents and will study the safety and efficacy of a single vaccine dose versus placebo in preventing COVID-19.” (KUNA)

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DUBAI: The first known direct commercial flight between Israel and Bahrain landed Wednesday in the island Kingdom, just a week after it signed a deal alongside the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations.

Flight data showed an Israir Airlines Airbus A320 landed at Bahrain International Airport after a nearly three-hour flight from Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport. Hours later, Bahrain acknowledged the flight carried a delegation of Israeli officials.

“A working team from the state of Israel visited Manama today to discuss areas of cooperation between the two countries,” Bahrain said in a brief statement. “These talks come after the signing of the Declaration of Peace.” (AP)

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UNITED NATIONS:

The Latest from the UN General Assembly (all times EDT): 10:45 am.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman used his speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to stress his country’s Islamic roots and slam rival, Iran.

Reading from a piece of paper and seated at a desk under a large portrait of his father, King Abdulaziz, the monarch reiterated the sacred role of Islam in Saudi Arabia, which Muslims believe was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago in the mountainous caves of Makkah. (AP)