While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 25
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
At UN headquarters in New York, 140 countries voted in favour, 38 abstained and five voted against the measure.
PHOTO: REUTERS
UN General Assembly demands Russia end Ukraine war
The UN General Assembly on Thursday (March 24) adopted a new non-binding resolution that demanded an "immediate" halt to Russia's war in Ukraine.
At UN headquarters in New York, 140 countries voted in favour, 38 abstained and five voted against the measure, with applause ringing out afterwards.
The vote came after the adoption of a similar non-binding resolution on March 2 that demanded Russia immediately cease its use of force - a vote that was approved by 141 countries.
US making plans in case Russia uses chemical, nuclear weapons
The White House has set up a team of experts to plan how the United States could respond should Russia use weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological or nuclear - during its invasion of Ukraine, senior administration officials said on Thursday (March 24).
Russia has repeatedly raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons as it struggles to overcome Ukraine's military during the month-old war that the Russian government calls a "special operation."
This week, the Kremlin said such weapons would only be used in the case of an "existential threat."
Covid-19 booster provides protection for over-65s after 15 weeks: UK data
A booster dose of vaccine against Covid-19 continues to provide robust protection against hospitalisation for older people nearly four months after getting the third dose, new data from the UK's Health Security Agency on Thursday (March 24) showed.
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for people aged over 65, 15 weeks after a booster, was 85 per cent, down from 91 per cent two weeks after getting the third dose, the latest vaccine surveillance report from the agency estimated.
The data is the first released by the UK on the longer term durability of boosters. The UK is administering fourth doses to vulnerable age groups, joining a number of other countries including Israel as the world fights the more infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Suspected Okta hackers arrested by British police
Police in Britain have arrested seven people following a series of hacks by the Lapsus$ hacking group which targeted major firms including Okta Inc and Microsoft Corp, City of London Police said on Thursday (March 24).
San Francisco-based Okta Inc, whose authentication services are used by some of the world's biggest companies to provide access to their networks said on Tuesday that it had been hit by hackers and that some customers may have been affected.
"The City of London Police has been conducting an investigation with its partners into members of a hacking group," Detective Inspector Michael O'Sullivan said in an emailed statement in response to a question about the Lapsus$ hacking group.
Tennis: Halep withdraws from Miami Open with leg injury, out for three weeks
Simona Halep withdrew from the Miami Open ahead of her second-round match on Thursday (March 24) with a leg injury that the former world number one said will keep her out of action for three weeks.
Romanian world number 19 Halep, who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week and had a first-round bye in Miami, said she felt a sharp pain in her left leg while practising for her match with Australian wild card Daria Saville.
"I had been struggling with the thigh since my semi-final in Indian Wells and hoped it would improve, but I went for an MRI last night and unfortunately it showed a tear," twice Grand Slam champion Halep wrote on Twitter.
