The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to research reported in the Financial Times. But in its study, due to be published Monday, the pharma group said it could still have an effect on severe disease -- although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement. None of the 2,000 participants in the tr...

As enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands marched through the streets of Myanmar's biggest city on Sunday to protest last week's coup, their spirits were lifted by the return of internet services that had been blocked a day earlier. Separate protests that began in various parts of Yangon converged at Sule Pagoda, situated in the center of a roundabout in the city's downtown area. Protesters ch...

Iran's supreme leader urged the United States to lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to live up to commitments under its nuclear deal with world powers, state TV reported Sunday, his first comments on the matter since US President Joe Biden took office. “If (the US) wants Iran to return to its commitments, it must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification. Then we will return ...

Indian authorities launched a search operation Sunday after part of a mountain glacier broke, sending a massive flood of water and debris slamming into two dams and damaging a number of homes. At least three people were killed and 140 were missing. The flood was caused when a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning. A video s...

YANGON (AFP) -- Myanmar saw its largest anti-coup protests yet on Saturday with young demonstrators spilling on to the streets to denounce the country's new military regime, despite a nationwide internet blackout aimed at stifling a growing chorus of popular dissent. Soon before nearly all lines of communication in and out of the country went dark, an Australian advisor to ousted civilian leader...

Angelina Jolie pleaded with the world Friday to come together and stop acting selfishly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy Award winning actress spoke virtually in her capacity as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) during an international forum hosted by Yonsei University, a school in Seoul attended by her eldest son, Maddox. She said the virus ha...

The UK has stripped China's state-owned TV channel of its broadcasting license in the country, after an investigation found the license holder lacked editorial control and had links to China's ruling Communist Party. The communications regulator, Ofcom, said Thursday it revoked the UK license for China Global Television Network, or CGTN, an international English language satellite news channel. ...

Sweden says it will develop a digital vaccination certificate this summer to allow people who have been vaccinated to travel. Digitalization Minister Anders Ygeman said three authorities in Sweden had been asked to work on producing the certificate, and the plan is to coordinate it with the World Health Organization and the European Union. On Wednesday, Denmark said it was joining forces with t...

World Health Organization investigators looking for clues into the origin of the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan said that the Chinese side has provided a high level of cooperation, but cautioned against expecting immediate results from the visit. "I keep saying that we need to be realistic, a short mission like this one will not have all the answers but it helps advance the und...

British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if it's OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart. Guidelines in Britain and the US say the vaccines aren't interchangeable, but can be mixed if the same kind isn't available for the second dose or if it's not known...

Bloomberg Innovation Index credits Seoul’s increased patent activity, strong performance in R&D and manufacturing

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in anearly morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy (NLD) said on Monday. The move came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudul...

Enhanced swabs have wide application, reduce false negatives by increased absorption

WASHINGTON -- Antony Blinken was expected to take office as the new secretary of state on Tuesday after the Senate confirmed his nomination. The Senate voted 78 to 22 to confirm the former deputy secretary of state as the country's new top diplomat. Blinken was nominated to the top post at the Department of State in late November, along with other top officials of the new administration's natio...

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Optimism that new vaccines will bring the pandemic under control and allow economic activity to resume coupled with stimulus in major economies has boosted the growth forecast this year to 5.5 percent, the IMF said Tuesday. “These developments indicate a stronger starting point for the 2021-22 global outlook,” the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO). The fund...