Featured
Last news
WTO seeks shot in the arm with Covid jab IP idea
The WTO's search for a role in fighting the pandemic sharpened up on Monday as ministers seek a compromise to lift intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.
Beijing tightens Covid restrictions over 'ferocious' bar cluster
Beijing started a new round of mass testing in its most populous downtown district on Monday after a rapidly spreading outbreak linked to a bar saw Covid rules tightened again in the capital.
'Soul relief': Bees help mentally ill on Greek island
On a hillside overlooking the azure blue waters of Greece's Leros island harbour, a small group of workers in protective gear are busy smoking beehives.
WTO negotiators finalise key texts on fishing, Covid jabs
Long-sought WTO agreements on fisheries subsidies and a Covid vaccine patent waiver moved a step closer to completion Saturday after negotiators finalised texts for ministerial review, but significant obstacles remained in hammering out a final deal.
US woman who contracted STD in car awarded $5.2 mn from vehicle insurer
A US woman who contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her partner during romantic encounters in his car has been awarded $5.2 million in damages from his vehicle insurance company.
Justin Bieber says suffering from facial paralysis
Justin Bieber on Friday told fans in a video posted to Instagram that he's been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is causing him partial facial paralysis.
US health experts say monkeypox cases harder to detect
US health experts said Friday that cases of monkeypox that are being detected at the moment do not necessarily display the usual symptoms, making the disease more difficult to diagnose.
US to drop Covid tests for incoming air travel
The United States announced Friday that Covid-19 tests would no longer be required for international travelers arriving by air, a major step in the country's gradual lifting of pandemic restrictions.
Italy to kill 1,000 pigs in swine fever outbreak
A thousand pigs will be slaughtered after two cases of swine fever were detected on a farm in Rome's Lazio region, officials said Friday, spurring fears of a blow to the country's pork industry.
Swathes of Shanghai to be returned to lockdown in testing drive
Shanghai will impose fresh lockdowns on residents in several city districts this weekend during a mass testing drive, officials said Friday, as President Xi Jinping called for China to stick "unswervingly" to its strict zero-Covid strategy.
Old tricks, new crises: how US misinformation spreads
With gun control under debate and monkeypox in the headlines, Americans are facing a barrage of new twists on years-old misinformation in their social media feeds.
China's Xi backs zero-Covid policy as Shanghai expands mass testing
President Xi Jinping said China must stick "unswervingly" to its zero-Covid strategy, as more than half of Shanghai's 25 million lockdown-weary residents gird Friday for a weekend virus testing drive.
Covid lab leak theory needs more research: WHO advisors
Scientists advising the World Health Organization on how to move forward investigating the origins of Covid-19 said Thursday further studies were needed into whether the disease escaped from a lab.
US ready to deliver millions of Covid vaccines to youngest children
The White House on Thursday said it had an operational plan to deliver 10 million doses of Covid vaccine for the nation's youngest children by June 20, pending clearance by regulators.
Thailand takes step towards legalising cannabis
Thailand relaxed its cannabis laws Thursday, with users permitted to possess and grow the plant -- albeit under complicated new guidelines.
England's smoking age limit should be raised every year: study
The age at which people can buy tobacco in England should rise by one each year until it becomes a "smoke-free" society, a government-commissioned review recommended Thursday.
Shanghai to lock down and test 2.7 million as Covid fears linger
Shanghai will lock down a district of 2.7 million people on Saturday to conduct mass coronavirus testing, city authorities said, as the Chinese metropolis struggles to fully emerge from punishing curbs.
American with monkeypox flees Mexican hospital
A US citizen with monkeypox escaped from a hospital in a Mexican resort and fled the country, local health authorities said Wednesday.
US fight against opioid overdoses becomes one of racial justice: researcher
In 2020, the death rate from drug overdose among Black people surpassed that of white people in the United States for the first time since 1999, according to a study published this year.
Moderna announces positive results for Omicron vaccine
US biotech company Moderna on Wednesday announced positive results for a new vaccine that targets both the original Covid strain and Omicron.
US experts recommend Novavax Covid-19 vaccine
A panel of experts convened by the US drug regulator on Tuesday recommended the Novavax Covid-19 shot, a late runner in the fight against the virus that could nonetheless play a role in overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
FDA experts weigh authorizing Novavax Covid-19 vaccine in US
A panel of experts convened by the US drug regulator was meeting Tuesday to consider authorizing the Novavax Covid-19 shot, a late runner in the fight against the virus that could nonetheless play a role in overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
Shanghai residents chafe under fresh Covid lockdowns
Residents stuck inside a compound nearly a week after Shanghai's much vaunted reopening following a virus outbreak shouted at hazmat-clad officials on Monday, as fears grew that some city neighbourhoods were being locked down again.
Baby formula plant linked to US shortage resumes production
Production resumed Saturday at an Abbott Nutrition baby formula plant in the US whose closure helped fuel a crippling nationwide shortage.
Saudi receives first foreign hajj pilgrims since before pandemic
Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of hajj pilgrims since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.
More than 700 monkeypox cases globally, 21 in US: CDC
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States, with investigations now suggesting spread inside the country.
Teaching helped me survive, says Indian quadruple amputee
When gangrene robbed Indian teacher Pratibha Hilim of her hands and feet three years ago, her dreams of returning to class gave her the strength to endure.
Surgeons transplant 3D ear made of living cells
A US medical team said Thursday they had reconstructed a human ear using the patient's own tissue to create a 3D bioimplant, a pioneering procedure they hope can be used to treat people with a rare birth defect.
Shanghai Covid curbs drag on despite officials declaring victory
Locked in their homes as neighbours celebrate freedom, hundreds of thousands of Shanghai residents are finding the path out of lockdown more complicated than the victory trumpeted by Chinese state media.
Japan tax official arrested over Covid-19 aid fraud
A Japanese tax official was arrested over his alleged involvement in a fraud ring that recruited 200 people to steal $1.5 million of Covid-19 aid, media and police said Thursday.
Shanghai eases Covid curbs in step towards ending lockdown
Shanghai eased a range of Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday in a step towards returning to normal after a two-month lockdown that confined residents of the megacity to their homes and battered China's economy.
EU's Russian oil ban unlikely to affect OPEC+ decision
Saudia Arabia, Russia and their allies are likely to stick to their policy of modest oil output increases when they meet Thursday after the EU banned most imports from Moscow.