World

Philippines reports 52 more cases of South African COVID-19 variant 05 Mar 2021 - 01:20 pm

MANILA - The Philippines has recorded 52 more cases of a highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa, the health ministry...

South Africa in African Union talks on COVID-19 shots for 10 million people 05 Mar 2021 - 01:06 pm

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is negotiating with an African Union (AU) platform to buy COVID-19 vaccines for at least 10 million of its...

Huge quakes hit near New Zealand, Tsunami threat passes 05 Mar 2021 - 08:56 am

WELLINGTON - A powerful series of undersea quakes struck north-east of New Zealand on Friday, but Tsunami waves that forced many people on...

Scream, not swab: Dutch inventor hopes he discovered new COVID test 05 Mar 2021 - 12:18 am

AMSTERDAM - A Dutch inventor has come up with what he hopes could be a potentially faster and easier method to screen for...

Pakistan PM to seek vote of confidence on Saturday after Senate setback 05 Mar 2021 - 12:07 am

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, said he will seek a vote of confidence from parliament on Saturday after the finance...

Hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccines seized in South Africa, Interpol says 04 Mar 2021 - 11:58 pm

JOHANNESBURG - South African police have seized hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccines and arrested four suspects in connection with the haul, the Interpol...

California to set aside 40% of COVID-19 vaccine doses for hardest-hit communities 04 Mar 2021 - 11:49 pm

LOS ANGELES - California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday the state would set aside 40% of its COVID-19 vaccine doses for the...

US Senate votes to begin debate on Biden COVID-19 relief bill 04 Mar 2021 - 11:44 pm

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to take up President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, setting up what is...

Trudeau minister confident vaccination timeline will accelerate 04 Mar 2021 - 10:54 pm

The Canadian minister in charge of vaccines said it’s "highly likely” the government will be able to move up its target date for...

After record COVID-19 deaths, Bolsonaro tells Brazilians to stop 'whining' 04 Mar 2021 - 10:40 pm

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO - After two straight days of record COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday told Brazilians to stop...

Kuwait to impose curfew, close parks as COVID-19 cases rise - state TV 04 Mar 2021 - 09:24 pm

CAIRO - Kuwait will impose a 5 p.m to 5 a.m. curfew and close parks from Sunday until April 8 in a bid...

WHO investigators to scrap interim report on probe of COVID-19 origins- WSJ 04 Mar 2021 - 09:11 pm

A World Health Organization team investigating the origins of COVID-19 is planning to scrap an interim report on its recent mission to China...

Strong quake shakes New Zealand, but no damage reported and tsunami threat eases 04 Mar 2021 - 08:21 pm

WELLINGTON - A strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the east of New Zealand's North Island on Friday, prompting a tsunami warning that...

South Africa regulator says at an advanced stage of Pfizer vaccine review 04 Mar 2021 - 08:13 pm

CAPE TOWN - South Africa's medicines regulator said on Thursday that it was at an advanced stage of reviewing an emergency use application...

Security tight at US Capitol after police warn of possible militia attack 04 Mar 2021 - 07:49 pm

WASHINGTON - Security was tight on Thursday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the scene of a deadly assault in January, after police...

India's COVID vaccine wins over some sceptics after promising data 04 Mar 2021 - 07:30 pm

NEW DELHI - Indian doctors and politicians on Thursday welcomed efficacy data for a state-backed coronavirus vaccine that was given emergency approval in...

UK police rule out criminal inquiry into 1995 Princess Diana interview 04 Mar 2021 - 04:24 pm

London: British police said on Thursday they had ruled out a criminal investigation into the famous 1995 BBC interview with the late Princess...

Novartis deal bolsters CureVac's vaccine contractor line-up 04 Mar 2021 - 04:19 pm

FRANKFURT: German biotech firm CureVac has enlisted Swiss pharma giant Novartis to help with the production of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, boosting a...