Foreign
G20 foreign ministers worried over food security in world
June 30, 2021, 12:46 pm
MATERA, Italy – The foreign ministers of G20 countries voiced deep concern over food insecurity in the world, according to a declaration released after a meeting in Italy on Tuesday. "We express deep concern for the state of food insecurity across the world," they said in the G20 declaration… Read More
EU, WHO launch new tool for pandemic contact tracing
June 29, 2021, 12:32 pm
BRUSSELS – The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization's European regional office have developed a tool to evaluate the public health effectiveness of contact tracing solutions, according to a statement on Monday. The tool, described as an… Read More
Too early to judge how dangerous Delta strain is
June 27, 2021, 7:14 pm
MOSCOW – Experts have noted that the Delta coronavirus strain is more contagious. However, it is too early to say how dangerous it is, Deputy Director for Clinical and Analytical Work at the Central Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology Natalya Pshenichnaya told TASS. "It is difficult to… Read More
UK reports highest daily Covid-19 cases since early February
June 27, 2021, 3:31 pm
LONDON – Britain has reported another 18,270 coronavirus cases in the last 24-hour period, the highest since early February, according to official figures released Saturday. The total number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country now stands at 4,717,811. The country also… Read More
Killer-cop of George Floyd gets 22.5 years
June 26, 2021, 2:25 pm
MINNESOTA – Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 22.5 years for the murder of George Floyd, a death that touched off international outrage. Chauvin showed no reaction as the verdict was announced by Judge Peter Cahill. Reaction outside the courthouse, where… Read More
Scientists find signs of geological activity on Venus
June 25, 2021, 4:19 pm
ANKARA – There is evidence that some parts of Venus’ surface move around similar to that of Earth, scientists announced. “We’ve identified a previously unrecognized pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus, one that is driven by interior motion just like on Earth,” said Paul Byrne, a… Read More
At least 3 dead, 99 missing in Florida building collapse
June 25, 2021, 1:27 pm
WASHINGTON – At least three people died, 12 others were injured, and nearly 100 people were possibly missing after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in Miami-Dade County in the southeastern US state of Florida early Thursday, local media reported. The ABC News and local… Read More
North Korea turns down US offer for official meeting
June 24, 2021, 8:43 pm
ANKARA – North Korea has turned down a US offer for an official meeting and stated that it has no intentions to contact Washington, the country's foreign minister said late on Wednesday. Ri Son Gwon said in a statement that the Foreign Ministry welcomes the clear-cut press statement issued by… Read More
Covid-19 Delta variant could be dominant in Europe by August
June 24, 2021, 5:22 pm
STOCKHOLM – The Delta variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is expected to soon account for nearly all new coronavirus infections in Europe, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday. In its latest threat assessment report, the ECDC said that since… Read More
India reports around 40 cases of Delta plus variant
June 23, 2021, 7:08 pm
NEW DELHI – Around 40 cases of the Delta plus variant, classified as a variant of concern (VOC), have been detected sporadically in Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Delta variant as well as all Delta sub-lineages, including Delta plus, are… Read More
APEC speeds up regulatory convergence on medical products
June 23, 2021, 6:03 pm
JAKARTA -- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, through the APEC Life Science Innovation Forum, have concurred on speeding up regulatory alignment for medical products over the course of the subsequent two decades. The effort to expedite matters was made in a bid to protect… Read More
22 cases of Delta Plus variant found in India, says gov't
June 23, 2021, 1:11 pm
NEW DELHI – Some 22 cases of the Delta Plus variant have been found in India, the government said on Tuesday. The Delta Plus variant has been formed due to a mutation of the Delta strain or B.1.617.2 variant, which was first found in India and was believed to be the reason for the deadly second… Read More
‘Inequity fueling a 2-track pandemic’: WHO chief
June 22, 2021, 9:05 pm
GENEVA – The defining mark of Covid-19 is a lack of sharing of data, information, personal protective equipment, vaccines and other life-saving tools, the head of World Health Organization said. “This inequity is fueling a two-track pandemic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus told the… Read More
UN confirms 26,425 grave violations against children in 2020
June 22, 2021, 4:40 pm
UNITED NATIONS – An annual report of the UN secretary-general on children and armed conflict verified 26,425 grave violations against children in 2020. Of the violations, 23,946 were committed in 2020, and 2,479 were committed earlier but verified only in 2020, according to the report released… Read More
China administers 1B Covid-19 vaccine doses
June 21, 2021, 1:04 pm
BEIJING – More than 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in China by Saturday, as the country is pushing ahead with the largest vaccination drive in the history of New China. It took the country just five days to hit its most recent 100-million dose increase, according to… Read More
Brazil hits 500K Covid-19 deaths amid nationwide protests
June 20, 2021, 7:01 pm
SAO PAULO – Brazil reached a grim milestone of half a million Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, the heath minister announced. Marcelo Queiroga said on Twitter that he “works tirelessly to vaccinate all Brazilians in the shortest time possible”. He also expressed solidarity with the families.… Read More
Moscow weekly Covid-19 cases hit all-time high
June 20, 2021, 6:57 pm
MOSCOW – Moscow’s Covid-19 cases surged by 51,853 this week, having reached a record high since the start of the pandemic, according to TASS estimates based on the anti-coronavirus crisis center’s data. Last week, some 36,710 people were infected in the Russian capital. Russia recorded a… Read More
UK records over 10K new Covid-19 cases for 3rd day in a row
June 20, 2021, 6:09 pm
LONDON – The United Kingdom has recorded more than 10,000 daily cases for the third day in a row, with a top scientist warning that the country is in the grips of a third wave. The country confirmed 10,321 new cases on Saturday, bringing the overall caseload to over 4.6 million. A further 14… Read More
Early completion of Asean travel corridor framework pushed
June 18, 2021, 4:07 pm
HÀ NỘI – Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) member states to soon finalize the travel corridor framework for the safe resumption of essential business travel. The official was speaking while… Read More
China launches 1st crewed mission for space station construction
June 17, 2021, 8:00 pm
JIUQUAN – China on Thursday successfully launched the crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-12, which is expected to send three astronauts to its space station core module Tianhe for a three-month mission. It is China's seventh crewed mission to space and the first during the construction of China's space… Read More
