With foreign tourists gone, Balinese rediscover seaweed farming

NUSA LEMBONGAN, Indonesia — Before the coronavirus pandemic took its grip on Indonesia, the pristine beaches of Lembongan island lapped by the Indian Ocean...

Europe pledges half a billion euros to lure scientists as Trump battles universities

PARIS — The European Union (EU) and France on Monday announced half a billion euros worth of incentives to lure scientists to the continent,...

Thailand trims 2024 growth forecast despite strong Q1, as weak exports weigh

BANGKOK — Thailand trimmed its economic growth forecast for 2024 on Monday despite a better-than-expected expansion in the January-March quarter, saying exports were projected...

WHO fine-tunes advice on COVID masks for public, health workers

GENEVA — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday tightened guidelines on wearing face masks, recommending that, where COVID-19 is spreading, they be worn...

Vietnam set to build $67-B high-speed rail

HANOI — Vietnam’s parliament approved laws on data protection and electricity, as well as a resolution supporting a $67-billion high-speed rail project on Saturday,...

In China’s export hub of Yiwu, traders shrug off Trump’s tariffs

YIWU, China - Traders in China's export manufacturing hub of Yiwu shrugged off U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and moves against China on Sunday, with some saying they...

Harris campaign raises $55 mln over two weekend events, campaign official says

LAS VEGAS - Kamala Harris' U.S. presidential election campaign raised $55 million during two events this weekend, a campaign official said on Sunday. The Democratic candidate and...

UN data: Global patent filings drop nearly 2% as innovation falters

GENEVA - Patent filings slipped last year by nearly 2% in the first fall in 14 years amid economic uncertainty, the U.N. patent agency said on...

Second booster shields elderly from COVID but protection wanes quickly

A FOURTH DOSE of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the elderly but the protection against infection appeared short-lived, a large study in Israel has found.

US warns Russia may stage video as pretext to invade Ukraine

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia has formulated several options as an excuse to invade Ukraine, including the potential use of a propaganda video showing a staged...

Ukraine and U.S. discuss how to make minerals fund operational by year-end

WASHINGTON - Ukraine and the United States have discussed how to make a minerals fund operational by the end of the year and the fund's first meeting is...

Suspected terror attack injures pedestrians outside UK parliament

London -- A car crashed into barriers outside Britain's Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a "number of pedestrians"...