Australian PM defends lockdown strategy

MELBOURNE — Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison defended on Sunday Australia’s lockdown strategy for tackling the coronavirus, saying it would stay until at least 70% of population is fully vaccinated, as daily infections break records.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn secure Afghan users’ accounts amid Taliban takeover

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn said this week they had moved to secure the accounts of Afghan citizens to protect them against being targeted amid...

Locked-up and fed-up: Australian voters put prime minister on notice 

SYDNEY — Kathy Chalker, a Sydney art studio owner, is just the sort of voter Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison needs to win the...

Scientists question evidence behind US COVID-19 booster shot drive

The Biden administration’s plan to provide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine boosters is based on concerns that a decrease in the vaccines’ ability to protect against...

Maskless flyers face $9,000 fines as US FAA tackles unruly passengers 

WASHINGTON — The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday proposed $531,545 in civil penalties against 34 airline passengers over unruly behavior — with...

Indian states preparing for next COVID wave focus on children 

MUMBAI — Several Indian states are building facilities with more pediatric beds, plus oxygen, due to concern that children returning to school without being...

Study shows efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines wanes under Delta

A BRITISH public health study has found that protection from either of the two most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines against the now prevalent Delta...

Richard Sackler says Purdue family did not contribute to opioid epidemic

FORMER Purdue Pharma President Richard Sackler said on Wednesday that his family’s reign over the OxyContin maker did not contribute to the national opioid...

Policy groups ask Apple to drop plans to inspect iMessages, scan for abuse images

By Joseph Menn
More than 90 policy and rights groups around the world published an open letter on Thursday urging Apple to abandon plans for scanning children’s...

FAA says U.S. carriers can operate Kabul evacuation flights with DOD approval

By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late Wednesday that domestic air carriers and civilian pilots can fly into Kabul to conduct...

Chinese internet platforms must curb online rumours, guard ‘fields of responsibility’ – state media

SHANGHAI - Chinese internet platforms must crack down on the spread of online rumours and guard their "fields of responsibility", state media outlet the...

S.Korea to grant legal status to animals to tackle abuse, abandonment

By Sangmi Cha and Minwoo Park
SEOUL - Jin-hui, a cream-coloured Pomeranian, was buried alive and left for dead in 2018 in the South Korean port city of Busan. No charges...