UK lawmakers call for PM Johnson to publish big pharma lobbying messages

LONDON — British lawmakers on Monday called on the government to publish all communications with pharmaceutical companies to understand if private lobbying influenced its opposition to a waiver of intellectual property rules for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.

For China’s property developers, Hong Kong is becoming Shenzhen’s backyard

HONG KONG — Chinese property developers have turned their sights to Hong Kong’s border districts as mainlanders from neighboring boomtown Shenzhen consider parts of the former British colony as a more affordable long-term housing prospect.

US to provide vaccine components, medical supplies as India battles COVID-19 spike

WILMINGTON — The United States will immediately send raw materials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, medical equipment, and protective gear to help India...

EU blames China for endangering peace in the South China Sea

BEIJING — The European Union (EU) called out China on Saturday for endangering peace in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by a 2016 tribunal ruling which rejected most of China’s claim to sovereignty in the sea, but which Beijing has rejected.

Myanmar people slam ASEAN-junta consensus to end violence, but no immediate protests

People in Myanmar on Sunday criticised an agreement between the country’s junta chief and Southeast Asian leaders to end the violence-hit nation’s crisis, saying it fell short of restoring democracy and holding the army accountable for hundreds of civilian deaths.

U.S. racing to send aid to India as COVID-19 cases soar

By Andrea Shalal
WILMINGTON, Del. - The United States is deeply concerned by a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and will race additional support to...

Japan to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo, Osaka – media

TOKYO - The Japanese government is planning to open large vaccination centres in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks in a bid to...

India asks Twitter to take down some tweets critical of its COVID-19 handling

By Kanishka Singh
The Indian government asked social media platform Twitter to take down dozens of tweets, including some by local lawmakers, that were critical of India's...

Half of British population has had first COVID-19 vaccine

LONDON - The United Kingdom has reached another COVID-19 vaccination milestone with over half of the population having had at least one injection, health...

U.S. administers 225.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – CDC

The United States had administered 225,640,460 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 290,685,655 doses, the U.S. Centers...

US weighs appeal to accelerate global access to COVID vaccines

THE BIDEN administration is weighing an appeal from progressive Democrats to accelerate global access to COVID-19 vaccines by supporting a waiver of intellectual-property protections, a move opposed by big drug makers.

India records world’s biggest single-day rise in coronavirus cases

NEW DELHI — India marked a new milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, reporting 314,835 new daily cases, the highest one-day tally anywhere, as its second wave and similar surges elsewhere raised new fears about the ability of health services to cope.