Category: Politics
Kamala Harris breaks barriers as vice president
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris made history on Wednesday when she was sworn in as Joe Biden’s vice president, becoming the first woman, the first Black…
Pfizer vaccine appears effective against coronavirus variant found in Britain — study
Wesley Wheeler, President of Global Healthcare at United Parcel Service (UPS) holds up an example of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vial during a Senate hearing…
China to impose virus testing on Lunar New Year travelers
SHANGHAI/BEIJING — China plans to impose strict COVID testing requirements during the Lunar New Year holiday season, when tens of millions of people are expected…
Nepal to turn Everest trash into art to highlight mountain’s garbage blight
Sagarmatha Next Centre—a visitors’ information center and waste up-cycling facility—said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train…
New COVID-19 variant defeats plasma treatment, may reduce vaccine efficacy
The new COVID-19 variant is 50% more infectious than previous ones, South African researchers said this week. It has already spread to at least 20…
Biden White House pledges data, transparency, respect for free press
WASHINGTON — The press secretary of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., held her first news conference on Wednesday, seven hours after Mr. Biden’s inauguration, vowing…
In hidden message on White House website, Biden calls for coders
WASHINGTON — The recently updated website for the White House of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., carried an invitation for tech specialists savvy enough to…
WHO plans slew of COVID-19 vaccine approvals for global rollout
BRUSSELS — The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to approve several COVID-19 vaccines from Western and Chinese manufacturers in coming weeks and months, a document…
Biden to assume US presidency amid deep division, pandemic
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden smiles as he pulls off his face mask to speak about the results of the…
N.Korea bans K-dramas, use of South Korean slang
SEOUL — North Korea is imposing stiff fines or prison for anyone caught enjoying South Korean entertainment or copying the way South Koreans speak as…
Jack Ma makes first live appearance since October in online meet
SHANGHAI — Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma met 100 rural teachers in China via a live video meeting on Wednesday morning, in the businessman’s first…
‘Act big’ now to save economy, worry about debt later, Yellen says in Treasury testimony
WASHINGTON — Janet L. Yellen, US President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, urged lawmakers on Tuesday to “act big” on coronavirus relief spending,…
Climate risks jostle with pandemic as fractured world struggles to respond, WEF says
Over the coming decade, the next major problem the world faces after COVID-19 remains climate change, said the World Economic Forum. Image of a flooded…
As WHO fumes at Western drugmakers, China fills void on vaccines
The World Health Organization’s struggles have opened the door for China to start ramping up its vaccine diplomacy, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledging last…
Incheon dethrones HK as Asia’s busiest airport
Hong Kong no longer has the busiest airport for international traffic in Asia after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out travel, leaving South Korea’s Incheon International…
Independent pandemic panel critical of China, WHO delays
GENEVA — An independent panel said on Monday that Chinese officials could have applied public health measures more forcefully in January to curb the initial…
Previous COVID infection may offer less protection from new variant
JOHANNESBURG — Previous infection with the coronavirus may offer less protection against the new variant first identified in South Africa, scientists said on Monday, although…
Biden to block Trump’s plan to lift travel restrictions
WASHINGTON — US President-elect Joe Biden plans to quickly extend travel restrictions barring travel by most people who have recently been in much of Europe…
WHO says close to Pfizer deal that would give poorer countries access
Austria’s Clemens Martin Auer, one of the 34 WHO board members, said at Monday’s meeting COVAX had been slow in securing deals and called its…
Accenture to extend home working in Italy beyond COVID emergency
Accenture’s 17,000 Italy-based workers will be able to work remotely three days a week, up from two pre-pandemic, it said in a statement, rising to…