International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
More than 350 doctors and medical workers have caught COVID-19 in Indonesia despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalised, officials said, as concerns grow about the efficacy of some vaccines against more infectious variants. Most of the workers were asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, said Badai Ismoyo, head of the health office
BRUSSELS (AP) — AstraZeneca and the European Union both claimed victory Friday in a court tussle over allegations that the coronavirus vaccine-maker was not producing shots for the 27-nation bloc fast enough. AstraZeneca was seen as a key pillar of the EU’s vaccine rollout. Its contract with the Commission foresaw an initial 300 million doses
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Friday it will transfer around 1 million doses of soon-to-expire coronavirus vaccines to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for a similar number of doses the Palestinians expect to receive later this year. Israel, which has fully reopened after vaccinating some 85% of its adult population, has faced criticism for not
Russia’s capital Moscow on Friday registered 9,056 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours, a record since the start of the pandemic, according to government statistics. Country-wide, 17,262 new cases were recorded, the highest number since February 1, with 453 deaths, according to government statistics published on the stopcoronavirus. rf website. There were 78 new deaths
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country needs to prepare for “both dialogue and confrontation” with the United States under President Joe Biden, state media reported Friday. At a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Thursday, Kim outlined his strategy for relations with Washington,
Thai-Belgian singer ‘Violette Wautier’, also known as ‘V Violette’, is now featured on a billboard in the middle of New York’s Times Square with #SpotifyEqual, a campaign celebrating 35 female artists from various countries around the world. To celebrate International Women’s Day, Spotify unveiled the “Equal Hub” in March, with the main initiative of the
Australia recommended that AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 jab should not be given to people under 60 on Thursday, a fresh blow to the country’s glacial vaccine rollout. Health Minister Greg Hunt said concerns over possible links to blood clots meant Pfizer was now “the preferred vaccine” for everyone under 60 years old. Australian authorities had already restricted
WASHINGTON/GENEVA (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on his first foreign foray sought to cast Russia not as a direct competitor to the United States but as a bit player in world where Washington is increasingly pre-occupied by China. Aides said Biden wanted to send a message that Putin was isolating himself on the international stage with his actions, ranging from election interference and
New Zealand’s economy posted better-than-expected growth of 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2021, official data showed Thursday, with analysts saying activity was back at pre-coronavirus levels. The expansion in January-March this year exceeded forecasts of a 0.5 percent rise and reversed a 1.0 percent contraction in the final quarter of 2020. Statistics New
JIUQUAN, China (AP) — Under bright-blue morning skies, China launched its first crewed space mission in five years Thursday, sending three science-minded military pilots rocketing to a new orbiting station they’re expected to reach around mid-afternoon. The astronauts, already wearing their spacesuits, were seen off by space officials, other uniformed military personnel and a crowd
US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shook hands in Geneva on Wednesday at the start of their first summit, with both men striking an upbeat tone. The two men greeted each other after standing with their host, Swiss President Guy Parmelin, outside the La Grange villa overlooking Lake Geneva, where they
GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Wednesday to begin cybersecurity and arms control talks at a summit that highlighted their discord on those issues, human rights and Ukraine. In their first meeting since he took office in January, Biden asked Putin how he would feel if a ransomware attack hit Russia’s oil network, a pointed question making reference to the May shutdown of a
