International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
Adnan, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem, vowed rubber bullets fired by Israeli police would not deter him: “Silence is not an option” in defence of Arabs in the Holy City, he said. East Jerusalem, the majority Palestinian part of the city annexed by Israel in 1967, has been hit by some of its worst unrest
A long line of people snaked across the sand of Miami Beach, Florida, as dozens of travelers from Latin America waited their turn at a pop-up coronavirus vaccination booth. Sweating under the Sunday afternoon sun, visitors checked into an online system, no proof of residence required, and soon after received a free, single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Covid jab maker BioNTech said Monday it would build a Southeast Asia headquarters and manufacturing site in Singapore to produce hundreds of millions of mRNA-based vaccines per year. Construction of the site will start this year, and it could become operational by 2023, the German company said in a statement. “With this planned mRNA production
Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state reported zero COVID-19 cases for a fourth straight day on Monday, but concerns about new infections remained as the missing link in a case that has reinstated restrictions continued to elude officials. Australia’s most populous state on Sunday extended social distancing curbs in Sydney by a week after authorities
US drug giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Thursday announced a deal with the International Olympics Committee to provide vaccines to competitors and staff at the Tokyo games. In a statement, the firms said they would coordinate with national sporting bodies to make sure that coronavirus vaccines are available to anyone who needs one before traveling to
Serbia’s president said on Wednesday his country would pay each citizen who gets a Covid jab before the end of May, in what could be the world’s first cash-for-jabs scheme. The Balkans country bought millions of doses, from Western firms as well as China and Russia, and briefly became a regional vaccine hub when it
Winners of major prizes for film, theatre, science and technology — including Oscars — can now apply to live and work in Britain in a simpler process, the UK government said Wednesday. Those eligible include winners of the Turing Prize for computing, various Academy Awards, Bafta awards for best actor or actress, Brit awards for
Sipping bubble tea and dressed in their holiday finest, millions of Chinese travellers flocked to domestic tourist attractions over the May 1 long holiday with Covid-19 fears already a distant memory. Beijing’s historic alleyways were packed with camera-wielding visitors Tuesday, while a bride dressed in red tulle took wedding photos with her groom outside the
SEATTLE (AP) — Bill and Melinda Gates said Monday that they are divorcing but would keep working together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. In identical tweets, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said they had made the decision to end their marriage of 27
India posted a record daily rise of 401,993 new coronavirus cases on Saturday as the country opened up its mega vaccination drive to all adults, although several states warned of acute vaccine shortages. India, the world’s biggest producer of COVID-19 vaccines, has a limited number of shots available domestically, worsening a grim second wave of
Pfizer/BioNTech said Friday they have asked European regulators to authorize their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step toward achieving herd immunity. The companies already filed a similar request with US authorities earlier this month. Their vaccine is currently only approved for use in people aged 16 and over.
A newly developed, lollipop-shaped coronavirus test is being rolled out in some of Austria’s kindergartens as an alternative for toddlers who don’t take well to throat or nose swabs. Students, a little shy, lined up in one Vienna kindergarten this week to be tested, with the exercise open to the media. Though children are exempt
