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WHO team to begin face-to-face meetings with China experts, visit hospitals

The team members had spent the past two weeks in a required quarantine, during which they had been communicating with Chinese officials by videoconferences to lay the groundwork for field visits

UN chief Guterres sees 'hope' for Israel-Palestinian peace progress

Clearly referring to the former US administration without naming then president Donald Trump, the UN chief said "we were completely locked down in a situation in which there was no progress visible"

Covid impact: Airlines close books on rotten 2020 and so far, 2021 is grim

It was a disaster for airlines, worse than 9/11 or the global financial crisis - some very small carriers didn''t survive it - and the new year is off to a grim start

Former Obama aide Rob Malley to be tapped as Iran envoy, angering hawks

The appointment of the aide, Rob Malley, would exacerbate an already bitter partisan divide over Iran and Israel policy

Novavax vaccine seems 89% effective against coronavirus in UK study

The study of 15,000 people in Britain is still underway. But an interim analysis found 62 participants so far have been diagnosed with COVID-19 - only six of them in the group that got vaccine

US: Palm Beach considers options as Donald Trump remains at Mar-a-Lago

Town Manager Kirk Blouin said in an email Thursday that Palm Beach is examining its options and the matter might be discussed at the town council's February meeting

Bayern Munich profits from inconsistent rivals in Bundesliga

No matter what happens to Bayern Munich, its German rivals just can't seem to take advantage

US calls on Russia, Turkey, UAE to halt military interventions in Libya

The United States called on Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to immediately halt their military interventions in Libya

Apple CEO Tim Cook lambasts tech rivals ahead of privacy update

Cook lambasted social media companies, though without naming them, accusing them of prioritising user attention and data collection at the cost of allowing and even rewarding dangerous conspiracies

President Biden rescinds abortion restrictions on US foreign aid

President Joe Biden on Thursday rescinded a regulation that barred US foreign aid from being used to perform or promote abortions.

Japan to produce 90 mn AstraZeneca Covid doses amid supply constraints

Production will be undertaken by JCR Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that does not have experience producing vaccines but can culture the necessary adenoviral vectors

Nissan recalls over 354,000 Pathfinder SUVs for brake light problem

The recall covers certain Pathfinders from the 2013 through 2015 model years

US jobless claims drop; still at 847,000 as pandemic continues rages

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell but remained at a historically high 847,000 last week, a sign that layoffs keep coming as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.

UK opens formal investigation of Facebook's purchase of Giphy

The UK's competition watchdog launched a formal investigation on Thursday into Facebook's purchase of Giphy over concerns it will stifle competition for animated images

Russian court rejects Alexei Navalny's appeal; several allies detained

A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny's appeal against his arrest while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies

WHO team in Wuhan departs quarantine to study Covid-19 origins in field

The mission has become politically charged, as China seeks to avoid blame for alleged missteps in its early response to the outbreak

Samsung reports 26% profit jump driven by sharp rebound in chip demand

Samsung''s operating profit of 9.05 trillion won (USD 8.13 billion) for the October-December quarter represented a 26.35 per cent increase from the same period a year before

Renewed US-Russia nuke pact won't fix emerging international arms threats

China is modernizing its arsenal of nuclear weapons and has shown no interest in negotiating limits

Washington and Moscow need to start strategic dialogue: Russian envoy

Dmitry Polyansky told a press briefing that "there are a lot of security and strategic issues on the table," including arms control, which require "a serious, in-depth dialogue, on equal footing"

Mexico's new daily record of almost 28,000 coronavirus cases, 1,623 deaths

The president''s top pandemic adviser, Hugo López-Gatell, said the 67-year-old president was doing well and was active, and had almost no symptoms apart from an occasional low-grade fever