Britain to test mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines

British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if it's OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart. Guidelines in Britain and the US say the vaccines aren't interchangeable, but can be mixed if the same kind isn't available for the second dose or if it's not known what was given for the first shot. Participants in the government-funded study will get one shot of

Feb. 4, 2021

S. Korea tops list of world’s most innovative countries

South Korea has topped the global list of the 60 most innovative countries, the Bloomberg Innovation Index, released Wednesday. Since the annual index was first published in 2013, Korea has made it to the top seven times. The Bloomberg Innovation Index analyzes a number of criteria with seven equally weighted categories, including research and development spending, manufacturing capabilities and the concentrated presence of companies with advanced technology. Korea scored 90.49 points on a

Feb. 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, other senior figures detained in late-night raid: ruling party

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in anearly morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy (NLD) said on Monday. The move came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent.  Spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone that Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and othe

Feb. 1, 2021

Nanofiber swabs developed to enhance COVID-19 test accuracy

A group of researchers from the University of Nebraska and the National Strategic Research Institute have developed ultra-absorptive nanofiber swabs that could reduce the number of false negative tests for COVID-19. Currently, the most sensitive and widely used test for the coronavirus uses a method called PCR. A specimen of mucus is collected by putting a long swab deep inside a person’s nose. But if the viral load is low, which can happen early in the course of an infection, the swab

Jan. 28, 2021

Blinken wins Senate confirmation as secretary of state

WASHINGTON -- Antony Blinken was expected to take office as the new secretary of state on Tuesday after the Senate confirmed his nomination. The Senate voted 78 to 22 to confirm the former deputy secretary of state as the country's new top diplomat. Blinken was nominated to the top post at the Department of State in late November, along with other top officials of the new administration's national security and foreign relations teams that included Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines

Jan. 27, 2021

Global growth to rebound 5.5% in 2021 amid vaccine hope: IMF

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Optimism that new vaccines will bring the pandemic under control and allow economic activity to resume coupled with stimulus in major economies has boosted the growth forecast this year to 5.5 percent, the IMF said Tuesday. “These developments indicate a stronger starting point for the 2021-22 global outlook,” the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO). The fund expects growth in the United States to be a full two points higher than previously proje

Jan. 26, 2021

COVID-19 vaccine firms must deliver, says EU chief

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Companies producing Covid-19 vaccines “must deliver”, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday as tensions mounted between her European Commission and pharmaceutical firms over delayed deliveries. “Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first Covid-19 vaccines,” she said in a live video address to an online-only version of the annual World Economic Forum usually held in Davos, Switzerland. “And now, the companies must deliver.

Jan. 26, 2021

Pandemic cost 255m jobs around world in 2020: ILO

Job losses and reduced working hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic cost the world the equivalent of 255 million jobs last year alone, the International Labor Organization said Monday. The losses led to an 8.3 percent decline in global income, which equals about $3.7 trillion or 4.4 percent of the gross world product, according to the ILO report. “This has been the most severe crisis for the world of work since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Its impact is far greater than that of the

Jan. 26, 2021

Ex-ambassador to S. Korea Sung Kim appointed acting assistant secretary of state

Former US ambassador to South Korea Sung Kim has been appointed acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. The Korea American diplomat was appointed to the post as of Wednesday, according to information available on the website of the State Department. Up until then, Kim had served as the US ambassador to Indonesia. Still, it was not clear whether Kim would be formally nominated to become the assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, which requires S

Jan. 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Japan privately concludes Tokyo Olympics should be cancelled due to coronavirus: The Times

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan's government has privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Times reported, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition. The government's focus is now on securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available year, 2032, the newspaper said. Japan has been hit less severely by the pandemic than many other advanced economies, but a recent surge in cases has spurred it to close its borders to non-reside

Jan. 22, 2021

Biden urges Americans to 'mask up,' says visitors will need to quarantine

US President Joe Biden on Thursday reaffirmed his plan to get up to 100 million Americans vaccinated over the next 100 days as part of his strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that he said is based on science and not politics. Biden also urged the people to "mask up" until they get vaccinated, insisting the act of wearing a mask alone can save tens of thousands of lives over the next few months. "Well, one of our 100 day challenges is asking the American people to mask up fo

Jan. 22, 2021

Immigrants cheered by possible citizenship path under Biden

HOMESTEAD (AP) -- Immigrants cheered President Joe Biden’s plan to provide a path to US citizenship for about 11 million people without legal status, mixing hope with guarded optimism Wednesday amid a seismic shift in how the American government views and treats them. The newly inaugurated president moved to reverse four years of harsh restrictions and mass deportation with a plan for sweeping legislation on citizenship. Biden also issued executive orders reversing some of former Pre

Jan. 21, 2021

Trump bids farewell to Washington, hints of comeback

WEST PALM BEACH (AP) -- His presidency over, Donald Trump bid farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted at a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter division in the country he led for four years. "Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form," Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he received a 21-gun salute as part of a military send-off before boarding Air Force One for his last time as president. Trump was already in Flori

Jan. 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice President Harris: A new chapter opens in US politics

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath Wednesday to hold the nation’s second-highest office. Harris was sworn in as the first female US vice president -- and the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the position -- in front of the US Capitol by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Later, she presided as Senate president

Jan. 21, 2021

Biden takes office with pledge to repair alliance, US leadership

WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, promising to repair the country's global leadership, as well as its relationship with allies. The former vice president took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in an inauguration ceremony with only a few participants and nearly no spectators. Biden and his transition team had noted the need to keep this year's ceremony at a minimum, stressing the need for people to keep social distance as a way of

Jan. 21, 2021

Biden says will 'repair alliance,' lead world by power of example

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden promised efforts to repair his country's relationship with its allies on Wednesday, also promising to bolster its global leadership by the "power of example. Biden made the pledge shortly after he took office as president, ending Donald Trump's term and "America First" policy. "We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges but today's and tomorrow's challenges," Biden said in h

Jan. 21, 2021

Biden takes office as 46th president of the US

Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that "democracy has prevailed," according to the AP. He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. Biden's inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty, a ceremony of resilience as the hallowed American democratic rite unfurled at a US Capitol battered by an insurrectioni

Jan. 21, 2021

Biden arrives at US Capitol for inauguration as 46th president

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived at the US Capitol on Wednesday for their official inauguration ceremony. Biden, 78, is to be sworn in at noon (1700 GMT) by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States. Harris, 56, will be the first woman to become vice president. Donald Trump left Washington three hours before Biden's swearing-in, the first American president to skip the inauguration of his succ

Jan. 21, 2021

Biden's top diplomat vows US will lead but restore alliances

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to be secretary of state, will vow Tuesday that the United States will "outcompete" a rising China while reviving frayed alliances, in a sea change from Donald Trump's go-it-alone "America First" approach. On the eve of Biden's inauguration, Blinken was set to say at his confirmation hearing that the United States will seek to remain the pre-eminent global power but renew cooperation on common challenges

Jan. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Biden to be inaugurated amid pandemic, worst political turmoil

WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated as the next US president this week in probably a never-before-seen ceremony that will highlight the dangers from the worst pandemic and a political divide facing the United States. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the US on Wednesday. As is customary, the inauguration ceremony will be held at around noon on the steps of the US Capitol, administered by the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. The ceremony, however, will be diffe

Jan. 19, 2021