A World Health Organization team has left China after gaining some new insights into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 2.3 million people but with the major questions still unanswered. The visit was politically sensitive for China which is concerned about any allegations it didn't handle the initial outbreak properly and has been closely watched around the world. ...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced concern Wednesday over China's incursions into Japanese territorial waters, recommitting to the ally's defense. In a telephone call, Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi "expressed concern over increased Chinese assertiveness around the Senkaku Islands following China's enactment of a new coast guard law," State Department spokesman ...

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russian security services raided the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow on Wednesday, in an ongoing crackdown on the US-based religious movement. Moscow outlawed the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2017, labelling it an extremist organisation and has since sentenced several members to lengthy jail terms. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said on Wednesda...

NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Twitter said Wednesday it had blocked some accounts in India over comments on mass farmers' protests in New Delhi, but the social media giant refused to shut down others despite the threat of criminal action by the government. Indian officials last week demanded that Twitter block hundreds of users that have tweeted on demonstrations against proposed new agriculture laws, sayi...

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump's second impeachment trial began Tuesday with harrowing video footage of his supporters' assault on Congress, but Republican senators made clear how difficult it will be to win a conviction. Senators voted 56-44 in favor of the constitutionality of the historic trial, rejecting a bid by Trump's lawyers to throw it out on grounds that a former president cannot be ...

Jihyun Park shares the civic concerns of any other would-be town councilor in Britain, from local education to potholes in the roads. But she is unique in one regard: no other candidate has fled North Korea. Park is believed to be the first defector from the oppressive state to have run for office in any country, other than South Korea, after fleeing human trafficking in China and the brutal pri...

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to research reported in the Financial Times. But in its study, due to be published Monday, the pharma group said it could still have an effect on severe disease -- although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement. None of the 2,000 participants in the tr...

As enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands marched through the streets of Myanmar's biggest city on Sunday to protest last week's coup, their spirits were lifted by the return of internet services that had been blocked a day earlier. Separate protests that began in various parts of Yangon converged at Sule Pagoda, situated in the center of a roundabout in the city's downtown area. Protesters ch...

Iran's supreme leader urged the United States to lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to live up to commitments under its nuclear deal with world powers, state TV reported Sunday, his first comments on the matter since US President Joe Biden took office. “If (the US) wants Iran to return to its commitments, it must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification. Then we will return ...

Indian authorities launched a search operation Sunday after part of a mountain glacier broke, sending a massive flood of water and debris slamming into two dams and damaging a number of homes. At least three people were killed and 140 were missing. The flood was caused when a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning. A video s...

YANGON (AFP) -- Myanmar saw its largest anti-coup protests yet on Saturday with young demonstrators spilling on to the streets to denounce the country's new military regime, despite a nationwide internet blackout aimed at stifling a growing chorus of popular dissent. Soon before nearly all lines of communication in and out of the country went dark, an Australian advisor to ousted civilian leader...

Angelina Jolie pleaded with the world Friday to come together and stop acting selfishly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy Award winning actress spoke virtually in her capacity as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) during an international forum hosted by Yonsei University, a school in Seoul attended by her eldest son, Maddox. She said the virus ha...

The UK has stripped China's state-owned TV channel of its broadcasting license in the country, after an investigation found the license holder lacked editorial control and had links to China's ruling Communist Party. The communications regulator, Ofcom, said Thursday it revoked the UK license for China Global Television Network, or CGTN, an international English language satellite news channel. ...

Sweden says it will develop a digital vaccination certificate this summer to allow people who have been vaccinated to travel. Digitalization Minister Anders Ygeman said three authorities in Sweden had been asked to work on producing the certificate, and the plan is to coordinate it with the World Health Organization and the European Union. On Wednesday, Denmark said it was joining forces with t...

World Health Organization investigators looking for clues into the origin of the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan said that the Chinese side has provided a high level of cooperation, but cautioned against expecting immediate results from the visit. "I keep saying that we need to be realistic, a short mission like this one will not have all the answers but it helps advance the und...