WORLD

Moscow, Russia |  XINHUA |  The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that eight officials from the European Union (EU)’s bodies and member countries are banned from entering Russia in retaliation. The sanctioned figures include President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, and European Commission Vice President for Values and …

  Berlin, Germany | Xinhua | German biotechnology company BioNTech and U.S. company Pfizer have submitted a request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the approval of an extension of their COVID-19 vaccine use in adolescents aged 12 to 15, the two companies announced on Friday. The submission was based on …

Stress causes immune cells to stop moving, preventing them from protecting against diseases Sydney, Australia | Xinhua | Australian researchers have discovered that signals produced by nerves in response to stress can stop immune cells from fighting pathogens or tumours. The study led by Professor of University of Melbourne and Laboratory Head …

Biden’s first 100 days have been an all-out aggressive assault on America Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Nearing 100 days in office, U.S. President Joe Biden is tasked with handling a crisis on the U.S. southern border that shows no signs of abating. Migrants are illegally pouring over the U.S. southern …

United Nations, USA |  XINHUA |  UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Wednesday called for more international diplomacy to unlock progress in Syria. “If this highly internationalized conflict is to move toward resolution, we need a more constructive and comprehensive international diplomacy on Syria to try to unlock …

Rome, Italy |  XINHUA |  The European Union (EU) announced this week it was suing pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for breach of contract amid major delivery shortfalls, a case that legal analysts said could be hard to prove. A spokesman for the European Commission told Xinhua Wednesday that AstraZeneca had indicated …

United Nations, USA  |  XINHUA |  There is no change of phase in lockdown at UN Headquarters in New York despite the New York State’s recent loosening of restrictions, said a spokesman on Wednesday. “There’s no official change of phase to announce at this point. So, we will continue to …

Washington, USA  |  XINHUA |   The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept its benchmark interest rates unchanged at the record-low level of near zero, as economic recovery gathers momentum on COVID-19 vaccination progress and strong fiscal support. “Amid progress on vaccinations and strong policy support, indicators of economic activity and …

Beijing, China |  XINHUA |  Over the past week, India has been reporting more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases each day, while medical oxygen is running out and patients are still waiting for treatment in overloaded hospitals. The international community has pledged assistance for India, with many countries agreeing to …

Brussels, Belgium |  XINHUA |  The European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly gave its seal of approval to the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) that had been agreed on Christmas Eve last year. The decision was adopted by  660 votes in favour, five against …