More than a year into the pandemic, deaths in Brazil are now at their peak. But despite the overwhelming evidence that COVID-19 rarely kills young children, in Brazil 1,300 babies have died from the virus. One doctor refused to test Jessika Ricarte's one-year-old son for COVID, saying his symptoms did not fit the profile of the virus.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it's "time to end" America's longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, where they have spent two decades in a bloody, increasingly futile battle against the Taliban.Dubbed the "forever war," the United States (US) military onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the 11 September, 2001 attacks against the US.Now, 20 years later – after almost 2,400 US military and tens of thousands of Af

Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar sloshed red paint in the streets on Wednesday to symbolise the blood spilled and more than 700 lives lost in a brutal military crackdown.The country is barely functioning and the economy has stalled since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February.The junta has sought to quell mass protests with lethal force and a local monitoring group has verified at least 714 civilian deaths but warns the toll is likely to be even higher.Th

The World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic could worsen in the Middle East and North Africa during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.Detected cases of COVID infection in the region rose 22 percent last week, while deaths rose 17 percent, said Ahmed al-Mandhari, the Cairo-based chief of the WHO for the eastern Mediterranean.Mandhari said the situation in the vast region reflects a "worrying trend"."We are especially worried that

China has warned the United States (US) “not to play with fire” on Taiwan issues after the Department of State updated its guidelines easing restrictions on meetings between US officials and their counterparts from the island, which Beijing claims as its own.Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged the US to “immediately stop any form of US-Taiwan official contacts, cautiously and appropriately handle the matter, and not send wrong signals to Taiw

The United Nations (UN) rights chief warned Tuesday that Myanmar could be spiralling towards a "full-blown" Syrian-style conflict, after a two-month crackdown that a local monitoring group says has already claimed more than 700 lives.Myanmar is in chaos and its economy has been paralysed since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February.Warning of possible crimes against humanity, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesda

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will "waive" his chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine, arguing elderly people like him should not be prioritised.Just over one million people in the Philippines have received their first shot since the beginning of March - a fraction of the number needed to reach herd immunity in the country of 110 million.The slow rollout and limited supply have fuelled criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic as a record surge in infectio

COVID-19 vaccines protect people from the symptoms and more severe forms of the disease but are not designed to fully prevent them from being infected, experts said on Monday (12 April), following the case of a migrant worker who tested positive despite having both doses.Inoculation is vital because although those who have had the jabs may still catch the virus, they are much less likely to get seriously ill than those who are unvaccinated.The migrant worker, who was reported on Sund

They've been dubbed China's "Little Blue Men," an allegedly Beijing-controlled maritime militia that analysts say could be hundreds of boats and thousands of crew members strong.China doesn't acknowledge their existence and when questioned, refers to them as a "so-called maritime militia."But Western experts say the alleged militia is an integral part of Beijing's efforts to exert its territorial claims in the South China Sea and beyond.

What used to be a mysterious new variant first detected in the United Kingdom (UK) is now the most dominant coronavirus strain in the United States (US).And unlike the original strain of the novel coronavirus, the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain is hitting young people particularly hard."(COVID-19) cases and emergency room visits are up," said Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."We are seeing these increases i