The coronavirus pandemic continued to slow down for a fourth week in a row around the world.Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database.Slowing DownThe number of new daily cases dropped globally by eight percent last week to 510,000, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.However, the confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.Improvement Almost Everywhere The si

President Joe Biden and the leaders of Australia, India and Japan promised Friday to work together for a stable, open and democratic Indo-Pacific in a veiled dig at China during their first in-person summit together.In Biden's latest effort to cement United States (US) leadership in the face of a rising China, the so-called Quad agreed to move ahead on a joint plan to provide COVID-19 vaccines around Asia, launched a new climate initiative and said the four nations would begin holding an

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou returned to China Saturday shortly after two Canadians released from prison in China also arrived in Calgary, ending a bitter diplomatic row that has poisoned ties for three years.Meng and the two Canadians – former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor – were detained in a bitter spat that critics have called "hostage diplomacy". Meng, the 49-year-old daughter of Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Chinese telecoms giant

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday recommended the synthetic antibody treatment Regeneron for COVID-19, but only in patients with specific health profiles.

Following his WBO welterweight victory in Las Vegas in November 2016, international boxing champion Manny Pacquiao paid President Rodrigo Duterte a visit at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila.Greeting Pacquiao in front of a media scrum, Duterte raised the first-term senator’s left hand and declared, “This one’s for president”, seemingly anointing a possible successor, who was grinning from ear to ear as the cameras flashed.A month later, at the boxer’s 38th birthday celebrations, th

With global COVID cases declining and pandemic fatigue on the rise, many countries are easing restrictions put in place to block the spread of the virus.But it's far too soon to declare victory, say experts, who warn that unequal vaccine access could still lead to the emergence of new and more deadly variants of the virus. Positive Signs On 14 September the World Health Organization (WHO) announced "the first substantial decline in weekly [COVID] cases in more than

Thousands have fled a town in west Myanmar after days of fighting between anti-junta dissidents and the military, during which soldiers bombed civilian homes, residents and media said Wednesday.Myanmar has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi's government was ousted by the military in February, sparking a nationwide uprising that the junta has tried to crush.Attacks on junta troops have increased after lawmakers ousted by the generals called for a "people's defensive war&quot

We live in a world where everyone has an opinion, which can be instantly shared with millions of people across the world via social media. This can be a good thing when getting factual information out: We have seen how important it is to share personal stories from those living in areas of conflict so people can have an insider’s view of what it is like on the ground. Most recently, this has shone an important light on the plight of women in Afghanistan.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.Biden Vaccine PledgePresident Joe Biden says the United States (US) will donate 500 million more Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to poorer countries, bringing its total commitment to 1.1 billion doses.Biden is also to urge leaders at a virtual summit on the side lines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to make sure 70 percent of their populations are covered by next September.Six Billion ShotsMore than six billion doses of vaccines

A flashy cop with a taste for fast cars falls from grace following the leak of spine-chilling footage of a brutal interrogation gone wrong.Not the plot of a blockbuster thriller, but the vivid reality of a story that has gripped Thailand in recent weeks and spotlighted police corruption that experts say infects almost every level of society in the kingdom.The case of Thitisan Utthanaphon, a former police station chief in a rural province – nicknamed "Joe Ferrari" for his extravagant