A British public health study has found that protection from either of the two most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines against the now prevalent Delta variant of the coronavirus weakens within three months.It also found that those who get infected after receiving two shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the AstraZeneca vaccine may be of greater risk to others than under previous variants of the coronavirus.Based on more than three million nose and throat swabs taken across Britain, the Oxford

China's overtures to the Taliban indicate a bid to extract maximum benefit from the dramatic collapse of the United States (US) project in Afghanistan.But Beijing will remain watchful of the hardliners now running the show in Kabul, especially as Afghanistan borders China's eastern Xinjiang province, home to the Muslim-majority Uyghurs, analysts say.Around a fortnight before the Islamists seized power in a lightning offensive that stunned the world, Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted a

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:US Backs Booster ShotsUnited States (US) health officials warn that vaccines give less protection over time as they green light booster shots from next month.People who have already been fully vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be able to get a third shot from 20 September to help beat back the surging Delta variant.WHO Slams Booster ShotsThe World Health Organization (WHO) condemns wealthy countries providing v

A Cambodian court on Wednesday jailed outspoken union leader Rong Chhun for two years on incitement charges relating to comments about the country's border, the latest legal case activists say is aimed at cracking down on opposition voices. Rong Chhun, the leader of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, was arrested in July last year after accusing the government of "irregularities" over the demarcation of the eastern border with Vietnam. The demarcation proc

Southeast Asia has recorded twice as many COVID-related fatalities as North America over the past two weeks, according to the Red Cross, which warned wealthier countries that they must urgently share their vaccine supplies.The more aggressive Delta variant, combined with a lack of vaccines, is driving record outbreaks in countries across the region - from Vietnam to Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar.

A huge international airlift of foreigners and Afghans who worked with them continued on Tuesday as thousands of people terrified at the prospect of Taliban rule flocked to Kabul airport.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would send additional aircraft to bolster the operation after member states met on Tuesday, adding that evacuations were "gradually resuming" following chaotic scenes on Monday after commercial flights were halted.In addition to aircraft, the

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:US Booster ShotsThe United States (US) government will announce that Americans should get booster shots for coronavirus vaccines eight months after their last shot, part of a campaign that could begin as early as mid-September, according to US media.Moderna Shots For UK YouthBritain's medicines watchdog says it has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, after previously giving the green light to Pfizer.

There is no shortage of benchmarks to count the cost of the United States’ (US) longest war. Blood is by far the most precious metric. Treasure feels insignificant by comparison. But as images of Afghans swarming Kabul airport, desperately trying to flee Taliban rule, flood screens around the world, the vast sums the US spent trying to build Afghanistan into a liberal democracy deserve a thorough audit.

Ivory Coast began a roll-out of vaccinations against Ebola on Monday, after the country recorded its first known case of the disease since 1994, the health ministry said."Health workers, close relatives and contacts of the victim" were the first to be vaccinated, getting jabs from 5,000 doses sent from Guinea, spokesman Germain Mahan Sehi said.Ivorian health workers had previously said that vaccinations of "targeted groups" had already begun on Sunday.The single identified

Thailand downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2021 on Monday as it battles its worst COVID-19 wave, which has brought record numbers of new infections and deaths. The kingdom last year suffered its worst full-year performance since the Asian financial crisis of 1997 with a 6.1 percent economic contraction.The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) had initially given a cool forecast for recovery during the first quarter, estimating growth of 1.5