The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday it had uncovered problems at a Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine production site which Moscow insisted had been resolved.WHO approval has been sought for the Sputnik V jab created by Russia's Gamaleya research institute, which is already being used in 40 countries.The United Nations (UN) health agency inspected four Sputnik V manufacturing sites.On Wednesday, it released a summary report of its preliminary findings, detailing six issues found d

India has classified a new variant of the coronavirus first identified in Europe as a "variant of concern", but it's too early to really tell.A mutation is elevated from a "variant of interest" to a "variant of concern" (VOC) when it shows evidence of fulfilling at least one of several criteria, including easy transmission, more severe illness, reduced neutralisation by antibodies or reduced effectiveness of treatment and vaccines.India's health ministr

Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in a junta court again Tuesday on trial for sedition and for flouting COVID restrictions during an election her ousted party won in a landslide.A mass uprising in Myanmar against a February military putsch has been met with a brutal crackdown that has killed more than 870 civilians, according to a local monitoring group.Under house arrest and invisible apart from a handful of court appearances, Suu Kyi has been hit with an eclectic raft of char

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to send people to prison for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, as the government placed the country’s border controls on “heightened alert” over new cases of the Delta variant.“You can choose: you get the vaccine or I will send you to jail,” Duterte said in Tagalog during a pre-recorded address on Monday night.

Indonesia passed two million coronavirus cases Monday as infection rates soar and hospitals are flooded with new patients, prompting warnings that the Southeast Asian nation's health crisis could spiral out of control.The unwanted milestone comes after daily case rates more than doubled in recent weeks and authorities identified the presence of highly infectious COVID-19 variants.On Monday, official figures showed that Indonesia had recorded a daily record high of 14,536 cases, taking th

The island is developing five experimental shots but two have reached final-stage trials.

Authorities last week froze HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) of assets owned by three companies linked to Apple Daily.Mark Simon told the BBC that the paper could "do nothing while none of its bank accounts are functioning".Apple Daily, a well-read tabloid, is frequently critical of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership."If you don't have money, you can't order services.

Myanmar's junta chief arrived in Moscow on Sunday to attend a security conference, marking only his second known trip abroad since he seized power in a coup.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government in February.Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing left the capital Naypyidaw Sunday on a special flight to attend the Moscow Conference for International Security, state-run MRTV said.He was attendin

China on Sunday announced it had administered its one-billionth shot in the world's biggest coronavirus inoculation drive as Brazil's death toll from the pandemic passed 500,000.The global death toll from COVID-19 is now more than 3.8 million and many nations are still battling outbreaks, but vaccine drives in some countries are allowing activities that were unthinkable a few months ago.China's vaccine milestone comes after the number of shots administered globally passed 2.5 b

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Brazil Deaths Pass 500,000Brazil crosses the threshold of 500,000 coronavirus deaths, the country's health minister says, trailing only the United States (US) in lives lost to COVID-19.Record Infections In MoscowRussia's capital Moscow reports a pandemic high for new coronavirus cases for the second straight day, as the city's hospitals are flooded with new patients due to the Delta variant.The city registered 9,120 new