Russia is starting its Covid-19 vaccination programme, with clinics in the capital Moscow inoculating those most at risk from the virus. Its own vaccine Sputnik V, which was registered in

US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of nearly all US troops stationed in Somalia by January 15, according to the Pentagon. The nearly 800 troops represent a small

President-elect Joe Biden says Americans won’t be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US. It comes as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for

At least 30,000 prisoners in Thailand have been pardoned, and 200,000 others will have their sentences reduced following a royal decree issued on the eve of the birthday of the

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has expressed optimism that the three-year boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations, including the kingdom, may be nearing an end. “We’ve made significant progress in

President-elect Joe Biden said Friday’s “grim” jobs report shows the economic recovery is stalling, and urged the US Congress to pass a coronavirus relief bill immediately and follow up with

Next year is shaping up to be a humanitarian catastrophe and rich countries must not trample poor countries in a “stampede for vaccines” to combat the coronavirus pandemic, top UN

Britain will pay individuals who suffer any severe side-effects from Covid-19 vaccines under an existing programme, the government said on Thursday, ahead of a rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine

A top US intelligence official stepped up the Trump administration’s harsh attacks on Beijing on Thursday, labelling China the biggest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War Two

Hundreds of Ethiopian Jews have been airlifted to Israel – the first of several thousand waiting to emigrate there in a long-running saga. Most of their community has lived in

Outspoken Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been refused bail on a fraud charge amid a growing crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous city. Jimmy Lai

Record-high coronavirus infections and hospitalisations have been reported in the US, with fears they will not slow in the run-up to Christmas. On Wednesday, the country recorded its single-worst daily

The US House of Representatives has passed a law to kick Chinese companies off US stock exchanges if they do not fully comply with the country’s auditing rules, giving President

Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who led France into the modern era and was a key architect of European integration in the early 1970s, has died at the age

Iran has moved to stop UN inspections of its nuclear sites and step up uranium enrichment under a new law approved by its parliament. The bill would require the government

Oil prices fell on Thursday as producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia locked horns over the need to extend record production cuts set in place in the first wave of

Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam have been given jail sentences for their involvement in mass protests last year. The trio, all in their

Former President Barack Obama cautioned young activists against using the slogan “defund the police” to achieve changes in policing practices, instead urging them in a new interview to have a