The European Parliament yesterday overwhelmingly ratified the EU’s post-Brexit trade deal with Britain, but promised to keep a close eye on London with cross-channel hostility still high.

One dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines reduces the chances of someone infected with coronavirus from spreading it to other household members by up to 50 percent, according to a English study published yesterday.

American astronaut Michael Collins, who stayed behind in the command module of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died today at age 90, his family said.

Russia's foreign ministry on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of seven diplomats from Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian envoys.

The Dutch think tank, European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), has lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s genuineness of purpose in tackling extremists with moral conviction and authority. A commentary published on April 23 outlined the differences between Pakistan and Bangladesh in dealing with extremism within the country.

Russia has imposed a $12.1 million fine on Apple for “abusing” its dominant position in the market by giving preference to its own applications, a government regulator said on Tuesday.

India’s toll from the coronavirus surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, the country’s deadliest day yet, as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies and hospital staff compounded a record number of new infections.

Hong Kong's legislature is set to discuss a controversial immigration Bill, which lawyers, diplomats and right groups fear will give authorities unlimited powers to prevent residents and others from entering or leaving the Chinese-ruled city.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a challenge backed by the gun lobby to a New York law that restricts the carrying of firearms outside the home.

Seventeen people were found dead on a boat drifting off El Hierro in Spain’s Canary Islands, officials said, as migrant arrivals to the archipelago surge despite the deadly dangers of the crossing.

Innovation in the clean energy sector has slowed, a report released yesterday found, a worrying development as plans to meet carbon emissions reductions targets rely on yet-to-be-developed technologies.

Iran’s president has ordered a probe into the “conspiracy” of leaked audio in which the foreign minister says the military was too influential in diplomacy, a government spokesman announced yesterday.

Human Rights Watch yesterday said that Israel is committing the crime of “apartheid” by seeking to maintain Jewish “domination” over Palestinians and its own Arab population, an explosive allegation fiercely denounced by Israel.

People in India are rushing unnecessarily to hospital, exacerbating a crisis over surging Covid-19 infections caused by mass gatherings, more contagious variants and low vaccination rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.

One in seven pregnancies worldwide ends in miscarriage, and eleven percent of women endure a failed pregnancy at least once in their lifetime, experts said yesterday.

Pakistani troops have been deployed in 16 major cities to assist civilian authorities in enforcing measures meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including the wearing of masks in public and the closing of non-essential businesses after 6pm.

EU lawmakers debated the post-Brexit trade agreement between the European Union and Britain for the last time yesterday, ahead of a vote that is expected to give the accord overwhelming approval.

A couple in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district tied the knot wearing PPE kits after the groom tested positive for coronavirus.

On April 16, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII) -- and part-producer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine called Covishield -- tweeted to the President of the United States Joe Biden, asking to lift the embargo on raw material exports to vaccine makers outside the United States. His tweet and subsequent pleading by many global leaders have sent ripples across the United States, with an increasing number of US lawmakers joining calls for Biden to approve exports of vaccines, raw materials, and waive IP patents on vaccines. Biden finally agreed, approving export of raw materials and agreeing to share 60 million Covid-19 vaccines with the developing world. However, the cost of months of delay to prioritise Biden’s “America First” foreign policy, in light of India’s Covid-19 woes, provides grim reminders of the costs of American Exceptionalism.

China's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had lodged solemn representations to Japan over its annual diplomacy report which expressed grave concerns on China's military capabilities and maritime activities.