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Thailand takes step towards legalising cannabis
Thailand relaxed its cannabis laws Thursday, with users permitted to possess and grow the plant -- albeit under complicated new guidelines.
England's smoking age limit should be raised every year: study
The age at which people can buy tobacco in England should rise by one each year until it becomes a "smoke-free" society, a government-commissioned review recommended Thursday.
Shanghai to lock down and test 2.7 million as Covid fears linger
Shanghai will lock down a district of 2.7 million people on Saturday to conduct mass coronavirus testing, city authorities said, as the Chinese metropolis struggles to fully emerge from punishing curbs.
American with monkeypox flees Mexican hospital
A US citizen with monkeypox escaped from a hospital in a Mexican resort and fled the country, local health authorities said Wednesday.
US fight against opioid overdoses becomes one of racial justice: researcher
In 2020, the death rate from drug overdose among Black people surpassed that of white people in the United States for the first time since 1999, according to a study published this year.
Moderna announces positive results for Omicron vaccine
US biotech company Moderna on Wednesday announced positive results for a new vaccine that targets both the original Covid strain and Omicron.
US experts recommend Novavax Covid-19 vaccine
A panel of experts convened by the US drug regulator on Tuesday recommended the Novavax Covid-19 shot, a late runner in the fight against the virus that could nonetheless play a role in overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
FDA experts weigh authorizing Novavax Covid-19 vaccine in US
A panel of experts convened by the US drug regulator was meeting Tuesday to consider authorizing the Novavax Covid-19 shot, a late runner in the fight against the virus that could nonetheless play a role in overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
Shanghai residents chafe under fresh Covid lockdowns
Residents stuck inside a compound nearly a week after Shanghai's much vaunted reopening following a virus outbreak shouted at hazmat-clad officials on Monday, as fears grew that some city neighbourhoods were being locked down again.
Baby formula plant linked to US shortage resumes production
Production resumed Saturday at an Abbott Nutrition baby formula plant in the US whose closure helped fuel a crippling nationwide shortage.
Saudi receives first foreign hajj pilgrims since before pandemic
Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of hajj pilgrims since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.
More than 700 monkeypox cases globally, 21 in US: CDC
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States, with investigations now suggesting spread inside the country.
Teaching helped me survive, says Indian quadruple amputee
When gangrene robbed Indian teacher Pratibha Hilim of her hands and feet three years ago, her dreams of returning to class gave her the strength to endure.
Surgeons transplant 3D ear made of living cells
A US medical team said Thursday they had reconstructed a human ear using the patient's own tissue to create a 3D bioimplant, a pioneering procedure they hope can be used to treat people with a rare birth defect.
Shanghai Covid curbs drag on despite officials declaring victory
Locked in their homes as neighbours celebrate freedom, hundreds of thousands of Shanghai residents are finding the path out of lockdown more complicated than the victory trumpeted by Chinese state media.
Japan tax official arrested over Covid-19 aid fraud
A Japanese tax official was arrested over his alleged involvement in a fraud ring that recruited 200 people to steal $1.5 million of Covid-19 aid, media and police said Thursday.
Shanghai eases Covid curbs in step towards ending lockdown
Shanghai eased a range of Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday in a step towards returning to normal after a two-month lockdown that confined residents of the megacity to their homes and battered China's economy.
EU's Russian oil ban unlikely to affect OPEC+ decision
Saudia Arabia, Russia and their allies are likely to stick to their policy of modest oil output increases when they meet Thursday after the EU banned most imports from Moscow.
Big tobacco's environmental impact is 'devastating': WHO
The tobacco industry is a far greater threat than many realise as it is one of the world's biggest polluters, from leaving mountains of waste to driving global warming, the WHO charged Tuesday.
Nigerian biker completes London-to-Lagos ride for polio campaign
A crowd cheered Kunle Adeyanju as he turned off his motorbike engine after completing an arduous 41-day trip to raise funds to fight polio in his native Nigeria.
Football fans allowed for China's Covid-delayed kick-off
Fans will be allowed in when the coronavirus-delayed Chinese Super League season kicks off on Friday despite the country's strict Covid controls, state media reported.
Mexico confirms its first monkeypox case
Health officials in Mexico confirmed Saturday the country's first known case of monkeypox, in a 50-year-old US resident being treated in Mexico City.
Despite losing leg in Mariupol, fighter eyes return to Ukraine frontline
In a small orthopaedic clinic in Kyiv, Daviti Suleimanishvili listens as doctors describe various prostheses that could replace his left leg, torn off during the battle for Mariupol.
Higher cost of US cancer care doesn't improve survival rates: study
The United States spends twice as much on cancer care as the average high-income country, but gets only middle-of-the-table survival results, a study said Friday.
North Korea says Covid outbreak under control as treatment 'intensifies'
North Korea says its Covid-19 outbreak has been brought under control, with state media reporting falling caseloads for a seventh straight day Friday as healthcare workers "intensify" testing and treatment.
Senegal health minister sacked after deadly hospital fire
Senegal's President Macky Sall fired his health minister on Thursday as his country mourned the death of 11 newborn babies in a hospital fire blamed on an electrical short circuit.
Guns are now the leading cause of death for American children
Firearm deaths have surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among American youngsters, with official data showing a strong rise in gun-related homicides such as the killing of 19 children in a Texas school rampage.
Japan to allow mass tourism, but only in tour groups
Japan announced Thursday it will reopen to tourists from 36 countries starting June 10, ending a two-year pandemic closure, but travellers will only be allowed in with tour groups.
Shanghai to gradually reopen schools in June as lockdown eases
Schoolchildren in Shanghai will gradually resume some in-person classes in June with daily Covid-19 tests, the local government said Thursday, as the Chinese metropolis gradually emerges from a lengthy lockdown that brought it to a standstill.
'The pandemic won't stop us': the Beijingers skirting Covid rules
Mothers hosting playdates near cordoned-off parks, mahjong maestros huddled in streets and youngsters slugging night-time beers on barricaded sidewalks -- Beijingers are making the most of the small spaces available as China's coronavirus controls close in.
Veteran royal photographer: 45 years snapping the queen
The Sun newspaper's Arthur Edwards, 81, has been photographing Queen Elizabeth II for 45 years, and describes her as an enduring source of inspiration.
More than 200 cases of monkeypox worldwide: EU disease agency
The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide has reached 219 outside of countries where it is endemic, according to an update released by the European Union's disease agency.