A three-shot course of their Covid-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variation in a laboratory test, BioNTech and Pfizer have said.   The companies said that this indicates that booster shots may be necessary for protection against infection from the newly found version....

New Zealand proposes to prohibit young people from ever purchasing cigarettes in their lives. This is viewed to be one of the strongest anti-tobacco measures in the world. Authorities claimed that earlier initiatives to eliminate smoking were taking too long.   In 2027, no one under the age...

The world will face high inflation and popular unrest because of abandoning fossil energy sources too quickly, the Saudi Aramco chief warned. He said nations should invest in production in the coming years for a smoother energy transition. Saudi Aramco chief Amin Nasser urged world leaders to...

A global clean energy transition will not be possible unless the world's biggest companies step up and become part of the solution, US Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk has said. "I believe we will not succeed unless key companies step up their efforts and become part of the solution to this...

Greece has introduced fines for elderly residents who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus. From mid-January, those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be facing a €100 fine each month. Greek authorities have decided to introduce €100 fines for residents over the age of 60...

Thai authorities plan to issue digital tokens for tourists. With the help of wealthy travellers, Thailand hopes to rebuild the tourism industry after the coronavirus restrictions. Head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said his agency is working with national regulators and a local...

Following the discovery of a new COVID-19 strain in southern Africa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that the EU would consider restricting flights from that region to the EU. The strain in question is B.1.1.529, which, due to its enormous number of mutations, may be...

Japan's immigration authorities plan to expand the list of fields of employment for foreign workers in 2022, in which their stay in the country will not be limited to five years as it is now, and will also open the possibility to invite family members to join them, the Nikkei newspaper wrote. In...

The EC improved GDP growth expectations on the global scale for this year to 5.7% from May's 5.6%, the EC's autumn forecast states. The estimate for 2022 is raised to 4.5% from May's 4.3%, with growth of 3.5% expected in 2023. The growth outlook for developed economies stays strong at 5.4% in...