Austria COVID lockdown feels not just like a health crisis, but also a cultural, social and political storm

On Saturday, the streets of Vienna were packed with shoppers.Today, they were quiet, if not deserted. Yes, this is lockdown, but it isn't quite the eerie emptiness of 18 months ago. Instead, the Austrian capital...

Germans will be ‘vaccinated, recovered or dead’ by end of winter, health minister says

Germany's health minister has warned that by the end of this winter "pretty much everyone" in Germany "will have been vaccinated, recovered or died".Jens Spahn urged Germans to get vaccinated amid a rapid rise...

AstraZeneca’s pledge to poorer nations as it seeks COVID jab profits from next year

The chief executive of AstraZeneca (AZ) has told Sky News that the company's decision to begin seeking a modest profit from its COVID vaccine is unlikely to kick in until next year.Pascal Soriot said...

Jerome Powell secures nod for second term as chair of US Federal Reserve

US president Joe Biden has nominated Jerome Powell for a second four-year term at the helm of the country's central bank.The move ends speculation on whether he would put forward a Democrat, Lael Brainard,...

Suspect who ‘intentionally’ drove into crowds at Christmas parade ‘was fleeing domestic disturbance’

The man suspected of driving an SUV into crowds of people at a Christmas parade in Wisconsin had fled the scene of a "domestic disturbance" just minutes before police arrived, Waukesha police have said.Darrell...

NASA prepares to deflect asteroid for first time in planetary defence test

NASA is set to launch a spacecraft to test whether it can deflect an asteroid away from a potentially catastrophic collision with Earth.Fortunately this asteroid is not a threat to Earth - but scientists...

‘The most important email I have ever missed’: Journalist’s ‘million dollar’ Adele interview canned

An Australian TV reporter whose "million dollar" interview with Adele was canned after he admitted not listening to her new album is "mortified and unequivocally apologetic".Matt Doran, who works for Channel 7, and a...

‘I’m not a racist person’: Kyle Rittenhouse says he backs Black Lives Matter in first interview since trial

The teenager acquitted after killing two people and wounding a third at a racial justice protest in the US has claimed he is "not racist" and supports the Black Lives Matter movement.Kyle Rittenhouse was...