Leaders stoke ambitions to reverse nature crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.N. and World Bank leaders hosted a virtual summit to improve the planet's health and save biological resources.
Global Issues
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WHO virus team to enter China this week
China announced it is "ready to receive" World Health Organization experts this week on an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Global coronavirus cases surpass 90 million
Confirmed COVID-19 infections exceeded 90 million — two-thirds in the Americas and Europe — with 1.93 million deaths worldwide.
WHO urges end to bilateral vaccine deals
The head of the U.N. health agency asked wealthy countries to stop hoarding most of the world's COVID-19 vaccine supply, saying it hurts poorer nations.
China negotiating with WHO over experts visit
China said it is still negotiating the dates and terms of a visit by a World Health Organization-led team to study the origins of COVID-19.
WHO chief criticizes China over virus team
The U.N. health agency chief expressed rare displeasure with China over delays preventing a scientific team from investigating how COVID-19 originated.
Vaccine nationalism hangs over 2021 recovery
Richer countries locked up most of 2021's COVID-19 vaccine supply despite the COVAX Facility's multilateral efforts to ensure all nations have equal access.
WHO lists first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
The WHO listed Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty® for emergency use, the first such designation since the pandemic began earlier this year.
Vaccine approvals add promise for COVAX use
Britain and Argentina authorized emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine that adds momentum to its anticipated global use by international organizations.
WHO warns even deadlier pandemic may surface
WHO officials ended the year with a warning that a future pandemic more severe than the coronavirus may hit one day if the world is not ready.
WTO delays IP waiver proposal for pandemic
A proposal for WTO to suspend IP protections of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments is set to expire this month, kicking the issue over to 2021.
COVID-19 cases exceed 80 million worldwide
The world surpassed 80 million confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1.75 million deaths, as the coronavirus keeps accelerating and affects nearly every region.
Tug-of-war over pulled WHO Italy report
A suppressed WHO report on Italy's pandemic response says hospitals were "chaotic," dangers to elderly went unrecognized, and training was haphazard.
Swiss achieve first full-blown vaccine approval
Switzerland announced it has become the first government in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine using a standard process of regulatory approval.
COVAX vaccine rollout gets 2 billion doses
The COVAX Facility has secured almost 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidates for low-income and developing countries, organizations said.
WTO subsidy talks to curb overfishing drag on
Diplomats failed to meet an end-of-year deadline for a deal on halting government subsidies that contribute to overfishing, WTO officials said.