'Few reports' of heart issue in US young people after vaccine

US health authorities said they were looking into a small number of reports of heart inflammation among some younger people who received COVID vaccines, with no clear link established for the moment.

Greek firefighters begin to control forest fire near Athens

Greek firefighters said Sunday they were slowly bringing under control a major forest fire in a nature conservation area near Athens as the government promised financial aid to those affected.

Another cyclone looms for India, week after deadly storm

A severe cyclone is brewing off India's eastern coast, the nation's weather bureau warned Sunday, as the death toll rose from a major storm that wreaked havoc in the west of the virus-hit nation last week.

UK officials: Vaccines effective against Indian variant

British health officials expressed optimism Sunday that the coronavirus restrictions remaining in England can be lifted in June after an official study found that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines offer effective protection against the variant first identified in India.

Pandemic has fueled eating disorder surge in teens, adults

Many hospital beds are full. Waiting lists for outpatient treatment are bulging. And teens and adults seeking help for eating disorders are often finding it takes months to get an appointment.

COVID testing's value shrinks as vaccines beat back virus

Federal health officials' new, more relaxed recommendations on masks have all but eclipsed another major change in guidance from the government: Fully vaccinated Americans can largely skip getting tested for the coronavirus.

Countries urge broader patent waivers than just COVID vaccines

Dozens of countries have revised a proposal at the WTO for patent waivers for medical tools needed to combat COVID, insisting it must be broader than just vaccines, non-governmental organisations said Saturday.

Italy passes 30 million vaccine dose milestone

Italy on Saturday passed the milestone of 30 million doses injected in its COVID-19 vaccination effort, with nearly 10 million people in the country now fully vaccinated.

'Ecological disaster' feared as Greece battles forest fire

Hundreds of firefighters battled Greece's first major forest fire of the summer on Saturday, as experts warned of a "huge ecological disaster" in the nature conservation area near Athens.

India tells social media firms to take down 'Indian variant' posts

India's government has ordered social media platforms to take down content that refers to the "Indian variant" of the coronavirus.

IBS patients' symptoms improved under COVID-19 lockdown orders

Patients' irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms unexpectedly improved when they were under COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, reaffirming the gut-brain connection in functional gastrointestinal disorders, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2021.

Rat killers of New York: dogs, volunteers hunt brazen rodents

Late on a Friday night, eight dog enthusiasts and their pet pooches prowl several dark alleys in New York's Lower East Side with one mission: to hunt and kill as many rats as possible.

Germany serves up COVID jabs in the company canteen

It's well before midday but chemical technician trainer Ralf Scharf is already heading to the company canteen. And lunch is the last thing on his mind.

Unmanned supermarkets to the rescue in Sweden's rural areas

One after another, grocery stores are shutting down in rural Sweden, leaving villagers to travel miles to buy food. But a new type of shop has sprung up in their wake: unmanned supermarkets in mobile containers.

Germany needs lower virus numbers for 'carefree summer': minister

Germany needs to stay vigilant and further bring down the number of coronavirus infections if the country is to enjoy a "carefree summer" and large-scale reopenings, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday.

India battles fatal fungal threat as virus deaths near 300K

Doctors in India are fighting a fatal fungal infection affecting COVID-19 patients or those who have recovered from the disease amid a coronavirus surge that has driven the country's fatalities to nearly 300,000.

Oregon among blue states slow at lifting COVID restrictions

The sand was packed on a recent sunny day at this upscale beach town on Oregon's coast, but signs of the state's cautious approach to the pandemic were still everywhere. Almost all the beachgoers wore masks—those that didn't got nasty looks—and lines for a seat at the many local cafes and restaurants snaked down the sidewalk because of rules limiting capacity to 25%.

Virgin Galactic rocket ship ascends from New Mexico

Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.

China's Yuan Longping dies; rice research helped feed world

Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist who developed higher-yield rice varieties that helped feed people around the world, died Saturday at a hospital in the southern city of Changsha, the Xinhua News agency reported. He was 90.

As US schools resume testing, large numbers are opting out

Standardized tests are returning to the nation's schools this spring, but millions of students will face shorter exams that carry lower stakes, and most families are being given the option to forgo testing entirely.

US: New COVID-19 cases plummet to lowest levels since last June

New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.

Goma city 'spared' as river of lava from DRC volcano halts

A river of boiling lava came to a halt on the outskirts of Goma Sunday, sparing the city in eastern DR Congo from disaster after the nighttime eruption of Mount Nyiragongo sent thousands of terrified residents fleeing in panic.