Afghanistan: ‘Travesty everything evaporated so quickly’

Covid vaccines are less effective against the variant of the virus identified in India, research has shown. But they would still prevent very seriously illness, University of Cambridge microbiologist Prof Ravindra Gupta said. He told BBC World News: “The virus can potentially infect people who have already been vaccinated, albeit with reduced severity – so…

A national lockdown is not a solution to the current Covid-19 crisis in India, Gopal Agarwal, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has told BBC World News. The states and districts of India had been given “a free hand” to deal with the pandemic, he said. And the level of infection varied…

The way coronavirus vaccines are being distributed to lower-income countries will be the key issue at the upcoming G7 summit, a former UK ambassador to the US has said. Sir Nigel Sheinwald told BBC World News a clear statement of intent “in terms of money on the table” was needed from G7 countries to kickstart…

On World Press Freedom Day, the journalist discusses attacks on female reporters and disinformation.

They were labelled “LGBT-free zones” – large parts of Poland where regional governments, as well as smaller councils, declared they were against LGBT ideology or ideologies that “undermine” the family. Now provinces have started to backtrack after the EU said it would freeze funds. But has anything really changed for LGBT people in those areas?…

A recent poll in the UK revealed there was a high level of support among managers for making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for staff returning to work. The survey of more than 1,000 managers, conducted by the Chartered Management Institute, showed that about half think office access should be restricted for those who refused to get…