World
North America
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine gets slightly weaker over time
The vaccine had a sky-high efficacy rate of about 96 per cent against symptomatic COVID-19 for the first two months, but then declined about 6 per cent every two months after that, a study showed.
- by Carl Zimmer and Sharon LaFraniere
Latest
‘Pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli settles debts by selling Wu-Tang Clan album
The notorious entrepreneur, due for release from jail in October 2022, said he was “pleased with the sale price and RIP ODB”.
- by Larry Neumeister
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
Joe Biden to require vaccines for all federal workers: report
The US President plans to announce “next steps” in the effort to get more Americans to get the vaccination, as the country copes with outbreaks of the Delta variant.
- by Nandita Bose
US health authority says vaccinated people should wear masks indoors
The change by the CDC was warranted but “I think we will get blowback because I think people might view it as backtracking,” said a Cornell University public health official.
- by David Shepardson and Julie Steenhuysen
Analysis
US politics
Who hired the hitman? Police officers demand answers from Capitol riot committee
Often tearful, sometimes profane, the officers called the rioters “terrorists” engaged in an “attempted coup” during a 3-1/2 hour congressional hearing.
- by Dan Balz
Atlanta spa shooter pleads guilty to four murders
In his first public comments since the massacre, Robert Aaron Long calmly described how he purchased a firearm and went to the spas earlier this year.
- by Rich McKay
Race for the moon: Bezos offers to spend billions to join Musk in NASA contract
The long-shot bid to persuade the space agency to change course comes after Elon Musk’s SpaceX was selected in April as the primary contractor to build the moon lander.
- by Aaron Gregg
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
California, NYC to require state employees to get COVID-19 vaccine
The announcements are the “opening of the floodgates” as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates..
- by Philip Marcelo
US drug authority urges Pfizer, Moderna to expand child testing of vaccines
Appearing at a televised town-hall-style meeting in Ohio last week, President Joe Biden said that emergency clearance for pediatric vaccines would come “soon.”
- by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland
Opinion
Defence
America’s recent military history points to strategic shortcomings
Before signing up to another US-led military campaign, Australia would be well served to cast an eye to recent history and the superpower’s less-than-super record.
- by Peter Hartcher
‘Stop demonising China’: US-China stuck in ‘stalemate’ after talks
Chinese officials told their US counterparts they believed America was waging “a whole-of-society campaign” to bring down China during the high-level talks.
- by Matthew Knott