Five people died as a fire tore through a building in the world's biggest vaccine manufacturing hub in India Thursday, but the company insisted the production of drugs to counter the coronavirus pandemic would continue.

Barriers still enclose Wuhan's notorious seafood market -- one of the few immediate reminders the city was once the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic that has transformed the world.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed US President Joe Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris climate accord, but called on him to adopt an "ambitious" plan to fight global warming.

Foreigners caught not wearing face masks on the Indonesian resort island of Bali are being subject to an unusual punishment: push-ups.

Japan aims to start vaccinating the general public against the coronavirus in May -- just two months before the postponed Olympics -- after targeted jabs for the most vulnerable, reports said Wednesday.

A Vietnamese diplomat proposed that ASEAN use its fund for COVID-19 response to buy vaccines, with priority given to medical staff who are on the front line to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Yuichiro welled up as he collected a food parcel at a Tokyo outreach event offering help to the growing number of Japanese pushed into poverty by the coronavirus pandemic.