Sputnik V was almost 92% effective in fighting Covid-19, based on peer-reviewed late-stage trial results published in The Lancet medical journal last month.

Police opened fire to break up a protest in the town of Pathein, to the west of Yangon, early on Thursday, media reported, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The bloodshed occurred one day after neighbouring countries had called for restraint in the aftermath of the military’s overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Many described how the breakthrough late last year of two vaccines with around 95% efficacy against Covid-19 had initially sparked hope that the virus could be largely contained, similar to the way measles has been.

The Capitol Police statement noted that the department already has made “significant security upgrades” at the Capitol, home to the US House of Representatives and Senate.

For the AstraZeneca vaccine, which began to be rolled out in Britain on Jan. 4, the results showed it was 80.4% effective by the same measures among patients with an average age of 88.

At least 21 people have been killed since a military coup on February 1 ended Myanmar’s tentative progress towards democratic civilian rule and triggered protests across the country and international dismay.

The United Nations does not officially recognize the junta as Myanmar’s new government as it has received no official notification of any change in government or UN representation.

ASEAN foreign ministers held talks with a representative of the junta in a video call two days after the bloodiest day of unrest since the military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government.

The short video shot by Dananeer Mobeen in the Nathaigali mountains of northern Pakistan and uploaded onto Instagram shows a group of youngsters enjoying themselves by a roadside.

Some European Union countries restricted the use of the vaccine to people under 65 because of a lack of data for older people in clinical trials for the shot.

The coronavirus variant on the rise in New York City contains the same E484K mutation seen in variants in Brazil and South Africa believed to make Covid-19 vaccines and antibody therapies less effective.

Hundreds of protesters, many wearing hard hats and clutching makeshift shields, had gathered behind barricades in different parts of the main city of Yangon to chant slogans against military rule.

Sarkozy served as president from 2007 to 2012 and retains influence among conservatives, even after retiring. He is the second head of state in modern-day France to be convicted of corruption.

Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” from Amazon Studios was named best comedy movie actor, while Andra Day was a surprise winner for playing singer Billie Holliday in “The United States vs Billie Holliday.”