Briefly

UNITED KINGDOM

First vaccine targeting Omicron approved

Britain has become the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original and Omicron variant of the virus. The UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, approved the so-called bivalent vaccine made by US drug company Moderna as a booster for adults. The agency's decision was based on clinical trial data that showed the booster triggered "a strong immune response" against both Omicron, the BA.1, and the original 2020 virus, it said. The MHRA also cited an exploratory analysis in which the shot was found to generate a good immune response against the currently dominant Omicron offshoots BA.4 and BA.5.

IRAN

'Relative progress' reported in nuke talks

Iran said on Monday the latest round of nuclear talks in Vienna had made "relative progress" and a deal could be reached if the Islamic republic's red lines were respected. "We are close to an agreement, but on the condition that Iran's red lines are respected and the main interests of the country are provided," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani told a weekly press conference, adding consultations are being held at the highest levels. On Aug 8, the European Union put forward a "final text" of the draft decision on reviving the nuclear deal, awaiting political decisions from participants of the Vienna talks. Iran was expected to announce its views at midnight on the EU's latest proposals.

UNITED STATES

Rushdie on 'road to recovery', agent says

Salman Rushdie is "on the road to recovery", his agent confirmed on Sunday, two days after the author of The Satanic Verses suffered serious injuries in a stabbing at a lecture in New York. The announcement followed news that the lauded writer was removed from a ventilator on Saturday and was able to talk. Literary agent Andrew Wylie cautioned that although Rushdie's "condition is headed in the right direction", his recovery would be long. Rushdie, 75, suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and in an eye that he was likely to lose, Wylie had previously said.

Agencies - Xinhua