SEOUL: South Korea warned today of tighter novel coronavirus restrictions as new outbreaks appeared, including one linked to a church where more than 300 members of the congregation have been infected but hundreds more are reluctant to get tested. The outbreak linked to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul is […]
Day: August 18, 2020
STOCKHOLM: Sweden said today it had temporarily withdrawn all its diplomats from North Korea, where its embassy also represents the interests of the United States and several other nations, partly due to issues linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Most other Western nations which have diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, including Germany, […]
BRASILIA: Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa today said it had approved stage 3 clinical trials for a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen. Brazil is the second-worst hit country for coronavirus cases and deaths after the United States, leading many companies to seek out clinical trials […]
MANILA: Coronavirus cases in Asia-Pacific countries are now being driven by people under the age of 50 who may not know they are infected, the World Health Organisation said today, warning of a “new phase” in the pandemic. Many have mild or no Covid-19 symptoms and risk infecting the elderly […]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia had reached a deal with Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to receive the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with Oxford University. Australia has secured access to a “promising” coronavirus vaccine, the prime minister announced Tuesday, saying the country would manufacture it and offer free doses […]
Kim is facing difficulties on various fronts, both at home and abroad. Floods have wiped out farmland to deal another blow to the virus-hit economy, while a reported health scare earlier this year raised questions about succession. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is convening a key ruling party body […]
SINGAPORE: Zoom Video Communications has opened a new data centre in Singapore, its first in Southeast Asia, it said on Tuesday (Aug 18).Use of Zoom’s video conferencing services has surged as huge numbers of people across the world work from home because of COVID-19 curbs, but the company has also […]
SAN FRANCISCO: TikTok on Monday (Aug 17) stepped up its defence against US accusations that the popular video app is a national security threat, denouncing what it called “rumours and misinformation” about its links to the Chinese government. The video-snippet sharing service launched an online information hub as its Chinese […]
Although so-called “phantom pregnancies” are common with pandas and other large bears, Baker-Masson said an ultrasound scan revealed a “really strong-looking, fantastic fetus” that could be delivered this week. Zookeepers at Washington’s National Zoo are on furry black-and-white baby watch after concluding that venerable giant panda matriarch Mei Xiang is […]