Brazil gets first active ingredients for AstraZeneca vaccine from China
By Sergio Queiroz
A first shipment of 88 liters of active ingredients to make AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil arrived from China on Saturday, essential input to speed the country's troubled vaccination program.
Bank of Italy says country needs cohesion to grow and cut debt
By Valentina Za and Stefano Bernabei
Italy's central bank called on Saturday for cohesion as the country battles a government crisis, saying it was imperative to revive growth and reduce a public debt that the coronavirus pandemic has pushed to levels last seen after World War One.
Cuba opens door to most small business initiatives
By Marc Frank
In a major reform of the state-dominated economy, the Cuban government will allow small private businesses to operate in most fields, eliminating its limited list of activities, state-run media reported on Saturday.
South Korea leads the world in innovation as United States exits top 10
SOUTH KOREA returned to first place in the latest Bloomberg Innovation Index, while the US dropped out of a top 10 that features a cluster of European countries. Korea regained the crown from Germany, which dropped to fourth place. The Asian nation has now topped the index for seven of the nine years that it’s been published. Singapore and Switzerland each moved up one spot to rank second and third.
UK, Japan express serious concern over situation in East, South China seas
TOKYO — Four ministers from Japan and Britain voiced serious concern on Wednesday about the situation in the East and South China seas and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in a apparent reference to China’s maritime expansion.
Myanmar junta blocks Facebook, messaging services to shut down dissent
MYANMAR’s junta blocked Facebook and other messaging services in the name of ensuring stability on Thursday as they consolidate power following a coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
German sniffer dogs detect COVID-19 with 94% accuracy
Hanover, Germany - A German veterinary clinic has trained sniffer dogs to detect the novel coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy.
The dogs...
IMF to roll out new method to judge debt sustainability
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it is launching a new method of assessing debt sustainability for countries with access to...
Merck anti-baldness drug Propecia has long trail of suicide reports, records show
Newly unsealed court documents and other records show that Merck & Co and U.S. regulators knew about reports of suicidal behavior in men taking...
Kremlin critic Navalny jailed, declares Putin as ‘the Underwear Poisoner’
MOSCOW — A Russian court jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, ignoring the West in a ruling the opposition politician blamed on President Vladimir Putin’s personal hatred and fear of him.
Two Chinese vaccines remained active vs S.Africa variant but effect reduced
BEIJING — Two COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese companies including Sinopharm triggered immunity against a highly transmissible coronavirus variant first found in South Africa, but their effect appeared weaker, a small-sample lab study released on Tuesday showed.
Record number of Hong Kong residents relocate to Taiwan
A RECORD number of Hong Kong residents have relocated to Taiwan following China’s crackdown on the city’s protest movement and the implementation of a controversial new national security law.