Major airlines back global COVID-19 testing program
WASHINGTON — A group representing major US airlines on Monday backed a proposal by public health officials to implement a global testing program requiring negative tests before most international air passengers return to the United States, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
UK scientists worry vaccines may not protect against South African coronavirus variant
LONDON — UK scientists expressed concern on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally.
Jack Ma’s disappearing act fuels speculation about billionaire’s whereabouts
BEIJING — Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s absence from public view in the past two months, including missing the final episode of a TV show on which he was to appear as a judge, has fueled social media speculation over his whereabouts amid a Chinese regulatory clampdown on his sprawling business empire.
This is what Asia’s stock investors are betting on in 2021
After narrowly beating their US peers for the first time in three years in 2020, Asian stocks could see another strong year, analysts say.
Asia’s...
Why Indonesia is vaccinating its working population first, not elderly
JAKARTA — As Indonesia prepares to begin mass inoculations against COVID-19, its plan to prioritize working-age adults over the elderly, aiming to reach herd...
Japan PM mulls declaring state of emergency for Tokyo area
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday the government would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climb and strain the country’s medical system.
In recorded call, Trump pressured Georgia to ‘find’ votes to tilt election
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s top election official to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in the southern state, according to a recording of the hour-long call published by US media on Sunday.
UK rolls out AstraZeneca vaccine, touts British science triumph
LONDON — Britain began vaccinating its population on Monday with the COVID-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, touting its position as the first Western country to roll out an inoculation programme against the novel coronavirus.
Thailand to get 2M doses of China’s Sinovac shots
THAILAND will get its first lot of COVID-19 vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. next month, allowing the country in the middle of a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak to begin inoculating people with the highest risks for infections.
South Korea expands ban on social gatherings nationwide
SEOUL — South Korea expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four days.
Pope criticizes people going on holiday to flee COVID lockdowns
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis condemned on Sunday people who had gone abroad on holiday to escape coronavirus lockdowns, saying they needed to show greater awareness of the suffering of others.
As end to pandemic mask-wearing nears, South Koreans scramble to arrange cosmetic surgery
When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old university student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: it might be the last chance to do so covertly before people start taking off masks this year as vaccines are distributed.