Jupiter, Saturn seen in rare celestial ‘Great Conjunction’
NEW YORK — The evening sky over the Northern Hemisphere treated stargazers to a once-in-a-lifetime illusion on Monday as the solar system’s two biggest planets appeared to meet in a celestial alignment that astronomers call the “Great Conjunction.”
BioNTech confident COVID vaccine is effective vs new UK mutation
BERLIN — BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin said on Monday he was confident a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine co-developed by his company would be effective against a variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain.
Oxygen level while walking identifies at-risk patients; cancer patients should get vaccine priority
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Hundreds of Thai workers found dying in South Korea with numbers rising
BANGKOK/SEOUL — The deaths of hundreds of mainly undocumented Thai migrant workers in South Korea have been uncovered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, prompting the United Nations (UN) to call for an inquiry into the fate of migrants known as “little ghosts.”
WHO says no need for major alarm over new coronavirus strain
GENEVA/ZURICH — The World Health Organization cautioned against major alarm over a new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain,...
Europe shuts door on Britain amid new COVID strain
LONDON — Britain’s European neighbors began closing their doors to travellers from the United Kingdom on Sunday amid alarm about a rapidly spreading strain of coronavirus that has caused cases to soar there.
China says aircraft carrier group on way to South China Sea for drills
BEIJING — An aircraft carrier group led by China’s newest carrier, the Shandong, has sailed through the Taiwan Strait on its way to routine drills in the South China Sea, China’s navy said on Monday, after Taiwan mobilized its forces to monitor the trip.
Singapore hotel used for quarantine may have spread infection
A SINGAPORE hotel suspected of spreading the virus among quarantined travelers has now found signs of past infection among three staffers, raising concern over pockets of undetected transmission in a country that’s largely managed to stamp out local cases.
Pope snubs Vatican’s sci-fi Nativity scene, directs visitors to others
By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday appeared to add his own thumbs-down to widespread criticism of an unorthodox nativity scene...
How to prepare and protect your gut health over Christmas and the silly season
It’s that time of year again, with Christmas parties, end-of-year get-togethers and holiday catch-ups on the horizon for many of us — all COVID-safe,...
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine shots leave warehouses, widening U.S. push to immunize
By Carl O'Donnell
Dec 20 (Reuters) - Trucks and planes loaded with doses of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine are expected on Sunday to leave warehouses en route...
‘Powerful tradecraft’: How foreign cyber-spies compromised America
SPEAKING at a private dinner for tech security executives at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco in late February, America’s cyber defense chief boasted how well his organizations protect the country from spies.