Indonesia stocks, rupiah fall amid fears over tougher virus lockdown
Monday’s plunge in Indonesian and Philippine stocks shows how quickly investor sentiment can turn when there’s a delay in economic reopening or stay-at-home orders are reinstated.
Rome’s ancient Colosseum turned red to protest Pakistan blasphemy law
ROME -- Rome’s ancient Colosseum was lit in red on Saturday in solidarity with persecuted Christians, particularly Asia Bibi, a woman condemned to death...
Sanofi, Regeneron’s Dupixent shows promise as drug to treat ‘smoker’s lung’
SANOFI’s asthma and eczema drug Dupixent met all targets in a trial to treat “smoker’s lung,” giving a major boost to the French drugmaker’s...
Taiwan presidential frontrunner says no plans to change island’s formal name
TAIPEI - The leading candidate to be Taiwan's new president, Vice President William Lai, said in an interview on Tuesday that he has no...
Brazil clears emergency use of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines, shots begin
BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Sunday approved emergency use of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Britain’s AstraZeneca, clearing the way for immunizations as the pandemic enters a deadly second wave.
‘Time has come’ for pandemic treaty — WHO
GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Monday for launching negotiations this year on an international treaty to boost pandemic preparedness, as part of sweeping reforms envisioned by member states.
Japan’s Kishida shakes up his cabinet amid Unification Church furor
TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday, removing some ministers with links to the Unification Church in a bid to stem plunging support amid growing public outrage over the ruling party’s ties to the controversial group.
Republican powerbrokers: The intensely private Mercer family
WASHINGTON -- He is a reclusive hedge fund billionaire who made a fortune using complicated algorithms to bet on things other people could not...
US CDC takes down coronavirus airborne transmission guidance
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday took down its guidance warning on possible airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus, saying that the draft recommendation was posted in error.
US, China to hold ice-breaker trade talks on May 10
WASHINGTON/BEIJING — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will meet China’s economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland this weekend...
Global trade seen recovering faster now than after Lehman crisis
Global trade is on course to recover more quickly from the coronavirus pandemic than after the 2008 financial crisis, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute...
COVID curbs over, China’s tourists hit Thai beaches for first time in 3 years
PHUKET, Thailand — Hitting the white sand beaches and eating mango sticky rice and seafood, Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand for their first...