Vaccination centres close in Mumbai as India posts another record rise in COVID-19

All vaccination centres in India’s financial capital of Mumbai were shut for three days starting Friday due to a shortage of vaccines, said authorities, as the country posted another record daily rise in coronavirus cases. India reported 386,452 news cases on Friday, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,498 over the last 24 hours, according […]

India’s coronavirus infections cross 18 million as gravediggers work round the clock

India’s total COVID-19 cases passed 18 million on Thursday after another world record number of daily infections, as gravediggers worked around the clock to bury victims and hundreds more were cremated in makeshift pyres in parks and parking lots. India reported 379,257 new infections and 3,645 new deaths on Thursday, health ministry data showed,the highest […]

U.S. economy accelerates in first quarter; jobless claims edge lower

U.S. economic growth accelerated in the first quarter, fueled by massive government aid to households and businesses, charting the course for what is expected will be the strongest performance this year in nearly four decades. Gross domestic product increased at a 6.4% annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department said on Thursday in its advance […]

Moderna boosting COVID-19 vaccine capacity, targets up to 3 billion shots in 2022

Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Thursday it is boosting manufacturing capacity for its COVID-19 vaccine and expects to make up to 3 billion doses in 2022, more than twice its previous forecast. It also said it is increasing its expectations for 2021 vaccine production to between 800 million and 1 billion shots, raising the bottom of its range from […]

Hong Kong passes immigration bill, raising alarm over ‘exit bans’

Hong Kong’s legislature passed on Wednesday a controversial immigration bill, which lawyers, diplomats and right groups fear will give authorities unlimited powers to prevent residents and others from entering or leaving the Chinese-ruled city. The government has dismissed those fears as “complete nonsense,” saying the legislation, which will come into effect on Aug. 1, merely […]

Myanmar unity government tells ASEAN no talks until prisoners freed

Myanmar’s pro-democracy unity government, which includes members of parliament ousted by the military coup, has told Southeast Asia’s regional bloc that it will not engage in talks until the junta releases all political prisoners. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a path for Myanmar out of a bloody […]

From Amazon to Tata, industry steps up to combat India’s coronavirus crisis

Sachin Ravikumar, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Chris Thomas Global and Indian firms are flexing their industrial muscle to help the world’s second biggest population battle coronavirus, coming to the rescue of a public health system buckling under the weight of surging infections and deaths. Amazon.com (AMZN.O), Intel (INTC.O) and Google, as well as Indian firms Tata Sons, Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) and JSW […]