EXCLUSIVE G20 snubs COVID patent waiver, waters down pledge on WHO’s funding -draft
Leaders of the world’s largest economies back “voluntary licensing” of COVID-19 vaccine patents, the draft conclusions of a summit show, watering down a U.S. push for waivers and earlier commitments to supply more funds to the World Health Organization.
Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to COVID-19
A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.
UK jobless rate falls again, hiring up as lockdown eases
Britain’s unemployment rate fell again to 4.8% between January and March, when the country was under a tight lockdown, and hiring rose further in April, according to data that showed employers gearing up for the easing of curbs. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the rate to hold at 4.9%, and the reading added to […]
Analysis: In world’s top copper region political risk rises
In South America’s copper-rich Andes political risk is rising as high poverty and debt levels amid the COVID-19 pandemic drive potentially sharp policy shifts and put mining wealth into the crosshairs of angry citizens and political leaders. In No. 1 copper producer Chile, an overhaul of its market-orientated constitution is underway, and it is debating […]
Taiwan urges no panic buying as new COVID-19 rules kick off
Taiwan appealed to people to avoid panic buying of items such as instant noodles and toilet paper as new curbs on gatherings and movement took effect to rein in the spread of COVID-19 during a spike in domestic infections. Taiwan raised its coronavirus alert level in the capital, Taipei, and the surrounding city, on Saturday, […]
Alibaba revenue tops expectation on pandemic-driven online boom
China’s top e-commerce platform Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK), reported a forecast-beating 64% surge in quarterly revenue on Thursday, as more people shopped online due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the strong performance was overshadowed by intense regulatory crackdown that resulted in the suspension of a $37 billion IPO of its affiliate Ant Group and a […]
Indian oil refiners cut output, imports as pandemic hits demand
India’s top oil refiners are reducing processing runs and crude imports as the surging COVID-19 pandemic has cut fuel consumption, leading to higher product stockpiles at the plants, company officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country’s biggest refiner, has reduced runs to an average of between 85% and 88% of processing capacity, […]
How the U.S. locked up vaccine materials other nations urgently need
To fight the pandemic at home, the United States gave its own vaccine manufacturers priority access to American-made materials needed to make the shots. As a result, the U.S. government laid claim not only to vast quantities of finished COVID-19 vaccines but also to vaccine components and equipment all along the supply chain, according to […]
US birth rate falls to its lowest since 1979 as pandemic-led stress rises
Americans had the lowest number of babies in more than four decades last year, mirroring a slump in European birth rates, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to take care of sick family members or deal with job losses. Birth rate in the United States fell 4% in 2020 to about 3.6 million babies, […]
‘We are all the same’ – Barcelona church opens doors to Ramadan dinners
With COVID-19 restrictions preventing Barcelona’s Islamic population from celebrating Ramadan at the usual indoor venues, a Catholic church has offered up its open-air cloisters for Muslims to eat and pray together. Every evening between 50 and 60 Muslims, many of them homeless, stream into the centuries-old stone passages of the Santa Anna church, where volunteers […]
