U.S. officials hopeful as advisers meet again on J&J COVID-19 vaccine
Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet again on Friday to consider whether it is safe to resume injections of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, as senior U.S. health officials prepare for a green light. The panel last week called for more data about a possible link to rare blood […]
U.S. manufacturing, new homes sales underscore booming economy
U.S. factory activity powered ahead in early April, though manufacturers increasingly struggled to source raw materials and other inputs as a reopening economy leads to a boom in domestic demand, which could slow momentum in the months ahead.
Sanitation for generations: It takes a village (to raise a child‘s height)
By Milan Thomas A study in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic indicates that low-cost, village-wide efforts to improve sanitation have powerful benefits that cascade across income and age groups. Hand sanitizer. Face masks. Air filters. Hygiene has taken center stage for the past year as a critical defense against COVID-19. Sanitation and hygiene are critical not […]
Return the favour: South Korea looks to U.S. for COVID-19 vaccine aid
South Korea hopes the United States will help it tackle a shortage of coronavirus vaccine in return for test kits and masks Seoul sent to Washington earlier in the pandemic, the foreign minister said on Wednesday. The government has drawn fire from the media for not doing enough to secure enough vaccines early, with just […]
For state-owned power utility companies in the Pacific, it’s time to cut the cord
State-owned power companies in the Pacific are increasingly becoming a fiscal risk in part due to their outdated management practices. Reforms are needed to allow them to prosper and perform into the future.
Bain Capital considering bid to take Toshiba private -sources
Bain Capital is looking at formulating a bid to acquire Toshiba Corp (6502.T), two people familiar with the matter said, making it one of several firms said to be interested in taking the Japanese conglomerate private. The U.S. firm has entered into discussions with Japanese banks including the core units of Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T) and Sumitomo […]
Twelve U.S. states urge Biden to back phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035
WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels. Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending […]
Verizon loses more-than-expected wireless subscribers
Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) said on Wednesday it lost more wireless subscribers than expected during the first quarter as it battled intense competition from T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.O) and AT&T Inc (T.N) to attract customers. As the 5G technology gains traction, customers have been exploring competitive options from the big three telecoms carriers, which are making big investments to upgrade their […]
Dubai’s commodities hub plans Gulf’s first blockchain-backed facility
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) plans to create the first precious metals refinery and storage facility in the Gulf region enabled by blockchain technology. The facility will refine and store precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium, which will be tokenised on goldexchange.com, a secured trading platform, it said in a statement. As […]
Israel picks Amazon’s AWS, Google for flagship cloud project
Israel’s government chose Amazon Web Services (AWS) (AMZN.O) and Google for a more than $1 billion project to provide cloud services for the country’s public sector and military. Amazon and Google beat out Microsoft (MSFT.O), Oracle (ORCL.N) and IBM (IBM.N) in the tender for the four phase project known as “Nimbus”, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday. They will establish local cloud […]
