Coronavirus pandemic President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9tn (£1.4tn) stimulus plan for the coronavirus-sapped US economy before he takes office next week. If passed by Congress, it would include $1tn for households, with direct payments of $1,400 to all Americans. The relief proposal includes $415bn to fight the virus and $440bn for small businesses. […]
Coronavirus pandemic The Australian city of Brisbane will enter a snap three-day lockdown after a cleaner in its hotel quarantine system became infected with coronavirus. Health officials said the cleaner had the highly transmissible UK variant and they were afraid it could spread. Brisbane has seen very few cases of the virus beyond quarantined travellers […]
By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) – Public health experts advising Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on Tuesday for the swift imposition of a state of emergency in the Tokyo area as daily COVID-19 cases hit a record and some citizens accused the government of dragging its feet. The government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary […]
By Estelle Shirbon, Natalie Thomas LONDON (Reuters) – Britain began its third COVID-19 lockdown on Tuesday with the government calling for one last major national effort to defeat the spread of a virus that has infected an estimated one in 50 citizens before mass vaccinations turn the tide. Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a new package […]
Coronavirus pandemic Experts have raised concerns over India’s emergency approval of a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine before the completion of trials. On Sunday, Delhi approved the vaccine – known as Covaxin – as well as the global AstraZeneca Oxford jab, which is also being manufactured in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi touted the approval as a […]
By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India on Sunday granted emergency approval to Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN but faced questions from industry experts and opposition lawmakers after taking the step without publishing efficacy data for the homegrown coronavirus vaccine. The news, announced by the drugs controller general of India (DCGI), was hailed by Prime Minister […]
Tata Group has increased its stake in AirAsia India as it looks to increase its share of India’s airline industry. On Tuesday the company announced it would increase its holdings in the Indian-based joint venture with AirAsia from 51% to 84%. AirAsia, owned by Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes, has been scaling back its operations during […]
Asia has a new richest person thanks to his vaccine-making firm and bottled water company. Zhong Shanshan has seen his wealth surge $7bn (£5.1bn) this year, helping him leapfrog India’s Mukesh Ambani and China’s Jack Ma. His is worth $77.8bn, making him the world’s 11th richest person according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Nicknamed the […]
Coronavirus pandemic France is to mobilise 100,000 police and gendarmes on New Year’s Eve to break up parties and enforce a curfew imposed to combat coronavirus. The extra security also aims at halting the torching of cars that often takes place on the final night of the year. France has confirmed 2.6m Covid-19 cases, the […]
By Alistair Smout, Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Wednesday became the first country to approve the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, hoping that rapid action will help it stem a record surge of infections driven by a highly contagious form of the virus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, which has ordered […]
