Foreign
Virus pandemic's impact on employment worse than expected: ILO
October 28, 2021, 1:15 pm
GENEVA – Working hours lost in 2021 due to the pandemic will be significantly higher than estimated, according to an International Labor Organization (ILO) report released on Wednesday. The eighth edition of the ILO Monitor: Covid-19 and the World of Work report also points out that differing… Read More
Biden declares novel initiatives to broaden US-Asean partnership
October 27, 2021, 9:34 pm
JAKARTA – US President Joe Biden expressed intent to offer up to USD102 million in new-fangled initiatives to expand the US-Asean strategic partnership. Biden made the announcement at a virtual meeting with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member states and the Asean… Read More
World spends $423B on fossil fuel subsidies annually: UN
October 27, 2021, 5:11 pm
UNITED NATIONS – The UN said on Wednesday the world spends USD423 billion to subsidize fossil fuels each year, which is four times the amount needed to help poor countries tackle the climate crisis. UN Development Program (UNDP) launched a campaign called "Don’t Choose Extinction" to draw… Read More
G20 Leaders' Summit to focus on climate, health, global economy
October 27, 2021, 3:40 pm
ROME – Luigi Mattiolo, a senior diplomatic advisor to Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, said on Tuesday that the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit will broadly focus on three main areas: climate change, health, and the global economic recovery. Speaking to reporters via video… Read More
Twitter posts $536-M loss in Q3
October 27, 2021, 1:40 pm
ANKARA – US-based microblogging and social networking service Twitter reported a net loss of USD536.7 million in the third quarter of 2021, according to its financial results released Tuesday. The results showed a steep decline from net income of USD28.6 million in the same period of last… Read More
Good potential for Asean-Korea ties in green economy: Widodo
October 27, 2021, 1:26 pm
JAKARTA – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Republic of Korea need to take advantage of the great potential for partnerships to push green and digital economy for the welfare of the global community, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said. “I have a view that this… Read More
Biden pledges $100M in US funding at Asean summit
October 27, 2021, 12:12 pm
WASHINGTON – The US will invest $100 million through a program to advance cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries, President Joe Biden said Tuesday. Speaking at a virtual US-Asean summit, Biden called the relationship between the US and Asean "vital" and the… Read More
Japan's Princess Mako marries boyfriend, loses royal status
October 26, 2021, 4:46 pm
ISTANBUL – Princess Mako of Japan’s imperial family married her “commoner” boyfriend on Tuesday, thus losing her royal status. Mako married her university sweetheart Kei Komuro, also 30, and Japan’s Imperial Household Agency submitted the legal paperwork in capital Tokyo to register… Read More
SoKor to start easing Covid restrictions next month
October 25, 2021, 4:41 pm
ANKARA – South Korea on Monday announced that it would begin easing COVID-19 restrictions starting next month, local media reported. "Based on stable containment and high vaccination rates, we are commencing a gradual return to normal life," Yonhap News Agency quoted the country's President Moon… Read More
UK administers record number of Covid booster shots
October 25, 2021, 1:21 pm
LONDON – The UK administered a record 325,140 COVID-19 booster shots Saturday, according to the National Health Service (NHS). Over the past 72 hours, more than 800,000 jabs were administered, it announced Sunday. "It's fantastic to see so many coming forward to book in their vital… Read More
Trump media stocks jump 800% after new platform announcement
October 24, 2021, 3:44 pm
ANKARA – Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), the special-purpose acquisition company that will take former US President Donald Trump’s planned social media platform public, saw its stock price soar more than 800 percent just in two days of trading. The company, which trades on the Nasdaq… Read More
UK records another 44,985 new coronavirus cases
October 24, 2021, 10:48 am
LONDON – Another 44,985 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,734,934, according to official figures released Saturday. The country also reported a further 135 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of… Read More
Canada lifts advisory vs. non-essential int'l travel
October 23, 2021, 6:03 pm
OTTAWA – The Canadian government has lifted its advisory against all non-essential international travel by Canadians outside the country which were in place since the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in March 2020. The new advisories for each country have now reverted to… Read More
Covid-19 vaccines available for all in 2022: BioNTech founders
October 23, 2021, 3:50 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – BioNTech co-founders Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci said Friday they expect there would be enough supply of Covid-19 vaccines by mid to late 2022 to immunize the global population. Speaking at a press conference here where they will later accept the prestigious Princess of Asturias… Read More
Pfizer says its Covid-19 vax 90% effective in kids
October 23, 2021, 1:27 pm
WASHINGTON – Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said their coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine is safe and 90.7 percent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 in children aged 5 to 11. The companies revealed the data in a document posted Friday ahead of a meeting of advisers to the US Food and Drug… Read More
Vaccine booster restores full protection vs. Covid-19: Pfizer
October 22, 2021, 12:29 pm
WASHINGTON – Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that a large-scale trial of their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine booster showed it restored full protection against the disease. In Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial, a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose was administered to more… Read More
Japan’s ex-minister accepts 3-year jail term over vote buying
October 21, 2021, 4:49 pm
ISTANBUL – A ruling party member and former minister in Japan on Thursday accepted a three-year jail term for corruption during the 2019 elections. The move by former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai comes as Japan goes to general elections at the end of this month where the ruling Liberal… Read More
Moderna, Johnson & Johnson approved for booster shots in US
October 21, 2021, 4:16 pm
NEW YORK – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved emergency use of booster doses by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson against the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA said in a statement that it has approved the "use of each of the available Covid-19 vaccines as a heterologous (or 'mix… Read More
IMF revises Asia growth forecast to 6.5% amid Covid-19 resurgence
October 20, 2021, 12:49 pm
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday revised down its 2021 economic growth forecast for Asia to 6.5 percent, down by 1.1 percentage points from its April projection, according to a newly released regional economic outlook. "The resurgence of the pandemic, amid initially… Read More
Facebook plans to hire 10K workers in EU to build metaverse
October 20, 2021, 12:17 pm
ANKARA – Facebook said it is planning to create 10,000 new high-skilled jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build the next computing platform metaverse. US-based global social media and networking service firm said metaverse, the new phase of interconnected virtual… Read More
