KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia is considering making face masks compulsory in public following the emergence of 13 new coronavirus clusters since the government relaxed broad curbs on movement and businesses last month, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said ... More »
HERAT (Reuters) – In the eastern Afghan city of Herat, 18-year-old high school student Somaya Faruqi adjusts a suction cap as she puts the finishing touches before unveiling a low-cost, lightweight ventilator created by her and six other young women. The all-f... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia reported on Monday its second-highest daily increase in coronavirus-related deaths with 96 fatalities, a day after registering a record daily jump in deaths, data presented by health ministry official Achmad Yurianto showed. The c... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia faces an avalanche of business failures in its transport and hospitality sectors after government subsidies end in September, insolvency lawyers and economists say, while some argue that so-called ‘zombie’ firms should be allowed t... More »
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh has approved the third-phase trial of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, officials said on Monday, as infections continue to rise in the densely-populated South Asian country. Sinovac has been lo... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – French specialty vaccines company Valneva will participate in Britain’s COVID-19 vaccine response programme, the company said on Monday and will provide up to 100 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to the plan. Valneva also sai... More »
(Reuters) – Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time golf major winner, said on Sunday that he was ill with COVID-19 earlier this year and his wife Barbara had also tested positive for the coronavirus. At 80 years old, Nicklaus is in the higher risk category for being serio... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – While the cinema drive-in may have gotten a boost as lockdowns gradually come to an end amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in Paris film fans can now munch on their popcorn watching a movie from a boat on the river Seine. As part of Paris Plages, th... More »
(This July 17 story corrects paragraph seven to say study was released online on June 16, not July 16) LONDON (Reuters) – British scientists analysing data from a widely-used COVID-19 symptom-tracking app have found there are six distinct types of the disease,... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Full dexamethasone trial results released The full results... More »
(Reuters) – Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter are in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus this week, days after her husband and father-in-law were admitted, the Times of India reported on Saturday. Rai’s father-in-law Amitabh Ba... More »
LAGOS (Reuters) – Oreoluwa Akinnawo is in his element. Lagos’s bars and restaurants are shut and Nigerians are struggling to socialise. The pandemic is his perfect time to find a soul mate online. “The dating thing during this restriction works perfectly for m... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A growth spurt in the balance sheets of the world’s biggest central banks has crested in recent weeks, drawing warnings from investors that any signs of backpedaling on stimulus will jolt financial markets and strangle economic recovery. The... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Lung radiation may hasten COVID-19 pneumonia recovery A lo... More »
ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) – Two lawmakers in Madagascar have died of COVID-19 and at least 25 members of parliament and of the senate have been infected with the virus since the first case was confirmed on the island in March, President Andry Rajoelina said late ... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – President Joko Widodo said the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia is expected to peak in August or September, the state news agency Antara reported on Monday, two to three months later than earlier projected. “Based on data the peak is (now)... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s government on Monday started restricting Chinese airlines to one passenger flight to France per week, saying it was acting in response to restrictions imposed by Beijing on French carriers flying to China. “From July 13, Chinese comp... More »
(Reuters) – Coronavirus infections rose above 13 million across the world on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, climbing by one million in just five days in a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people. The Reuters global tally, which is based... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian institute developing one of the country’s potential coronavirus vaccines hopes to start its final stage testing in a small section of the general public in mid-August, the RIA news agency cited the institute’s director as saying on... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Lonza Group said on Monday that China’s Junshi Biosciences has licensed the Swiss contract drug manufacturer’s technology to help produce a neutralizing antibody against COVID-19. Lonza said Junshi’s first neutralizing antibody against the n... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – One in three South Korean patients seriously ill with COVID-19 showed an improvement in their condition after being given Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral remdesivir, health authorities said. More research was needed to determine if the improv... More »
ALMATY (Reuters) – Kazakhstan will extend its second coronavirus lockdown by two weeks until the end of July, and will once again offer financial aid to those who have lost their source of income, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Monday. Kazakhstan, whi... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Very few of 2,000 school children and teachers tested in the German state of Saxony showed antibodies to COVID-19, a study found on Monday, suggesting schools may not play as big a role in spreading the virus as some had feared. Germany bega... More »
BARCELONA/LLEIDA (Reuters) – The leader of the Spanish region of Catalonia called on residents of an area that has seen a surge in coronavirus cases to stay at home, despite a ruling by a judge who threw out a mandatory lockdown order for the district of 160,0... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Fans across India prayed on Monday for Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and others members of his movie star family who have fallen sick with the coronavirus as the one-day rise in infections hit a new record without any sign of a peak. Bac... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused President Donald Trump of “messing with” children’s health on Sunday and said federal guidelines on reopening schools amid the coronavirus outbreak should be mandatory. The Democratic House of Represent... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she believes U.S. lawmakers can find a compromise on extending jobless benefits and unemployment insurance for Americans struggling amid coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. “We have to fin... More »
BETHESDA, Md. (Reuters) – President Donald Trump, who has avoided wearing a mask in public even as the coronavirus pandemic spread, donned one on Saturday at a military medical facility outside Washington where he was to meet with wounded soldiers and front-li... More »
(Reuters) – Mickey waved from a distance and visitors wore colorful face masks with mouse ears on Saturday as Florida’s Walt Disney World opened to the public for the first time in four months amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the state. Walt Disney Co (DIS... More »
(Reuters) – The Badminton World Federation (BWF) are seeking more information from China about its decision to cancel all international sport in the country this year before they make a decision on the season-ending World Tour Finals. The World Tour Finals, sc... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a clash among medical experts over disease transmission that stretches back nearly a century – to the very origins of germ theory. The Geneva-based World Health Organization acknowledged this week that t... More »
(Reuters) – As scientists question whether the presence, or absence, of antibodies to the novel coronavirus can reliably determine immunity, some are looking to a different component of the immune system, known as T cells, for their role in protecting people i... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Tuberculosis vaccine may limit COVID-19 deaths A tuberculo... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists warned on Wednesday of a potential wave of coronavirus-related brain damage as new evidence suggested COVID-19 can lead to severe neurological complications, including inflammation, psychosis and delirium. A study by researchers a... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Coronavirus tricks the body into attacking the brain Numer... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugmaker Merck said on Wednesday it had agreed to supply its potential COVID-19 drug Rebif to European Union countries should orders be placed for the treatment. The comment followed a Reuters report earlier on Wednesday about a d... More »
(Reuters) – Several Silicon Valley firms backed by venture capitalists were unsure over whether to apply for a U.S. pandemic aid program, but data analyzed by CB Insights shows a big chunk of companies that raised funds this year also applied for the aid. Some... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Study may explain severity of COVID-19 in high-risk groups... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia reported 1,209 new coronavirus infections and 70 new deaths on Monday, its health ministry said. The case total is currently 64,958 and number of fatalities 3,241, said Achmad Yurianto, a ministry official. Source: https://www.reu... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British new car registrations fell by an annual 35% in June, the smallest drop since February, as many dealerships reopened after coronavirus lockdown measures were lifted. A total of 145,377 new cars were registered in June, leaving year-to... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Several dozen Paris tour guides wearing masks and holding Mona Lisa portraits protested outside the Louvre museum on Monday for more support from the government to help them ride out the coronavirus crisis and a dearth of tourists. They gathe... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British finance minister Rishi Sunak will try to restart the country’s economy by giving homebuyers a tax break and cutting value-added tax for pubs, restaurants and other hospitality firms, The Times newspaper reported. Sunak is due to anno... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will invest nearly $2 billion in the arts and hopes to allow outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues as it tries to help a high-profile sector hit hard by the coronavirus. Spanning theatres in London’s West End... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain hopes to permit outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues, minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, after announcing a nearly $2 billion investment in the arts. “I want all our cultural institutions to return to no... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s official coronavirus case tally, the fourth largest in the world, rose to 687,862 on Monday after officials reported 6,611 new infections in the last 24 hours. Authorities also said 135 people had died overnight, bringing Russia’s o... More »
LONDON/BERLIN/MILAN (Reuters) – It’s tough to do any useful work when you’re stuck at home, struggling to home-school bickering kids, let alone when you’re trying to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. British drugmaker AstraZeneca (AZN.L) had spent years preparing fo... More »
(Reuters) – Hundreds of scientists say there is evidence that the novel coronavirus in smaller particles in the air can infect people and are calling for the World Health Organization to revise recommendations, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The WHO ... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – French Open organizers are taking every precaution to ensure the Grand Slam does not meet the same fate as Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour, which was abandoned after several players tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Guy Forget ha... More »
(Reuters) – The National Hockey League and union representing its players have reached a tentative agreement on protocols to resume a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Sunday. Daly told Reuters the two sides... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Around one fifth of German companies (21%) believe their survival is threatened by the coronavirus crisis, Germany’s Ifo institute said on Monday, with travel agents, hotels and restaurants particularly concerned. “We could see a wave of ins... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd (6702.T) said on Monday it would halve its office space in three years as it rewrites the way employees work under a “new normal” amid the coronavirus pandemic. The IT solutions company said its roughly 80,000 group employ... More »
BERLIN, Jul 06 (Reuters) – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 219 to 196,554, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 4 to 9,016, the tally showed. Sourc... More »
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican health authorities reported 4,683 confirmed new infections of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, pushing its tally to a total of 256,848, and 273 more deaths to a total of 30,639. Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell has repea... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The risk of a deeper economic euro zone recession than predicted in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) baseline scenario has diminished, ECB governing council member Klaas Knot said on Friday. “Recent data solidifies the confidence in our ... More »
LUANDA (Reuters) – When the Angolan government imposed its coronavirus lockdown in late March, local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala saw a gap in the market when it came to virtual entertainment. Kiala and his team had been developing a performance pl... More »
(Reuters) – The Executive Committee of the Texas Republican Party voted on Thursday to push ahead and have their state convention in person this month despite a surge in coronavirus cases in Houston, where it will take place. The committee voted 40 to 20 to ho... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Low oxygen levels may be due to blood cell damage Damage d... More »
CARACAS(Reuters) – With Venezuela now three months into a coronavirus quarantine that has kept children locked indoors, music and art teachers and storytellers are for the first time moving their classes online. The change is an uphill battle in the South Amer... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A study of coronavirus infections that covered almost everyone in the quarantined north Italian town of Vò found that 40% of cases showed no symptoms – suggesting that asymptomatic cases are important in the spread of the pandemic. The study... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – Louisa Sumagui and her family wanted a final momento of their 12 years in Dubai before returning to Australia after losing jobs in the tourism industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. The moment was captured for Sumagui, her husband and two ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo on Tuesday said it will move away from numerical targets to contain COVID-19 and rely more on the advice of a committee of experts, to try to control the novel coronavirus and avoid another economic slowdown. The metropolis, with a popu... More »
NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – Funds that rode the market’s rally to generate the highest second-quarter returns included those invested in assets such as mining stocks, energy and technology. Global financial markets staged an impressive rebound in the second qu... More »
(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to release guidance on Tuesday outlining its conditions for approving a vaccine for the coronavirus, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a summary of the guidance. The agency would require drugmakers... More »
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s prime minister on Tuesday warned citizens against flouting rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, as he extended a vast social security scheme until November. Several Indian cities prepared to extend their l... More »
LEICESTER, England (Reuters) – Britain has imposed a stringent lockdown on the English city of Leicester following a local flare-up of the novel coronavirus, overshadowing Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempts to nudge the country back to normality. The Unit... More »
(Reuters) – Nick Kyrgios and Boris Becker traded insults on social media on Tuesday following the Australian’s criticism of Alexander Zverev after a video appeared to show the German dancing in a crowded club despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The video was posted... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – The Indian government will extend a free foodgrain distribution scheme for 800 million people amid the ongoing pandemic until the end of November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a national address on Tuesday. Modi said thousands of liv... More »
(Reuters) – The United States saw a 46% increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended June 28 compared to the previous seven days, with 21 states reporting positivity test rates above the level that the World Health Organization has flagged as concerning... More »
KINSHASA (Reuters) – In central Kinshasa, freshly painted murals show traditional idols wearing medical masks or applying hand sanitiser, part of an art initiative to counter public disbelief in the face of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping Democratic Republic... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday announced he was taking a “hard pause” on when movie theaters in the city can reopen, citing an increase in coronavirus cases. Los Angeles County is the biggest movie theater market in the Unite... More »
(Reuters) – Broadway theaters will remain closed through Jan. 3, 2021, industry group the Broadway League said on Monday, extending their coronavirus-related shutdown for another four months. The New York City theaters, which went dark in mid-March, had previo... More »
(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. “Tentacles” on hijacked cells might help coronavirus sprea... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Andrea Crisanti says his one regret is that he didn’t yell loudly enough at the beginning, when the dead had yet to pile up. The Italian virologist has become a medical celebrity at home, a contrarian who broke with initial World Health Org... More »
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wore a mask and avoided shaking hands with supporters at a political rally on Sunday as the coronavirus pandemic prompted changes to campaigning ahead of regional elections. Polls in the Basque Country... More »
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, pushing the country’s total above 500,000, federal health ministry data showed on Saturday, with infections surging in major cities including the capital New Delhi. ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Famed for snapping up glitzy real estate and stakes in troubled international banks during the global financial crisis, sovereign wealth funds are investing more at home, a trend set to accelerate in the wake of the economic carnage wrought ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Louvre Museum is getting ready to reopen almost four months after COVID-19 forced it to close, but visitors will find one feature missing: the heaving crowd jostling to get a view of the “Mona Lisa”. With many foreign tourists not ex... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The Musee d’Orsay in Paris, home of the French Impressionists, reopened to the public on Tuesday, three months after being forced to shut by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its head called for state help to recover from the financial costs of the ... More »
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday he expects the country’s economy to recover quickly from the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We have a chance for a V-shaped recovery,” Morawiecki told a conference. Poles... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s notorious dog-meat festival has opened in defiance of a government campaign to improve animal welfare and reduce risks to health highlighted by the novel coronavirus outbreak, but activists are hopeful its days are numbered. The an... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s capital will see a “cliff-like” drop in new cases in a recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus by the end of this week with efforts to cut chains of transmission underway, a disease control expert said. The city of more than 20 mil... More »
(Reuters) – White House adviser Kevin Hassett will leave the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump this summer, Axios reported bit.ly/2Npsi61 on Monday, citing two officials. Hassett had returned as an adviser earlier this year to help the Trump admini... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British industrial output recorded its biggest quarterly fall on record during the three months to June as COVID-19 heavily disrupted operations, and a further decline is likely in the months to come, a survey showed on Monday. The Confedera... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – International music and film stars will headline a globally televised and streamed fundraising concert on Saturday to help fight COVID-19 as part of a joint initiative by the advocacy group Global Citizen and the European Commission. The ini... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – The global coronavirus pandemic has been exacerbated by polititicisation, the World Health Organization’s director general said on Monday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking at a virtual health forum organised by the World Government Sum... More »
(Reuters) – Croatia’s Borna Coric, who played in Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour exhibition tournament at the weekend, said on Monday he had tested positive for COVID-19. Coric’s positive test follows that of Grigor Dimitrov, who said on Sunday he had contracted t... More »
SOFIA (Reuters) – CSKA Sofia’s Australian striker Tomi Juric has tested positive for COVID-19, the 31-times Bulgarian champions said in a statement late on Sunday. The 28-year-old forward, who has played 41 times for his country, has been isolated. Other CSKA ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian officials tried to contain a fresh outbreak of the novel coronavirus on Monday, telling residents in the cluster hotspots to avoid travel outside their suburbs in Melbourne, the country’s second-largest city. Victoria state of whi... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand hopes to ease some coronavirus restrictions on foreigners entering the country after going for 28 days without recording any domestic transmissions, a senior official said on Monday. Those who will benefit from the easing of restri... More »
(Reuters) – Shionogi & Co Ltd said it is partnering with Japanese universities to develop a saliva test for coronavirus that can yield visual results in 25 minutes. The method, known as SATIC, involves heating a sample of saliva and adding it to a reagent that... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China reported 18 new coronavirus cases for June 21, 9 of which were in the capital Beijing, the National Health Commission said on Monday. This compared with 26 confirmed cases a day earlier, 22 of which were in Beijing. Local authorities ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 537 to 190,359, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 3 to 8,885, the tally showed. Source: https... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing’s municipal health authority reported on Monday nine new cases of the coronavirus in the city for June 21, down from 22 a day earlier. The city of more than 20 million people reported its first case in the latest wave on June 11. Th... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration is doing “a great job” reopening the country after lockdowns to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said on Sunday, as infections continued to spike in some key st... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – There won’t be any moshing going on, but entertainment company Live Nation Entertainment are rolling out a series of gigs across the UK where fans can be together to get their fix of live events from the safety of their own designated area. ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Boarded-up shops, a depressing sight for New Yorkers after looters infiltrated anti-racism marches in the city’s trendiest neighborhoods, are being transformed into canvases of hope with paintbrushes wielded by a small army of artists. The... More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Many directors would have been devastated when their plans to show their first feature at the Cannes Film Festival were wrecked by the spread of COVID-19. But Lebanon’s Jimmy Keyrouz said he took heart from the themes of his movie “Broken Ke... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Ever since the novel coronavirus reached Cuba, a tall cardboard box with arms and legs can be seen tottering around a Havana suburb, popping into the bakery or butchers, or browsing the newspaper stand. This is Feridia Rojas, 82, who decided... More »
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungarian artist Jozsef Szurcsik lost four of his friends in a matter of weeks to COVID-19 and the tremendous pain and grief he feels has transformed his art. Szurcsik, who teaches at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and is one of the... More »
CHONBURI, Thailand (Reuters) – Volunteer pet groomer Kriengkai Thatwakorn is thrilled to be back helping out stray dogs in Thailand, some in urgent need of a shearing after waiting three sweltering months for a trim. A domestic travel ban to contain the novel ... More »
