World

LONDON: Britain’s vaccines minister on Friday (Mar 5) dismissed suggestions that the country was getting key COVID-19 jabs intended for poorer countries, insisting that 10 million doses coming from India were always intended for distribution in the UK Nadhim Zahawi, in an interview with The Associated Press, confirmed reports that the Serum Institute of India, one of the world’s largest vaccine makers, would be sending doses of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca to the UK. Non-governmental organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres have raised concerns that shipments from the Serum Institute would reduce supplies to developing countries. Zahawi insisted this was not the case. “We, of course, sought assurances from AstraZeneca and from Serum that our doses...

BANGKOK: Protesters in Myanmar fear they are being tracked with Chinese facial recognition technology, as spiralling violence and street surveillance spark fears of a "digital dictatorship" to replace ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights groups say the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to check on citizens' movements poses a "serious threat" to their liberty. More than 200 people have been killed since Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi was overthrown in a Feb. 1 coup, triggering mass protests that security forces have struggled to suppress with increasingly violent tactics. Security forces have focused on stamping out dissent in cities including the capital Naypyitaw, Yangon and Mandalay, where hundreds of CCTV cameras had been installed as part of a drive to improve governance...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong health authorities have defended the practice of physically restraining some babies and children to beds in COVID-19 isolation wards after criticism built over the treatment of families under the city's strict anti-virus measures. Despite being one of the most densely packed cities in the world, Hong Kong has kept infections low thanks to some of the most stringent quarantine measures in the world, recording about 11,000 infections and 200 deaths since the pandemic began. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus is immediately taken to isolation wards - regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not - and those deemed "close contacts" are sent to mandatory government quarantine camps. Almost all arrivals into the city must also quarantine in dedicated ho...

TAIPEI: Taiwan's classic beef noodle soup has taken on a sweet and sour twist. Taipei chef Hung Ching Lung created a pineapple beef noodle soup at his eponymous restaurant Chef Hung, in what he says is a modest attempt to support Taiwanese pineapple farmers. The spiky fruit became a politically charged symbol after China banned the import of Taiwan's pineapples on Mar 1, citing pests. In response, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen kicked off a social media challenge called "Eat Taiwan's pineapples until you burst", calling on people to support the island's farmers. The campaign has kicked off a pineapple media frenzy, as Taiwanese politicians sought to demonstrate their support for farmers as well as Taiwanese agriculture. Politicians from the ruling Democratic Progressive Part...

Overall, the stock "has a pretty constructive setup heading into the earnings print," the firm's senior technical research analyst said Friday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." The department store operator's implied volatility — how far up or down its stock could swing after its earnings report on Friday — is higher than it has been in years, Piper Sandler's Craig Johnson told CNBC last week. "You had a little bit of a bullish flag that's formed," Johnson said, referencing Big Lots' stock chart. "The $64 level, which it's coming back up to retest, is a pretty big overhead resistance level, and any sort of break above that would be a nice indication of another leg higher starting to unfold." Big Lots shares ended trading up 1.5% on Friday at $63.54. "I'd also point out that the relative stre...

MANILA: The Philippines received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday (Feb 28), among the last in Southeast Asia to secure the critical doses despite having the second-highest number of infections and deaths in the region. A Chinese military transport aircraft carrying 600,000 doses of vaccine donated by China arrived in an air base in the capital in a late afternoon event beamed live on state-run TV. President Rodrigo Duterte and top Cabinet officials welcomed the delivery of the vaccine from China-based Sinovac Biotech in a televised ceremony that underscored their relief after weeks of delays, officials said. “That plane is carrying hope that we can finally return to our lives and light for our very dark journey,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. Vaccinatio...

U.S. consumer spending increased by the most in seven months in January as the government doled out more pandemic relief money to low-income households and new COVID-19 infections dropped, setting up the economy for faster growth in the first quarter. WASHINGTON: U.S. consumer spending increased by the most in seven months in January as the government doled out more pandemic relief money to low-income households and new COVID-19 infections dropped, setting up the economy for faster growth in the first quarter. Despite the strong rebound in consumer spending reported by the Commerce Department on Friday, price pressures were muted. Inflation is being closely watched amid concerns from some quarters that President Joe Biden's proposed US$1.9 trillion COVID-19 recovery package could cause t...