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May
Moderna sign COVID-19 vaccine production deal with South Korea's Samsung Biologics
Written by nuke
Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration -
Moderna said on Saturday (May 22) it has entered into an agreement with Samsung Biologics, a deal which will allow the South Korean biopharmaceutical firm to produce the US company's mRNA vaccine.
Moderna intends to supply these vaccines to markets outside of the United States starting in the third quarter of 2021, it said in a press release.
The firm also signed two memoranda of understanding (MOU) with South Korea's government, one with Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH) and another with Ministry of Trade and Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea (MOTIE).
South Korea has secured access to 40 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna said.
"We will continue to explore options for establishing potential local manufacturing opportunities in South Korea," Moderna's Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said//CNA
May
Bolsonaro fined for breaking COVID-19 restrictions in Brazil
Written by nuke
President Jair Bolsonaro ignored state Covid-19 safety regulations when he met with hundreds of supporters at an unscheduled visit to the city of Senador La Rocque in Maranhao state, Brazil on May 21, 2021 AFP/Isac NOBREGA -
President Jair Bolsonaro must pay a fine for failing to adhere to state health safety regulations at a public event, the governor of Maranhao state said, as Brazil struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health authorities filed the case against Bolsonaro "for the promotion in Maranhao of gatherings with no sanitary safeguards. The law applies to everyone," the governor of the northeastern state, leftist Flavio Dino, tweeted late Friday.
Dino reminded the public that gatherings of more than 100 people are banned in his state, and the use of face masks is mandatory.
Bolsonaro's office has 15 days to appeal, after which the amount of the fine will be set. The office did not answer requests for comment from AFP.
On Friday, Bolsonaro handed out rural property titles in Acailandia, some 500km from Sao Luis, capital of Maranhao state.
At the event the maskless Bolsonaro blasted Governor Dino as a "chubby dictator."
The far-right Brazilian president opposes coronavirus confinement rules, and has attacked state governors who impose local health restrictions as "dictators."
Brazil has the world's second highest coronavirus death toll, after the United States.
The first case in Brazil of the Indian COVID-19 variant was confirmed Thursday in Maranhao - one of the country's poorest states - among six crew members of a cargo ship registered in Hong Kong//CNA
May
Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire holding as aid arrives in Gaza
Written by nuke
A truck loaded with humanitarian aid passes through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Photo: AFP/SAID KHATIB) -
The ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza was holding Saturday (May 22), as humanitarian aid began to enter the Israeli-blockaded enclave ravaged by 11 days of bloodshed.
As thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their homes, and Israelis began to resume normal life on Friday, international focus turned to the reconstruction of the bomb-shattered Gaza Strip.
In Jerusalem, however, Israeli police cracked down on stone-throwing protesters at the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in a sign of how volatile the situation remains, two weeks after similar clashes sparked the conflict's worst escalation in years.
Israeli forces beat an AFP photographer who was covering the unrest there.
Clashes also broke out in several other parts of Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem, and at the crossing point between Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israeli police said, adding that hundreds of officers and border guards had been mobilised.
US President Joe Biden said he had told the Israelis to stop "intercommunal fighting" in Jerusalem, and pledged to help organise efforts to rebuild Gaza.
He also stressed "we still need a two-state solution. It is the only answer, the only answer".
Convoys of lorries carrying aid began passing into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing after it was reopened by Israel, bringing much-needed medicine, food and fuel.
The UN's Central Emergency Response Fund said it had released US$18.5 million for humanitarian efforts.
In total, Israeli air strikes have killed 248 people including 66 children since May 10, and wounded 1,948 others, the health ministry has said. Fighters are also among those killed.
Large areas have been flattened and some 120,000 people have been displaced, according to Hamas//CNA
May
Athletics-World Athletics approves 23 Russians to compete as neutral athletes
Written by nuke
Athletics-World Athletics approves 23 Russians to compete as neutral athletes -
World Athletics' doping review board on Saturday approved 23 Russians to compete at international competitions as neutral athletes, taking the total count to 27 this year.
Russia's athletics federation (RusAF) has been suspended since 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of mass doping among track and field athletes.
Among the 27 neutral athletes are Mikhail Akimenko (men's high jump) and Anzhelika Sidorova (women's pole vault), who won silver and gold at the 2019 World Championships, along with women's high jump world number one Mariya Lasitskene.
World Athletics has said there is no limit on the number of Russians who may compete as authorised neutral athletes in international competitions this year, apart from the Olympic Games and other championships.
Up to 10 Russians will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes at the July 23-Aug. 8 Tokyo Olympics if they meet certain criteria//CNA
May
China says Martian rover takes first drive on surface of Red Planet
Written by nuke
A screen broadcasts a CCTV state media news bulletin, showing an image of Mars taken by Chinese Mars rover Zhurong as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, in Beijing, China, May 19, 2021. (File photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter) -
A remote-controlled Chinese motorised rover drove down the ramp of a landing capsule on Saturday (May 22) and onto the surface of the Red Planet, making China the first nation to orbit, land and deploy a land vehicle on its inaugural mission to Mars.
Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, drove down to the surface of Mars at 10.40am Beijing time (0240 GMT), according to a post on the rover's official Chinese social media account.
The 240kg Zhurong, which has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera, will study the planet's surface soil and atmosphere.
Powered by solar energy, Zhurong will also look for signs of ancient life, including any subsurface water and ice, using a ground-penetrating radar during its 90-day exploration of the Martian surface.
China's uncrewed Tianwen-1 spacecraft blasted off from the southern Chinese island of Hainan in July last year. After more than six months in transit, Tianwen-1 reached the Red Planet in February where it had been in orbit since.
On May 15, the landing capsule carrying the rover separated from Tianwen-1 and touched down on a vast plain known as Utopia Planitia.
The first images taken by the rover were released by the Chinese space agency on Wednesday.
Tianwen-1 was one of three probes that reached Mars in February.
Hope - the third spacecraft to arrive in February - is not designed to land. Launched by the United Arab Emirates, it is orbiting above Mars, gathering data on its weather and atmosphere.
Perseverance and Zhurong are among three robotic rovers operating on Mars. The third is NASA's Curiosity, which landed in 2012.
NASA's InSight, which arrived on the surface of the planet in 2018 to study its interior, is a stationary module//CNA
May
Philippines and China hold 'friendly and candid' talks on South China Sea
Written by nuke
A Philippine coast guard ship sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in May 2019. (File photo: AFP/Ted Aljibe) -
The Philippines and China held "friendly and candid" talks on the South China Sea, the Philippines' foreign ministry said on Saturday (May 22), days after the minister ordered Chinese vessels out of the disputed waterway in an expletive-laced tweet.
The presence of hundreds Chinese vessels inside the Philippines 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been the latest source of tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, through which US$3 trillion worth of goods pass every year.
The Philippines said the encroaching vessels were manned by militia, while Beijing said they were fishing boats sheltering from bad weather.
"The two sides had friendly and candid exchanges on the general situation and specific issues of concern in the South China Sea," under a bilateral consultation mechanism convened in 2016 to ease tensions in the strategic waterway, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
"There was mutual recognition of the importance of dialogue in easing tensions and understanding each country's position and intentions in the area," the DFA said.
Earlier this month, Philippines Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin likened China to "an ugly oaf" for its behaviour in the waterway.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who prefers to not provoke Beijing and wants to tap it for loans and investment, barred his ministers from talking about the South China Sea situation in public after the outburst.
Also discussed during Friday's dialogue was the row over the June 2019 sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese fishing vessel that abandoned the Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea. The Philippine justice ministry will seek compensation for the victims, the DFA said.
Despite recent tensions, ties between the Philippines and China have improved under Duterte, who described the 2016 arbitration ruling on the South China Sea that went in Philippines' favour as just a "piece of paper" he could throw in the trash.
But the Philippines reiterated its call on Beijing to respect international law, including the arbitral ruling during the talks, the DFA said//CNA
May
Malaysia to tighten MCO 3.0 curbs, economic and social sectors affected
Written by nuke
Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiling the Pemerkasa package on Mar 17, 2021. (Photo: Bernama) -
Malaysia will tighten the current movement control order (MCO) with stricter restrictions on its economic and social sectors, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday (May 21).
A statement was issued following a National Security Council meeting, where the health ministry gave a presentation on the COVID-19 situation in the country, including the infection rate and the health capacity of each state.
"Details of the additional restrictions will be announced in a press conference by senior minister for defence on May 22," it added.
PMO noted that even with the strict measures under MCO 3.0, community cases continued to rise and the emergence of new variants have delayed efforts to flatten the infection curve.
State governments were involved in Friday's meeting to take into account the current situation in the respective states, it added.
The restrictions were gradually eased, with targeted measures imposed in localities with high cases.
However, all states except for Sarawak were placed under MCO again in February as the country consistently reported four-digit daily increases in COVID-19 cases.
A nationwide MCO was later reimposed in May. All economic sectors were allowed to operate, but there have been calls for the return of stricter lockdown measures when cases continued to climb//CNA
May
UK sees just 15 COVID-19 cases from events attended by 60,000
Written by nuke
Leicester fans were able to support their side live for the first time in 14 months AFP/MATTHEW CHILDS -
Only 15 people out of almost 60,000 who attended nine pilot events for mass gatherings have since tested positive for coronavirus, British health officials said Friday (May 21).
The government allowed limited crowds at the events - including two FA Cup games, the World Snooker Championship and the Brit Awards - over recent weeks to assess their impact on COVID-19 transmission.
Officials are now working to trace just 15 people to have tested positive following the nine official test events, with that level of infection in line with case numbers for the broader population.
"The aim of our world-leading events research programme is to examine the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large events and explore how crowds can be welcomed back in bigger numbers safely," a government spokesman said.
"The pilots have been designed in a scientifically controlled way to reduce the risk of transmission for attendees.
"We are working closely with NHS Test and Trace to ensure everyone can be traced following a positive test," the spokesman added, referring to Britain's state-run National Health Service.
The United Kingdom has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, but has been able to ease lockdown measures in part thanks to a highly successful vaccination campaign.
The government is hoping to lift remaining restrictions on Jun 21, but doubts have emerged after numerous spikes in the Indian variant of the virus across the country.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make an announcement on the next stage of the relaxations next week//CNA
May
South Korea on Friday approved Moderna Inc's (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine, as the country attempts to speed up its inoculation efforts, drug safety minister Kim Gang-lip told a news conference.
The green light comes after two of three expert panels recommended approval be granted for the two-dose vaccine based on safety and efficacy in late-stage trials in the United States. read more
Moderna is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in South Korea, following doses developed by AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L), Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), said Kim.
Moderna has a deal with South Korea to supply 40 million doses of its vaccine, although the shipment timeline is yet to be announced.
South Korean drugmaker GC Pharma (006280.KS) is in charge of the import and local distribution of the Moderna vaccine, while there were media reports about a plan by Samsung BioLogics Co Ltd (207940.KS) to produce the shots locally. read more
Seoul has ordered up to 192 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, including those made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Novavax (NVAX.O) and Johnson & Johnson.
South Korea's vaccination campaign has been hampered by global shortages and shipment delays. It has provided doses to just over 7% of its 52 million residents so far, as it aims to inoculate at least 13 million by June and reach herd immunity by November.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 561 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 134,678 infections, with 1,922 deaths. (Reuters)
May
Moscow Mayor decries low demand for COVID-19 vaccines
Written by Nur Yasmin
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Friday lamented how few residents had chosen to get vaccinated against COVID-19 despite free and easy access to shots since January, a rare admission by a Russian politician of the extent of the problem.
Hospitals in the Russian capital continue to be packed with sick and dying people, Sobyanin said, despite vaccines against the disease being widely available for almost six months.
"It is remarkable...People are getting sick, they continue to get sick, they continue to die. And yet they still don't want to get vaccinated," Sobyanin said in comments made at a meeting with activists last week but published in a blog post on Friday.
Russia was the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use, prior to the start of large-scale trials. Roll-out of the Sputnik V shot began in December and in the capital was rapidly opened up to all.
Since the start of this year, all that a Moscow resident needed to do to get a vaccine was show up at a clinic with their ID.
"We were the first major city in the world to announce the start of mass vaccination. And what?" Sobyanin said. "The percentage of vaccinated people in Moscow is less than in any European city. In some cases, several times over."
Walk-in vaccination centres were opened up in Moscow's shopping malls and parks. Pensioners were offered indirect payouts as an additional incentive, he said.
Yet just 1.3 million people in Moscow have received a shot so far, Sobyanin said, out of 12 million residents. That number could have been double by now, he added.
He blamed fear of vaccination for the problem.
Of seven passers-by interviewed by Reuters in Moscow, only one said they had been vaccinated. Many said they did not feel the need as they had already been sick with COVID-19, and had protective antibodies.
An independent poll conducted in early March showed that 62% of Russians were not willing to receive the Sputnik V vaccine, with 18 to 24-year-olds most reluctant. Most gave side effects - which can include fever and fatigue - as the main reason. (Reuters)