ZURICH, Switzerland (AFP) — US-based Atea Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday its plans to develop an orally administered drug to treat coronavirus patients together with Swiss pharma giant Roche have suffered a set back in clinical trials. The drug “did not meet its primary endpoint, showing no significant reduction in viral load,” Atea said in a statement. When compared to a placebo administered to some of the hospitalised patients in the trial “no meaningful difference was seen […]
Other News
Germany ‘vehemently condemns’ North Korea missile test
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Germany said Wednesday it “vehemently condemns” the test of a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile by North Korea. “With this test, North Korea has once again violated its obligations under relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and endangered international and regional security and stability,” a spokesman for the foreign ministry said in a statement. The test, carried out on Tuesday near Sinpo, the site of a major naval […]
Gates Foundation invests $120 million for Covid pill access
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday announced an investment of up to $120 million in an effort to speed up low-income countries’ access to a new anti-Covid drug. The treatment, a pill called molnupiravir developed by US lab Merck, reduces the risk of hospitalization by half in Covid-19 patients who take it in their first few days of infection, the company has said, and could be even more […]
Antetokounmpo leads Bucks in Nets blowout, LeBron’s Lakers stumble
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points as the Milwaukee Bucks launched the defence of their NBA crown on Tuesday with a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were outgunned by the Golden State Warriors. Antetokounmpo picked up where he left off in guiding the Bucks to victory in the NBA Finals last season, leading an emphatic all-round offensive display that included 14 […]
14 killed in rare Damascus army bus bombing
by Youssef Karwashan with Omar Haj Kadour in Ariha DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — A bomb attack on an army bus in Damascus killed 14 people Wednesday in the bloodiest such attack to strike the Syrian capital in four years, the SANA state news agency reported. There was no immediate claim for the bombing but moments later shelling by government forces killed eight people in the Idlib region controlled by groups that have claimed such attack […]
Japan’s Mount Aso volcano erupts
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Mount Aso erupted Wednesday, spewing a giant column of ash thousands of metres into the sky as hikers rushed away from the popular tourist spot. No injuries were immediately reported after the late-morning eruption in southwest Japan, which sent rocks flying in a dramatic blast captured by nearby CCTV cameras. People were warned not to approach the volcano as it ejected hot gas and ash as high as 3,500 […]
PNP COVID-19 tally at 41,398
(Eagle News) — Sixty-one more COVID-19 cases have been reported among police personnel. According to recent Philippine National Police data, the additional cases pushed the PNP COVID-19 total to 41,398. Of these, 848 were active. PNP COVID-19 recoveries are at 40,427, with the addition of 62 recoveries. The COVID-19 death toll among police personnel remains 123 with no additional deaths reported. PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar has said over 80 percent of the police force was […]
Israel reports subvariant of Delta coronavirus strain
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel has confirmed a case of a subvariant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus previously reported in some European countries, the health ministry said. “The variant AY 4.2. that has been discovered in a number of countries in Europe has been identified in Israel,” a ministry statement said late Tuesday. An 11-year-old boy arriving from Europe was the carrier, the ministry said, adding that the case was identified at Ben Gurion […]
Immigration bureau: Over 9,000 Filipinos arrived in PHL through Subic airport since July reopening
(Eagle News) — Over 9,000 Filipinos have returned to the Philippines via the newly reopened Subic airport, the Bureau of Immigration said. According to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, based on information from BI-Clark International Airport (CIA) head supervisor Maan Krista Lapid-Legaspi, 9,111 passengers arrived in the country through the airport since the same reopened in July to service special commercial flights from abroad after a decade of halted service. “Our immigration officers in Clark are […]
Floods, landslides kill 116 in India and Nepal
by Mahesh Pandey with Paavan Mathema in Kathmandu Agence France Presse DEHRADUN, India (AFP) — More than 100 people have died in several days of massive flooding and devastating landslides that swept away roads and houses in India and Nepal, officials said Wednesday, with scores more missing. In Uttarakhand in northern India, officials said that 46 people had died in recent days with 11 missing. In Kerala in the south chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said […]
What’s allowed and what’s not under Covid alert levels as expanded pilot starts
(Eagle News) — With the expansion of the COVID-19 alert level system to more areas outside Metro Manila starting today, Wednesday, Oct. 20, Malacanang released the guidelines of the activities which are allowed and still banned under the different alert levels. Before Oct. 20, only Metro Manila was placed under the pilot test of the new alert level system. Currently, the National Capital Region (NCR) is under the so-called Alert Level 3. Starting today, […]
Lebanon’s car culture questioned in crisis
by Layal Abou Rahal Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – By challenging Lebanon’s national passion for automobile ownership, and driving growing numbers towards greener or more collective transport, the economic crisis is succeeding where everything else failed. In the absence of a functioning public transport system, car culture has thrived and many households, even modest ones, boast multiple vehicles. Since 2019, however, an ever worsening financial crisis has made petrol unaffordable for many and long […]
