NewsAFP NewsVeteran Hong Kong activists convicted over huge democracy rally
Nine veteran Hong Kong activists face jail after they were convicted Thursday on unlawful assembly charges for their role in organising one of the biggest democracy protests to engulf the city in 2019.
NewsReutersMyanmar protesters defy crackdown as U.N. envoy warns of 'imminent bloodbath'
At least 20 soldiers were killed and four military trucks destroyed in clashes with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of Myanmar's most powerful rebel groups, DVB news reported. A KIA soldier cited by Kachin Liberation Media said the attack happened on Wednesday afternoon. Myanmar military aircraft have started bombing positions of another group, the Karen National Union (KNU), for the first time in more than 20 years and thousands of villagers have fled from their homes, many into Thailand.
BusinessAFP NewsAsian markets rally after Biden's new roads and bridges plan
Asian investors welcomed Joe Biden's economy-boosting infrastructure proposals Thursday, sending regional markets higher, while optimism was also given a boost by a healthy US private jobs report.
NewsAFP NewsDiplomatic allies Taiwan and Palau begin coronavirus travel bubble
Taiwan and Palau launched what is being billed as Asia's first coronavirus travel bubble on Thursday as the two diplomatic allies try to kickstart their battered tourist industries after successfully keeping infections at bay.
LifestyleAFP NewsImmortal protection: Covid-themed offerings for Malaysia 'Tomb Sweeping Day'
Paper masks and goggles are among offerings that ethnic Chinese in Malaysia will burn to mark "Tomb Sweeping Day", hoping their ancestors can use them to fight the coronavirus in the afterlife.
NewsReutersAustralia lifts Brisbane lockdown in time for Easter as COVID cases dwindle
Australia ended a lockdown of its third-biggest city Brisbane on Thursday, just in time for Easter holidays, as only one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case in Queensland state eased fears of a widespread outbreak. Video and photos on social media showed people wearing masks checking in at cafes and restaurants for lunch or having beer at bars as Brisbane emerged from its three-day snap lockdown at noon local time (0200 GMT). Residents are, however, still required to wear masks in public and some social distancing restrictions will remain in place, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said earlier in the day as she announced the easing of curbs.
NewsReutersExclusive: World Bank revises climate policy but stops short of halting fossil fuel funding
A revised World Bank policy on climate change commits to making financing decisions in line with efforts to limit global warming, but stops short of promising to halt funding of fossil fuels, according to a draft bank presentation seen by Reuters. The World Bank, the biggest provider of climate finance to developing countries, is finalizing a new five-year climate action plan amid growing political momentum in Britain, the United States and other countries for ending public financing of high-emission fossil fuel projects.
HealthReutersJ&J finds problem with COVID vaccine batch; NYTimes says 15 million doses ruined
J&J did not say how many vaccine doses the batch would have produced. The Times said that workers had conflated ingredients for the J&J vaccine and a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc, which is produced at the same plant, several weeks ago. The manufacturing misstep follows manufacturing issues at J&J, which is seen as one of the most important COVID-19 vaccines globally, because its vaccine is a single dose and requires relatively little special handling.
BusinessAFP NewsAs US newspapers slide toward abyss, a bidding war breaks out
Even as US newspapers sink toward an abyss, an unusual bidding war has broken out for a major chain, pitting hedge fund operators against civic-minded billionaires seeking to promote a nonprofit model for the struggling industry.
NewsAFP NewsMexico tourists have whale of a time as pandemic eases
A giant barnacle-encrusted gray whale nuzzles her calf next to a small boat of excited tourists in the waters off the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico.
BusinessAFP NewsJapan business confidence rebounds to pre-pandemic levels
Major Japanese manufacturers are feeling optimistic for the first time since the pandemic began, a key survey showed Thursday, marking a further improvement after business confidence plunged last year.
- NewsAFP News
Twin US YouTube stars plead guilty to 'bank robber' prank
Two US YouTube stars behind a "bank robber" prank that resulted in an unsuspecting Uber driver being held at gunpoint by police pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges Wednesday.
NewsReutersDefense tells Canada court that Huawei CFO's arrest was legal, but not her detainment
Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest was valid, but her ongoing detainment is illegal, defense lawyers told a Canadian court on Wednesday, in a slight deviation from China’s official stance on the case. Meng, 49, was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport on a warrant from the United States, where she faces charges of bank fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s business dealings in Iran. She maintains her innocence and is fighting extradition while under house arrest in Vancouver.
NewsHuffPostCalifornia Trump Fanatic Charged With Electroshocking Cop During Capitol Riot
Daniel Rodriguez was arrested following a HuffPost investigation identifying him as the rioter who used a stun gun on D.C. police officer Mike Fanone.
NewsAFP NewsBrazil grants emergency approval to J&J Covid vaccine
Brazil approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use Wednesday, the fourth vaccine to get regulatory approval in the hard-hit country.
TechnologyAFP NewsMicrosoft wins $22 bn US army contract for augmented reality gear
Microsoft has won a Pentagon contract for augmented reality headgear for soldiers worth $21.88 billion over the next decade, the company and the US military announced Wednesday.
NewsAFP NewsUN envoy urges action to prevent Myanmar 'civil war'
The UN envoy on Myanmar on Wednesday implored the Security Council to take action amid the escalating crisis there, warning of the risk of civil war and an imminent "bloodbath" as the junta violently represses pro-democracy protests.
BusinessReutersFord to provide update on financial impact of chip shortage next month
DETROIT (Reuters) -Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday, while announcing the latest North America production cuts at seven assembly plants due to the global chip shortage, that it would provide an update on April 28 to the expected hit to its 2021 profit. The update to that forecast will be provided when Ford reports first-quarter results on April 28. U.S. rival General Motors Co previously said its 2021 profit could be shaved by up to $2 billion due to the chip shortage.
BusinessReutersMicrosoft wins $21.9 billion contract with U.S. Army to supply augmented reality headsets
Microsoft Corp on Wednesday said it has won a deal to sell the U.S. Army augmented reality headsets based on its HoloLens product and backed by Azure cloud computing services. The contract could be worth up to $21.88 billion over 10 years, a Microsoft spokesman told Reuters. Over the past two years, Microsoft has worked with the Army to on the prototyping phase of what is called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS.
BusinessReutersAnalysis: Deliveroo's flop a wake-up call for tech hopefuls
A dismal London stock market debut for Deliveroo, coming on the heels of other lukewarm listings, may be a sign that investors are becoming more discerning when it comes to buying shares in companies that have yet to turn a profit. Deliveroo, the biggest UK listing in a decade, plunged as much as 31% after trading started on Wednesday, dealing a blow to London's hopes that more technology companies would be lining up to follow suit. The fate of the food delivery start-up was not an isolated case as investors have become more wary of record high stock market valuations and rising bond yields are fuelling concerns almost everywhere about so-called 'growth' stocks -- companies promising fast growth but often with no profits to speak for.
NewsReutersHonduran migrant boy, 4, found traveling alone by U.S.-Mexico border
A four-year-old Honduran boy was found traveling alone near to the Rio Grande river that separates Mexico from the United States with no one to claim him, the Mexican government said on Wednesday. Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) said the boy was found unaccompanied among trees and thickets as he walked towards the border. A group of three mothers and six children were located in the same area, but none of the adults took responsibility for the boy or acknowledged him as a relative, the INM said.
HealthAFP NewsBrazil closes out deadliest month of pandemic by far
Hard-hit Brazil closed out its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic by far on Wednesday, with 66,573 people killed by Covid-19 in March, more than double the previous record.
NewsReutersHezbollah: Time to end deadlock and agree new Lebanese government
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said on Wednesday it was time for politicians to make concessions to agree a new government that must rescue the country from financial crisis. Lebanon's financial meltdown is posing the most serious threat to stability since the 1975-1990 civil war, but politicians have been unable to form a government for months. "Everyone must know the country has run out of time," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, said in a televised speech.
ScienceReutersT cells induced by COVID-19 infection respond to new virus variants - U.S. study
A critical component of the immune system known as T cells that respond to fight infection from the original version of the novel coronavirus appear to also protect against three of the most concerning new virus variants, according to a U.S. laboratory study released on Tuesday. Several recent studies have shown that certain variants of the novel coronavirus can undermine immune protection from antibodies and vaccines. But antibodies - which block the coronavirus from attaching to human cells - may not tell the whole story, according to the study by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
NewsReutersVenezuela and Colombia rights groups ask for U.N. envoy amid border violence
Human rights groups from Venezuela and Colombia on Wednesday called on the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to address the humanitarian crisis caused by clashes between Venezuelan troops and Colombian armed groups near the countries' border. Colombian officials estimate that some 4,000 people have fled Venezuela for Colombia since March 21 following a military offensive in Venezuela's Apure state.
What to read next
Chinese zoo embarrassed after attempting to pass off golden retriever dog as an African lion
South China Morning PostJoe Biden takes action against ‘horrific violence and xenophobia’ towards Asian-Americans
South China Morning Post