Moderna plans to test a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine a year after the initial two-dose immunization, as the duration of protection from the new vaccines is still unclear. The biotech company plans to start the trial in July, according to a corporate presentation at the JPMorgan Moderna planson Monday. Staff at its clinical trial sites […] Read more
The U.K. has introduced new measures to root out the presence of alleged forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region in British supply chains. China is accused of extrajudicially detaining over 1 million Uighur Muslims and other minorities in political re-education camps in the northwestern autonomous region, along with invasive surveillance, restrictions on Uighur culture and […] Read more
Morgan Stanley has downgraded Chinese stocks, and reduced its rating on a major index which tracks Chinese shares listed overseas and off the mainland in Hong Kong. The investment bank cut its rating for the MSCI China to equal weight, or the same weight as the benchmark. The MSCI China index includes large-cap and mid-cap […] Read more
Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases on Sunday said it had detected a new variant of the coronavirus in four travelers arriving from Brazil. The newly discovered mutant strain of Covid-19 was found to share some of the mutations in common with those of concern for increased infectivity, the institute said, referring to highly infectious variants recently discovered […] Read more
China on Thursday tried to draw parallels between the U.S. riot on Capitol Hill and pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong that took place two years ago. Chinese state media avoided sharing too much opinion on the news, though state-backed tabloid Global Times showed photos of the chaos in both riots and highlighted what it said […] Read more
South Korean stocks had their best year in more than a decade in 2020. Here’s what drove them higher
Investors who stuck with South Korean stocks through 2020 were handsomely rewarded. The Kospi index, South Korea’s stock-market benchmark, rallied 30.8% for the year, its biggest annual jump in more than a decade. The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) rose 38.4% in 2020, outperforming most developed and emerging markets. The ETF’s year-to-date gains top those […] Read more
BEIJING — China has not fully recovered from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic, business leaders said in a survey by the China Beige Book released Tuesday. After about a year since Covid-19 first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, roughly two-thirds of executives polled by the third-party firm said they don’t expect sales, […] Read more
SINGAPORE — Shares of Chinese tech giant Alibaba in Hong Kong were in the spotlight once again on Monday, after Chinese regulators ordered Alibaba-affiliate Ant Group to rectify its businesses. By the Hong Kong market close on Monday, shares of Alibaba listed in the city plunged 7.98%, adding to losses for the firm. The stock had also dived last […] Read more
For people staying safely at home this holiday season, new virtual tours let anyone with an internet connection tour famous Christmas destinations around the world. Homebound travelers can book live interactive tours with local guides to learn about everything from the religious sites of Jerusalem to the department store displays of New York City. […] Read more
Taiwan has recorded its first locally-transmitted case of coronavirus since April. The island has had one of the most successful pandemic responses in the world, and the new infection ends a 255-day run without local transmission, underscoring the difficulties in controlling the virus even in areas where it has been largely stamped out. According to […] Read more
