Monday, 31 August 2020

Monday Morning Briefing: Scientists see downsides to COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus to which many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.

U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed six million as many states in the Midwest reported increasing infections, according to a Reuters tally.

India reported 78,512 COVID-19 infections today, more than any other country but fewer than Sunday when it posted the world’s biggest, single-day tally, as authorities looked to open more sectors of the economy.

As COVID-19 cases in China sink to new lows, the world’s largest population of university students is heading back to campus in a migration defined by lockdowns, patriotic education and cutting-edge surveillance equipment.

Track the spread of the virus with this state-by-state and county map.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Top Stories

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to step down because of worsening health will formally end his “Abenomics” strategy, which tried to revive the world’s third-largest economy after decades of stagnation. So how does Abenomics stack up?

Abe's successor faces a daunting list of economic, diplomatic and security issues.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has indicated he intends to run for leadership of the ruling party, a source said, soon after a report emerged that he had won the backing of one of the party’s most powerful factions.

Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib is set to be designated prime minister ahead of a visit to Beirut by the French president who will press for long-delayed reforms to steer the Middle East nation out of its deep crisis.

Business

Berkshire Hathaway has bought a 5% stake in each of Japan’s five biggest trading houses, together worth over $6 billion, marking a departure for Chairman Warren Buffett as he looks beyond the United States to diversify his conglomerate.

Forty percent of Americans back President Trump’s threat to ban TikTok if it is not sold to a U.S. buyer, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national poll, suggesting that many support the effort to separate the social media upstart from its Chinese parent.

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