Blogroll

Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee, embroiled in a bribery scandal, on Wednesday made a rare apology over controversial succession plans and said he will not hand over management rights to his children at the family-controlled conglomerate.

Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia said on Wednesday it had issued an offer to buy back for cash its 1% notes due March 15, 2021 for up to 500 million euros.

The Philippines' coronavirus infections have broken past the 10,000 mark, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Japan's capital of Tokyo reported 38 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, Jiji news agency said, marking a fifth straight day of declining numbers of new infections.

The world's top maker of diabetes drugs Novo Nordisk beat profit and sales forecasts in the first quarter and kept its full-year outlook as diabetics stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in demand for its medicines.

Australia says its purchase of 10 million coronavirus test kits from Chinese genomics company BGI will not risk patient privacy, as researchers hope for greater price competition in a biotech market dominated by a U.S rival.

The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia rose by 10,559 over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 165,929, the coronavirus crisis response centre said on Wednesday.

Immunity to the novel coronavirus is building up very slowly in the Czech Republic, with likely no more than 4-5% of the population covered, the health ministry said on Wednesday, after mass testing for antibodies that started last month.

Singapore's health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 788 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state's tally to 20,198.

Roche could complete studies of its medicine Actemra in COVID-19 patients as early as this month, the head of the Swiss drugmaker's U.S.-based Genentech unit told a Swiss newspaper, as it seeks to repurpose the rheumatoid arthritis drug.

British medical products maker Smith+Nephew said on Wednesday sales in April nearly halved as more patients delayed elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, due to coronavirus-driven lockdowns.

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Taiwan's health minister asked the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday to ensure the island had access to first-hand information about the coronavirus, saying that not having the full picture slows down epidemic-prevention work.

Denmark's Novo Nordisk posted a better-than-expected quarterly operating profit on Wednesday and kept its full-year outlook, as customers stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic boosted sales of its diabetes medicines.

French diagnostics specialist BioMérieux announced on Wednesday the launch of a new product that aims to detect within 30 minutes the presence of antibodies in those exposed to the coronavirus.

Estonian ride-sharing service Bolt on Wednesday launched its own electric scooter model and said it aims to launch the scooter service in more than 45 cities this summer.

Thailand on Wednesday reported one new coronavirus case and one new death, a senior health official said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 947 to 164,807, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday.

Australia's biggest biotech company CSL Ltd said on Wednesday it will start trials for an antibody product to treat people with the new coronavirus, joining a global rush to find a cure for a fast-spreading and potentially fatal illness.

The White House coronavirus task force will wind down as the country moves into a second phase that focuses on the aftermath of the outbreak, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.