Six In The Morning Friday 14 August 2020

Inside the multibillion dollar race for a Covid-19 vaccine

By Eliza Mackintosh,
Gianluca Mezzofiore and
Katie Polglase, CNN

Published August 14, 2020

Four years. That’s the fastest a vaccine has ever been developed -- and most take 10 to 15.

But scientists are now racing to do it in under one.

Dozens of research teams around the world are working to develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, using a mix of established techniques and new technologies.

Funding for a vaccine has never been greater, with billions of dollars pouring in from around the world to make a product that could help to control the pandemic -- but the US, China and Europe have invested the most.

Coronavirus: New Zealand extends Auckland lockdown for 12 days as fresh outbreak spreads

Liam James

New Zealand has extended lockdown measures for a further 12 days as its fresh outbreak of coronavirus continues to spread, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced.

Until midnight on 26 August, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, will continue under heavy restrictions while most of the rest of the country will be subject to social distancing requirements which had been relaxed until Wednesday, when a cluster of new cases was found after more than three months without a domestic transmission of the virus.

Level 3 restrictions will remain in Auckland, which is home to roughly one-third of New Zealand's 5 million people, meaning that public venues such as libraries, cinemas and gyms must stay closed and people must work from home when possible.

Iran, Turkey slam UAE over agreement with Israel

Iran has said the establishment of diplomatic ties between its arch-rival Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a "dagger in the back" of all Muslims, while Turkey said the UAE had "betrayed" the Palestinian cause.

Iran and Turkey on Friday resoundingly condemned the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US-brokered deal announced Thursday establishes full diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, while haltingIsraeli plans for annexation of occupied land in the West Bank.

Afghan president calls release of 400 Taliban prisoners likely 'danger to the world'

Afghan authorities said Friday they had started to release 400 Taliban prisoners, the final hurdle in launching long-delayed peace talks between the two warring sides.

A group of 80 prisoners were released on Thursday, said National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal, tweeting that it would "speed up efforts for direct talks and a lasting, nationwide ceasefire".

Their release was approved at the weekend by a gathering of thousands of prominent Afghans called by President Ashraf Ghani after the authorities initially refused to free the militants, accused of serious crimes including brutal attacks that killed Afghans and foreigners.

Bangladesh: Losing my job as a garment factory worker

Sonia, 18, is one of thousands of garment workers who have lost their jobs in Bangladesh due to Covid-19.

When global lockdowns caused shops to close, brands cancelled billions of dollars in orders. Clothing sales fell, factories closed down and workers were left without jobs.

After 75 years of peace in Japan, wartime issues remain unresolved

BY ERIC JOHNSTON

STAFF WRITER

Seventy-five years after the end of World War II, Japan is a prosperous country at peace, a representative democracy and one of the most advanced states both economically and technologically in the world. Yet unresolved issues dating to the war continue to bedevil relations between Japan and its East Asian neighbors and create worries about the future.

When Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, told the nation in a prerecorded radio broadcast on Aug. 15, 1945, that Japan was accepting unconditional surrender to the U.S.-led Allied coalition, he said it was to “pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come, by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable.”