Technology

German biotech CureVac said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study’s main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union. The disappointing efficacy of the shot known as CVnCoV emerged from an interim analysis based on 134 COVID-19 cases in the …

Under bright blue morning skies, China launched its first crewed space mission in five years on Thursday, sending three science-minded military pilots rocketing to a new orbiting station they’re expected to reach around midafternoon. The astronauts, already wearing their spacesuits, were seen off by space officials, other uniformed military personnel and a crowd of children waving flowers and flags and …

JIUQUAN: China will send three astronauts into orbit on Thursday (today) in a high-stakes mission, the first of four crewed space flights to complete the country’s space station by the end of next year. China will launch Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo into orbit aboard the spacecraft Shen­zhou-12 at 9:22am on June 17 from Jiuquan in northwestern Gansu …

LONDON: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ COVID-19 antibody cocktail reduces deaths in hospitalised patients who have not mounted their own antibody response, a large British study published on Wednesday found. The therapy, REGEN-COV, has been granted emergency use authorisation for people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in the United States, but results from the RECOVERY trial provide the clearest evidence of its effectiveness among hospitalised …

JIUQUAN: China will send three men into orbit on Thursday in its first crewed mission in nearly five years, part of an ambitious plan to complete a space station by the end of next year. China is expected to launch the crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-12 at 9:22 a.m. (0122 GMT) on June 17 in Jiuquan in northwestern Gansu province, an official …

ISLAMABAD: The Board of Investment (BoI) on Monday launched three platforms to provide local and foreign investors ease of online registration for zone enterprises as well as a comprehensive database of existing and potential investors that will promote business activities. The three platforms — Pakistan Regulatory Modernization Initiative Strategy (PRMI), Special Economic Zone Management System (SEZMIS) and Investor Relationship Management …

Countries should avoid giving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people over 60 in addition to younger age groups, the head of the EU drug regulator’s COVID-19 task force was quoted on Sunday as saying, amid fears over rare blood clotting and as alternative vaccines become available. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) position is that the AstraZeneca shot is safe and …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s mobile application, Tawakkalna, which helped the Kingdom in tackling its COVID cases, is now available globally and its services can be accessed in 75 countries. In the first phase, the Tawakkalna is operational in 75 countries and users can benefit from it, the local media reports said. The application has had more than 21 million users in the …

Bitcoin dropped 5.71% to $35,210 at 0600 GMT on Saturday, losing $2,131.11 from its previous close. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is down 45.7% from its 2021 high of $64,895.22 on April 14. Ether , the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped 2.54 % to $2,293.26 on Saturday, losing $59.84 from its previous close. About Bitcoin …

LOS ANGELES: Archer Aviation unveiled its first electric flying taxi “Maker” in a Tesla-style debut on Thursday as an increasing number of investors and aviation companies pile into the hot but yet-to-be-approved urban air mobility space. Interest in zero-emission aircraft that take off and land like helicopters but fly like planes is growing as aerospace companies look for new markets …