MANILA: More than 27 million people in the Philippines — about a quarter of the population — will go back into lockdown Tuesday after overwhelmed health workers warned the country was losing the battle against the coronavirus. Since the beginning of June, when much of the country emerged from one of the world’s longest stay-at-home orders, confirmed infections in the …

As the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine, the next big advance in battling the pandemic could come from a class of biotech therapies widely used against cancer and other disorders – antibodies designed specifically to attack this new virus. Development of monoclonal antibodies to target the virus has been endorsed by leading scientists. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases …

TAIPEI: Taiwan provisionally approved the use of dexamethasone, a cheap and widely-used steroid, to treat the new coronavirus, as the island faces a shortfall of the antiviral drug remdesivir after the United States bought nearly all global supplies. Taiwan Centres for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang told reporters on Tuesday that medical experts had decided to provisionally allow dexamethasone …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday stated that it had included its staffers in the six cricket associations as a transitory and administrative step with the sole purpose of facilitating and expediting the registration process, and the staffers will resign as soon as the interim committees are constituted. Emphasising that there is no bar in the PCB Constitution …

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Sept 19 to Nov 10, subject to government approval. The IPL’s governing council confirmed the proposed dates and venues during a video conference on Sunday. “Taking note of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in India, the IPL governing council decided to stage …

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan skipper and fast bowling legend Wasim Akram believes the key to victory for Azhar Ali and company in the forthcoming first Test against England will revolve around the ability of their batsmen to set the tone and then allow time for leg-spinner Yasir Shah to weave his magic. “England are firm favourites but, make no mistake, Pakistan …

KARACHI: Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said his charges have had good preparations for the upcoming three-Test series against Joe Root’s men since their arrival in England almost five weeks ago and he expressed optimism for a hard-fought series. With the first Test set to start from Wednesday at Manchester’s Old Trafford, with the remaining two fixtures to be played …

On March 15, when Quetta Gladiators’ Azam Khan had paddled Karachi Kings’ Arshad Iqbal over square leg for a four, few had thought that it would be the final piece of cricket action involving national players for quite some time. A virus, a pandemic and a lockdown later, we stand again on the cusp of seeing our Babars and our Shaheens play competitive …

To understand the culture of fast bowling in Pakistan, look no further than Imran Khan — once a feared quick, and now the country’s prime minister. Not all of Pakistan’s pacemen will fly so high, but Prime Minister Imran’s rise underlines a tradition where speed is king, and blistering pace is essential for any team. As if to reinforce the …

EIDUL Azha — a natural stimulus to livestock trade in the country — generates billions of dollars in trade and allied activities every year. However, it underwent a few changes this year because of the pandemic. Trade has generally been slow, especially that of smaller animals. But, at the same time, online activity emerged as a new but powerful trend. …