DANISH pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, maker of diabetes and weightloss treatments Ozempic and Wegovy, said it was investing US$1.2 billion to build a new factory in Denmark to produce drugs against rare diseases. The 40,000-square-metre (430,000-square-feet) production facility and warehouse in Odense “marks the first time in this century that
MACAU (China): Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday presided over the inauguration of new Macau leader Sam Hou-fai, capping off a three-day visit as the former Portuguese colony marks 25 years since being returned to China. Sam, who served as president of Macau’s apex court since the 1999 handover, was the
TAIPEI (Taiwan): Taiwanese lawmakers tackled and doused each other with water yesterday as President Lai Chingte’s party tried to block the passage of bills they say could harm the self-ruled island’s “democratic system”. Scores of lawmakers from Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party had occupied the podium of the parliament’s main chamber
AVIGNON (France): Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, who survived a decade of sexual abuse by her husband and dozens of strangers, said she hoped her ordeal would help make the world a better place for “women and men alike” as her former spouse was jailed for 20 years. Her public stand against
SYDNEY (Australia): Sydney New Year’s fireworks, one of the world’s most spectacular celebrations of the calendar change, face being scrapped because of industrial action by train workers, police said yesterday. Up to 250,000 people are expected to come into Sydney to see the show, and they need to return home
SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION (France): A senior official said Sunday that the death toll from cyclone Chido’s passage across Mayotte would be in the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, as France rushed in rescue workers and supplies. Their efforts will be hindered by the damage to airports and electricity distribution in
TAIPEI: Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defence ministry said Monday, reportedly the island’s first new tanks in 30 years. Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier — angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own
FRANKFURT: German auto giant Volkswagen, facing tough competition from tech-savvy US and Chinese rivals, has partnered with a Californian electric vehicle maker to build software and save its EV strategy. Europe’s biggest automaker, which is battling falling profits and a wave of labour strikes at home, last month sealed a
LONDON: At her London pub, landlady Kate Davidson has taken to issuing Guinness ration cards, but still the beer has run out amid a UK shortage of Ireland’s national drink. Bars across Britain, even Irish ones, have reported limited supplies of the black stuff since Guinness owner Diageo announced earlier
SIHANOUKVILLE (Cambodia): A US warship docked in Cambodia on Monday, just kilometres away from a Chinese-renovated naval base, in the first American military port call to one of Beijing’s closest regional allies in eight years. Washington’s relationship with Phnom Penh has been deteriorating for years, with China pouring billions of