News Headlines - 08 February 2020
Almost a month after the first novel coronavirus case outside of China was confirmed in Thailand on Jan. 13 and amid the virus’s subsequent spread to a number of other countries, Indonesia seems to remain free of the fast-spreading illness.
While the fact that there are zero known cases in the country has brought relief, it has also raised questions about what sets Indonesia apart from countries with confirmed cases, especially as 85 cases had been recorded across six neighboring Southeast Asian countries as of Friday.
A study by a group of researchers from Harvard University suggests that Indonesia should have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus by now, given the high number of airline passengers traveling between the country and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China.
▽Nippon Steel to cut 10% of steel output capacity, faces record loss - Reuters
Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp said on Friday it will shut nearly 10% of its production capacity, an unprecedented move in the once-dominant Japanese steel industry hit by falling demand at home and competition from China.
The world’s third-biggest steelmaker is setting aside $3.6 billion in charges and will close three blast furnaces in Japan, as it confronts a period of waning demand as Japan’s population declines.
Nippon expects to book a record loss of 440 billion yen ($4 billion) this financial year, as a result of the charges from the closures, which also include smaller facilities in Japan and some production capacity overseas.
▽Subaru Effectively Joins Toyota Group - JIJI PRESS
-Japanese automaker Subaru Corp. said Thursday Toyota Motor Corp. has raised its stake in Subaru to 20.0 pct from 16.8 pct, effectively making it a Toyota group company.
▽Apple now sells more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry - The Verge
The Apple Watch wasn’t just the best-selling smartwatch last year, but also put the Swiss watch industry to shame, according to new sales estimates compiled by Strategy Analytics. The report estimates Apple shipped nearly 31 million units in 2019, a 36 percent jump over last year. The Swiss watch industry, which includes brands like Swatch and TAG Heuer, only shipped an estimated 21.1 million units, a 13 percent decline, Strategy Analytics says.
▽Siberian street cats limp to new life with prosthetic paws - Reuters
Ryzhik, a scruffy red tabby cat, was found on the streets of the Siberian city of Tomsk in the blistering cold, his four paws completely frozen... Two years later Ryzhik leads a normal life at Gorshkov’s clinic, hobbling around on four prosthetic limbs. They were implanted using a technique similar to one used for dental implants for people.
Ryzhik is one of the first cats in the world to have four titanium paws that were implanted into their bones using the technique, according to Gorshkov.
