News Headlines - 01 June 2020

▽The World Is Still Far From Herd Immunity for Coronavirus - The New York Times

The precise herd immunity threshold for the novel coronavirus is not yet clear; but several experts said they believed it would be higher than 60 percent.
Even in some of the hardest-hit cities in the world, the studies suggest, the vast majority of people still remain vulnerable to the virus.
Some countries - notably Sweden, and briefly Britain - have experimented with limited lockdowns in an effort to build up immunity in their populations. But even in these places, recent studies indicate that no more than 7 to 17 percent of people have been infected so far. In New York City, which has had the largest coronavirus outbreak in the United States, around 20 percent of the city’s residents have been infected by the virus as of early May, according to a survey of people in grocery stores and community centers released by the governor’s office.

▽U.S. planning to cancel visas of Chinese graduate students: sources - Reuters

The United States is planning to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students believed by President Donald Trump’s administration to have links with China’s military, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
The move, first reported by the New York Times, could impact 3,000 to 5,000 Chinese students and could be announced as early as this week, according to the sources, including a current U.S. official and another individual who was briefed on the administration’s internal discussions.

▽Jackie Chan among over 2,000 artistes backing HK law | The Star

HONG KONG action star Jackie Chan is among the 2,605 artistes who support China’s national security law for Hong Kong, Sin Chew Daily reported.
Others included singer Alan Tam, veteran star Liza Wang, and actors Jordan Chan and Eric Tsang.

▽Dentsu's Olympic year torpedoed by coronavirus outbreak - Reuters

Dentsu is a key player in securing and operating the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and had been anticipating an earnings boost as Japanese firms shell out ahead of the once in a generation event.
However, the coronavirus forced organisers to push back the Games to 2021, with doubts still lingering over the feasibility of that delayed date, and is hitting advertising spending as economic activity slumps.
After ending last year with the first annual operating loss in its more-than-100-year history, Dentsu’s cost cutting measures helped offset the squeeze on sales with the firm reporting a 166% jump in operating profit in the January-March quarter to 24.7 billion yen ($230 million).

▽Former AKB48 star Watanabe retires from showbiz over health reasons

Mayu Watanabe, a former member of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48, has retired from the entertainment industry due to health reasons, her agency said Monday.
Watanabe, 26, has left the agency, saying health issues would make it difficult for her to continue working in the industry. One of the better known members of the group during her stint there, she has had health concerns for several years.