News Headlines - 14 August 2020

▽Early trials show potential of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is making progress on Bnt162b1, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is undergoing development and for which the U.S. government has secured access to 300 million doses in 2021. The results of the phase I/II clinical trials were published in Nature on August 12.

▽Big cats' droppings help German circus weather coronavirus crisis - Reuters

One creature’s droppings can be another’s treasure, as Germany’s Krone Circus is finding out during the new coronavirus pandemic... Customers have told lion tamer Martin Lacey they swear by the stuff.
“I am told it keeps cats away from the garden, and since then we have learned that also it keeps the animals away from the car, where they eat all the electric cables,” Lacey said... The jars sell for 5 euros each, with some of the money going towards a charity to improve the living conditions of captive animals.

▽Abe Cabinet support rate falls to 32.7%, nearing record low | The Japan Times

The approval rate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet fell to 32.7 percent in August, the second-lowest level since his current administration was launched in December 2012, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Friday.
The rate was down 2.4 percentage points from July. The lowest support rate for the Cabinet was 29.9 percent, marked in July 2017.
The disapproval rate for the Abe Cabinet in this month rose 2.0 points to 48.2 percent, the second highest level since its launch, after 48.6 percent in July 2017.

▽Post-merger Japan opposition party likely to have over 140 lawmakers | The Japan Times

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People have been in talks to join together and mount a united front against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition.
The CDP, the nation’s largest opposition party, currently has 89 lawmakers - 56 in the House of Representatives and 33 in the House of Councilors. The DPP has 40 and 22, respectively, for a total of 62.

▽Dentsu posts a profit despite COVID-19 revenue fall - AdNews

Dentsu Group posted a profit for the first half with the Japan-based global advertising group slashing costs to meet falling revenue from COVID-19.
Organic revenue for the six months to June was down 8.9% but underlying operating profit was up by 14.6% to 52.7 billion yen.
The revenue slide was more than offset by cost savings, including reducing wages and bonuses, to mitigate the impact of the economic downturn.