World Coronavirus Dispatch: Pharma giants not prepared for next pandemic

World cases cross 100 mn, Italian politics and Dutch protests add to Europe's Covid woes, Japan wants domestic trials before vaccine roll-out and other pandemic-related news across the globe

Hong Kong lockdown exposes inequality

One of the most unequal places on the planet with lavish malls on the one side, overcrowded slums on the other, Hong Kong has seen its divide worsening during the first lockdown, brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The government had locked down some 10,000 residents in the most popular area neighbouring the Jordan district for almost three weeks after infections surged. Officials said the cramped residential areas may have fuelling the outbreak and admitted the pain of residents living in such spaces with poorer ventilations under lockdown. Critics have blamed the government for allowing the