Thursday, Sept. 10th, 2020

A $300 billion stimulus bill proposed by the Republican Party is blocked in a 52–47 vote in the U.S. Senate. (ABC News)

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot says that the vaccine results could be ready by the end of the year if trials resume. Clinical trials were temporarily suspended after a participant in the trials began to develop symptoms associated with transverse myelitis. (Reuters)

Sinopharm began Phase III trials in Peru starting with two dozen people, with the goal to vaccinate 6,000 people between the ages of 18 and 75. So far, Sinopharm has given 30,000 doses to volunteers and another 10,000 participants have received double doses in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, with additional trials planned for Morocco and Argentina. (VOA)

The latest publication of the Living Planet Index reports that the world’s wildlife populations have decreased by an average of 68 percent between 1970 and 2016. The World Wide Fund for Nature cites the increasing deforestation and agricultural expansion for the population decline. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)

United States Marine Corps general Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announces that the United States will reduce their troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000. (NBC News)

India reports its single largest increase in a day, recording 95,735 new infections. The Health Ministry also reported 1,172 deaths in the past 24 hours. The ministry says the increase is due to a surge in testing as experts warn that the virus is spreading to towns and villages. (AP)

Guatemala is expected to reopen their borders after closing them for six months in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. (ABC News)

The End