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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s health minister warned Sunday that new coronavirus restrictions could be imposed amid an uptick in infections, as the kingdom slows the rollout of vaccines due to supply delays. “We have seen in recent days a noticeable and continuous rise in coronavirus infections,” Tawfiq al-Rabiah said in a video message, blaming “gatherings and lax enforcement of preventative measures”. “The lack of compliance will undoubtedly force us to introduce measures […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Monday demanded Myanmar’s army immediately release de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders, warning the military was “once again seeking to seize control” of the country. “We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully,” foreign minister Marise Payne said in a statement. […]
(Eagle News) — The United States government said it is “alarmed” over reports of the detention of Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials of the country as it called on the Myanmar military to immediately release the officials it had detained. “The United States is alarmed by reports that the Burmese military has taken steps to undermine the country’s democratic transition, including the arrest of State Counselor Aung San […]
News channels have been cut off in Myanmar and internet connection were severely disrupted on Monday, Feb. 1, as the nation’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar President Win Myint, had been “detained” in the capital Naypyidaw. Along with Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, the chief minister of Karen state and several other regional ministers were also held, according to party sources, on the very day when the new parliament was […]
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG Kong, China (AFP) — A new visa scheme offering millions of Hong Kongers a pathway to British citizenship will go live later on Sunday as the city’s former colonial master opens its doors to those wanting to escape China’s crackdown on dissent. From Sunday afternoon, anyone with a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents will be able to apply online for a visa […]
by Leo RAMIREZ / Hector RETAMAL Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — Experts from the World Health Organization visited a Wuhan hospital Friday as the fieldwork began in a closely watched coronavirus origins probe that will take in a food market presumed to be “ground zero” of the pandemic. The WHO investigation has been hobbled by delays, and there are fears over access and the strength of evidence a year after the virus […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India will supply more locally made coronavirus vaccines to other countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday, as he hailed the South Asian giant’s fight against the pandemic. India — home to the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute — has embarked on a form of vaccine diplomacy, gifting millions of doses to neighboring countries. It has also exported commercial shots to Brazil and Morocco and expects to supply […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong has begun using “ambush lockdowns” to suddenly close off and test everyone inside neighbourhoods where coronavirus cases have spiked, as a spate of recent outbreaks lay bare the rampant inequality in the wealthy Chinese finance hub. Police cordoned off a row of densely packed tenement buildings in the Yau Ma Tei area overnight on Tuesday through to Wednesday morning to conduct mandatory tests. The new tactic involves authorities […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong lifted its first neighbourhood coronavirus lockdown on Monday morning after testing some 7,000 people and finding 13 cases as debate swirled over the efficacy of the move. Over the weekend police moved in to seal off a poor and densely populated neighbourhood of about 150 apartment blocks where coronavirus clusters had sprung up in recent weeks. Officials went door to door conducting mandatory tests and found 0.17 percent […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The emirate of Dubai has said it was slowing down its rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine due to a temporary delay in global deliveries. Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, began mass inoculations in December after the approval of vaccines by Chinese firm Sinopharm and US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. According to health officials, the UAE has […]
by Leo RAMIREZ / Sébastien RICCI Agence France Presse WUHAN, CHina (AFP) — Exactly one year after it thrust the word “lockdown” into the global conversation, Wuhan passed the anniversary with a mix of pride at emerging from Covid-19’s grip and caution over a possible relapse. A year ago Saturday, Wuhan shocked the world by confining its 11 million anxious citizens to their homes, beginning a traumatic 76-day lockdown that underscored the growing threat […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Friday kicked off a drive to test two million people in 48 hours as the city rushed to snuff out a new local cluster of cases believed to be linked to a more contagious virus variant. Long queues snaked through the Chinese capital — which reported 19 coronavirus cases in the past week — as the mass testing campaign got under way in Dongcheng and Xicheng districts. The […]
