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MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday criticized Brazil’s refusal to import the jab as politically motivated. Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Monday denied requests from several states to receive batches of Sputnik V, saying it did not have the data needed to verify the jab’s safety and efficacy. “Anvisa’s delays in approving Sputnik V are unfortunately of a political nature and have nothing to do with access […]
by AFP bureaux NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Bodies of Covid victims lay burning Tuesday in funeral pyres cramming New Delhi’s sidewalks and car parks amid an explosion of new cases, as foreign aid began arriving to surging hotspot India in efforts to keep the pandemic at bay. While rising vaccinations in the United States have allowed the country that was once the worst hit by coronavirus to relax its mask-wearing in some locations, India […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The first shipment of Covid medical supplies from Britain to India, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived early Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. Foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi tweeted photos of the equipment being unloaded from a German Lufthansa aircraft in New Delhi, calling it “international cooperation at work”. Britain, one of several countries to announce sending help as India’s health care system buckles under a huge surge […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The first emergency medical supplies trickled into Covid-stricken India on Tuesday as part of a global campaign to staunch a catastrophic wave in the latest pandemic hotspot, with the United States also pledging to export millions of AstraZeneca vaccines. India’s infection and death rates are growing exponentially, overwhelming hospitals, in contrast to some wealthier Western nations that are starting to ease restrictions. The virus has now killed over 3.1 […]
by Katie Forster / Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Three months before it hosts the Olympics — the biggest international event since the pandemic began — Japan has fully vaccinated less than one percent of its population in a cautious, slow-moving programme. Olympic organisers and local officials stress vaccines are not a prerequisite for the Games. Participants will not have to be inoculated before arrival and there are no plans to prioritise vaccination of […]
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a full lockdown from April 29 to May 17 to fight a surging third wave of coronavirus infections. The nation of 84 million has seen daily Covid-19 death tolls rise to around 350 — higher than during two previous spikes last year. Turkey’s 37,312 new infections reported on Monday were the highest in Europe but still down from the peak of nearly 60,000 […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman invited Qatar’s ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit the kingdom, the emir’s office said Monday, the latest sign of improving relations between the former rivals. Riyadh and allies broke off ties with Qatar in June 2017 over claims it was too close to Iran and backed radical Islamist groups, allegations Qatar has always denied. But in January, the boycotting countries agreed to reestablish ties […]
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AFP) — Kazakhstan on Monday rolled out its homegrown coronavirus vaccine, with the Central Asian country’s health minister receiving the jab on live television. QazCovid-in, also known as QazVac, is a two-shot vaccine that is currently in third stage trials. The state broadcaster Khabar said that 50,000 doses of the vaccine developed by the state-backed Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems have been distributed across the vast oil-rich country. Health Minister Alexei Tsoi told […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong and Singapore on Monday announced plans to resurrect their scrapped coronavirus travel bubble with dedicated flights between the two cities starting on May 26. The two business hubs had to abandon a highly anticipated quarantine-free travel corridor late last year after Hong Kong was hit with a fourth wave of infections. From May 26, one flight per day carrying up to 200 passengers will shuttle between the two […]
by Jalees Andrabi and Glenda Kwek with Bhuvan Bagga NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s capital New Delhi on Sunday extended its lockdown, as the country’s Covid-19 crisis grew with infections and deaths hitting record highs. The healthcare system has struggled to cope with the huge surge, with reports of severe oxygen and medicine shortages and patients’ families pleading for help on social media. India recorded 349,691 new cases and 2,767 deaths in the past […]
by Ammar Karim and Salam Faraj Agence France Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — More than 80 people died Sunday when a fire ripped through a Baghdad hospital for Covid-19 patients, sparking outrage and the suspension of top officials overseeing Iraq’s crumbling health services. The blaze at eastern Baghdad’s Ibn al-Khatib hospital began when badly stored oxygen cylinders blew up, medics said. Many of the victims were on respirators and were burned or suffocated in […]
by Sonny Tumbelaka / with Dessy Sagita in Jakarta Agence France Presse BALI, Indonesia (AFP) — All 53 crew aboard an Indonesian submarine that disappeared last week were killed, the military said Sunday as it confirmed the vessel had been found in pieces on the seafloor. Authorities said that they picked up signals early Sunday from a location more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) deep — far below what the KRI Nanggala 402’s steel […]
