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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia kicked off a three-phase Covid-19 vaccination programme Thursday, with the health minister among those inoculated after the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the kingdom. Along with Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah, a woman in a wheelchair and another man were among the first to be administered the vaccine at a centre in Riyadh, an AFP photographer reported. “This is the beginning of the end of […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election in November, saying he hoped the countries could set aside their differences to promote global security. Putin wished the US president-elect every success and said that, “for my part, I am ready for collaboration and contacts with you,” according to a Kremlin statement. The Russian president was one of the last remaining leaders of major world countries […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Fire erupted in a retirement home in central Russia overnight, killing 11 people who were trapped as the blaze swept through the small wooden building, investigators said Tuesday. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it had opened a criminal investigation into possible negligence over the blaze at the home in the Bashkortostan region. “At the time the fire started, there were 15 people in the room, four of whom […]
KOROR, Palau (AFP) — An illegal Chinese fishing vessel and its 28 crew have been detained in Palau, authorities said, creating a delicate diplomatic situation for the tiny Pacific nation, which is allied with Beijing’s rival Taiwan. The boat was intercepted by a patrol boat at Helen Reef, in Palau’s territorial waters, and escorted to the main island of Koror, the Division of Marine Law and Enforcement (DMLE) said. “They did have sea cucumber on […]
KOROR, Palau (AFP) — An illegal Chinese fishing vessel and its 28 crew have been detained in Palau, authorities said, creating a delicate diplomatic situation for the tiny Pacific nation, which is allied with Beijing’s rival Taiwan. The boat was intercepted by a patrol boat at Helen Reef, in Palau’s territorial waters, and escorted to the main island of Koror, the Division of Marine Law and Enforcement (DMLE) said. “They did have sea cucumber on […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a record high for a second day in a row as the country struggles to tackle a third wave of infections. The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules. But a resurgence centred on the capital and surrounding area has prompted President Moon […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia’s homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials. “Today we announce a clinical trial programme to assess safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Sputnik V, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research institute,” AstraZeneca said in a statement published on its website in English and Russian. The pharmaceutical company said […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A strong earthquake struck off Taiwan on Thursday, causing buildings to shake violently in Taipei but with no immediate reports of damage or injury. The quake was of magnitude 6.2, the US Geological Survey which monitors earthquakes worldwide, initially said. It later downgraded this to 6.1. The quake struck off Yilan City on the island’s east coast at a depth of 73 kilometers (45 miles) at 9:19 pm local time (1319 […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israel received its first batch of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring the pandemic’s end was “in sight” and vowing to get the first jab. “This is a great celebration for Israel,” he said on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, as a fork-lift truck started unloading the cargo from a red and yellow DHL air freighter. The shipment was the first […]
BANGLORE, India (AFP) — Traces of heavy metals such as lead and nickel have been found in samples taken from 550 people stricken by a mystery illness in a southern Indian town where some victims have collapsed in the street, officials said. The government has rushed medical experts to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh state to investigate the illness, which first appeared Saturday. One man died after showing the symptoms of seizures, nausea and chronic pain. […]
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — The highest point on Earth got a bit higher Tuesday as China and Nepal finally agreed on a precise elevation for Mount Everest after decades of debate. The agreed height unveiled at a joint news conference in Kathmandu of 8,848.86 metres (29,031 feet) was 86 centimetres (2.8 feet) higher than the measurement previously recognised by Nepal, and more than four metres above China’s official figure. The discrepancy was due to the […]
BANGLORE, India (AFP) — Hundreds of people have been treated for mystery illness in a southern Indian town, with one doctor ruling out “mass hysteria” at a time nerves are already frayed because of the coronavirus. The government rushed medical experts to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh state to investigate the illness, which first appeared Saturday causing seizures, nausea and chronic pain. Officials said nearly 500 people have been treated — with most swiftly recovering — […]
