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BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — A Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus entered the final stage of testing Tuesday in Brazil, where volunteers received the first doses of what officials hope will be a game-changer in the global pandemic. The vaccine, developed by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, became the third in the world to enter Phase 3 clinical trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval. “We’re living […]
by Aziz EL MASSASSI DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Mustafa, a hipster Pakistani graphic artist, has a month to find a new job or be forced to leave Dubai among an exodus of expatriates whose futures have been up-ended by coronavirus. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) — made up of seven sheikdoms including the oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi and freewheeling Dubai — has become a hub for young professionals and a safe haven in […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s first-ever military communications satellite has been successfully launched by private operator SpaceX, Seoul said Tuesday, as it looks to build up its defense capabilities. The ANASIS-II is intended to enhance the South’s ability to defend itself against the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated officials for their “careless” construction of a flagship hospital in Pyongyang and ordered those responsible to be sacked, state media reported Monday. The North has long used giant infrastructure projects to try to burnish the government’s credibility, including housing developments in Pyongyang and the continuing Wonsan-Kalma tourism development, but critics say speed is often prioritised over quality. The latest scheme is the Pyongyang […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old ruler King Salman was admitted to hospital in Riyadh Monday for gall bladder inflammation, the royal court said, prompting the postponement of the Iraqi prime minister’s high-profile visit. It is rare for Saudi Arabia to report on the health of the ageing monarch, who has ruled the top oil exporter and the Arab world’s biggest economy since 2015. The king was “admitted today to King Faisal specialist […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese authorities blew up part of a dam in eastern Anhui province to relieve flood pressure, local media reported, as heavy rains continue to swell rivers across parts of the country. Rising waters across central and eastern China have left over 140 people dead or missing, and floods have affected almost 24 million since the start of July, according to the ministry of emergency management Authorities have adopted measures such as […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The deadly coronavirus is spreading out of control in Hong Kong with a record 100 new cases confirmed, the finance hub’s leader said Sunday as she tightened social distancing measures to tackle the sudden surge in infections. The finance hub was one of the first places to be struck by the virus when it emerged from central China. But the city had impressive success in tackling the disease, all […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An explosion hit a power plant in the central Iranian province of Isfahan Sunday, state news agency IRNA reported, saying it was triggered by faulty equipment and caused no casualties. A “worn out transformer… at Isfahan’s Islamabad thermal power plant exploded at around 5:00 am today,” the managing director of Isfahan’s electricity company Said Mohseni told the agency. The facility returned to normal working conditions after about two hours and Isfahan’s […]
JIUJIANG, China (AFP) –Vast swathes of China have been inundated by the worst flooding in decades along the mighty Yangtze River, with residents piling into boats and makeshift rafts to escape a deluge that has collapsed flood defences and turned their homes into waterways. Heavy rains since June have left at least 141 people dead and missing, forced nearly 15 million people to be evacuated from their homes in July alone, and caused billions […]
by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Coronavirus cases in India passed one million on Friday, official data showed as authorities struggle to check the spread of the deadly pandemic across the world’s second-most populous nation. With over 600 Indians dying daily, lockdowns are being re-imposed across the country of 1.3 billion following an easing of restrictions in recent weeks on hopes the outbreak was under control. Health ministry data released Friday put the […]
by Maria ANTONOVA MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Smoke from raging forest fires in Siberia on Thursday filled cities as officials scrambled to prevent the flames reaching homes. More than 100 firefighters and volunteers were trying to douse the flames of a fire outside the city of Yugorsk in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, just one of several areas affected. “A fire line has been ploughed around it, so the fire is not a threat, but when […]
MAKASAR, Indonesia (AFP) — The death toll from floods on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has risen to at least 21, authorities said Wednesday as residents tried to salvage a few belongings from their inundated homes. The flash floods in North Luwu regency left hundreds of houses buried in mud after three rivers burst their banks due to torrential rains which started on Monday. Nearly 1,600 people were taking refuge in temporary shelters, the Search and Rescue […]
