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BEIJING, China (AFP) — More than three million swabs have been taken in a matter of days in Qingdao, the Chinese port city where a minor coronavirus outbreak elicited a sweeping health response. Queues for testing stretched deep into Monday night across the eastern city, which detected six virus cases the day before but swiftly swung into action to head off a wider outbreak. In scenes which contrast with the fumbled efforts of other nations […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China aims to test more than nine million residents of the port city of Qingdao within five days following a minor outbreak of the coronavirus, health officials said Monday, the first mass testing in months. The country where the virus first emerged has largely controlled the pandemic, cutting a stark contrast to many parts of the world still afflicted by rolling lockdowns and high case numbers. On Sunday six cases of […]
by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s coronavirus cases surged past seven million on Sunday, taking it ever closer to overtaking the United States as the world’s most infected country. Health ministry data showed a rise of almost 75,000 cases on Sunday, taking the total to 7.05 million, second only to the US which has recorded 7.67 million infections. Experts say that the true number may be much higher, with testing rates in […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — At least 17 passengers were killed and more than dozen injured on Sunday when a bus collided with a train in Thailand, officials said. The collision happened around 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the capital Bangkok as the bus passengers were on their way to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, said a district police chief. “The death toll we […]
by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s coronavirus cases surged past seven million on Sunday, taking it ever closer to overtaking the United States as the world’s most infected country. Health ministry data showed a rise of almost 75,000 cases on Sunday, taking the total to 7.05 million, second only to the US which has recorded 7.67 million infections. Experts say that the true number may be much higher, […]
by Claire LEE Agence France Presse Nuclear-armed North Korea held a giant military parade Saturday, television images showed, with thousands of maskless troops defying the coronavirus threat and Pyongyang expected to put on show its latest and most advanced weapons. The widely anticipated display is part of commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party. State broadcaster KCTV showed squadron after squadron of armed soldiers and armoured vehicles lined up in the […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia registered a record daily number of new coronavirus infections on Friday, surpassing its previous high from May. Officials reported 12,126 new infections, edging above the previous high of 11,656 on May 11 and bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,272,238 — the fourth highest in the world. Widespread restrictions were lifted after new cases began to drop in May, and officials have shown no sign of moving […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has signed up to a deal to ensure future Covid-19 vaccines are distributed to developing countries, the biggest economy yet to join the World Health Organization-led bid to control the pandemic. The COVAX pledge to get vaccines to poorer nations as soon as they are developed aims to head off fears rich countries will limit distribution of game-changing medicines made by their pharmaceutical companies. The deal gives China, the country […]
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AFP) — Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov is “ready to resign” in a bid to end post-vote chaos enveloping the Central Asian country, he said in an address published Friday on his website. Jeenbekov said he could resign once a date for fresh elections had been set and changes in government had been confirmed by parliament and his office. “After legitimate executive authorities are approved and we are back on the path of lawfulness, […]
by Kang Jin-kyu SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, one of the two women vying to be the next head of the World Trade Organization, is known at home as a glass-ceiling breaker in still male-dominated society. An English literature graduate of the elite Seoul National University, she set aside her dreams of a literary career to become a trade ministry civil servant in 1995. “There were no veteran trade […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Wednesday evacuated more than 2,000 people from nearby villages after a wildfire set off explosions at a munitions depot in the Ryazan region southeast of Moscow, officials said. More than 400 firefighters were battling into the evening to extinguish a blaze that broke out at the depot on Wednesday afternoon, with the authorities saying five people were injured but no one died. The fire was sparked by a wildfire […]
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait’s new emir, Sheikh Nawaf, on Wednesday named his half-brother Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a long-serving top security official, as crown prince. Sheikh Meshal, 80, has been deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard since 2004, largely staying out of the political scene and away from disputes within the royal family. The Sabah ruling family “blessed” 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf’s decision, the official Kuwait News Agency said Wednesday, a […]
