Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
PARIS, France (AFP) – A French-Syrian man has been detained by French police on suspicion of supplying components for the manufacture of chemical weapons in Syria through his shipping company, sources briefed on the case told AFP Sunday. The man, who was born in 1962 and lives abroad, was arrested Saturday in the south of France according to one of the sources. “He returned to France with his family for the holidays,” a source close […]
Omicron has become the dominant strain of coronavirus in Portugal where more than 10,000 daily Covid-19 cases had been registered Saturday, the national health agency said. Portugal, one of the countries with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates worldwide, has begun inoculating children over five years old. “The Omicron variant is already dominant in Portugal, accounting for 61.5 percent of cases on December 22,” the General Directorate of Health said. On Saturday, Portugal recorded 10 deaths […]
Covid infections in France hit six figures Saturday, health officials recording 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours, the third consecutive day the numbers have been record highs. The latest figures, from France’s public health agency, come ahead of a video-conference meeting Monday in which President Emmanuel Macron and key members of his government will discuss new Covid safety measures. Officials are concerned about the effect of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Already […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK on Thursday set another daily Covid-19 daily infections record, fuelled by the Omicron variant. Some 119,789 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, a day after figures exceeded 100,000 for the first time at 106,122. The UK is among the worst hit countries in Europe with a virus death toll of 147,720. The Office for National Statistics estimated that nearly 1.4 million people in UK households had […]
by Michelle FITZPATRICK Germany’s leaders on Tuesday limited private New Year’s parties to 10 people and banned spectators from football games to stem Omicron’s spread, stopping short of imposing new coronavirus curbs before Dec. 25. Speaking after talks with Germany’s 16 regional leaders, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the country was facing “a fifth wave” as the new, highly contagious Omicron variant sweeps the globe. “We are all tired of the pandemic, but that doesn’t help […]
by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The world must pull together and make the difficult choices needed to end the Covid-19 pandemic within the next year, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. “2022 must be the year we end the pandemic,” the World Health Organization’s director general told reporters in Geneva. As end-of-year festivities approach, the UN health agency chief said countries should rein in national events linked to the holidays because […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday declared a “major incident” in the British capital due to the spread of the Omicron variant. More than 65,000 new Covid cases were confirmed in London over the past seven days, and 26,418 cases reported in the last 24 hours -– the highest number since the start of the pandemic. A major incident is defined as an event with a range of serious consequences […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London Fire Commissioner spoke of his profound sadness on Thursday after four children were confirmed dead in a house fire in the south of the British capital. Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters attended the house in Sutton, where they were faced with “an intense blaze throughout the whole of the ground floor,” according to a statement from London Fire Brigade. Firefighters gave four young children found inside immediate […]
by Marc BURLEIGH BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU leaders said on Thursday that vaccinations and booster shots would be vital to counter the Omicron coronavirus variant as countries stepped up restrictions to slow its startling spread. The EU summit they were participating in also emphasised the need for “coordinated efforts” based on science, amid go-it-alone measures applied notably by Italy. The joint conclusion, swiftly adopted at the beginning of the one-day gathering, underlined the urgency […]
by Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France will ban non-essential travel to and from Britain from the weekend to slow the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that is causing record numbers of cases on the other side of the Channel, the government said Thursday. From midnight Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) there will be a “requirement to have an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both […]
Spain (AFP) — A volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma has shown its first sign it might be coming to an end after nearly three months, scientists said Wednesday, although they could not rule out a new flare up in activity. The eruption of the Cumbre Viejo volcano has ebbed and flowed since it first began spewing lava on September 19, forcing the evacuation of over 7,000 people and destroying nearly 3,000 […]
by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The new coronavirus variant Omicron is spreading at an unprecedented rate, the WHO said Tuesday, urging countries to act swiftly to rein in transmission and protect their health systems. Since the new, heavily-mutated variant was first detected in southern Africa last month, it has been reported in 77 countries, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. But, he stressed, “the reality is that Omicron is probably in most […]
