Europe

England to lift virus restrictions as Israel raises vaccine fears

by Jitendra JOSHI LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday revealed plans to lift most of England’s coronavirus restrictions, including face masks and social distancing from July 19, urging personal responsibility rather than government edict. His announcement came as experts in Israel, which led the way in vaccination, expressed concern that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine widely used there might be less effective against the dangerous Delta variant. Data collated by AFP meanwhile […]

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Queen to honor UK health workers for Covid service

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will award the UK’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) the country’s highest civilian honour in recognition of health workers’ service during the pandemic, the government announced Monday. The award of the George Cross, which is the civilian equivalent of Britain’s Victoria Cross for extraordinary military heroism, comes amid outcry from medical professionals over pay and working conditions in the NHS, which has been pushed close to breaking […]

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Cyprus worst forest fire in decades kills four

by Valentine girl with Charlie Charalambous in Larnaca ARAKAPAS, Cyprus (AFP) — Cyprus said a deadly forest fire that was the worst to hit the island in decades was close to being brought under control Sunday after water bombing by Greek and Israeli aircraft. Fanned by strong winds, the fire broke out Saturday afternoon and swept through the southern foothills of the Troodos mountain range as the country grappled with a blistering heatwave. The fire […]

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Russia sets another Covid record as world battles Delta variant

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia reported its fifth record for daily Covid-19 deaths in a row on Saturday, as countries around the world rush to contain the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The variant has propelled a resurgence of the virus which has already killed nearly four million people, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the pandemic first swept the world. Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown […]

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Princes William and Harry reunite for Diana statue tribute

by Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Princes William and Harry set aside their differences on Thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday. The brothers took the wraps off the bronze likeness in the sunken garden of Diana’s former London home at Kensington Palace, in a stripped-back ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Today, on what would have been […]

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Double Covid jab seems to curb Delta variant: EMA

  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Two doses of Covid vaccine appear to provide protection against the rapidly spreading Delta variant, the European Medicines Agency said Thursday. The upbeat assessment came as the World Health Organization warned that the coronavirus variant first spotted in India could fuel a new wave of cases in Europe. The EMA’s head of vaccine strategy, Marco Cavaleri, said the Amsterdam-based watchdog was “aware of concerns caused by the rapid spread […]

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UN confirms 18.3C record heat in Antarctica

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations on Thursday recognized a new record high temperature for the Antarctic continent, confirming a reading of 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) made last year. The record heat was reached at Argentina’s Esperanza research station on the Antarctic Peninsula on February 6, 2020, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization said. “Verification of this maximum temperature record is important because it helps us to build up a […]

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William and Harry reunite for Diana statue tribute

  by Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Princes William and Harry set aside their differences on Thursday to unveil a new statue to their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday. The brothers will take the wraps off the tribute in the garden of Diana’s former London home at Kensington Palace, in a stripped-back ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic. When the project was announced in […]

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OPEC+ summit could lead to modest rise in oil output

by Benoît PELEGRIN LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries are to meet Thursday and are expected to agree to boost output in August to meet demand and limit recent price rises. The cost of crude oil has surged back to levels last seen in October 2018, which would normally support arguments in favour of boosting production. India, the world’s third-largest consumer of crude, has urged OPEC+ to phase out its […]

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Over 2,000 new daily cases in Portugal virus surge

LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Health authorities in Portugal reported over 2,000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours Wednesday, a high in a new wave of infections blamed on the Delta variant. There were 2,362 reported cases in the country of 10 million people — the highest level since mid-February. More than half were in the Lisbon capital region, official figures showed, with the numbers of hospitalized people also rising. Latest figures also show that […]

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Covid vaccine from Germany’s CureVac just 48% effective: final results

FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s CureVac announced Wednesday that final trial results showed its coronavirus vaccine had an efficacy rate of just 48 percent, far lower than those developed by mRNA rivals BioNTech and Moderna. The outcome had been expected after poor interim results were released earlier this month. The company in part blamed “the unprecedented context of 15 strains circulating” among the trial volunteers, as well as varying responses across different age groups. The […]

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112-year-old Puerto Rican becomes world’s oldest living man

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Emilio Flores Marquez from Puerto Rico has become the world’s oldest living man at an age of 112 years and 326 days old, Guinness World Records announced on Wednesday. Marquez, who was born in Carolina, east of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan in 1908, was recognized by Guinness and awarded a certificate at his home just a few miles (kilometers) from his birthplace. Asked about his longevity, Marquez […]

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