BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — New cases of coronavirus infections in Germany have soared past 4,000, official data showed Thursday, reaching a daily level not seen since April 11 when the country was still in lockdown. Europe’s biggest economy recorded 4,058 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, including 16 deaths, according to latest data compiled by the disease control agency RKI. The alarming jump in numbers came with autumn school holidays about to begin, prompting calls […]
Europe
Storms devastate rice paddies in Italy’s ‘golden triangle’
by Francesco Gilioli with Ella Ide in Rome PALESTRO, Italy (AFP) — With a deafening roar, the swollen Sesia river swept down the Alpine valley in northern Italy to engulf the plains below, drowning the country’s so-called “golden triangle” of rice paddies in mud. Storms at the weekend, when the region was lashed by half the yearly average rainfall in just one day, dealt a severe blow to Europe’s biggest rice producer, flooding the marshy […]
France, Italy step up rescue efforts after floods
by Chloe Fabre with Vincenzo Pinto in Garessio, Italy SAINT-MARTIN-VERSUBIE, France (AFP) — French and Italian rescue services stepped up search efforts Sunday after floods cut off several villages in the mountainous border regions, causing widespread damage and killing at least four people. Others remained unaccounted for on the French side of the border after storms, torrential rain and flash floods battered the area, washing away roads and houses, cutting off entire villages and triggering […]
Britain passes 500,000 coronavirus cases
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The United Kingdom passed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus infections on Sunday, official figures showed, in the latest grim milestone for the European country worst-hit by the pandemic. Health authorities blamed a technical glitch for a sudden spike in cases announced in evening figures that had kept several thousand cases from the last week of September off the official tally. Sunday’s numbers showed 22,961 cases for the day, a rise of more […]
French govt warns Paris may go on maximum virus alert from Monday
by Joseph Schmid PARIS, France (AFP) — French authorities may place Paris on maximum virus alert as soon as Monday, potentially requiring all bars to close and other new restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Thursday. The capital and its closest suburbs, comprising nearly seven million inhabitants, have already breached the maximum alert thresholds, Veran told a press conference. “We need a few days to confirm the trends, but if they […]
100 million extra Covid-19 vaccine doses for poorer countries: Vaccine Alliance
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Up to 100 million additional doses of any eventual safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines will be secured for delivery to poorer countries in 2021, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced Tuesday. The announcement means 200 million doses have been secured from the Serum Institute of India, following a previous announcement in August from Gavi and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that they had secured an initial 100 million doses from SII, […]
Coronavirus could overwhelm France, top doctor warns
PARIS, France (AFP) — France will face a months-long coronavirus epidemic that will overwhelm its health system if something does not change, one of the country’s top medical figures warned Sunday. “The second wave is arriving faster than we thought,” Patrick Bouet, head of the National Council of the Order of Doctors, told the weekly Journal du Dimanche. Fresh restrictions to slow the spread of the disease in the country’s worst-hit areas, including the […]
Moscow mayor orders elderly to stay home as virus rebounds
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Friday ordered the elderly to stay at home and recommended employers allow home working after the Russian capital saw a sharp rise in virus cases. Sobyanin’s message came after virus figures that had remained steady for several months climbed steeply in recent days in Russia, the world’s fourth most affected country, and particularly in Moscow, where current case numbers are the highest since late June. […]
Record infections in France as restrictions spark outcry
by Paul Ricard with Sandra Laffont in Marseille PARIS, France (AFP) — France reported a new record for daily coronavirus infections on Thursday a day after the government announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in major cities which have provoked an outcry from local politicians and business owners. Figures from Public Health France showed that 16,096 people had tested positive for Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, a record — though experts advise that […]
UK reports 6,000 new coronavirus cases
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK on Wednesday reported 6,178 new coronavirus cases, a marked jump in the daily infection rate that comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled new nationwide restrictions. It follows a rise of 4,926 the day before and brings the total confirmed cases in Britain since the pandemic hit to 409,729. With a further 37 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, 41,862 people in Britain who tested […]
UK to outline early pub closing as virus alert level raised
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK government will on Tuesday announce new measures to curb a concerning rise in coronavirus cases, shutting pubs in England early and recommending a return to working from home where possible. Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines the restrictions to parliament at 1130 GMT, and was due to make a televised address to the nation at 1900 GMT. Top advisers on Monday warned the country could see up to 50,000 […]
Over 60 wealthy nations join WHO’s Covid-19 vaccine plan
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — More than 60 wealthy nations have joined a WHO-backed programme to facilitate poor countries’ access to coronavirus vaccines, but the US and China are not on the list published Monday. The World Health Organization has in coordination with the global vaccine alliance group Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) created a mechanism aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of any future Covid-19 vaccines. But the mechanism, known […]





