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Beijing, China (AFP) by Jing Xuan TENG China on Thursday insisted it had been transparent with the international community about its Covid data, as it hit back against World Health Organization criticism that its tally of virus deaths was understating the true scale of its outbreak. There is mounting international concern over China’s steep rise in Covid infections since Beijing abruptly lifted years of hardline restrictions last month, with hospitals and crematoriums quickly overwhelmed. […]
Outside of China, many experts have their attention on the US and Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which has been detected in 29 countries so far. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said it was “the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet.” However there is no indication as yet that XBB.1.5 — which has been spreading rapidly in the northeastern United States — causes more severe disease than other types of Covid. […]
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia said Wednesday the toll climbed in its worst single reported loss from a Ukrainian strike, which an increasingly criticized Moscow blamed on troops using mobile phones. The Ukrainian military’s strategic communications unit has said nearly 400 Russian soldiers were killed in the town of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine, and even Russian commentators have said the death toll may be far higher than the 89 Russia has reported. As Moscow grappled […]
by Adam PLOWRIGHT Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Addressing the nation on New Year’s Eve, French President Emmanuel Macron put the country on alert for another period of political turbulence. The 45-year-old, speaking from the Elysee palace, acknowledged the “anxieties” of many people amid rocketing food prices, worries about the war in Ukraine and lingering concern about Covid-19. But he vowed to press ahead with plans to push back the retirement age, starting later […]
by Adam PLOWRIGHT — Recently described as “250 grams of magic and perfection” by President Emmanuel Macron, the French baguette is at risk from surging energy prices, with some bakers warning they can no longer afford to fire up their ovens. Already struggling with sharp hikes in the price of butter, flour and sugar over the last year and a half, the prized industry is now alarmed by astronomical electricity bills looming in 2023. “It […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The toll from a Ukrainian New Year strike in Makiivka has risen to 89, Moscow said Wednesday, after Russians gathered to mourn the troops in a rare public display of anger and grief. Russia said in the early hours of Wednesday that more bodies had been found under the rubble in the town of Makiivka in the Russian-controlled region of Donetsk and the toll had risen to 89. The defense ministry […]
by Laurie CHEN Agence France-Press BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is experiencing a huge Covid-19 surge after years of hardline containment restrictions were dismantled last month. A growing number of countries are worried about a lack of data and transparency surrounding China’s outbreak. Here is why it is sparking concern: – Unreliable data – Beijing has admitted the scale of the outbreak has become “impossible” to track following the end of mandatory mass testing last […]
by Robbie COREY-BOULET Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia on Monday said more than 60 soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike on Russian-controlled territory in a New Year assault, the biggest loss of life reported by Moscow so far. Kyiv took responsibility for the strike, which it said took place in the occupied city of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine on New Year’s Eve. In a rare announcement that followed criticism by Russian military […]
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — A fresh aerial strike targeted Kyiv in the early hours of Monday, after a New Year’s day marked by dozens of Russian assaults that killed at least four people in the capital and other cities. The Ukrainian capital and other cities came under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones on Saturday, killing three people, and a new attack Sunday killed one in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. The capital was once […]
Beijing, China (AFP) Travellers from China now face restrictions when entering more than a dozen countries as concern grows over its surge in Covid-19 cases, with Australia the latest to demand a negative test before arrival. Last month, Beijing abruptly began dismantling its “zero-Covid” containment policy of lockdowns and mass testing, three years after the coronavirus first emerged in the city of Wuhan. As Covid overwhelms Chinese hospitals and crematoriums, officials have insisted that the wave is “under […]
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Russia’s New Year assault on Ukraine left three people dead and wounded another 50 as Moscow on Sunday claimed to have thwarted Kyiv’s “terror attacks” on the homeland. The Ukrainian capital and other cities came under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones. The Ukrainian air force said Sunday 45 Iranian-made drones had been destroyed overnight. Thirteen were shot down at the end of 2022 and another 32 after midnight, the air […]
Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant signed a nuclear fuel supply deal with a French firm on Friday in efforts to replace shipments from Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The state-owned Kozloduy plant on the Danube river currently relies on Russian fuel for its two Soviet-built 1,000-megawatt reactors. Under a 10-year agreement signed Friday, Framatome, a subsidiary of French energy giant EDF, will supply nuclear fuel to Kozloduy’s unit 5 reactor from […]
