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by Issam Ahmed with AFP bureaus President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Americans worried about the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant that the country was “prepared” to fight it, as Israel — which pioneered the use of Covid vaccine boosters — announced fourth shots for those over 60 and health workers. Omicron, now present in dozens of countries, appears to be more infectious than earlier coronavirus strains, despite early indications that it does not cause […]
The US state of California announced Monday it is suing Walmart, alleging the retail giant unlawfully disposes of millions of toxic waste items. The state said it had conducted 58 inspections of trash compactors at Walmart stores between 2015 and 2021 and found items that require special handling when they are thrown out, such as batteries, insect killers, cleaning supplies, electronic waste and confidential customer information. “When one person throws out a battery or half-empty […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The fast-spreading Omicron variant is now the main coronavirus strain in the United States, accounting for 73.2 percent of new cases over the past week for which data is available, health authorities reported Monday. The spike, which was tallied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based on data for the week ending on Saturday. During the prior week period, Omicron accounted for only 12.6 percent of US […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US vaccine maker Moderna expressed confidence Monday that its booster shot was effective against the Omicron variant, after the announcement of laboratory results it described as “reassuring.” “We’ll be able to rely on this vaccine to address the near term surge of Omicron cases,” Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said on a conference call. However he said tests showed that after only two doses, protection against Omicron was “substantially lower” […]
by Cyril JULIEN Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Several American cities, both large and small, have seen a record number of homicides this year, a deadly spiral born at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year and which the authorities are still struggling to control. A convergence of factors is to blame, according to experts interviewed by AFP: the painful reverberations of the coronavirus and of the varied traumas it […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned of a bleak winter ahead as the Covid-19 Omicron variant spurs a new wave of infections globally, sparking restrictions and concerns over hospital capacity. “One thing that’s very clear… is its (Omicron’s) extraordinary capability of spreading,” Fauci told NBC News. “It is just… raging through to the world.” Since it was first reported in South Africa in November, Omicron has been […]
by Peter HUTCHISON Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A defiant Ghislaine Maxwell said Friday that prosecutors had failed to prove her guilty of sex crimes, as her defense wound up in a trial that heard lurid claims she groomed minors for abuse by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking for the first time since her sensational trial opened late last month, the 59-year-old British socialite addressed the New […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US panel of medical experts advising the government voted Thursday to recommend mRNA Covid vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in light of its weaker protection and greater risks. The panel voted 15-0 in favor of the so-called “preferential recommendation,” which applies to everyone over 18 years of age. “I would not recommend a Janssen vaccine to my family members,” said Beth Bell, […]
by Brendan SMIALOWSKI DAWSON SPRINGS, United States (AFP) — Severe storms battered the American Midwest Wednesday evening, hours after President Joe Biden pledged increased federal assistance to Kentucky, where scores were killed and towns leveled by recent tornadoes. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of an “extremely strong” and “potentially record-breaking” storm system producing “a plethora of weather hazards” throughout several states in the central and northern part of the country Wednesday night, including “dangerously […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — The Canadian government on Wednesday urged citizens to avoid foreign travel over the Christmas holidays, saying the Covid-19 Omicron variant “makes us fear the worst,” including soaring infections and travel disruptions. The travel advisory will be re-evaluated in four weeks, but public health restrictions could be imposed in the interim if the pandemic situation worsens, officials told a news conference. “Our government is officially advising Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside […]
CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (AFP) — Fears grew Wednesday the death toll from a massive gas truck explosion in Haiti would climb as officials scrambled to provide care for dozens suffering burn injuries sustained in the accident. One day after the blast in Haiti’s second largest city of Cap-Haitien, 75 people were confirmed dead in the latest disaster to hit the poverty-wracked Caribbean nation, riven by gang violence and political paralysis. As of Wednesday evening, there were […]
by Lucie AUBOURG WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Was climate change behind the recent tornadoes that killed dozens of people and wrought a trail of destruction through five American states? Higher temperatures might create more favorable conditions for these violent storms, but for now, scientists remain cautious about drawing a direct connection. While research has firmly linked recent extreme weather events to global warming — from this summer’s heatwaves in North America to flooding in […]
