WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday lifted a state mask mandate and said he was authorizing businesses restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic to open “100 percent.” “For nearly half a year, most businesses have been open either 75 percent or 50 percent and during that time, too many Texans have been sidelined from employment opportunities,” Abbott said. “Too many small business owners have struggled to pay their bills,” the […]
North America
At least 15 dead after SUV, truck collide in California: hospital
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — At least 15 people were killed in southern California on Tuesday when a vehicle packed with people collided with a large truck, officials said. “We believe there was 27 passengers in this SUV that struck a semi-truck full of gravel,” said Judy Cruz, an official from El Centro regional medical center. She said 14 people died at the scene of the crash near El Centro, California, which is close […]
Novavax hopes to file for US vaccine approval in 2nd quarter of 2021
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech company Novavax said Monday it hopes to file for British approval of its Covid-19 vaccine at the start of the second quarter of 2021, and to do the same soon after in the United States. The company has no assurance that US authorities will agree to consider the request, which currently is based on results from Phase 3 clinical trials led in the Britain. Similar trials are still […]
Huawei exec’s extradition fight enters final round in Canada
by David BALL VANCOUVER, Canada (AFP) — Chinese Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou was back in a Canadian court Monday to fight a final round against extradition to the United States, after more than two years of legal skirmishes and diplomatic barbs. The daughter of Huawei founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei faces charges in the United States of bank fraud and conspiracy over the commercial activities of a former Huawei subsidiary alleged to have […]
US children could receive vaccine by year-end: Fauci
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States could start vaccinating older children against Covid-19 by the fall and younger ones by year-end or early 2022, the White House’s top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday. The mass vaccination of school-age children will allow millions of children to return sooner to in-person learning and ease the burden on millions of parents now caring for their offspring at home. School reopenings, an intensely debated matter, […]
US to distribute 4 million J&J Covid vaccines by Tuesday
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Four million doses of the latest Covid-19 vaccine to get US approval will be delivered across the country as early as Tuesday, a senior administration official said. The United States on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine for emergency use, boosting President Joe Biden’s plan to battle the outbreak that has killed more than 500,000 Americans. The single-shot vaccine — the third type to be authorized — is highly […]
Canada approves AstraZeneca vaccine
By: Thomas I. Likness EBC News Service (Eagle News) — Canadians now have access to a third Covid-19 vaccine after Health Canada approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Friday. “This is very encouraging news. It means more people vaccinated and sooner,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference Friday. “With Pfizer, Moderna and now AstraZeneca, Canada will get to more than 6.5 million doses by the end of March.” “Vaccines will keep arriving faster and faster […]
US says Saudi prince approved Khashoggi murder but spares him sanctions
by Sebastian Smith and Shaun Tandon Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Friday for the first time publicly accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of approving the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but stopped short of targeting the powerful heir apparent. The prince, who is de facto ruler of the US ally and oil provider, “approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill […]
US approves Pfizer vaccine storage at normal freezer temperature
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Frozen vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine may be stored at temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers for a period of up to two weeks, the US Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The move loosens a previous requirement that the vaccine should be stored at ultra-low temperatures, between -112 and -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 to -60 degrees Celsius). “The alternative temperature for transportation and storage will help ease the burden […]
Biden says US Covid vaccinations ‘weeks ahead of schedule’
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday celebrated 50 million Covid-19 vaccines administered since he took office, saying the rollout is “weeks ahead of schedule,” but warning Americans to keep masking up. Biden came into office promising 100 million shots administered in his first 100 days, something critics said was an insufficiently ambitious target, but the White House says it is now on track easily to exceed. “We’re moving in the right […]
Large real world study confirms Pfizer Covid vaccine 94% effective
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has proven 94 percent effective in a study involving 1.2 million people in Israel, the first peer-reviewed real world research confirming the power of mass immunization campaigns to bring the pandemic to a close. The paper, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, also demonstrated there is likely a strong protective benefit against infection, a crucial element in breaking onward transmission. […]
Tiger’s legendary golf career in jeopardy after car crash
by Jim SLATER WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The amazing golf career of Tiger Woods, from two-year-old prodigy to his epic comeback 2019 Masters victory, was in jeopardy Tuesday after injuries suffered in a serious solo car crash. The 45-year-old American, among the world’s most famous athletes for the past quarter-century, underwent surgery for multiple leg injuries following the early morning wreck near Los Angeles. It could mean the end of a groundbreaking career that […]





