International

Two dead after blast in Indian court building

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Two people were killed and two others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through an Indian court building on Thursday, police said. Footage showed police officers carrying the injured out of the building and asking others to leave the premises after the explosion near a restroom of the judicial complex in Ludhiana, north of the capital New Delhi. “There’s been a blast but we can not confirm the cause,” a […]

Heavy rains displace thousands in northeast Brazil

SALVADOR, Brazil (AFP) — More than 11,000 people have been displaced in the Brazilian state of Bahia due to flooding, with authorities scrambling Saturday to provide relief to residents without alternate housing. The heavy rains have killed 17 people since November, including the latest death on Thursday, the state’s civil protection agency said. A total of 4,185 people were seeking shelter, according to data released by the agency on Friday, after the rains struck 19 […]

Large Israel bird flu outbreak kills 2,000 wild cranes

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — A bird flu outbreak has killed more than 2,000 wild cranes on a reserve in northern Israel, an unusually high toll for the seasonal flu, the parks authority said Sunday. In addition to the 2,000 dead, another 10,000 are believed to be infected, Ohad Hatsofe, a specialist at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, told AFP. The virus affects Israel annually, but this year’s outbreak is much larger than previous years, […]

Covid-hit Xi’an tightens measures as China sees 21-month case record

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The Chinese city of Xi’an, where 13 million residents are currently confined to their homes, announced tightened restrictions on Sunday as the country recorded its biggest Covid-19 infection numbers in 21 months. China has stuck to a “zero-Covid” strategy involving tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns. Authorities have been especially vigilant in recent months to avoid an outbreak before February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, but there have been sporadic flare-ups. […]

Canada’s Shapovalov tests positive for Covid in Sydney

World number 14 Denis Shapovalov has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sydney, he said Sunday, highlighting the virus threat to the Australian Open. The 22-year-old was among the first players to enter Australia ahead of the ATP Cup teams event from January 1, where he was supposed to be playing for Canada, and with the first Grand Slam of the year three weeks away. He said on Twitter he was experiencing mild symptoms […]

Save the Children says two Myanmar staff missing after burnt remains found

Save the Children said two of its Myanmar staff were missing on Saturday, after the charred remains of more than 30 people were found, in an attack a monitoring group and local media blamed on junta troops. Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group. “People’s Defence Forces” (PDF) have sprung up across the country to […]

Portugal says Omicron dominant, infections rising

Omicron has become the dominant strain of coronavirus in Portugal where more than 10,000 daily Covid-19 cases had been registered Saturday, the national health agency said. Portugal, one of the countries with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates worldwide, has begun inoculating children over five years old. “The Omicron variant is already dominant in Portugal, accounting for 61.5 percent of cases on December 22,” the General Directorate of Health said. On Saturday, Portugal recorded 10 deaths […]

France breaks 100,000 barrier for 24-hour Covid infections

Covid infections in France hit six figures Saturday, health officials recording 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours, the third consecutive day the numbers have been record highs. The latest figures, from France’s public health agency, come ahead of a video-conference meeting Monday in which President Emmanuel Macron and key members of his government will discuss new Covid safety measures. Officials are concerned about the effect of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Already […]

Malaysian floods death toll rises to 46

The death toll from Malaysia’s worst floods in years rose to 46 Saturday, with five people still missing, officials said, as work crews continued a massive clean-up on December 25. Days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow last weekend, swamping cities, cutting off major roads, and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Selangor — Malaysia’s most densely populated and wealthiest state, encircling the capital Kuala Lumpur — has been one […]

6,300 flights scrapped as Omicron hits holiday weekend travel

More than 6,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide over the long holiday weekend and thousands more were delayed, a tracking website reported Saturday, as the highly infectious Omicron variant brings holiday hurt to millions. Compounding the travel chaos in the United States, severe weather in the country’s west is due to wreak havoc on roadways and other routes there although it may well bring a white holiday weekend to northwest cities Seattle and Portland. According […]

James Webb telescope sets off on million-mile voyage

by Pierre CELERIER The world’s most powerful space telescope on Saturday blasted off into orbit, headed to an outpost 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) from Earth, after several delays caused by technical hitches. The James Webb Space Telescope, some three decades and billions of dollars in the making, left Earth enclosed in its Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. “What an amazing day. It’s truly Christmas,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, head of […]

Heavy rains displace thousands in northeast Brazil

More than 11,000 people have been displaced in the Brazilian state of Bahia due to flooding, with authorities scrambling Saturday to provide relief to residents without alternate housing. The heavy rains have killed 17 people since November, including the latest death on Thursday, the state’s civil protection agency said. A total of 4,185 people were seeking shelter, according to data released by the agency on Friday, after the rains struck 19 cities particularly hard, including […]