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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 Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France will ban non-essential travel to and from Britain from the weekend to slow the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that is causing record numbers of cases on the other side of the Channel, the government said Thursday. From midnight Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) there will be a “requirement to have an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both […]
Indonesia’s mount Semeru erupted twice Thursday, belching a massive column of ash into the sky followed by a flow of lava that sent hundreds of rescuers fleeing in panic. The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted earlier this month, killing at least 48 and leaving a dozen people missing. Rescuers were digging through the mud and volcanic debris when ash — which reached 4.5 kilometres from the peak — and lava flow from […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from a boat accident off Malaysia rose to 18 Thursday after a search and rescue team found the bodies of seven more Indonesian migrants on the shore. The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter neighbouring Malaysia illegally, capsized Wednesday in stormy weather off the southern state of Johor. Soldiers on patrol found 11 victims on the shore in the hours after the […]
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 […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea said Thursday it will reimpose coronavirus curfews on businesses and limit the size of gatherings again as record infections forced the government to pause its plan to live with Covid. Following a rapid vaccination program, authorities eased restrictions last month to help boost the Covid-hit economy, removing limits on how long businesses could stay open. But new daily infections have more than trebled since then, with a record […]
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 […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa Wednesday reported its highest daily tally of new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, just weeks after announcing the discovery of the Omicron strain. The tally of 26,976 Covid infections topped the previous record of 26,485 on July 3, at the height of the country’s third wave caused by the Delta variant. The highly mutated Omicron strain was first detected in South Africa last month […]
Spain (AFP) — A volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma has shown its first sign it might be coming to an end after nearly three months, scientists said Wednesday, although they could not rule out a new flare up in activity. The eruption of the Cumbre Viejo volcano has ebbed and flowed since it first began spewing lava on September 19, forcing the evacuation of over 7,000 people and destroying nearly 3,000 […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, crossed 800,000 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed. The figure is greater than the entire population of several states, including North Dakota and Alaska. Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who lead the House of Representatives and Senate respectively, as well as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and other members of Congress held […]
