by Jan Flemr PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AFP) — Czech President Milos Zeman returned to hospital hours after being released Thursday as he tested positive for Covid-19, his spokesman Jiri Ovcacek said in a statement. Zeman was expected to appoint centre-right leader Petr Fiala as prime minister on Friday, but Ovcacek said his programme would now be put on hold. The 77-year-old veteran leftwinger was hospitalised on October 10, a day after a general election, and […]
International
UK to ban travel from six African countries due to new Covid variant
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Thursday said it would ban travel from six southern African countries, after South Africa detected a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said all flights would be suspended from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana from 1200 GMT Friday. © Agence France-Presse
Chile approves Covid shots for childen aged 3 and up
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Chile on Thursday announced it would start vaccinating children aged three and up against the coronavirus, after successfully innoculating around 90 percent of its initial target population. Children under the new rollout will receive the Chinese CoronaVac shot already used for kids aged six to 15, the Public Health Institute said. For 16 to 18-year-olds, Chile uses the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The decision to use different shots was based on studies with […]
Cathay Pacific to cut flights as Hong Kong Covid rules bite
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Cathay Pacific on Thursday said it will slash passenger flights into Hong Kong next month as the city’s strict travel curbs keep international travellers away while rivals see prospects improve. Hong Kong has maintained some of the world’s harshest quarantine measures and travel restrictions during the pandemic, which has kept infections low but ensured a business hub that dubs itself “Asia’s World City” has been cut off internationally for […]
Interpol elects Emirati general accused of torture as new president
by Remi BANET Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Interpol elected an Emirati general accused of torture as its new president on Thursday, despite the concerns of human rights organisations who fear the agency will be at risk of exploitation by repressive regimes. The appointment follows generous funding by the United Arab Emirates for the Lyon, France-based body and accusations that Abu Dhabi has abused Interpol’s system of so-called “red notices” for wanted […]
Violence against women rising amid pandemic, says UN on Int’l Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
(Eagle News) – “Nearly 1 in 3 women have been abused in their lifetime,” according to the United Nations as it marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Thursday, November 25. In fact, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from the UN Women, cited data from 13 countries that 2 in 3 women reported that they or a woman they know experienced some form of violence.” “Only 1 […]
Several buildings ablaze in Solomon Islands’ capital riots
HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AFP) — Several buildings were set alight in the Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara Thursday as thousands of protestors swarmed the city’s Chinatown district in a second day of anti-government riots. Eyewitnesses and local media reported crowds had defied a government lockdown to take to the streets. Live images showed several buildings engulfed in flames and plumes of thick black smoke billowing high above the capital. © Agence France-Presse
Ethiopia PM at ‘battlefield’ front to fight rebels: state media
by Robbie COREY-BOULET ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday reportedly joined the front line where government forces are battling rebels from the Tigray region, prompting US-led international calls for a diplomatic solution and immediate ceasefire to the conflict. The fighting in the north of Africa’s second-most populous country has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions. Foreign governments have told their citizens to leave […]
Germany’s Covid death toll passes 100,000: health ministry
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — More than 100,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Germany since the start of the pandemic, the Robert Koch Institute, a public health agency, announced Thursday. Europe’s largest economy is battling a fresh surge in virus cases, and recorded 351 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 100,119, according to RKI’s figures. © Agence France-Presse
Three white men found guilty of murdering Black jogger in US
by Chris Lefkow WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Three white men were found guilty of murder Wednesday for shooting dead an African American man after chasing him in their pickup trucks, following a racially-charged trial in the southern US state of Georgia that gripped the nation. Travis McMichael, who shot Ahmaud Arbery, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, who took part in the chase, were all convicted of multiple counts of […]
Canada starts vaccinating children 5-11 years old against Covid
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Canada began immunizing children aged 5-11 against Covid-19 Wednesday, joining a handful of nations including Israel and the United States in offering shots to this age group. At Montreal’s convention center, a few dozen youngsters were among the first to receive the Pfizer doses authorized since last Friday for this age group. To help ease their fears of needles, additional measures have been taken such posting stickers of unicorns or hockey […]
Over 30 die in Channel’s deadliest migrant boat tragedy
by Bernard BARRON with Sylvie MALIGORNE and Stuart WILLIAMS in Paris CALAIS, France (AFP) — At least 31 migrants trying to reach England from France died on Wednesday when their boat sank off the northern French coast, the deadliest disaster since the Channel became a hub for clandestine crossings. President Emmanuel Macron vowed France would not allow the Channel to become a “cemetery” and called for an emergency meeting of European ministers on the crisis. […]





