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by Sophie MAKRIS and Femke COLBORNE Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany needs further coronavirus restrictions to combat a record surge in infections and “get through this winter”, would-be chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, calling a meeting with state premiers to decide new curbs. The country recorded 50,196 new cases in the past 24 hours on Thursday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency — the first time the […]
by Amber WANG TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Ken Young and Kylie Wang, hosts of a popular daily news podcast, say they feel Taiwanese and not Chinese — a belief shared by many young people on the self-ruled island. Beijing views Taiwan as part of China and has intensified pressure on Taipei in recent years, pushing political tensions between the two to dizzying heights. For younger Taiwanese people, the growing antagonism has cemented a distinct identity […]
BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) — A fire at a Romanian hospital killed two patients early Thursday, officials said, the fourth such deadly blaze in a year in the EU member known for its dilapidated infrastructure. The blaze ripped through a hospital for infectious diseases in the southern city of Ploiesti shortly after 4:00 am local time. “The fire was extinguished fast, but unfortunately two people died”, Health Minister Cseke Atilla told local media, adding that an […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany registered a record 50,196 new Covid-19 infections Thursday, according to health authorities. It is the first time Germany has exceeded 50,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and comes as infections and deaths have soared since mid-October. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the rise in infections as “dramatic”. “The pandemic is returning in a new spectacular fashion,” her spokesperson said, calling on regional authorities to take further steps […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The developer of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V has said Moscow should make jabs mandatory as inoculation rates remain low despite record deaths and campaigning by authorities. His call came as Russia reported a record 1,239 Covid deaths in a single day Wednesday. Only 34 percent of the country is fully vaccinated, even though Sputnik V — the world’s first Covid vaccine — has been widely available since December last year. […]
BEIJING, China,Beijing sealed off a large downtown mall and locked down several residential communities Thursday in response to a recent Covid flare-up, as the latest nationwide wave spread to the capital’s central districts. The latest spike occurred as a sensitive three-day meeting of top Communist Party leaders wraps up in the capital. China has largely curbed widespread transmission of Covid-19 through snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions, but authorities remain on high alert after […]
by Marisha GOLDHAMER WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Registered nurse Melody Butler seeks to provide science-based answers to American parents as she urges them to vaccinate their children against Covid-19. But her efforts to do so on social media through Nurses Who Vaccinate — a volunteer group she founded — is up against a deluge of claims that the shots are dangerous. The claims are designed to evoke fear: a 16-year-old girl said to have […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Demand for Covid booster jabs jumped in France after President Emmanuel Macron said a top-up dose would be necessary for people to retain their vaccine passes, the country’s main appointment booking site said Wednesday. “The Macron effect” prompted 149,000 requests for shots, most during and immediately after the president’s televised address on Tuesday evening, in which he warned that coronavirus cases were again on the rise, Doctolib said. Anticipation of the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States immunized around 900,000 children aged five-to-11 against Covid in the first week the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for them, a White House official said Wednesday. Roughly 700,000 more have made appointments at pharmacies, White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters. “The program is just getting up to full strength,” he said, adding most of the shots were given in the last couple of days alone. There […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Thursday against a return to Cold War-era tensions in the Asia-Pacific, urging greater cooperation on pandemic recovery and climate change. Amid growing tensions with the United States over Taiwan, partially offset by a surprise deal between Beijing and Washington on climate, Xi said all countries in the region must work together on joint challenges. “Attempts to draw ideological lines or form small circles on […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico City has set a world record for free Wi-Fi access thanks to thousands of public internet access points across the capital, Guinness World Records announced Wednesday. Official adjudicator Carlos Tapia presented the award for the most hotspots — 21,500 — in a single free urban Wi-Fi network to Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. The access points are spread across the sprawling city of some nine million people, particularly in […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German health authorities on Wednesday advised against the use of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for people under 30 due to evidence of a small risk of cardiac inflammation. The Stiko vaccine commission cited studies showing that mRNA jabs led in rare cases to the conditions myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) in younger patients, with slightly higher prevalence in those who received […]
