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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lankan women were urged to delay getting pregnant after more than 40 expectant mothers died of Covid-19 in four months, the health ministry said Thursday. The island nation, which recorded its first maternal coronavirus death in May, is battling a spike in Delta variant infections after travel restrictions were eased for local new year celebrations in mid-April. “Usually, we have 90 to 100 maternal deaths a year, but since […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping told his American counterpart that US policies towards Beijing have caused “serious difficulties” and that putting ties back on track was critical “to the destiny of the world”, state media reported Friday. Ties between Beijing and Washington have been strained in recent years by a bruising trade war and America’s tough stand on China’s human rights track record — while competition over tech dominance and disputes over […]
A super typhoon that rapidly formed in just 48 hours is threatening both the Philippines and Taiwan with destructive winds and torrential rains over the coming days. Chanthu was about 580 kilometres (360 miles) southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost tip on Friday morning, packing gusts of up to 234 kilometres (145 miles) an hour, according to Taiwan’s central weather bureau. The Philippine state weather agency said the typhoon was expected to graze the northeastern tip of […]
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –US President Joe Biden talked with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time in seven months Thursday, urging they ensure that “competition” between the two powers does not become “conflict,” the White House said. During the call, Biden’s message was that the United States wants to ensure “the dynamic remains competitive and that we don’t have any situation in the future where we veer into unintended […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France has granted citizenship to over 12,000 foreign-born health workers, security guards, checkout assistants and other frontline workers to thank them for their services during the Covid crisis, the government said Thursday. Marlene Schiappa, junior interior minister in charge of citizenship, said over 16,000 people had applied for a French passport over the past year under a special scheme allowing workers in essential services to apply for citizenship after just two […]
by James EDGAR KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Just over 100 passengers, including some Americans, left Kabul airport on Thursday on the first flight carrying foreigners out of the Afghan capital since a US-led evacuation ended on August 30. The first international flight came as the Taliban continue their transition from insurgents to governing power, less than a month after they marched into Kabul and ousted president Ashraf Ghani. More than 100 passengers were on the […]
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a major escalation in the national Covid immunization campaign with strict new vaccination rules affecting tens of millions of workers, as he hardened his tone towards Americans who refuse the shots. The six-point plan targets businesses with more than 100 employees, in the United States’ most aggressive steps taken so far against the surging Delta variant. “A distinct minority of […]
ESTEPONA, SpainA firefighter was killed on Thursday battling a wind-fuelled wildfire in southern Spain which forced the evacuation of hundreds of people and closed a key highway, local officials said. The 44-year-old was one of around 400 firefighters tackling the flames which had broken out late Wednesday in the Sierra Bermeja mountains in the southern province of Malaga, the Andalusia regional government said in a statement. “You can imagine the pain and sadness at his […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — All children aged 12 and over who attend public schools in Los Angeles will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of the year, the city’s board of education ruled Thursday. The vote by the Los Angeles Unified School District is the first by a major school board in the United States, and could set a precedent for other local authorities. © Agence France-Presse
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Tropical storm Olaf strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific on Thursday as it churned towards the beach resorts of Los Cabos on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, meteorologists said. Olaf was packing maximum winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category One hurricane, the lowest on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. At 1500 GMT the storm was located about 155 […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The European Medicines Agency has listed the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis, as a “very rare” side effect of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. A causal relationship was “considered at least a reasonable possibility”, the EMA said in an update Wednesday after a total of 833 cases of the syndrome had been reported worldwide by July 31, from about 592 million doses of the AstraZeneca “Vaxzevria” shot […]
by Joris FIORITI PARIS, France (AFP) — When thousands of Afghans hoping to escape the incoming Taliban regime were cut off from Kabul airport last month, many started searching for alternative ways to flee. Hundreds made a daring dash for the airport at Mazar-i-Sharif — a city some 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the north on a route that had become punctuated with Taliban checkpoints. Some managed to board charter planes crowdfunded by individuals and […]
