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by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A mysterious affliction dubbed “Havana Syndrome” that has brought severe headaches, nausea and possible brain damage to US diplomats has many officials convinced they are under sustained attack using electronic weapons. On Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris delayed for several hours a trip to Vietnam after the US embassy in Hanoi reported a possible case involving “acoustic incidents” there, raising concern she could be a target. […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several lots, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said Thursday. Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had “received reports from several vaccination centres that foreign substances have been found inside unopened vials from specific lots.” “Upon consultation with the health ministry, we […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine boosted immunity beyond the first dose. In two clinical studies that have not yet been peer-reviewed, the additional shot evoked a nine-fold increase in antibodies to the coronavirus, the company said in a news release. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced plans for all Americans vaccinated with mRNA vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — to receive a third […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Wednesday it has removed more than one million videos with “dangerous coronavirus misinformation” since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement by the Google-owned video platform comes as social media platforms are under fire from political leaders for failing to stem the spread of false and harmful misinformation and disinformation about the virus and other topics. YouTube said in a blog post it relies on “expert consensus […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As many as 1,500 American citizens may still need to be evacuated from Afghanistan and the Taliban have pledged to allow some departures after US troops leave the country on August 31, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken told reporters that at least 4,500 American citizens of the 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan have departed. He said officials have been in “direct contact” with another […]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to stop fleeing the country, and warned that it would not accept any extension of the August 31 deadline for evacuations. The hardline Islamist group said Americans were taking “Afghan experts” such as engineers and doctors out of Afghanistan. “We ask them to stop this process,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference in Kabul. “This country needs their expertise. They […]
by Sebastian Smith with David Fox in Kabul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States intends to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by August 31 and needs to withdraw rapidly because of a growing risk of terrorist attacks. “The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said of the plan to evacuate Americans, Afghan nationals and US troops from Taliban-controlled Kabul. “Each day of operations […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two people suffered burns in an acid attack at a Tokyo subway station with the perpetrator still at large, police and local media said Wednesday. The attack took place at Shirokane Takanawa station in an upscale part of Tokyo on Tuesday night, while the Paralympics opening ceremony was being held under tight security in the capital. One of the victims, a 22-year-old businessman, sustained burns to his face after the […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Some 38 million records stored on a Microsoft service, including private information, were mistakenly left exposed this year, security firm UpGuard said Monday. The data, including names, addresses, financial information and Covid-19 vaccination statuses, was made vulnerable — but not compromised — before the problem was resolved, according to the digital security company’s investigation. Among the 47 affected organizations were American Airlines, Ford, JB Hunt and public agencies such […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The Taliban must “guarantee” safe passage for those fleeing Afghanistan beyond the current August 31 evacuation deadline, the G7 agreed Tuesday, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson, who convened the emergency meeting, said that he and his colleagues had agreed “a roadmap for the way in which we’re going to engage with the Taliban” in the future. But he added that the “number one condition” was “to guarantee… […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Masks will have to be worn outside in Oregon, the state’s governor announced Tuesday, as the United States grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases. The mandate, which takes effect Friday, makes the northwestern state the first in the country to re-introduce a rule that was common during the darkest days of the pandemic. “The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the southern US state of Tennessee and approved federal funding after devastating floods over the weekend left at least 21 dead, the White House said in a statement said Tuesday. Tennessee was hit Saturday by what meteorologists called historic storms and flooding, dumping as much as 17 inches (38 centimeters) of rain. Rural roads, state highways, bridges and hundreds of homes […]
