International

Japan becomes first country to approve Ronapreve Covid treatment

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said Tuesday that Japan had become the first country to fully approve its Ronapreve antibody treatment for patients with mild to moderate Covid-19. The approval was based on phase 3 trials finding that the antibody cocktail dramatically reduced the likelihood that mild or moderate Covid patients would develop into serious illness causing hospitalization or death. Ronapreve, developed in cooperation with US biotech firm Regeneron, was approved by […]

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Confidante of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi dies after contracting Covid in junta jail

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A confidante of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and stalwart democracy campaigner died Tuesday after becoming infected with Covid-19 in prison, authorities said. Nyan Win, a veteran senior member and former spokesperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party — led by Suu Kyi — was 78. He had been arrested after the February 1 coup removed the NLD from power and was held in Yangon’s notorious Insein […]

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China says, Washington hack claims ‘fabricated’, condemns US allies

by Sébastien RICCI BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Tuesday said the US had “fabricated” allegations it carried out a massive Microsoft hack, countering that Washington was the “world champion” of cyberattacks while raging at American allies for signing up to a rare joint statement of condemnation. The United States on Monday accused Beijing of carrying out the March cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange, a top email server for corporations around the world, and charged four […]

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Indonesia reports record number of COVID deaths at over 1,300 in 24 hours

Indonesia overtaking India as Asia’s COVID-19 epicenter   Skyrocketing Covid-19 infections and deaths are hammering hospitals in Indonesia which is overtaking India as Asia’s coronavirus epicentre. Desperate patients lining up at hospitals for days before getting proper treatment, as the government has advised infected people with mild symptomps to self quarantine. Many, however, ended up dying at homes. Workers from local community health centers and volunteers have taken the job to go house to house […]

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Pedro Castillo, Peru’s ‘first poor president’

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Rural school teacher Pedro Castillo on Monday was declared Peru’s president-elect, making him the country’s first leader with no ties to the elites that have governed the Andean country for decades. The 51-year-old far-left trade unionist was largely unknown until he led a national strike four years ago that forced the then-government to agree to pay rise demands. He was born to peasants in the tiny village of Puna in the […]

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England lifts Covid curbs as scientists warn of surge in cases

by Jitendra JOSHI LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government on Monday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing rules in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown. From midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), nighclubs reopened and other indoor venues were allowed to run at full capacity, while legal mandates covering the wearing of masks and working from home were scrapped. Prime […]

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Adelaide becomes latest Australian city to lock down

ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) — Adelaide will on Tuesday become the latest in a string of Australian cities to lock down, as the largely unvaccinated nation struggles to contain a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. The state of South Australia, of which Adelaide is the capital, said it would join Sydney and Melbourne in locking down after five local cases were detected. The decision means more than 14 million Australians are now under orders to stay at […]

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Tokyo’s real life Paw Patrol keeps crime on short leash

by Harumi OZAWA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — It’s a neighbourhood watch with a difference. A clean-nosed crew, sniffing out trouble and keeping the streets safe for school kids: meet the pups of Tokyo’s real-life Paw Patrol. They might not have the gadgets and gear of their beloved cartoon counterparts, but the dogs of the Wan-Wan (bow-wow) Patrol are firm favourites in Tokyo’s Karasuyama neighbourhood. Twelve-year-old Yurika Igarashi counts on seeing Sakura, a fluffy toy poodle, […]

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Iraq market suicide bombing claimed by IS kills nearly 30 on eve of Eid holiday

by Salam Faraj and Ammar Karim BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility early Tuesday for a suicide bombing that ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital ahead of Eid holiday celebrations, killing nearly 30 people, according to medical sources. In a message posted to its Telegram channel, the militant group said a suicide bomber named Abu Hamza al-Iraqi detonated his explosive belt in the middle of a crowd in […]

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Biden hosts king of Jordan, vows to strengthen ties

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Monday hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II for talks at the White House, where he said the United States aimed to boost cooperation between the strategic partners. The visit to the presidential mansion was the first by an Arab leader since Biden took office six months ago, and served as a show of support by Washington for Jordan in the wake of an alleged plot to overthrow […]

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Blaze defies US firefighters, power firm under scrutiny

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The large wildfire scorching the western US state of Oregon topped 300,000 acres Monday as it emerged a California power company linked to previous deadly fires may be responsible for a new blaze. Oregon’s giant Bootleg Fire has triggered over 2,100 evacuations and destroyed 67 homes in nearly two weeks of explosive growth, regularly forcing back firefighters who have only contained one quarter of its perimeter. “We are running […]

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Saudis wanting to travel need two Covid jabs: official

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Any Saudi citizen wishing to travel abroad will be required to have had two doses of coronavirus vaccine from next month, tightening existing measures, the interior ministry said on Monday. “The second dose of the vaccine against Covid will be a condition of all overseas travel for all citizens from August 9, 2021,” the ministry wrote in a statement published by the official SPA news agency. Children under 12, those […]

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