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SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A mouse plague ravaging Australia’s farmlands forced the evacuation of hundreds of inmates from a rural jail on Tuesday, as the rodents broke in and chewed through essential infrastructure. Scores of mice have gnawed through ceiling panels and wiring at a New South Wales prison, prompting authorities to scale back operations for repairs. “The health, safety and wellbeing of staff and inmates is our number one priority, so it’s important for […]
by Agnes ANYA JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia passed two million coronavirus cases Monday as infection rates soar and hospitals are flooded with new patients, prompting warnings that the Southeast Asian nation’s health crisis could spiral out of control. The unwanted milestone comes after daily case rates more than doubled in recent weeks and authorities identified the presence of highly infectious Covid-19 variants. On Monday, official figures showed that Indonesia had recorded a daily record […]
BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — Colombia’s death toll from Covid-19 passed the 100,000 mark on Monday with a new 24-hour record of almost 650 deaths, the health ministry said. After three weeks of demonstrations that have brought thousands of people into the streets to protest the government of conservative President Ivan Duque, the South American country of 50 million is suffering its worst moment since the pandemic began. It has now recorded 100,582 dead, including 648 […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Millions of people across Mexico on Monday took part in earthquake simulation drills for the first time since they were suspended last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The resumption of the emergency exercises follows a steady decline in new Covid-19 cases and deaths in Mexico, one of the countries worst hit by the virus. The drills, held regularly before the health crisis, aim to prepare the country for the […]
NZEREKOE, Guinea (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Saturday officially announced the end of Guinea’s second Ebola outbreak which was declared in February and claimed 12 lives. At 16 confirmed cases and seven probable infections according to WHO figures, the limited size of the latest flare-up has been credited to experience from the 2013-16 epidemic, which killed more than 11,300 people mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Just 12 people died this time […]
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The UAE has quietly launched vaccine tourism, with the emirate of Abu Dhabi offering visitors free jabs after approving the inoculation of all those with visas issued by its authorities. Abu Dhabi has not officially announced that it is vaccinating tourists, but authorities in the emirate said in a brief statement earlier this month that free Covid-19 vaccines were approved for everyone with an “entry visa”. The UAE […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The US special representative for North Korea on Monday offered to meet with Pyongyang “anywhere, anytime, without preconditions”, with no public contact so far between the Biden administration and the nuclear-armed nation. Sung Kim’s remarks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week gave his first reaction to Washington’s recent review of its approach to his isolated country, saying Pyongyang must prepare for both “dialogue and confrontation”. The […]
by Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo Olympics organisers and Japanese officials meet Monday to decide whether fans will be allowed at the pandemic-postponed Games, just weeks before they open. With the opening ceremony looming on July 23, organisers are scrambling to finalise preparations, but the decision on spectators has been left as late as possible. Overseas spectators have already been banned, in an Olympic first that reflects the difficulties of staging the Games […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook the area around New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands early Monday, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake, which struck at 1705 GMT Sunday, had an epicenter located 938 kilometers northeast of Ngunguru, on New Zealand’s North Island, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or a tsunami. The tiny Kermadec Islands are mostly uninhabited. © Agence France-Presse
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Nine children and an adult were killed in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on an Alabama highway as heavy storms lashed the southeastern US, authorities said Sunday. Saturday’s crash on an interstate highway near the city of Greenville involved at least 15 vehicles and was “probably” caused by hydroplaning under torrential rains, Butler County coroner Wayne Garlock told AFP. Storm Claudette dumped up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in […]
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said Sunday it will allow the “limited export” of farm produce from Gaza, one month after a ceasefire with the enclave’s Hamas rulers to end an 11-day conflict. The crowded Mediterranean territory, home to around two million Palestinians, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Extra restrictions since intense violence last month has meant Gaza’s farmers have been unable to export goods as usual, creating a glut of produce […]
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Oscar-winning actor Angelina Jolie on Sunday visited a refugee camp in Burkina Faso sheltering thousands of Malians who have fled jihadist violence in the region. Jolie visited the camp at Goudebou, in the northeast of the landlocked west African country, as part of her role as an ambassador for the UN refugee organisation, the UNHCR. Jolie arrived by helicopter accompanied by Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry for a ceremony […]
