International

Switzerland’s Covid death toll passes 10,000

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Switzerland’s Covid-19 death toll topped 10,000 on Wednesday as health officials gave cautious signs of optimism that the pandemic was coming under control in the wealthy Alpine nation. The landlocked European country, population 8.6 million, said 10,012 people had now died from the virus, while more than 664,000 cases have been registered. But the government’s Covid-19 expert group said the situation was currently stable and even slightly improving. “We have good […]

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India warned to brace for new coronavirus waves

by Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India, gripped by one of the most deadly coronavirus surges seen by any country, will have to be ready for new waves and badly needs more oxygen from other countries, officials said Wednesday. Facing critical shortages of hospital beds and oxygen, the warnings came as India reported 3,780 new pandemic deaths, a new daily high, and 382,000 new cases. Experts say the peak may not be reached […]

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US backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents

by Heather SCOTT WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses. India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture […]

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Covid Indian variant detected in Kenya: health ministry

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A case of the Indian variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Kenya, the country’s health ministry said Wednesday, a few days after it was also confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. “This variant has been picked (up) in Kenya and because of global connectivity, it is just a question of time. You cannot be able to put barriers … to prevent a virus from accessing your territory,” said the ministry’s director […]

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India G7 delegation in Covid scare as crisis deepens back home

by AFP bureaus NEW DELHI, India  (AFP) — India’s foreign minister was forced to abandon face-to-face G7 meetings on the pandemic in London on Wednesday because he may have been exposed to Covid-19, as the crisis deepened back home with his nation’s daily death toll hitting a record at almost 3,800. The coronavirus continues to ravage India but in Europe and the United States mass vaccination programmes have allowed the easing of many restrictions. Foreign […]

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Vietnam extends quarantine for arrivals after new virus outbreak

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has extended the quarantine period for anyone arriving in the country to three weeks, authorities said Wednesday, following a fresh community outbreak of the coronavirus. The nation has so far kept case numbers low — recording just over 3,000 cases and 35 deaths — thanks to strict quarantine measures and extensive contact tracing. But Vietnam reported its first community outbreak in weeks last Thursday, and other clusters have since emerged. […]

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Iran reports three cases of Indian Covid variant

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran has detected three cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant feared to behind a devastating surge of the virus in India, the health minister said Wednesday. “We have identified three confirmed cases among the Indians present,” Saeed Namaki said, according to the ministry’s official website, with the cases found in the central province of Qom. Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told AFP these were “the first confirmed cases of Indian variant in […]

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India FM at G7 says exposed to possible Covid-19 positive cases

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Britain for G7 meetings, said on Wednesday he would hold his talks virtually after being exposed to possible coronavirus cases. “Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases. As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting […]

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Japan, S.Korea meet with Blinken despite rifts

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday met jointly with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts to discuss North Korea, bringing together the allies despite renewed rifts. Joined by aides, Blinken sat in the centre of a U-shaped table with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on each side in a conference room of a London hotel on the sidelines of a Group […]

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‘Alarming’ malnutrition in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray: MSF

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) — Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday described “alarming” malnutrition in parts of Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region and said the situation was likely to worsen with the coming rainy season. The medical charity, known by its French initials MSF, said residents were struggling to access food distribution points and lamented that the aid response “hardly ever extends beyond larger towns” to Tigray’s rural areas. “MSF teams are observing alarming levels of malnutrition […]

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Australian court to examine contentious India travel ban

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian court on Wednesday agreed to hear a challenge to the country’s controversial ban on citizens returning home from coronavirus-hit India. A federal court said it would urgently hear a case brought by a 73-year-old man living in Bangalore who wishes to return. Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week banned arrivals from India, which is recording hundreds of thousands of new coronavirus infections each day. Under the measures, Australian citizens […]

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California governor candidate brings bear to rally

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — One of the many Republican candidates vying to replace the governor of California in an upcoming vote caused a stir Tuesday by bringing a bear to his political rally. John Cox is campaigning on the theme of “beauty and the beast” — the “beauty” being current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, known for his primped appearance in the state that is home to Hollywood. Cox has cast himself as the […]

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