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MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The eruption of a volcano on a Russian peninsula has attracted thrill-seeking tourists risking their lives for picturesque photos, prompting concerns in recent days from local emergency responders. The Klyuchevskaya Sopka on Kamchatka, a volcanic peninsula in Russia’s Far East, is the tallest volcano in Eurasia at 4,750 metres (15,580 feet) and one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It erupted last month on its northwestern slope, seeping lava […]
NIAMEY, Niger (AFP) — Niger’s health ministry said Sunday that China has sent it 400,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to help stem the spread of Covid-19 in the African country. A cargo plane carrying the jabs, as well as 300,000 antigen tests, masks and protective equipment arrived at Niamey airport, the ministry said. It would start rolling out its vaccination campaign “from March 27”, the ministry said, adding that the political authorities, healthcare personnel, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Dozens of dead pigs mysteriously emerged on a riverbank in northern China, state media reported Monday, sparking an investigation and social media speculation about how they perished. China has seen similar scandals in the past which have exposed some of the unsavoury practices in its food industry, including the shocking 2013 incident in which thousands of dead pigs were pulled out of a Shanghai river. The country’s pig population is slowly […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are “fishing boats” sheltering from poor weather, the foreign ministry said Monday, a day after the Philippines described their presence as an incursion. China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and has been accused by the United States of efforts to “intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations” to control it. The Philippines on Sunday said more than […]
by Jeremie RICHARD FAGRADALSFJALL, Iceland (AFP) — Thousands of curious onlookers have flocked to an erupting volcano in Iceland to marvel at the hypnotic display of glowing red lava, the bravest of them grilling hot dogs and marshmallows over the smoldering embers. The eruption of a fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall, which began late Friday, was the first in the same volcanic system in about 900 years. The volcano is located only about 40 kilometres (25 […]
MOSCOW Russia (AFP) — The backer of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine said Monday it had signed an agreement with an India-based pharmaceuticals giant for the production of up to 200 million doses of the jab a year. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, said in a statement it has partnered with the Virchow Group to produce up to 200 million doses of the two-dose vaccine in India every year. […]
ISALAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, officials said, just two days after he received his first vaccination against the disease. The 68-year-old former top cricketer received a shot of the Chinese-produced Sinopharm vaccine on Thursday, as the country battles a third wave of the virus. “At this point, the prime minister’s office can only confirm that the honourable prime minister has tested positive for Covid-19 and […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan kicked off its coronavirus inoculation drive Monday with two top officials getting AstraZeneca shots in a bid to boost public confidence in a vaccine that has had a troubled rollout. Premier Su Tseng-chang and health minister Chen Shih-chung sat for jabs at a Taipei hospital after local authorities cleared the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant’s vaccine for use. “I am not feeling any pain at the spot or any soreness… I hope […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand is finalizing a long-awaited travel bubble with neighboring Australia and will reveal next month when trans-Tasman trips can resume, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday. Speaking almost exactly a year after New Zealand closed its borders as Covid-19 swept across the globe, Ardern acknowledged many Kiwis were impatient for quarantine-free travel to and from Australia. But she said the government would exercise the cautious approach that has seen […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) Torrential rain lashed Australia’s south east again Monday, worsening once-in-a-century flooding that has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and shuttered hundreds of schools. The days-long deluge has inundated coastal areas of New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, with parts of Sydney experiencing what officials predicted would be the biggest flood in decades. On Monday, eight million residents were told to avoid unnecessary travel and work from […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Trust in AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in many European countries has plunged following controversy around the jab in recent weeks, according to a new survey unveiled Monday by British pollsters YouGov. A majority of people in the biggest European Union member states, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, now see the inoculation as unsafe, the recent poll found. However, views of the Anglo-Swedish pharma giant’s jab remain overwhelming positive in […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government on Saturday hailed its coronavirus vaccination programme as “a huge success” after announcing half of the adult population had now received a jab. Health Secrtary Matt Hancock said the biggest vaccine drive in the country’s history, which began in early December, was “making massive strides” following a record number of inoculations Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those to get a jab that day, receiving […]
