International

Pfizer jab 97% effective against symptomatic Covid: study

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine offers more protection than earlier thought with effectiveness in preventing symptomatic disease reaching 97 percent, according to real-world evidence published Thursday by the pharmaceutical companies. Using data from January 17 to March 6 from Israel’s national vaccination campaign, Pfizer/BioNTech found that prevention against asymptomatic disease also reached 94 percent. An earlier real-world study using data from between December 20, 2020 and February 1, 2021 had showed effectiveness at […]

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Italy bans batch of AstraZeneca jab but plays down risks

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy’s medicines regulator on Thursday banned the use of a batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine as a precaution, triggering a similar decision from fellow EU member Romania. The Italian regulator made the decision despite saying there was no established link between the vaccine and reports of some people suffering blood clots days after receiving the shot. “Following the reporting of some serious adverse events… AIFA has decided, as a precaution, to […]

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Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears

  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Danish health authorities said Thursday they were temporarily suspending the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots since receiving the jab. The move comes “following reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine”, the Danish Health Authority said in a statement. But it cautiously added that “it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link […]

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Japan marks decade since 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster

by Harumi Ozawa with Sara Hussein in Tokyo HISANOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Thursday marks 10 years since the worst natural disaster in the country’s living memory: a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear meltdown that traumatized a nation. Around 18,500 people were killed or left missing in the disaster, most of them claimed by the towering waves that swept across swathes of the northeast coast after one of the strongest quakes ever recorded. […]

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Brazil Covid deaths top 2,000 in 24 hours

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil registered a record 2,286 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Wednesday, as a worrying surge pushed the figure past 2,000 for the first time. The South American country of 212 million people, which has the world’s second-highest death toll in the pandemic, is struggling to deal with a crush of cases that have pushed many hospitals close to the breaking point. The new daily […]

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Forest fires in Argentina leave 7 injured, 15 missing

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Seven people were injured and 15 more missing on Wednesday as forest fires ripped through Argentine Patagonia, official sources said. Some 200 people had to be evacuated and around 100 homes were damaged by fire in an area of forests and lakes popular with tourists close to the Andes mountain range. “I’m going to file a criminal complaint because it was an intentional fire,” said Environment Minister Juan Cabandie in […]

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Texas reopens ‘100%’ as US vaccination drive gains pace

by Francois Picard with Issam Ahmed in Washington HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — Texas lifted its mask mandate and capacity restrictions on restaurants and other businesses Wednesday, despite experts warning the “100 percent” relaxation of coronavirus curbs will exacerbate the spread of worrying variants. The Lone Star State became the fifth to rescind its face covering order in a sign of increasing optimism about the pandemic in the world’s hardest hit country, where the infection […]

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3,000 nurses dead, Covid exodus looming: global federation

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — At least 3,000 nurses have been killed by Covid-19, the global nurses’ federation said Thursday as it warned of a looming exodus of health workers traumatized by the pandemic. Exactly one year on since the World Health Organization (WHO) first described Covid-19 as a pandemic, the International Council of Nurses said burn-out and stress had led millions of nurses to consider quitting the profession. And once the pandemic […]

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Queen vows to address Harry and Meghan racism claims

by Anna MALPAS / Phil HAZLEWOOD / James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday responded to explosive racism claims from grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, voicing deep concern and sympathising with their troubles with royal life. “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” she said in a statement. “The […]

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Brazil notches new daily Covid death record

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil broke its record for new daily Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday with nearly 2,000 fatalities, as the pandemic overwhelms hospitals and vaccinations progress slowly. The Health Ministry reported a daily total of 1,972 new deaths in the country, which has the world’s second-highest overall toll, exceeded only by the United States. It also reported 70,764 new cases of Covid-19, meaning 11.1 million people have now caught the virus in the […]

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Endangered leatherback turtles hatch in Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Nine leatherback turtles — the largest endangered marine turtle in the world — were hatched along the coast of Ecuador, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. The Dermochelys coriacea — the turtle’s scientific name — eggs were artificially incubated on the Punta Bikini beach, in the Manabi province in the southwest of the country. Rangers in the region had moved their nest after a harsh winter hit the coastal region. “This […]

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Manager of US warehouse where 36 died sentenced to 12 years in prison

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The manager of an art venue where 36 people died in a fire in Oakland, California, in 2016 was formally sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison, but will serve out just 18 months of that from home with an electronic bracelet. “I am sick with shame. I am so sorry. My shame cannot stand as any defense against what I am responsible for,” Derick Almena, the leaseholder of […]

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