Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Burcin Gercek and Ozan Kose in Istanbul ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stripped down to a black t-shirt and got vaccinated on Thursday as the nation of 83 million people began rolling out China’s Sinovac jab despite conflicting data about its efficacy. The 66-year-old Turkish leader was whisked into an Ankara hospital by a bevy of security guards before emerging about an hour later to stress the importance of officials […]
by Jürgen HECKER and Joseph SCHMID PARIS, France (AFP) — The French government will impose a daily nationwide curfew at 6 pm starting Saturday to combat a worrying increase in Covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. The measure will remain in force for at least two weeks, Castex told a news conference. Except for emergency services, all services and shops will have to close at that time, he said. “The virus is […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong, magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on Friday, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which hit at 2:18 am local time Friday (18:18 GMT Thursday). The epicentre was 36 kilometres (22 miles) south of Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi, and the quake had a depth of 18 kilometres, the USGS said. Mamuju is home […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — The number of people inoculated in Israel for coronavirus passed the two million threshold Thursday, with the prime minister saying there was “light at the end of the tunnel”. Israel “will become the first country to emerge from the corona crisis,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted. “We see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, all smiles as he watched an Israeli woman become the second millionth to […]
by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter chief Jack Dorsey on Wednesday backed the messaging platform’s ban of US President Donald Trump, but said it sets a “dangerous” precedent and represents a failure to promote healthy conversation on social networks. “Having to ban an account has real and significant ramifications,” Dorsey said in a string of tweets about his take on the company’s decision late last week to […]
by Nicolas ASFOURI Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — A team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived in Wuhan Thursday to probe the origins of the coronavirus more than a year after it emerged, although two members were barred from boarding a flight in Singapore after testing positive for virus antibodies. The international team of 13 scientists landed for their much-delayed mission, met by Chinese officials in hazmat suits and given […]
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish doctors and nurses rolled up their sleeves on Thursday as the nation of 83 million people launched a coronavirus vaccination drive with China’s Sinovac jab. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca received the first shot of CoronaVac live on television after formally approving the vaccine Wednesday despite contradictory data about its efficacy rate. Preliminary studies involving more than 7,000 volunteers in Turkey showed CoronaVac to be 91.25 percent effective. But a […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — The African Union said on Wednesday it had secured 270 million doses of anti-Covid vaccine for the continent, in a deal that will benefit countries unable to finance their own immunization campaigns. Under the deal, the vaccines will be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The doses will complement the vaccines secured via Covax, the globally-pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort which has struck agreements to secure two […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China reported a death from Covid-19 on Thursday — its first in eight months — as the country battles to contain a resurgence in cases and prepares for the arrival of an expert team from the WHO. China had largely brought the virus under control after strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions, but recent weeks have seen numbers climbing again, especially in the north. Another 138 infections were reported […]
by Michael Mathes and Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump became the first US president in history to be impeached twice when the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to charge him with inciting last week’s mob attack on Congress. The Senate will not hold a trial before January 20, when Democrat Joe Biden assumes the presidency, meaning the real estate tycoon will escape the risk of being forced to leave early. He […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain registered a record daily number of coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with nearly 39,000 new infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. A total of 38,869 new cases were recorded since Tuesday and 195 deaths. The data showed Spain was in a situation of “very high risk, extreme risk”, said Carolina Darias, minister for territorial policy and civil service. The numbers bring the total number of infections in […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain will make appointments for coronavirus vaccinations available 24 hours-a-day “as soon as we can”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday, reversing his opposition to the idea. Johnson had just days ago brushed off calls from the main opposition Labour party for night-time opening of vaccine centers, arguing there was “no clamour” for it. But the government has come under increasing pressure to speed up its vaccination program, and is […]
