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MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tasked officials with launching mass coronavirus vaccinations from next week, touting Russia’s homemade jab as the world’s best. “I ask you to begin the mass vaccination of the entire population next week,” Putin told officials at a televised government meeting. “The Russian vaccine is the best in the world,” he said. Russia in August registered Sputnik V — named after the Soviet-era satellite — months […]
by Agence France Presse Bureaus The United States has endured its worst day of the pandemic, with three Americans dying every minute, as China took decisive steps on Wednesday to stamp out a tiny coronavirus outbreak. Global infections have soared past 91 million, and the spikes have forced governments around the world to reimpose restrictions such as unpopular and economically painful lockdowns, including in Europe which is battling a devastating second wave. The United […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Google-owned YouTube on Tuesday temporarily suspended President Donald Trump’s channel and removed a video for violating its policy against inciting violence, joining other social media platforms in banning his accounts after last week’s Capitol riot. Trump’s access to the social media platforms he has used as a megaphone during his presidency has been largely cut off since a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington DC […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is set to expand a coronavirus state of emergency on Wednesday to seven more regions including the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto, as infections surge nationwide. While the country’s outbreak remains comparatively small, with around 4,100 deaths overall, there has been a sharp spike in cases this winter and medics say hospitals are under heavy strain in the worst-affected areas. The month-long emergency measure — which unlike strict lockdowns […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — National Guard troops deployed on the streets of Washington began carry weapons late Tuesday in a major change of posture ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president, according to an AFP photographer. The Guard soldiers were originally mobilized to provide mostly logistical support to Washington police, and on Monday General Daniel Hokanson, Pentagon National Guard Bureau chief, said they had not been authorized yet to carry weapons. Authorizing Guard […]
(Eagle News) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo was the first to be inoculated with China’s Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 on Wednesday, Jan. 13, as Indonesia officially kicked off its mass vaccination drive starting with the Chinese-developed vaccines. The vaccination of the Indonesian president was broadcast live on television. Widodo had earlier announced that he would be the first one to get the jab to allay the public’s fears about getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese province of more than 37 million declared an “emergency state” on Wednesday to snuff out a handful of Covid-19 cases, as the country moved decisively to contain infections. China had largely brought the coronavirus under control since its emergence in Wuhan late in 2019. But recent weeks have seen smatterings of cases, prompting localized lockdowns, immediate travel restrictions and widespread testing of tens of millions of people. More than […]
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AFP) — The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) appealed on Tuesday for emergency aid of $35 million to fight hunger in southern Madagascar, hit by the coronavirus pandemic and a third consecutive year of drought. “Some 1.35 million people are projected to be food insecure — 35 percent of the region’s population,” the WFP said in a statement. “With severe malnutrition rates continuing to spiral and many children forced to beg in […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian investigators said Wednesday they were hopeful of retrieving a crashed passenger jet’s second black box, as they seek to explain why the plane with 62 people aboard slammed into the sea minutes after takeoff. Divers just off the coast of the capital Jakarta hauled the jet’s flight data recorder to the surface Tuesday, with the hunt now focused on finding its cockpit voice recorder on the wreckage-littered seabed. The devices […]
by Sebastian Smith and Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Bolstered by support from his deputy Mike Pence who opposed ousting the US president, Donald Trump denied responsibility Tuesday for an assault on Congress by his supporters but now faces an all-but-certain second impeachment effort. With Republican backing for Trump eroding in the final days of his presidency, Pence served as an anchor, ruling out calls by Democrats to invoke […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Vice President Mike Pence told House leaders Tuesday he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment process to remove Donald Trump, all but guaranteeing an impeachment vote against the besieged president. “With just eight days left in the President’s term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment,” Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, referring to the process that would […]
by Sébastien VUAGNAT with Laurent BANGUET in Los Angeles APPLE VALLEY, United States (AFP) — As Covid-19 tears through southern California, small hospitals in rural towns like Apple Valley have been overwhelmed, with coronavirus patients crammed into hallways, makeshift ICU beds and even the pediatric ward. When AFP visited St Mary hospital in this desert town of 70,000 people this week, palliative care supervisor Kari McGuire said her team were seeing “astronomical numbers of patients […]
