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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, resigned Monday amid rising worries over the possibility of more violence during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week, a DHS official said. “The acting secretary is stepping down effective 11:59 tonight,” the official told AFP. He gave no reason for the resignation but said that Pete Gaynor, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would take over. © […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck early Tuesday in northern Mongolia not far from the border with Russia, the US Geological Survey said. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was located 33 kilometers south-southwest of Turt, US seismologists said. The epicenter appeared to be located under Lake Khovsgol, the largest fresh water lake in Mongolia by volume. It was located about […]
by Agence France Presse Bureaus GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Scientists at the World Health Organization warned Monday that mass vaccinations would not bring about herd immunity to the coronavirus this year, even as one leading producer boosted its production forecast. England meanwhile launched the first of its mass-inoculation sites in major cities, racing to get ahead of the rapid spread of a new strain of the disease there. The pandemic has infected more than […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — More than half a million people were placed under lockdown in Beijing on Monday as the government imposed strict measures to stamp out a handful of Covid-19 cases. China has largely brought the virus under control, but is tackling a number of local infections with lockdowns and mass testing. Authorities are keen to stem any outbreak in the capital — home to over 20 million people — particularly ahead of […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia will impose strict new curbs in over half the country to fight a coronavirus surge, the prime minister said Monday, warning the country’s healthcare system was at “breaking point”. It joins other Asian nations, from Japan to Australia, which kept their outbreaks under control in the early stages but have been forced to introduce new measures in recent days. Malaysia had relaxed restrictions as infections fell to almost zero […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Ten World Health Organization scientists will visit China from Thursday to probe the origins of Covid-19, authorities said, more than a year after the pandemic began and amid accusations, Beijing delayed the investigation. The WHO team “will conduct joint research cooperation on the origins of covid 19 with Chinese scientists,” the National Health Commission said in a statement. The long-awaited mission — which has been under discussion since last year — […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Thursday received a Covid-19 vaccine jab, more than three weeks after the kingdom kicked off a three-phase inoculation program, official media said. King Salman, 85, “received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine,” in the futuristic Red Sea city of Neom, the Saudi Press Agency said. Official media published pictures and videos showing the king receiving the injection. Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign […]
KOROR, Palau (AFP) — The remote Pacific nation of Micronesia recorded its first case of Covid-19 on Monday, ending its run as one of the few places on Earth without the coronavirus. President David Panuelo acknowledged the development was “alarming” for the country’s 100,000 inhabitants but said the case had been contained at the border. “For this reason, citizens across the nation should remain calm,” he said in a televised address. “Do not panic because […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she would push ahead with efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office during the final days of his administration after his supporters’ violent attack on the Capitol. Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said there would be a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday calling for the cabinet to remove Trump as unfit for office under the constitution’s 25th amendment. […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President-elect Joe Biden will receive his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, his office announced, three weeks after his first injection was broadcast live on TV to boost public confidence in the jab. Biden, 78, told Americans “there’s nothing to worry about” when he got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware on December 21. His team said that his […]
by Anna MALPAS with Agence France Presse bureaus LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Europe rushed to bulk buy more coronavirus vaccine doses and approved more drugs on Friday, as the World Health Organisation called on wealthy nations not to hog all the available jabs and millions in Asia faced tough restrictions over isolated outbreaks. The pandemic has already killed 1.9 million people out of 88 million infections and is picking up speed, with 14 […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United STates (AFP) — Twitter said Friday it has permanently suspended President Donald Trump’s account, citing the risk of further violence following the assault on the US Capitol by his supporters. “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account,” Twitter said in a blog post explaining its decision, “we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” Twitter — Trump’s favorite megaphone — blocked […]
