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HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam on Sunday reported economic growth of 2.91 percent in 2020, the slowest rate in more than 30 years as the country battled the coronavirus pandemic. The communist state has long been among Asia’s fastest-growing economies, and the 2020 figure marked a sharp fall from last year’s GDP growth of seven percent. But Vietnam’s performance looks rosy in the context of a global recession triggered by the pandemic, and officials hailed […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci warned Sunday the worst of the pandemic may be yet to come, driving the country to a “critical point” as holiday travel spreads the coronavirus. “I share the concern of President-elect (Joe) Biden that as we get into the next few weeks, it might actually get worse,” the infectious disease specialist told CNN. Biden cautioned on Wednesday that the nation’s “darkest days are ahead […]
AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Jordan on Sunday confirmed two cases of a particularly infectious coronavirus variant in a man and his wife who had arrived from Britain. Health Minister Nazir Obeidat said the Jordanian couple traveled to the kingdom on December 19 and were found to be infected with the new strain of the virus after being tested and isolated. The couple were still in quarantine and being monitored by medical experts according to virus […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Three more climbers in Iran have died after avalanches struck mountains north of the capital Tehran, bringing the overall toll to 11, the Red Crescent said Sunday. State news agency IRNA said the tragedy began on Friday when avalanches and blizzards hit the mountainous region. Several climbers were trapped in the area but the Red Crescent managed to rescue 14 during a three-day operation led by 20 emergency teams backed by […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa has become the first African nation to record one million coronavirus cases, according to new data published by the country’s health ministry on Sunday. Currently suffering a second wave of infections, of which the majority are a new variant of the coronavirus, South Africa is the hardest hit country on the African continent, with 1,004,413 infections and 26,735 deaths, the data showed. As of 1900 GMT, a total […]
by Jerome CARTILLIER WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — After delaying for nearly a week and under pressure from all sides, US President Donald Trump finally signed a massive $900 billion stimulus bill Sunday, in a long-sought boost for millions of Americans and businesses battered by the coronavirus pandemic. The package “providing coronavirus emergency response and relief” is part of a larger spending bill that, with Trump’s signature, will avoid a government shutdown on […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese citizen journalist held since May for her livestream reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak unfurled was set for trial Monday, almost a year after details of an “unknown viral pneumonia” surfaced in the central China city. Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, could face up to five years in jail if convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Three cases of a particularly infectious coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in South Korea, health authorities said Monday. The three individuals are members of a London-based family who arrived in the country on December 22, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. They have been placed in isolation since testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival, the KDCA statement said. The new strain of […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — More than 80 million confirmed cases of coronavirus have been detected worldwide since the pandemic began a year ago and 1.76 million deaths, according to an AFP tally based on official figures at 0800 GMT Sunday. In total, 80,145,185 cases and 1,756,060 deaths have been recorded. Last week, an average of 580,000 new cases were registered every day. Europe is the world’s hardest-hit region, passing the 25-million-case mark on Friday […]
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, with initial reports indicating no immediate casualties. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said there were no reports of material damage or casualties so far. The USGS said the quake was registered in the Sivrice district in Elazig province at 0637 GMT and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres. The Turkish government’s disaster agency AFAD reported a […]
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — The first two cases of a particularly infectious coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in Canada, health authorities said Saturday. “The cases are a couple from Durham with no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts,” Barbara Yaffe, acting chief medical officer for Ontario, said in a statement. The couple have been placed in isolation, according to the statement, the same day that Ontario reimposed a […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President-elect Joe Biden warned Saturday of “devastating consequences” if President Donald Trump continues to delay signing a Covid-19 economic relief bill passed by Congress. Biden spoke out as millions of Americans saw their jobless benefits expire after Trump threw a long-awaited pandemic aid package into doubt — demanding lawmakers more than triple the $600 direct payments to US taxpayers. “This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences. Today, about […]
