Life

Pandemic having major impact on childhood cancer care: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — The pandemic has had a “substantial” impact on childhood cancer care worldwide, with a marked rise in the number of patients abandoning treatment altogether, new research showed Thursday. Covid-19 has placed huge pressure on hospitals and healthcare systems, particularly in developing nations, as most medical facilities have been inundated with Covid patients. A global assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on paediatric cancer care showed that care was affected at more […]

Fly me to the Moon: Japan billionaire offers space seats

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — It’s the sort of chance that comes along just once in a blue Moon: a Japanese billionaire is throwing open a private lunar expedition to eight people from around the world. Yusaku Maezawa, an online fashion tycoon, was announced in 2018 as the first man to book a spot aboard the lunar spaceship being developed by SpaceX. Maezawa, who paid an undisclosed sum for the trip expected to launch around 2023, […]

More than 400 acts of violence against Covid health workers in 2020: report

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Insults, beatings, arrests — health workers battling the coronavirus were subjected to more than 400 acts of violence related to Covid-19 worldwide in 2020, according to a report published Tuesday by a health NGO. The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition unveiled an interactive map that shows 1,172 violent acts and attacks occurred against health workers or facilities last year, “a minimum estimate,” according to the NGO. More than a […]

Hi, Robot: Japan’s android pets ease virus isolation

by Harumi OZAWA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Nami Hamaura says she feels less lonely working from home thanks to her singing companion Charlie, one of a new generation of cute and clever Japanese robots whose sales are booming in the pandemic. Smart home assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa have found success worldwide, but tech firms in Japan are reporting huge demand for more humanlike alternatives, as people seek solace during coronavirus isolation. “I felt my […]

Facebook restores news for Australian users after media bargaining deal

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Facebook on Friday restored access to news for its Australian users after reaching agreement with the government on a landmark law requiring it and other tech firms to pay for journalistic content. The Facebook pages of Australian news outlets were able to update from early Friday morning for the first time in a week, since the social media slapped a ban on news content being seen Down Under in a dispute […]

Long-term Covid should be ‘clear priority’ for authorities: WHO

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — A senior World Health Organization official on Thursday urged national authorities to make a priority of understanding the long-term consequences of coronavirus infections as some people show worrying symptoms months later. “It’s a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance. It should be for every health authority,” Hans Kluge, regional director for WHO Europe, told a press conference. While some studies are beginning to shed light on the illness, […]

Johnson & Johnson vaccine highly effective against severe Covid, including new variants

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse The single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including newer variants, according to documents released by the US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. The news came as the regulator was set to convene an independent panel Friday that will likely vote to authorize the vaccine, making it the third available in the country hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. In large clinical […]

EBC rebrands FM radio to Eagle FM 95.5 to mark its 10th year

Eagle FM 95.5 plays the classics, both homegrown and foreign hits   Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) has rebranded its FM portal to Eagle FM 95.5 as part of the FM station’s 10th year anniversary this 2021. From the previous PinasFM 95.5 name that plays only OPM music hits, EBC’s FM radio station is now called Eagle FM 95.5 “where the classics never end.” With this tagline, Eagle FM 95.5 plays the hits, both local and […]

Tiger Woods in surgery after roll-over car crash

  by Andrew MARSZAL Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tiger Woods suffered serious injuries to both legs as his car flew off the road and flipped several times Tuesday near Los Angeles in a crash he was “very fortunate” to survive, law enforcement officials who found the US golf legend said. Woods did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the early-morning incident, and underwent surgery […]

NASA releases first audio from Mars, video of landing

  by Chris Lefkow and Lucie Aubourg Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US space agency NASA on Monday released the first audio from Mars, a faint crackling recording of a gust of wind captured by the Perseverance rover. NASA also released the first video of last week’s landing of the rover, which is on a mission to search for signs of past life on the Red Planet. A microphone did not […]

WHO slams rich states for hogging vaccines

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Monday blasted wealthy countries for not only hogging Covid vaccines but in doing so, hindering the pathway for poorer nations to get them too. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some rich countries’ direct deals with manufacturers had meant that previously-agreed vaccine allocations for poorer countries, via the Covax programme, were being reduced. The UN health agency chief said […]

Russia detects first case of H5N8 avian flu in humans

  by Anna SMOLCHENKO and Amélie BAUBEAU Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Saturday that its scientists had detected the world’s first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of avian flu from birds to humans and had alerted the World Health Organization. In televised remarks, the head of Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said scientists at the Vektor laboratory had isolated the strain’s genetic material from seven workers at a […]