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PARIS, France (AFP) — A factfile on the Ebola virus that has plunged Guinea into an “epidemic situation” according to a senior health official, and which has killed more than 15,000 people since 1976. – Origins – Ebola was first identified in central Africa in 1976. The tropical virus was named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo — then known as Zaire. Five of the virus species are known to cause […]
by Callum PATON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that more than 40,000 people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria can make pollution claims against Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell in English courts. The ruling overturned a 2017 decision against the Ogale and Bille communities, who brought legal claims for clean-up and compensation following decades of repeated spills in the oil-rich region. The claimants have argued for five […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse Developing new Covid-19 vaccines will fail to end the pandemic unless all countries receive doses in a fast and fair manner, disease experts warned Saturday. As several nations consider implementing vaccine passports when international travel resumes, the authors of an open letter published in the Lancet medical journal said vaccine stockpiling in wealthier countries would only prolong the global health emergency. They warned that “vaccine nationalism” could leave […]
by Marc Preel with Agence France Presse bureaus STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — The head of the EU’s disease control agency warned Friday that the novel coronavirus could last indefinitely even as global infections slowed by nearly half in the last month and vaccine rollouts gathered pace in parts of the world. In an interview with AFP, ECDC chief Andrea Ammon urged European countries in particular not to drop their guard against a virus that “seems […]
by Thomas URBAIN Agence France Presse Take a guided tour of Elvis Presley’s home from your sofa or marvel at old masters’ paintings in The Met without visiting New York: museums, forced to adapt by the pandemic, are now offering paid virtual tours — but how big a source of income will they become? Interactive walks, video games and podcasts are some of the numerous free innovations museums have launched to try to mitigate the […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British scientists announced on Friday they had developed a test to detect womb cancer using urine samples, explaining the method could replace a painful and invasive procedure currently in use. At present, clinicians diagnose the cancer by taking a biopsy, a process which requires a narrow telescope called a hysteroscope, to examine inside of the uterus and remove cells. Nearly a third of women who undergo the procedure have […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori is expected to resign Friday over a sexism row, but his apparently hand-picked successor — an 84-year-old sports administrator — is already coming under fire. Mori is expected to formally step down later Friday at a gathering called by Olympic organisers to address his claims last week that women talk too much in meetings. The comments sparked a firestorm […]
by Jalees ANDRABI Agence France-Presse INDIA (AFP) — Indian rescuers began drilling from above a debris-filled tunnel Thursday in a desperate bid to reach dozens of people missing since a flash flood likely caused by a breaking glacier four days earlier. Workers have toiled night and day clearing rocks and mud from the tunnel at a damaged hydroelectric plant at Tapovan in Uttarakhand in northern India since Sunday’s disaster. More than 170 people are missing […]
by Yan ZHAO Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — While many hope the Year of the Ox will herald times of plenty, a herd of wild cows in Hong Kong is going hungry after visitors to their habitat surged during the coronavirus pandemic. The animals have made their home for generations alongside a few dozen fishing families on Grass Island, one of Hong Kong’s far-flung islets. Named for its verdant meadows, the island is […]
by Julien MIVIELLE Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Already under pressure due to climate change, the world’s top listed oil firms suffered historic losses in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic sent demand and prices tumbling. The oil majors — BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total — suffered $77 billion in losses for the year. Shell CEO Ben van Beurden called 2020 an extraordinary year. Total’s Patrick Pouyanne said: “All of us will remember 2020 […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Airways on Tuesday unveiled a partnership with US startup LanzaJet to produce jet fuel aimed at cutting carbon emissions from 2022. The announcement comes as the global aviation industry is looking to bounce back from a collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic grounding planes. “Despite the crisis in global aviation, it is vital for our future that we continue to address climate change and we remain focused […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Coca-Cola will soon begin selling sodas in completely recycled plastic in the United States for the first time, the beverage giant said Tuesday. The initial items will be introduced this month in a group of states that includes California and Florida, for items such as Coke and Diet Coke in 13.2-ounce bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic. The company — which has been named a top plastic polluter […]
