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HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam, one of Asia’s biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species “dead or alive” and vowed to “eliminate” illegal markets across the country. The directive signed by the leader of the Communist country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China. It is a major victory for conservation groups who […]
by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse MISGAV, Israel (AFP) — An Israeli company is developing a coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 30 seconds, billing it as a “front line” tool that can help restore a sense of normality during the pandemic. NanoScent, the firm making the test kits, said an extensive trial in Israel for the presence of live virus delivered results with 85 percent accuracy, and the product could receive regulatory approval within […]
by Maxime MAMET Agence France-Presse BOURGES, France (AFP) — At a museum in central France, researchers tenderly feed insects and kitten milk formula to tiny orphaned bats — creatures widely reviled for their role in human disease outbreaks, most recently COVID-19. The pandemic has triggered bat-killing sprees in communities from India and Peru to Cuba and Rwanda, but the mission of the team at the Bourges natural history museum is to protect the misunderstood winged mammals. […]
by Deborah Claude and Marie-Pierre Ferey in Paris Agence France Presse Many workers’ lives have been abruptly upended by the coronavirus pandemic, as job losses in tourism, air travel, food and drink or other industries hit those both on fixed contracts and in the informal sector. From employees making a comfortable living, to others just scraping by, people around the world are confronting anxiety over how to feed their families and shame at being […]
by Ludovic EHRET Agence France Presse WENCHANG, China (AFP) — China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a journey coinciding with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space. The two countries are taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars are favourably aligned for a short journey, with the US spacecraft due to lift off on July 30. The Chinese mission is named Tianwen-1 (“Questions to […]
by Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (APF) — An unprecedented global survey has revealed a shocking decline in the number of reef sharks, with the predators “functionally extinct” on nearly 20 percent of sites studied. The four-year study used more than 15,000 baited and remotely operated cameras — so-called “chum cams” — to obtain the first comprehensive picture of where reef sharks are thriving and where they are virtually non-existent. The results, from over 370 reefs […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The keenly-awaited full results from a UK trial of the steroid dexamethasone were published Friday, confirming its life-saving benefits for COVID-19 patients on ventilators but suggesting it may cause harm if given too early. A total of 2,104 hospitalized patients were assigned to receive six milligram daily doses of the medicine for up to 10 days, and 4,321 to receive usual care, with the rate of deaths compared after 28 […]
(Eagle News) — Philippine actor Michael V, known for his character “Bitoy” and various impersonations of popular personalities, said that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The comedian said that his COVID-19 test results released on Saturday, July 18. He said that he had experienced flu-like symptoms and lost his sense of smell, but did not experience high fever. He then had a swab test for COVID-19 a few days later after experiencing COVID-19 […]
by James Pheby with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two studies offered new hope of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus on Monday, as the World Health Organization warned about a possible acceleration of the disease in Africa. Seven months after COVID-19 was first identified in China and has since killed more than 600,000 people worldwide and battered economies, there is growing alarm over fresh outbreaks of the […]
by Miwa Suzuki with Dana Moukhallati in Dubai TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe dubbed “Hope”, blasted off from Japan on Monday on a mission to reveal more about the atmosphere of the Red Planet. The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan right on schedule at 6:58 am local time (2158 […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — An aerosol-based treatment could drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus patients dying from the disease or requiring intensive care, according to preliminary results released Monday by a British biotech firm. In a randomized trial of 100 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, those who received an inhaled formula of the protein interferon beta were at 79 percent lower risk of developing severe disease […]
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse The number of children worldwide getting life-saving vaccinations has declined this year largely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization and UNICEF warned on Wednesday. The first four months of 2020 saw a “substantial drop” in the completion of the three-dose jab that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough — the first decline in 28 years. “Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the […]
