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by Issam Ahmed and Lucie Aubourg Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Drugmaker Moderna says it has started Covid-19 vaccine trials for thousands of children aged under 12, a first step towards a new phase of the immunization campaign experts say might be necessary to stamp out the pandemic. While children are generally spared the worst of the disease, under-18s account for roughly a fifth of the US population of 330 million, […]
by Farid Farid with AFP bureaus CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they faced “extreme difficulty” refloating it, as Egypt temporarily closed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s advisor on seaports, Mohab Mamish, told AFP late Thursday that “maritime navigation will resume again within 48-72 hours, maximum”. “I have experience with several rescue operations of this kind and […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has tested a new “tactical guided projectile” with a solid-fuel engine, state media said Friday after the nuclear-armed country carried out its first substantive provocation since US President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The North on Thursday launched two weapons from its east coast, with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga calling them ballistic missiles. Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its weapons programmes, with UN Security Council resolutions banning […]
by Jerome Cartillier and Shaun Tandon WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Thursday promised 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine would be administered in his first 100 days in office, doubling his initial goal, as he said at his first news conference that he intended to seek another term. Biden also said the United States would likely miss a May 1 deadline set by former president Donald Trump to pull all […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer said Thursday it had begun clinical trials for its Covid vaccine in children under the age of eleven, an early sign of the next stage of the global immunization campaign. “Together with our partner BioNTech, we have dosed the first healthy children in a global Phase 1/2/3 continuous study to further evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” the company said in a statement […]
by By Becca Milfeld with Kang Jin-kyu in Seoul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden warned North Korea Thursday that the United States will “respond accordingly” if it escalates its weapons testing, after Pyongyang fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its first substantive provocation of the new US administration. The nuclear-armed North has a long history of using weapons tests to ramp up tensions, […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP ) — The Philippine military ordered the deployment of more navy ships to the South China Sea Thursday amid a growing diplomatic row over a fleet of Chinese boats parked near a disputed reef. China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and was accused by the United States this week of efforts to “intimidate and provoke others” by parking its vessels near Whitsun Reef. Manila has ordered Beijing to recall […]
by Jeremie RICHARD ICELAND (AFP) — A volcanic eruption in Iceland has transformed a tranquil green valley into an ominous-looking scene, its first dark secrets beginning to emerge as volcanologists suggest the eruption could last longer than previously thought. Experts had initially predicted that the eruption of the fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, would be brief, likely dying out after a few days. But due to the […]
by John BIERS NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Oil prices surged Wednesday following the blockage of the Suez canal, while stocks were mixed as governments struggle to contain the latest wave of the coronavirus. Crude futures surged six percent as traders assessed the likely impact from the grounding of a giant container ship in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Dozens of ships were blocked by the Panama-flagged ship, but historic sections of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New filings for regular unemployment benefits in the United States dropped to 684,000 last week, the government said Thursday, their first reading below 700,000 since the pandemic sparked mass layoffs. The result was much better than analysts forecast and comes as Covid-19 vaccinations offer hope the economy can recover this year — but in a sign of the virus’s ongoing toll, 241,745 new claims were received in the week ended […]
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they were facing “extreme difficulty” refloating it, prompting Egypt to suspend navigation through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Shipping analysts warned the suspension could last days or even weeks, forcing businesses to consider diverting their cargos to the much longer route round the tip of Africa in a blow to global supply networks. The Suez Canal […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Bangladesh police Thursday fired rubber bullets and tear gas at hundreds of mainly student demonstrators who were protesting against an upcoming visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Police said the protest got out of hand as demonstrators marched in the capital Dhaka, with many throwing rocks and stones at officers, injuring at least four. “We fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. There were 200 protesters. We have […]
