Other News

Spain suffers second-worst month for virus deaths

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain suffered its second-worst month for coronavirus deaths in February with 10,528 fatalities, the worst figure since April last year, government figures showed on Monday. The overall toll now stands at 69,609, health ministry data showed. Although Spain’s third wave peak has passed — the 14-day cumulative case number has fallen from nearly 900 per 100,000 people in late January to 175 currently — the death toll has remained stubbornly high. […]

San Juan City mayor Zamora tests positive for COVID-19

  (Eagle News) — San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Zamora made the announcement in a Facebook post on Monday, March 1, citing results of a routine swab test made Sunday evening, Feb. 28. “I would like to announce that I have tested positive with COVID-19. My results came out today after a routine swab test yesterday evening, February 28, 2021,” he said in a Facebook post […]

Duque leads vaccine drive at Lung Center, but age precludes him from getting Sinovac jab

https://youtu.be/scA_iy6u2Dk   (Eagle News) – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III led the vaccination of health workers at the Lung Center of the Philippines on Monday, March 1 using China’s donation of Sinovac vaccines. Duque wanted to be among those vaccinated, but because of his age, 64, this precluded him from getting the Sinovac jab. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that granted the emergency use authorization (EUA) said that it is recommending the Sinovac vaccine, […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi hit with two new criminal charges as she appears via video in court

  NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — Ousted Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with two new criminal charges when she appeared in court via video link on Monday, a month after a military coup triggered relentless and massive protests. Suu Kyi has not been seen since being detained on February 1, and her appearance came as demonstrators took to the streets again across the country in defiance of an escalation of deadly force […]

UK aid charities warn of famine as Covid hits poorer nations

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A coalition of UK aid agencies warned Monday that the Covid-19 pandemic is worsening the “dire humanitarian” crisis in fragile states and raising the risk of famine, including in Yemen. Parts of Yemen and South Sudan are already on the brink of famine, while Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are at risk, driven by the pandemic’s economic impact, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said in a new report. […]

Ghana president receives world’s first free Covax jab

ACCRA, Ghana (AFP) — Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday became the world’s first recipient of a coronavirus vaccine from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free for poorer countries. Richer countries have surged ahead with inoculating their population, but many poorer countries are still awaiting their first vaccine doses. “It is important that I set the example that this vaccine is safe by being the first to have it, so […]

Khashoggi fiancee demands punishment for Saudi prince

  ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — The Turkish fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Monday that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman should be “punished without delay” over the murder. The United States on Friday declassified a report that publicly accused the crown prince of approving Khashoggi murder in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018. But the United States stopped short of applying sanctions against the 35-year-old de facto leader, known by his […]

Testing czar Dizon, vaccine czar Galvez are first IATF members to get Sinovac jab

  (Eagle News) – The country’s testing czar Vince Dizon became the first member of the cabinet to get the Sinovac vaccine on Monday morning, March 1, and was followed by vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. The two officials are the first members of the Inter-Agency Task Force to get the Chinese-made Sinovac jab with the brand name Coronavac as the Philippines started its vaccine rollout on Monday. There was a simultaneous rollout in […]

Immigration bureau: Foreigners may now renew expired re-entry permits at the airport

(Eagle News) — Foreigners with valid visas but with expired re-entry permits may now renew them at the airport to re-enter the country, the Bureau of Immigration said. According to the bureau, the new rules contained in a memorandum issued on Thursday by bureau Commissioner Jaime Morente apply to foreigners who have been issued immigrant and non-immigrant visas and who are returning to the Philippines after being stranded abroad due to the pandemic. Morente said […]

‘Minari’ wins Golden Globe for best foreign language film

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “Minari,” the critically acclaimed story of a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, on Sunday won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. It bested “Another Round” (Denmark), “La Llorona” (Guatemala, France), “The Life Ahead” (Italy) and “Two Of Us” (France, US). © Agence France-Presse

US children could receive vaccine by year-end: Fauci

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States could start vaccinating older children against Covid-19 by the fall and younger ones by year-end or early 2022, the White House’s top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday. The mass vaccination of school-age children will allow millions of children to return sooner to in-person learning and ease the burden on millions of parents now caring for their offspring at home. School reopenings, an intensely debated matter, […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to face court after deadly crackdown

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Ousted Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has not been seen since last month’s military coup, is due to face court Monday after a deadly weekend crackdown against relentless democracy protests. Security forces opened fire on unarmed demonstrators in four cities on Sunday, with the UN saying it had credible information at least 18 people had died. One person among a group of protesters crouching behind rubbish bins and […]