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NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Warren Buffett said Wednesday he is resigning as a trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation while making a $4.1 billion donation to the organization as well as four others. The 90-year-old business magnate did not give a reason for the resignation, which comes about seven weeks after Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce. Buffet, whose wealth is currently estimated by Forbes at $104.4 billion, signaled continued […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia warned on Wednesday of an “explosive” spread of the Delta coronavirus variant in the country that was made worse by a sluggish vaccination campaign leading to rapidly rising infections and deaths. Citing increases in cases of coronavirus in all Russian regions, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova called for stronger restrictive measures and speeding up of inoculations. “Last week the death rate linked to Covid increased by 21.3 percent compared to […]
by Hélène DAUSCHY STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — The highly contagious Delta variant could soon account for 90 percent of new coronavirus cases in the EU, the bloc’s disease control agency said Wednesday, urging members to spur vaccination drives. While the Alpha variant first discovered in the UK is the predominant strain now circulating in the European Union, that is expected to change quickly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. “It is very […]
HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — More than 150 employees at the Houston Methodist hospital in Texas were fired or resigned after failing to comply with orders to get a Covid-19 vaccination to continue working there, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday. Officials Houston Methodist told its staff they needed to have received a Covid vaccination by June 7 or be suspended for two weeks. Hospital spokeswoman Gale Smith told AFP that 153 employees “either resigned in […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Sydneysiders were largely banned from leaving the city Wednesday as Australian authorities rushed to stop a growing outbreak of the highly contagious Delta Covid-19 variant from spreading to other regions. More than 30 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the cluster emerged in the city’s Bondi Beach area last week, the latest in a string of flare-ups that highlight Australia’s difficulty in extinguishing outbreaks. New South Wales state Premier Gladys […]
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A panel of experts convened by the top US health agency will hold a meeting Wednesday to review data surrounding more than 300 confirmed cases of heart muscle inflammation among adolescents and young adults after receiving mRNA Covid vaccines. The committee, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will hear a risk-benefit analysis as researchers explore whether the shots can cause myocarditis, as well […]
by AFP bureaus BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Sunday announced it had administered its one-billionth shot in the world’s biggest coronavirus inoculation drive as Brazil’s death toll from the pandemic passed 500,000. The global death toll from Covid-19 is now more than 3.8 million and many nations are still battling outbreaks, but vaccine drives in some countries are allowing activities that were unthinkable a few months ago. China’s vaccine milestone comes after the number […]
by Thomas CABRAL LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Portugal fears a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic may take hold with the highly contagious Delta variant now accounting for more than 60 percent of new cases in the capital. Lisbon is among a dozen places that did not move into the final phase of easing the lockdown that much of the country has enjoyed. Travel between the capital region and the rest of Portugal was banned […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Tuesday of a “new outbreak” of coronavirus in Israel after a rise in infections he said was likely due to returning travellers carrying the Delta variant. “Our goal is to end it, to take a bucket of water and pour it on the fire when the fire is still small,” Bennett said at Ben Gurion airport, where the government announced an expanded testing facility would […]
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government won’t meet its goal of administering one or more doses of a Covid vaccine to 70 percent of US adults by July 4, White House Covid response team coordinator Jeffrey Zients conceded Tuesday. But he said President Joe Biden’s administration had “succeeded beyond our highest expectations” in returning the nation to a pre-pandemic normal, as the infection rate has plummeted and large gatherings of […]
by Francesco FONTEMAGGI Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As the Covid pandemic recedes dramatically in the West, Europe is opening its doors to Americans — but the reverse is not holding true, with the United States not budging on restrictions imposed 15 months ago. US President Joe Biden has hailed progress on vaccination, with a goal of reaching 70 percent of Americans with at least one dose by July 4, and […]
by Agnes ANYA JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia passed two million coronavirus cases Monday as infection rates soar and hospitals are flooded with new patients, prompting warnings that the Southeast Asian nation’s health crisis could spiral out of control. The unwanted milestone comes after daily case rates more than doubled in recent weeks and authorities identified the presence of highly infectious Covid-19 variants. On Monday, official figures showed that Indonesia had recorded a daily record […]
