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NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A case of the Indian variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Kenya, the country’s health ministry said Wednesday, a few days after it was also confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. “This variant has been picked (up) in Kenya and because of global connectivity, it is just a question of time. You cannot be able to put barriers … to prevent a virus from accessing your territory,” said the ministry’s director […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has extended the quarantine period for anyone arriving in the country to three weeks, authorities said Wednesday, following a fresh community outbreak of the coronavirus. The nation has so far kept case numbers low — recording just over 3,000 cases and 35 deaths — thanks to strict quarantine measures and extensive contact tracing. But Vietnam reported its first community outbreak in weeks last Thursday, and other clusters have since emerged. […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran has detected three cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant feared to behind a devastating surge of the virus in India, the health minister said Wednesday. “We have identified three confirmed cases among the Indians present,” Saeed Namaki said, according to the ministry’s official website, with the cases found in the central province of Qom. Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told AFP these were “the first confirmed cases of Indian variant in […]
Around 9k daily recoveries reported since May 1; active cases drop to 5.8 percent (Eagle News) – Total COVID-19 recoveries reached 993,042 on Wednesday, May 5, and could go beyond 1 million by Thursday, May 6, if the trend continues of around 9,000 new recoveries daily since the start of the month. The percentage of active cases on Wednesday also went down to 5.8 percent, while COVID-19 recoveries continued to surge. New cases recorded […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Britain for G7 meetings, said on Wednesday he would hold his talks virtually after being exposed to possible coronavirus cases. “Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases. As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian court on Wednesday agreed to hear a challenge to the country’s controversial ban on citizens returning home from coronavirus-hit India. A federal court said it would urgently hear a case brought by a 73-year-old man living in Bangalore who wishes to return. Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week banned arrivals from India, which is recording hundreds of thousands of new coronavirus infections each day. Under the measures, Australian citizens […]
by Katell PRIGENT PARIS, France (AFP) — With tests, vaccinations and isolation areas, cruise ship companies are hoping for smoother sailing this travel season after fears over Covid-stricken ships rocked the industry last year. Cruise companies have lost tens of billions of dollars while hundreds of thousands of people have lost jobs as countries banned ships from their ports. The industry’s woes started in February last year when the Diamond Princess and its 4,000 passengers […]
by Shaun TANDON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The Group of Seven wealthy democracies will discuss coronavirus vaccines Wednesday as they face growing pressure to share stockpiles and know-how with poor nations trailing far behind on fighting the pandemic. Foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are wrapping up three days of talks in central London that will set the agenda for a G7 leaders’ summit next month in […]
BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — A Malian woman gave birth to nonuplets in Morocco on Tuesday and all nine babies are “doing well”, her government said, although Moroccan authorities had yet to confirm what would be an extremely rare case. Mali’s government flew 25-year-old Halima Cisse, a woman from the north of the poor West African state, to Morocco for better care on March 30. She was initially believed to have been carrying septuplets. Cases of […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraq’s health minister resigned on Tuesday, ten days after a fire in a Baghdad Covid-19 hospital killed more than 80 people. Hassan al-Tamimi, who joined the government with the backing of powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, stepped down of his own accord, a government statement said. The fire, which killed 82 and injured 110, triggered outrage on social media, with a widespread hashtag demanding the health minister be sacked. Prime Minister […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of adults in the US to have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the White House said Tuesday. Administration officials who asked not to be identified said Biden would announce the ambitious goal in a speech later Tuesday. In addition to getting 70 percent at least partially vaccinated, Biden wants “160 million Americans fully […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore announced a slew of new coronavirus restrictions Tuesday including a ban on spectators at sporting events as infections rise in the wealthy city-state. After a partial lockdown and rigorous regime of testing and contact tracing, Covid-19 had almost disappeared in Singapore, with authorities in recent months reporting hardly any local transmission. But cases rose last week with officials announcing several new clusters, and in the last seven days 60 locally […]
