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PARIS, France (AFP) — Sleeping six hours or less per night in your 50s and 60s is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to a new study of nearly 8,000 British adults followed for more than 25 years. Scientists said that while the research, which was based on data from a long-running survey, could not prove cause and effect, it did draw a link between sleep and dementia as people age. The study, […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The Dutch government said Tuesday it was relaxing tough coronavirus restrictions, ending a controversial curfew and allowing cafes to serve outdoors from April 28. The introduction of the night curfew in January, the first in the Netherlands since World War II, sparked the country’s worst riots for decades. “We are of course glad that this is possible again because society yearns for more freedom,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a […]
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina will be the first Latin American country to produce Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, according to Russia’s RDIF sovereign fund, which financed the development of the shot. A deal to this end has been struck with Argentina’s Richmond pharmaceutical company, the fund announced on Tuesday. The vaccine technology has been transferred to Richmond and full-scale production should start in June, RDIF said in a statement. “Sputnik V is approved […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy on Tuesday declared the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to be “safe” and said it would prioritise its use for people over 60. The announcement came hours after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side effect of the vaccine. In the light of that ruling, the US-made jab should be considered “definitely safe,” Italian health authorities said in a statement. It […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s third most populated region will on Tuesday ask the central government to impose a state of emergency over the coronavirus as infections rise just three months before the country hosts the Olympics. Osaka prefecture only lifted a state of emergency two months ago and restrictions are expected to be tougher this time, possibly involving store and shopping mall closures. That would still fall short of the harsh lockdowns seen in […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand authorities revealed an Auckland airport worker had tested positive for Covid-19 Tuesday, although Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would not affect a newly opened travel bubble with Australia. Confirmation the cleaner at New Zealand’s largest airport had contracted the virus came barely 24 hours after the transport hub hosted joyful scenes as families reunited following the launch of the quarantine-free bubble. Ardern said the cleaner worked on […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — At least 49 passengers on a flight from New Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said, as the financial hub introduced an emergency ban on all flights from India in a crackdown over a new wave of cases. All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight run by Indian operator Vistara on April 4. The positive tests are significant as […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel signed Monday an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer enabling the Jewish state to obtain millions more doses of vaccines, a government statement said. Nearly five million Israelis, or over half the population, has received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to statistics published by Israel’s health ministry. “We have signed an agreement with Pfizer to acquire millions (more) doses of the vaccine which will allow us to continue our […]
KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — The DR Congo on Monday launched a vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the capital Kinshasa, with top officials and foreign envoys stressing the safety of the AstraZeneca jab. “There are more advantages than disadvantages to getting vaccinated,” Health Minister Eteni Longondo said at a launch ceremony, becoming among the first to receive a shot at Kinshasa University’s medical school. The European Union’s ambassador to the DRC, Jean-Marc Chataigner, and UN […]
by Glenda Kwek, with Nivrita Ganguly in Mumbai and Nishant Saxena in Lucknow NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Ajay Singh Yadav only managed a final video call with Raj Karan before his close friend became the latest of an alarming number of young Indians, including children, falling victim to the new coronavirus wave sweeping the country. Some doctors say the reason that under-45s are now vulnerable is that they go to work and eat out […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization’s emergency committee said Monday it was against international travellers being required to have proof of vaccination, partly on grounds such a measure would deepen inequities. “Do not require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry, given the limited (although growing) evidence about the performance of vaccines in reducing transmission and the persistent inequity in the global vaccine distribution,” the committee said in a statement summarising its […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) –India said Monday it will open its Covid-19 vaccination drive to all adults from May 1, as the vast nation battles a massive spike in infections that has overwhelmed its healthcare system. “In a meeting chaired by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, an important decision of allowing vaccination to everyone above the age of 18 from 1st May has been taken,” the health ministry said in a statement. © Agence France-Presse
