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GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged the 20 leaders with the power to overturn the “disgraceful” global imbalance in access to Covid-19 vaccines to reverse the tide before October. The WHO’s Bruce Aylward said the world should be “disgusted” — and asked whether the situation could have been any worse had there been an active effort to block the planet’s poor from getting vaccinated. The UN health agency has been […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian and European markets were mixed Wednesday as investors assess the impact of the fast-spreading Delta variant and the future of Federal Reserve financial support against expectations that the global economy will eventually recover from the pandemic crisis. News that US President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill had finally passed the Senate provided some cheer, though analysts said it would likely be some time before it gets through […]
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s government rejected on Tuesday mounting calls for an immediate lockdown to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths that is severely stretching hospitals and crematoriums. Government spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the country had not reached a critical stage even as the island nation suffers more than 100 deaths per day on average. “Curfews or a lockdown is the last resort, but we are not […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Riot police fired water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in Bangkok Tuesday as hundreds rallied for democratic reform and against the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Demonstrators defied a ban on public gatherings as Thailand tries to quash its worst virus outbreak so far, with new cases hovering around the 20,000 mark daily. The slow start to the coronavirus vaccination program in Thailand and economic pain from […]
CONAKRY, Guinea (AFP) — Guinea has recorded the first known case of Marburg virus, a lethal cousin to Ebola, the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) says. Here is a factfile on the disease (source: WHO, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). – What is Marburg? – Marburg virus is a highly dangerous pathogen that causes haemorrhagic fever. According to past outbreaks, the average fatality rate is 50 percent, in a range of 24-88 […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Five million people in Australia’s second-largest city will remain under stay-at-home orders for at least another week after authorities extended a lockdown Wednesday after failing to curb Melbourne’s latest Covid outbreak. The city entered its sixth pandemic lockdown last Thursday after a fresh Delta variant cluster emerged at a Melbourne school and quickly spread. Daniel Andrews, the premier of the state of Victoria, said lockdown rules will be extended until at […]
by Lucie AUBOURG WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The recent surge of Covid-19, driven by the Delta variant, has reignited political controversy around mask-wearing in the United States, with some governors opposing all measures to make masks mandatory despite advice from health authorities. The dispute feels familiar, harkening back to the early days of the pandemic when masks became a symbol of political affiliation in the US — the clash led by then-president Donald Trump, […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany will end free coronavirus tests in October, regional leaders and the federal government agreed on Tuesday, in a push to incentivise more people to get vaccinated. Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination or recovery will be required to access facilities including restaurants, cinemas and gyms, in areas where infection rates rise above a certain threshold. From October those who refuse to get jabbed will have to pay to prove they […]
by Ye Aung THU TAUNGOO, Myanmar (AFP) — Buddhist monk and a budding sailor are among the outcasts squatting in an abandoned building in Myanmar while they help bury coronavirus victims and their worried families tell them to keep away. A surge in infections across the country has been aggravated by a lack of formal medical care, with many hospitals empty of staff joining nationwide strikes against a February military coup. Thar Gyi, one of […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Coldplay, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran are among the stars announced Tuesday for a day of concerts across multiple cities on September 25 to raise awareness about climate change, poverty and vaccine distribution. New York, Paris and Lagos are the first cities to be announced for Global Citizen Live, which will run for 24 hours and be screened around the world via TV stations and social media. Joining Eilish and Coldplay […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US State Department has advised Americans to avoid all travel to France over rising coronavirus cases in the country. France is battling a fourth wave of the virus even though Covid-19 hospitalizations are still way off previous highs. The State Department issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for France on Monday, based on a parallel warning from the US Centers for Disease Control, the country’s top medical […]
KUTUPALONG Bangladesh (AFP) — Bangladesh on Tuesday began vaccinating Rohingya refugees living in congested camps as the impoverished South Asian nation battles a record surge in coronavirus cases, officials said. Health officials say 2,600 Covid-19 cases and 29 deaths have been recorded in the camps housing some 850,000 Rohingya but many experts say this is likely a gross underestimate. The initial inoculation phase will see around 48,000 refugees aged over 55 get Chinese-made Sinopharm shots […]
