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by Nivrita GANGULY MUMBAI, India (AFP) — C.S. Satheesha spells out “A-P-P-L-E” into his phone as he teaches remotely from the only place he can get a signal — a treehouse in his back garden in southern India. In the Kodagu district of Karnataka state, eight-year-old Shreeshma listens to Satheesha’s WhatsApp voice notes on her mother’s phone on her porch and repeats sentences such as: “This is a cat.” But in a country where schools […]
by Shafiqul ALAM DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Mohammad Masud braves Dhaka’s sweltering summer heat to pedal across the Bangladeshi capital in his rickshaw and queue at one of the last charities still feeding those left destitute by the pandemic. Nearby are hundreds of out-of-work or struggling security guards, transport workers, domestic servants and homeless children finishing their plates of rice and lentils at Mehmankhana, or the “dining place for guests”. “I have been hungry all […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –The United States, which closed its borders to much of the world as the pandemic took hold, plans eventually to begin allowing fully vaccinated foreigners back in, a White House official said Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s administration, recognizing the importance of international travel, wants to reopen to visitors from abroad in a “safe and sustainable manner,” the official said. It is developing “a phased approach that over time will mean, with […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 on Wednesday as the country struggles to control the spread of the Delta variant. Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has now detected Delta in dozens of regions since it was first found in the archipelago in June. Scores of Indonesians are dying at home, unable to access hospital care or medical oxygen supplies as health care facilities are stretched to the limit. More than 3.5 million […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Covid infections in Iran surged again Wednesday, hitting a new one-day record for a third straight day and taking total cases to more than four million. Iran registered 39,357 new cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday, taking the total since the pandemic started to 4,019,084, the health ministry said. It recorded 409 deaths over the same period taking the total in Iran to 92,194. The official figures are widely believed […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Wednesday tightened overseas travel restrictions for its citizens as part of efforts to contain rising coronavirus cases, after reporting its highest number of infections in months. The movement of people is coming under more restriction inside China – with localised transport closures and stay-at-home orders in places in some cities – and beyond China’s borders. China had previously boasted of its success in crushing Covid-19, with hard lockdowns in […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of local coronavirus cases in months as mass testing and contact tracing campaigns uncovered a trail of Delta variant infections. Health authorities reported 71 domestic cases on Wednesday, the highest since January, as China battles its largest outbreak in months by testing entire cities and locking down millions. The official results of those tests have revealed a low caseload despite the outbreak spreading […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Macau ordered compulsory coronavirus testing for all residents on Wednesday after a family of four was found to be carrying the Delta variant, breaking the city’s record of over 16 months virus-free. Over the next three days authorities plan to test all 680,000 residents at 41 testing centres, the government said. The testing is one of a host of new measures announced after the gambling hub recorded 491 days without […]
by Aurélia END WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has distributed more than 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses overseas — more than all other countries combined, President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he touted his record on countering the Delta variant cutting a deadly swath across the planet. The announcement, which follows the administration belatedly achieving its July 4 target for getting 70 percent of American adults at least one shot, marked “just […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Fully vaccinated people in England were one-third as likely to test positive for Covid-19, according to an ongoing survey of the population released on Wednesday. The latest findings, from a long-running study by scientists at Imperial College London and market research company Ipsos MORI, were based on 98,233 swabs taken between June 24 and July 12. They showed one in 160 people infected with coronavirus, with a prevalence rate of […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York will become the first major US city to require proof of vaccination for people attending indoor venues such as restaurants, gyms and shows, under a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday. The announcement comes as public bodies and private businesses in the United States step up vaccine requirements as the country battles the highly infectious Delta variant. “If you’re vaccinated… you have the key, you […]
AJACCIO, France (AFP) –Health officials in France on Tuesday activated an emergency plan on the Mediterranean island of Corsica as a fourth wave of Covid infections spread across the country. The government also announced it was reactivating a package of measures designed to support medical staff as they brace for a fresh intake of cases. More of France’s popular coastal areas meanwhile reintroduced the compulsory wearing of masks in a bid to stem the incoming […]
