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FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — The US government has agreed to pay almost $2 billion for 100 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine, German firm BioNTech said on Wednesday. BioNTech, which is developing the drug with US pharma giant Pfizer, said in a statement that American people would receive the future vaccine “for free” in line with the Trump administration’s “commitment for free access for COVID-19 vaccines”. Under the agreement, the US government […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s first-ever military communications satellite has been successfully launched by private operator SpaceX, Seoul said Tuesday, as it looks to build up its defense capabilities. The ANASIS-II is intended to enhance the South’s ability to defend itself against the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday recorded more than 60,000 new cases of coronavirus infection for the seventh consecutive day, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally. With another 488 deaths and 61,288 cases registered in 24 hours, the country has a total of 140,922 deaths and 3.82 million cases, the Baltimore-based university said at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday). President Donald Trump on Monday finally spoke out in favor […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County were at their highest level at the weekend since the pandemic began, as 15 children were diagnosed with a rare and potentially deadly virus-related inflammatory syndrome. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Sunday listed 2,216 people in hospital, topping the previous record of 2,193 on July 15. Of those currently hospitalized, 26 percent are in intensive care […]
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse US President Donald Trump promised Monday to resume televised coronavirus briefings and finally spoke out in favor of mask-wearing — a marked change of tune as polls show him headed for election disaster. With only just over 100 days until the election against Democrat Joe Biden, Trump is scrambling to respond to public anger over his troubled months-long handling of the pandemic. Since the virus first hit the United […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis pleaded Monday for COVID-19 survivors to donate blood plasma to help save lives, as hospitals rapidly fill up and supplies of antiviral drugs run short. The situation in the Sunshine State is dire, with more than 9,500 coronavirus patients hospitalized and just 18 percent of intensive care beds available. Lines of people hoping to get a test can stretch for almost a mile and the results […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States marked a record number of coronavirus cases Friday for the third consecutive day, notching 77,638 new infections in 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The country also recorded 927 deaths in one day, according to the count by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (00:30 GMT Saturday). The country, the hardest-hit by the coronavirus in the world in absolute terms, has suffered […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA on Thursday postponed the launch of its $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope from March next year to October 31, 2021, blaming the pandemic and other technical challenges. The telescope, first conceived in the 1990s, was initially to be launched in the 2000s, but its main maker Northrop Grumman has faced numerous development problems that have doubled its cost. “Webb is the world’s most complex space observatory, and our […]
by Chris Lefkow WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Florida is the new epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the United States and is shaping up as a key battleground in a partisan-tinged fight playing out nationally over reopening schools in the fall. While cities such as Houston, Los Angeles and New York plan to begin the school year virtually or on a restricted basis, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is insisting schools reopen fully in August. […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –The United States on Thursday set yet another record for new coronavirus cases with 68,428 infections recorded in 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. In that period the death toll also climbed by 974 people, the Baltimore-based university’s tracker showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday). That brought the total death toll in the country since the pandemic began to 138,201, and the total number of cases […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Wednesday of holding high-level talks soon with North Korea and did not rule out a summit, a break with recent pessimistic signs from both countries. Pompeo, without elaborating, said there was “more discussion than is publicly noticed” with North Korea. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to have a senior discussion before too long and hopefully advance the ball,” Pompeo said at […]
by Qasim Nauman, with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse Millions of people faced new coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday as infections surge, but in one sign of hope, an American firm said it would soon start final-stage human trials for a possible vaccine. Countries around the world re-imposed lockdowns and curbs to contain new outbreaks, as global cases surged past 13.2 million with more than 576,000 deaths. Parts of the Asia-Pacific region, which had been […]
