Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Deborah COLE Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Coronavirus cases in Germany are rising at a “very clearly exponential rate”, a top public health institute said Friday, as the EU’s biggest country debated tightening a shutdown. The vice president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, Lars Schaade, told reporters that highly contagious virus variants were getting the upper hand, wiping out progress seen last month in containing the pandemic. […]
by Danny Kemp with AFP Bureaus THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Leading EU countries said Thursday they would resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European medical regulator said the jab is “safe and effective” and not associated with a higher blood clot risk after days of commotion around the shot. The closely-watched announcement from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came after the WHO and Britain’s health watchdog both said the vaccine was safe, adding that it […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Pyongyang announced Friday that it broke diplomatic ties with Malaysia after that country extradited a North Korean citizen to the United States, in a foreign ministry statement carried on state news wire KCNA. On March 17, Malaysian authorities “committed an unpardonable crime… of forcibly delivering the innocent citizen (of North Korea) to the United States,” the statement read. North Korea’s foreign ministry “hereby announces total severance of the diplomatic relations […]
by Stuart WILLIAMS and Adam PLOWRIGHT PARIS, France (AFP) — French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday announced a limited month-long lockdown for Paris and several other regions to combat surging Covid-19 cases, while insisting the measures would be less strict than in the past. While non-essential businesses will close and movement outside will be restricted in the affected regions, schools will stay open and outdoor exercise allowed up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from […]
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that his goal of getting 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered in his first 100 days in office will be met by Friday, far in advance of the original target. “I’m proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into my administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans,” he said in a White House […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for increased testing and local restrictions to halt an “emerging second peak” of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, as fresh daily cases hit a three-month high. The world’s third most infected nation with more than 11.4 million cases, India recorded a peak of just under 100,000 new daily infections in September, before a gradual decline. Infections fell to below 9,000 new cases in early […]
by Danny KEMP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed an “overwhelming” victory in elections on Wednesday, vowing to use his fourth term in office to rebuild the country after the coronavirus pandemic. Already one of Europe’s longest serving leaders after ten years in office, exit polls showed Rutte’s liberal party clearly winning the most seats in parliament after the socially distanced three-day vote. The pro-EU D66 party, which has challenged […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases in nearly four months on Wednesday, with the hard-hit Paris region bracing for a possible weekend lockdown to stem the rising tide of cases. In the past 24 hours, 38,501 new infections were registered, up from 29,975 the day before, and the highest number since November, the public health authority said. The “positivity” rate — the proportion of positive results compared to […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will lift a virus state of emergency in the Tokyo area, the prime minister said Wednesday, less than five months before the postponed Tokyo Olympics are due to begin. Yoshihide Suga said the measure would not be extended past Sunday, when it is due to end, because indicators including daily new cases and hospital bed occupancy “pointed towards lifting the state of emergency”. The official decision to end the state […]
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s incoming health minister vowed Wednesday to implement science-based policies against Covid-19 and said he may make “adjustments” to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s widely criticized management of the pandemic. Bolsonaro, who has defied expert advice on handling the new coronavirus, is facing pressure to contain an explosion of cases that is pushing Brazil’s hospitals to the brink and threatening his own chances at re-election next year. In a change […]
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO’s expert vaccine advisers on Wednesday recommended Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 jab for use in countries where coronavirus variants of concern are circulating. The World Health Organization gave its seal of approval on Friday to the vaccine, which has the advantages of being a single-shot jab that can be stored at regular refrigeration rather than ultra-cold temperatures. After meeting on Monday, the WHO’s […]
by Taylor Thompson-Fuller in Sydney and Holly Robertson in Brisbane Agence France Presse PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Papua New Guinea’s health minister on Wednesday told AFP the country’s record wave of coronavirus infections will “spike” further in coming weeks, calling on drug-maker AstraZeneca to urgently deliver one million vaccine doses to staunch the looming crisis. Jelta Wong warned his under-resourced nation was already “running at full throttle” to prevent a wave of […]
