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by James PHEBY / Joe JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — More than 23 million people will be under the tightest restrictions once England’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown ends next week, but London will escape the toughest rules, the government said on Thursday. England will return to a regional tiered system when the national stay-at-home order ends on December 2, and 23.3 million residents in the worst-hit areas are set to enter the “very high” alert […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The head of British drug manufacturer AstraZeneca said on Thursday further research was needed on its Covid-19 vaccine after questions emerged over the protection it offers, but the additional testing is unlikely to affect regulatory approval in Europe. AstraZeneca and its partner, the University of Oxford, announced on Monday that it was seeking regulatory approval for the vaccine after it showed average 70 percent effectiveness. That rate jumped to 90 […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney said Thursday it will cut 32,000 jobs in 2021, primarily from its US theme parks division, an increase from layoffs announced in September. The company, which previously said it would cut 28,000 jobs, has struggled with the pandemic and social restrictions. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the cuts — which Variety reported are part of September’s announcement — would be made in […]
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia are self-isolating after testing positive for the new coronavirus, the royal palace said Thursday. Carl Philip, the 41-year-old son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Sofia, 35, “have light flu symptoms” and are recuperating at home in Stockholm with their two young children, the palace said in a statement. The king and queen, as well as Crown Princess […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since March on Thursday, with a surge of new infections sparking fears of a major third wave. Officials announced 583 new cases after several weeks of fresh infections ranging between around 100 and 300. The latest cases have mostly been clusters at offices, schools, gyms and small gatherings in the greater Seoul area, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday congratulated Joe Biden on his US election victory, state media reported. In his telegram, Xi said both countries should “stick to no conflict or confrontation, mutual respect, (and) the spirit of win-win cooperation” in order to promote the “noble cause” of world peace and development. Xi’s message came more than two weeks after several other major countries had congratulated Biden. US-China relations have hit historic […]
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Pfizer gave the office of Brazil’s health regulators results of the tests of their Covid-19 vaccine, a necessary step to approve and register the vaccine, the US-based pharmaceutical said Wednesday. “This is an important step so that the vaccine can be available in Brazil,” Pfizer said in a statement in Portuguese. Brazil, with a population of 212 million, has the highest Covid-19 death rate in the world after the United […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New applications for jobless aid in the United States saw their second back-to-back weekly increase, according to government data released Wednesday, raising concerns that a renewed economic downturn is beginning. The Labor Department said 778,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims were filed in the week ended November 21, more than analysts had forecasted and an increase of 30,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure. The increase was the first consecutive […]
PUDUCHERRY, India (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people in southeastern India fled their homes on Wednesday, out of the path of a cyclone due to slam coastal areas after midnight, bringing with it heavy rain. Nivar, classified as a very severe cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal in the north Indian Ocean, was expected to pack winds of 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 145 kilometres per […]
LSO ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A mysterious metal “obelisk” found buried in the remote western United States desert has inflamed the imaginations of UFO spotters, conspiracy theorists and Stanley Kubrick fans around the world. The shiny, triangular pillar — which protrudes approximately 12 feet from the red rocks of southern Utah — was spotted last Wednesday by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air. Landing to investigate, Utah Department of Public Safety […]
MAHABALIPURAM, India (AFP) — Local Indian authorities banned public gatherings and closed shops as more than 1,000 rescue personnel mobilized against a powerful cyclone barrelling towards the southeastern coast, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. Cyclone Nivar is set to cross the coasts of Tamil Nadu state and the small territory of Puducherry as a “very severe cyclonic storm” late Wednesday, the Indian Meteorological Department said. Parts of Andhra Pradesh, a coastal state north of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US plans to distribute 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the first week after it is cleared for emergency use, which is likely next month, officials said Tuesday. A committee of the Food and Drug Administration meets on December 10 to decide on whether to green light the medicine. General Gustave Perna, chief operations officer for the government’s Operation Warp Speed, told reporters some 40 million […]
