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by Paul Ricard with Sandra Laffont in Marseille PARIS, France (AFP) — France reported a new record for daily coronavirus infections on Thursday a day after the government announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in major cities which have provoked an outcry from local politicians and business owners. Figures from Public Health France showed that 16,096 people had tested positive for Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, a record — though experts advise that […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Novavax said Thursday it was initiating its final Phase 3 clinical trial for its experimental Covid-19 vaccine. The trial will be carried out in the United Kingdom and aims to enroll 10,000 volunteers, aged 18-84, with and without underlying conditions, over the next four to six weeks. “With a high level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission observed and expected to continue in the UK, we are optimistic that this […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday called for better ties with South Korea in talks with President Moon Jae-in, the first in months between leaders of the countries. Suga, who took office last week, said he told Moon in a phone call that the countries must repair their “difficult” bilateral relations, which are mired in a long-running dispute over issues dating back Japan’s occupation of the Korean peninsula. “To […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean forces shot dead a South Korean fisheries official who disappeared off a patrol vessel and ended up in Pyongyang’s waters, Seoul’s defense ministry said Thursday, calling it an “outrageous act”. The 47-year-old man had been on board a vessel near the western border island of Yeonpyeong, the ministry said in a statement. After analyzing intelligence, the South Korean military had “confirmed that the North fired at a South […]
by Philippe Rater with Shaun Tandon in Washington UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Arab leaders voiced fears Wednesday before the United Nations of new conflict in the region as tensions soar between Iran and the United States. The annual extravaganza of international diplomacy at the UN General Assembly has been turned into a virtual affair this year, with leaders sending in recorded speeches due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Two days after US President Donald […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated for two hours Wednesday after an anonymous caller threatened to blow up the great edifice in the heart of the French capital, police said. After an inspection, nothing suspicious was found and the Eiffel Tower was able to reopen to visitors. “A man phoned up, shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ and said he was going to ‘blow up everything’” at the Eiffel Tower, said a police […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK on Wednesday reported 6,178 new coronavirus cases, a marked jump in the daily infection rate that comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled new nationwide restrictions. It follows a rise of 4,926 the day before and brings the total confirmed cases in Britain since the pandemic hit to 409,729. With a further 37 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, 41,862 people in Britain who tested […]
by Michel COMTE OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a grand plan Wednesday to address social inequalities laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic and create one million jobs during recovery, while also extending emergency measures for a second wave of Covid-19. In the so-called throne speech, read by Governor General Julie Payette at a joint sitting of MPs and senators, Trudeau’s government vowed to eliminate homelessness, hasten Canada’s fight against climate […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it was entering the final Phase 3 stage of its Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial following positive results in earlier stages. The trial will seek to enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across more than 200 sites in the US and around the world, the company and the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), which is providing funding, said. With the move, J&J becomes the tenth maker […]
by Agence France Presse bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has passed 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, as a record-breaking wave of new infections forces authorities in Europe to reimpose lockdown restrictions. The world’s most powerful nation hit the figure just 41 days before a presidential election, and as the World Health Organization warned that new cases worldwide have risen to record highs. US President Donald Trump — who faces a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is considering easing strict coronavirus border restrictions from October to allow more foreign nationals to enter, local media reported Wednesday. Tourists would still be banned and only longer-term visas approved, the reports said, as the nation looks to rebuild its economy and prepare for the postponed Olympics next year. Japan currently bans entry for foreigners from most countries, but has been negotiating the gradual resumption of cross-border business travel. Business […]
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — The death toll from an apartment block collapse in western India jumped to 35 Wednesday, officials said, as hopes of finding anyone else alive dimmed. Emergency workers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have so far pulled 20 survivors from the rubble of the three-storey building in Bhiwandi, near Mumbai. An NDRF spokesman and local authorities told reporters that recovery teams, aided by sniffer dogs, retrieved 35 bodies buried under […]
