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SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea on Tuesday ordered nightclubs, museums and buffet restaurants closed and banned large gatherings in and around the capital as a burst of new coronavirus cases sparked fears of a major second wave. The country’s “trace, test and treat” approach to curbing the virus has been held up as a global model, but it is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches. Authorities reported 246 new infections […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he would be among the first to receive a Russian coronavirus vaccine if it is shown to be effective. Russia’s announcement last week that it was the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine was met with caution from Western scientists who said it still needed to be proved safe and effective. “I would be the first to get […]
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The number of COVID-19 deaths among medical personnel in government-held parts of Syria has shot up in recent weeks amid a rise in infections, several sources told AFP. The capital Damascus has been especially hard hit, with doctors warning of a deteriorating situation in overcrowded hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients. The Syndicate of Doctors in Damascus on July 25 started to publish lists of doctors it said […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s finance minister Bill Morneau announced his resignation Monday, on the heels of an ethics scandal and amid a reported split with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over pandemic spending. Morneau, who has held the post since 2015, told a news conference that he met with Trudeau to inform him that he would not run in the next election, and that a new finance minister with a long-term outlook was needed. “As […]
by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Heather Lieberman is betting that she will gain immunity from the coronavirus. Sandra Rodriguez wants to work with scientists for the good of the community. Both have signed up for clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, the new US epicenter of the global health crisis. “I want to be part of history. I want to help,” said Rodriguez, a 63-year-old teacher sitting in the offices of […]
by Daniel SILVA MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s former king Juan Carlos, who went into exile this month in the face of graft allegations, is in the United Arab Emirates, the royal palace said Monday, ending the mystery over his whereabouts. The 82-year-old, who has long had warm relations with the Gulf monarchies, “traveled to the United Arab Emirates on August 3 and he remains there,” a spokesman said without giving further details. In a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose first term in office ended in part for health reasons, sparked fresh speculation Monday about his well-being with an unexpected, hours-long hospital visit. Abe emerged from the Tokyo hospital where he was previously treated for ulcerative colitis more than seven hours after he entered, and left by car without saying anything, according to TV footage of local media. His previously unannounced arrival on Monday morning […]
by Bhuvan BAGGA gence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s death toll from the coronavirus hit 50,000 on Monday, with more than 900 new fatalities reported in 24 hours, health ministry data showed. The country last week overtook Britain with the world’s fourth-highest number of deaths, behind the United States, Brazil and Mexico, and has recorded 2.6 million infections. India’s death toll from the pandemic now stands at 50,921, an increase of […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — French pharma giant Sanofi said Monday it will buy US group Principia Biopharma for $3.68 billion in a deal that will boost its research and development into autoimmune and allergic diseases. The deal will see Sanofi “acquire all of the outstanding shares of Principia for $100 per share in cash, which represents an aggregate equity value of approximately $3.68 billion”, Sanofi said in a statement. Sanofi had been cooperating with San […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Thousands of Protestant church members in Seoul have been asked to quarantine, South Korean authorities said Monday, as the country battles virus clusters linked to religious groups. The country’s “trace, test and treat” approach has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus. But over the weekend the capital and neighbouring Gyeonggi province — between them home to nearly half the population — banned […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The UAE on Sunday summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi to protest “threats” by the Islamic republic’s president over the Emirati decision to normalize ties with Israel, state media reported. The foreign ministry “summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires (and) handed him a strong note of protest against the threats contained in Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s speech regarding the UAE’s sovereign decisions,” the official WAM news agency reported. That […]
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — A pine forest wildfire fanned by strong winds broke out on Sunday along the pristine northeastern coastline of Corfu, a Greek island dotted with wealthy estates. The fire erupted near the wooded Agios Stefanos beach town in the Erimitis region, which boasts high-profile residents such as the Rothschilds and the Agnellis. Firefighters aboard a dozen vehicles backed by aircraft were deployed to tackle the fire in the area nicknamed Kensington-on-Sea by […]
