YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — The global food crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine will kill millions by leaving the hungriest more vulnerable to infectious diseases, potentially triggering the world’s next health catastrophe, the head of a major aid organization has warned. A Russian naval blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has stopped grain shipments from the world’s fourth-largest exporter of wheat and corn, raising the specter of shortages and hunger in low-income countries. The […]
Life
UK to offer monkeypox vaccine to control spread
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK Health Security Agency on Tuesday recommended that some gay and bisexual men at higher risk of contracting monkeypox should be offered a vaccine to control an outbreak. A total of 793 cases of the chickenpox-like disease have been recorded across the country as of Monday, the public health body said. Head of immunisation Mary Ramsay said contact tracing had helped to limit the spread “but we are continuing […]
Singapore, South Korea report first monkeypox cases
One imported case, a British flight attendant, confirmed in Singapore; two suspected cases, including a foreign national, reported in South Korea (Eagle News) — Both Singapore and South Korea reported their first suspected monkeypox cases, the first such reported cases in Southeast and East Asia respectively In Singapore, the Ministry of Health has confirmed one imported case of monkeypox infection, a 42-year-old male British national who works as a flight attendant. He was in […]
Air tickets set to keep climbing from pandemic low: experts
by Tangi Quemener Agence France Presse Propelled by inflation, the price of air tickets has begun to take off again after tumbling during the pandemic, a reversal that looks set to intensify due to environmental pressures, experts say. For members of the International Air Transport Association, gathered in Doha for their annual meeting this week, minds are focused on how far such increases risk undermining passenger growth targets. The IATA is also pleading for […]
No petrol, no cars: Cubans turn to electric transport
by Leticia PINEDA Agence France Presse SANTA CLARA, Cuba (AFP) — There is a new sight on the streets of Havana: increasing numbers of electric vehicles whizzing among the old American cars so emblematic of the Cuban capital. As fuel shortages and US sanctions take their toll, and even though electricity generation can be spotty, Cubans are turning to smaller, cheaper, plug-in alternatives. “Gasoline? Imagine. After 50 years battling to get hold of it, […]
‘World’s biggest’ freshwater fish netted in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — A fisherman on the Mekong river in Cambodia has hooked the biggest freshwater fish ever recorded, scientists said — a 300-kilogram stingray. The giant freshwater stingray, which measured four metres (13 feet) from snout to tail, was caught last week and released back into the wild after being fitted with a tag to track its behaviour. The monstrous bottom-dweller beat the previous record for biggest recorded freshwater fish, held […]
Europe swelters in record-breaking June heatwave
by Stuart Williams with Mathieu Gorse in Madrid Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Spain, France and other western European nations sweltered over the weekend under a blistering June heatwave, with some wildfires still blazing even as the weather began to ease. The soaring temperatures were in line with scientists’ predictions that such phenomena will now strike earlier in the year thanks to global warming. Emergency services battled several wildfires Sunday in northern Spain. The […]
US approves Covid vaccines for youngest kids
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Saturday cleared the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for children aged five and younger, in a move President Joe Biden greeted as a “monumental step” in the fight against the virus. The United States thus became the first country to approve use of the so-called mRNA vaccines for children as young as six months. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had on Friday authorized their […]
US approves Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for youngest children
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization Friday for the use of Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines in the youngest children, the final age group awaiting immunization in most countries. The agency, whose approval is considered the global gold standard, authorized Moderna’s two-dose vaccine for children aged six months to five years, and three doses of Pfizer’s shots for those between six months and four years old. […]
Hong Kong to play at Asian Cup for first time since 1968
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong celebrated a slice of history on Tuesday after reaching the Asian Cup for the first time since 1968. The Chinese territory will play India later in the day in their final qualifier for next year’s regional showpiece but went through beforehand thanks to a 4-0 win for the Palestinians over the Philippines. The big win sent the Palestinians through and they took several other teams with them including […]
Hunger crisis could swell already record global displacement: UN
by Christophe Vogt Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed global displacement numbers above 100 million for the first time, and the UN warns the resulting hunger crisis could force many more to flee their homes. Efforts to address the global food insecurity crisis, which has been dramatically aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is “of paramount importance… to prevent a larger number of people moving,” the United Nations refugee […]
Shares of BTS label tumble after band announces break
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Shares in the management agency of the K-pop supergroup BTS plummeted Wednesday in early trading in Seoul after the band announced they were taking an indefinite break. The seven members, credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the bombshell during their streamed “FESTA” dinner, part of a celebration that marks their anniversary as a group. The news sent shares of the band’s label HYBE tumbling […]