South Africa has identified a new variant of the coronavirus that is driving a second wave of infections, the health minister said on Friday, days after Britain said it had also found a new variant of the virus boosting cases. “We have convened this public briefing today to announce that […]
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US clears Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
The fight against Covid-19 received a major shot in the arm on Friday as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) to a second vaccine against the deadly coronavirus disease. Jointly developed by Moderna, a Massachusetts-based pharma company, and the National Institute of Allergy and […]
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Iconic Washington Monument shut after Covid-infected interior secretary’s visit
The US Interior Department said on Friday it has temporarily closed the Washington Monument because of a shortage of staff due to quarantines following a recent visit by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who is infected with the coronavirus. “As we do in all circumstances when an employee attests to having […]
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Poorer nations to get virus vaccine early next year: WHO
Poorer countries will begin to receive coronavirus vaccination doses early next year from a facility created to ensure fair access, the World Health Organization and its partners said Friday. Almost two billion doses of candidate vaccines have been secured for the Covax facility, run by the WHO along with the […]
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Emmanuel Macron blames his Covid-19 on negligence, bad luck
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his Covid-19 on a combination of negligence and bad luck, urging his compatriots to stay safe as critics called out slip-ups in his behavior to prevent infection, from a close-quarters handshake to repeated big-group meals over the past week. In what looked like […]
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Chinese firm behind Hambantota port project gets first contract in Sri Lanka’s Port City
One of China’s largest state-run firms that was behind the controversial Hambantota port project has bagged the first contract in Sri Lanka’s planned $13-billion Port City, weeks after the US criticised the Chinese government for acting as a “predator” in the island nation. The China Harbor Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), a subsidiary […]
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Covid: Millions prepare for tougher restrictions amid rising cases
Millions of people across the UK are preparing for tougher coronavirus restrictions amid growing concern about the rising number of cases. Thirty-eight million people in the south and east of England will be living under tier three rules – the strictest measures – from Saturday. Northern Ireland will begin a six-week […]
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Iran rejects IAEA chief’s call that new agreement needed after Biden takes office
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday rejected the UN atomic watchdog chief’s suggestion that reviving Iran’s nuclear deal after a new U.S. administration comes to power would require striking a new agreement. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Rafael Grossi, who heads the IAEA that […]
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China’s Alibaba ‘eliminates’ ethnic tag that identifies Uighur muslims
Chinese tech giant Alibaba has sought to distance itself from a face-recognition software feature devised by its cloud computing unit that could help users to identify members of the country’s Muslim Uighur minority. A report this week revealing the software feature made Alibaba, one of the world’s most valuable companies, […]
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Japan to develop longer-range anti-ship missiles
Japan on Friday said it will develop new “stand-off” anti-ship missiles that will allow it to target warships threatening its islands at greater distances. Japan’s government also said in a press release it will build two new warships equipped with new Aegis radars to replace two cancelled ground stations it […]
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Oxford says Covid-19 vaccine has good immune response with 2-dose regime
Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used rather than a full-dose followed by a half-dose booster, the university said on Thursday. The vaccine candidate, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, has published interim late stage trial results showing higher efficacy when […]
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Key Joe Biden aide Cedric Richmond tests positive for Covid-19
One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to his transition team. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive two days after traveling to Atlanta to attend […]
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Drug overdose deaths in US rise during Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled a rise in fatal drug overdoses in the United States, officials said Thursday, stressing that essential medical services have to remain accessible despite coronavirus disruptions. More than 81,000 drug overdose deaths were recorded in the US in the year to May, the highest number ever in a […]
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French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19
President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for coronavirus, the French presidency said on Thursday, although it was not immediately clear where he had contracted the virus. “The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 today,” his office said in a statement. “This diagnosis was made following a […]
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Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout draws wary, mixed response
While excitement and enthusiasm greeted the Western-developed coronavirus vaccine when it was rolled out, the Russian-made version has received a mixed response, with reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers — the first members of the public designated to receive it. Kremlin […]