Featured
Last news
Knock on the door: Covid stalks athletes at Beijing Olympics
For athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics, testing positive for Covid is one of their worst nightmares, and it can begin with a knock on the door in the middle of the night.
Canada police work to clear key border bridge as Ottawa protest again grows
Canadian police on Saturday worked to clear a key bridge of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions, even as authorities in Ottawa braced for renewed demonstrations expected to bring thousands to the federal capital.
Police fire tear gas, fine Paris protest convoy
Paris police fired teargas and issued hundreds of fines on Saturday to break up a convoy of vehicles that attempted to block traffic in a protest over Covid restrictions and rising living costs.
Paris police clamp down on Canada-style 'freedom convoy'
A French "freedom convoy" of cars and vans began arriving in Paris on Saturday for a protest over coronavirus restrictions, but the police moved quickly to prevent a Canadian-style blockade of the capital by issuing hundreds of fines.
Protest convoy approaches Paris defying police deployment
Thousands of opponents of coronavirus rules encamped on the outskirts of Paris early Saturday resumed their way to the French capital in convoys of vehicles, defying a ban by authorities who are determined to prevent any blockade of the city.
Paris deploys police as protest convoy approaches capital
Thousands of opponents of Covid rules were encamped on the outskirts of Paris early Saturday after driving in convoys from across France, intent on entering the city in defiance of a ban by authorities who are determined to prevent any blockade of the capital.
Covid booster efficacy wanes significantly by fourth month: US study
The efficacy of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines wanes substantially by the fourth month after administration, a new study by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.
Under US pressure, Trudeau vows to end trucker blockades
Canadian leader Justin Trudeau said Friday all options were now "on the table" for ending trucker-led protests that have paralyzed Ottawa and closed border crossings with the United States, but stressed calling in the military was a distant final resort.
US drug regulator postpones meeting on infant Covid vaccines
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday announced it was pushing back a meeting scheduled for next week where a panel of experts would have decided whether to endorse the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for infants.
New York City set to fire 3,000 staff for defying vaccine mandate
New York City was poised to sack roughly 3,000 municipal workers on Friday for failing to meet a deadline to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
US ships nearly 1.9 mn more Covid vaccine doses to African nations
The United States on Friday shipped nearly 1.9 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Mozambique and four other African countries in the latest surge of donations, a US official told AFP.
Italy ditches Covid masks outside
Italy took another step towards normality Friday with the reopening of nightclubs and the end of a requirement to wear masks outside, as the number of coronavirus cases eases.
Paris braces for Canada-style 'Freedom Convoys'
Thousands of protesters in "Freedom Convoys" were heading to Paris from across France on Friday, hoping to blockade the capital in opposition to Covid restrictions despite police warnings to back off.
New Zealand Covid protest grows after police draw back
Protester numbers outside New Zealand's parliament swelled Friday as police scaled back efforts to clear anti-vaccine demonstrators involved in violent clashes a day earlier.
France says won't tolerate Canada-style 'Freedom Convoys'
French police warned Thursday they would prevent so-called "Freedom Convoys" from blockading Paris, as protesters against Covid rules began to drive towards the capital.
France's Nobel winner for co-discovery of HIV virus dies
French scientist Luc Montagnier, who won the Nobel prize for medicine for his co-discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS, has died aged 89, the mayor of the Paris suburb where he was hospitalised said Thursday.
ArcelorMittal sees financial 'risk' in decarbonisation
Global steel giant ArcelorMittal posted on Thursday a record annual profit in 2021 but warned that reducing its carbon emissions posed a financial risk to the group.
New Zealand police clash with Covid protesters at parliament
Police and anti-vaccine protesters clashed on the grounds of New Zealand's parliament Thursday, with more than 120 arrested after demonstrators who camped outside the legislature for three days were ordered to move on.
Heaven can wait: How the super-centenarians live
Her 118th birthday wish is "to die soon". But in the meantime, Lucile Randon, better-known as "Sister Andre", always keeps her door open for any visitor who might want to say hello.
Growing trucker protest raises fears for Canada economy
The two-week-long Canadian truckers' protests against Covid rules threatens the country's economic recovery, ministers said Wednesday, with growing demonstrations blocking a vital trade link with the United States.
New York latest Democrat-run state to roll back mask mandates
New York on Wednesday joined a wave of Democrat-run US states to roll back mask mandates, a symbolic step towards restoring normal life in one of the early pandemic epicenters in America.
England could end Covid isolation requirement by March: Johnson
England will scrap the legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 later this month if infection levels remain stable, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unexpectedly announced Wednesday.
King of Spain tests positive for Covid-19: royal palace
Spain's King Felipe VI has tested positive for Covid-19 but is experiencing only mild symptoms, the royal palace said Wednesday.
S. Korea drops vaunted 'test and trace' strategy as Omicron surges
South Korea said Wednesday it was dropping its vaunted "trace, test and treat" programme as a surge in Omicron cases threatens to overwhelm the country's healthcare system.
Why has a Chinese city's lockdown sent aluminium prices surging?
The Covid lockdown this week of a relatively unknown Chinese city sent global prices of aluminium rocketing to a 14-year high.
Deja vu in Hong Kong as virus restrictions spark panic buying
Shoppers thronged Hong Kong's markets fearing a shortage of food Wednesday, familiar scenes in a city that is back under gruelling Covid restrictions in contrast to much of the world.
WHO urges rich countries to pay up for Covid plan
The WHO Wednesday urged rich countries to pay their fair share of the money needed for its plan to conquer Covid-19 by contributing $16 billion as a matter of urgency.
Canada provinces move to ease Covid rules as trucker protest hardens
Truckers paralyzing the Canadian capital in anger at Covid rules showed no sign of backing down Tuesday, as several of the nation's provinces announced it was time to roll back restrictions that count among the world's toughest.
Child illiteracy booms in Brazil with Covid-19
The number of Brazilian children aged six and seven who do not know how to read or write has risen by 66 percent during the coronavirus pandemic, a report found Tuesday.
Amazon expands health care push in United States
Amazon on Tuesday announced its telemedicine service has expanded nationwide in the United States, a new extension of the firm's empire that has steadily gone far beyond e-commerce.
Canada province lifts all Covid restrictions amid protests
Canada's Saskatchewan province announced Tuesday the lifting of all Covid restrictions including wearing of masks and proof of vaccination for indoor dining -- as truckers continued occupying Ottawa with similar demands.
Johnson & Johnson temporarily halts Covid-19 vaccine output: report
Johnson & Johnson has temporarily suspended production at a key plant manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine, the New York Times reported Tuesday.