SYDNEY: Australia’s Victoria state may accelerate the easing of social distancing restrictions after reporting just one new Covid-19 case today, Premier Daniel Andrews said today. Case numbers were down from four yesterday, extending a run of single-digit daily increases to almost a week, and are well down from a peak […]
Healthcare
GENEVA: Europe and North America should follow the example of Asian states by persevering with anti-Covid measures and quarantining anyone who comes into contact with infected people, a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said yesterday. The WHO’s Europe region, which includes Russia, has recorded up to 8,500 deaths in the […]
DUBLIN: A number of European countries took urgent new measures yesterday to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections, as the World Health Organisation blamed the surge in worldwide cases — now more than 40 million — on countries’ failure to quarantine infected people properly. Ireland and Wales became the […]
Ardern’s Labour Party had 46% support in the latest opinion poll while the main opposition National Party had 31%. With its ally the Green Party on 8%, Labour is on track for a comfortable majority in parliament. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looks set for a resounding election victory […]
The emergence and overlap of the coronavirus pandemic with a continued global rise in chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes – with added environmental risks such as air pollution – have exacerbated the coronavirus death toll. The world is caught in a perfect storm of rising rates of chronic […]
A formal decision is expected to be made within this month. Japan’s government has decided to release treated water containing radioactive substances from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea, Jiji news agency and other media reported on Friday. A formal decision is expected to be made within this […]
The military has reached a construction level of 60% for at least 2,300 houses in the Komdok area in South Hamgyong province, northeast of the capital, Pyongyang, the state media said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to help typhoon-hit areas recover and to build at least 25,000 houses […]
The decision comes after a rapid spread of cases led to the cancellation of elective surgeries across capital Belfast on Tuesday. New measures will be announced at 0930 GMT on Wednesday, the country’s parliament said. Northern Ireland’s devolved government is set to impose tougher Covid-19 restrictions, First Minister Arlene Foster […]
Gusty winds in California’s north and extreme heat in its south are creating conditions that could fan wildfires that began earlier in the summer as well as spark new ones, leading state and federal authorities to urge residents to prepare. Hot, dry conditions and intense winds across California are threatening […]
WASHINGTON: The World Bank said its executive board approved on Tuesday (Oct 13) US$12 billion in new funding for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments for their citizens. The financing plan, part of US$160 billion in total resources that the multilateral development […]