Small shops, streetside restaurants and some shopping malls reopened in coronavirus-battered Indonesia on Monday after the government loosened a shutdown despite warnings it could unleash another Covid-19 wave. President Joko Widodo said Sunday that a partial lockdown imposed in early July would continue until August 2 even as the highly infectious Delta variant tears across […]
virus
France reports 40 mln vaccinated with at least one jab
The number of people in France who have received at least one jab against Covid-19 has crossed the 40-million mark, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday. After four million people received vaccines over the past two weeks, some 60 percent of the population are now partly or fully vaccinated, Macron tweeted during an official visit […]
Dutch tennis player tests positive for virus at Olympics
Dutch tennis players Jean-Julien Rojer and Wesley Koolhof have pulled out of the Olympic men’s doubles tournament after Rojer tested positive for coronavirus, the International Tennis Federation announced on Monday. “The ITF has been informed that the athlete Jean-Julien Rojer… has tested positive for Covid-19 and placed in isolation as per the set procedures,” the […]
China reports 76 virus cases, highest daily rise since January
China on Monday reported 76 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily rise since January, including 40 domestic transmissions prompting authorities to test millions in eastern Jiangsu province. Beijing has a zero-risk approach to the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. It locks down cities and mass tests whenever […]
French lawmakers seek deal on vaccine passports after protests
Lawmakers from France’s upper and lower houses of parliament were on Sunday seeking to agree a deal to allow the adoption of legislation making vaccine passports vital for French daily life in the battle against Covid-19. The talks between members of the National Assembly and Senate come a day after France was again shaken by […]
Health minister sorry for saying UK should not ‘cower’ from Covid
Britain’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Sunday apologised after he tweeted that the country need not “cower” in the face of coronavirus, having himself recovered from a bout of the disease. “I was expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society, but it was a poor choice of word and I […]
Indonesian badminton ace playing Tokyo Games for Covid-victim brother
An Asian champion badminton player is gunning for glory at the coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Olympics in memory of his brother who died of the disease. Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie was competing at a tournament in Thailand earlier this year when he learned that his older brother, Ivan, had contracted the illness back home. The 23-year-old Christie’s mother, […]
Donations seek to save Tunisia from Covid catastrophe
With Tunisia’s health system close to collapse after being overwhelmed by a surge of Covid-19 cases, other countries and even individuals have stepped in to stem the crisis. European and Gulf nations, Tunisians abroad and ordinary citizens have organised equipment and vaccine donations that are now helping to battle the pandemic. The small North African […]
Jordan to open Covid vaccinations for 12-year-olds
Jordan’s health ministry announced Saturday that Covid-19 vaccines will now be available for children aged 12 and above. The ministry “has decided to lower the Covid-19 vaccination age to 12 years, starting from Sunday July 25” and without requiring an appointment, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page on Saturday. “Vaccination will […]
Protesters clash with police as thousands march against Australia lockdown
Thousands marched through Australia’s two biggest cities in anti-lockdown protests Saturday, sparking violent clashes with police in Sydney. Dozens of protesters were arrested after an unauthorised march flouted public health orders in Sydney, while several confrontations with police broke out during the hours-long rally. Officers were pelted with pot plants and bottles of water as […]