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Japan eases virus border rules for workers, students
Japan will ease its strict virus border rules to allow students and businesspeople into the country from March, but tourists will still be barred, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.
'Battlefield mode': Hong Kong hospitals buckle under Omicron wave
Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities -- a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave.
Police issue ultimatum to protesters to leave Canada capital
Canadian police issued an ultimatum Wednesday to protesters who've been choking Ottawa streets for 20 days to leave the capital, as state and provincial leaders called for an end to the cross-border vaccine requirement that sparked the trucker-led movement.
Vietnam to re-open to tourists after two-year closure
Vietnam will re-open to international tourists on March 15 after a two-year border closure due to the pandemic, the government said Wednesday.
China's Xi orders Hong Kong to suppress outbreak 'above everything else'
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for Hong Kong to take "all necessary measures" to control an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 outbreak, Beijing-affiliated newspapers in the city said Wednesday, a day after leader Carrie Lam ruled out a China-style hard lockdown.
New Zealand virus cases spike as anti-vaccine protesters claim win
New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high Wednesday as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament.
Dutch to go 'back to normal' as Covid curbs scrapped
The Netherlands said Tuesday it will drop almost all coronavirus restrictions, the latest European country to try to return to normal despite still-high Omicron variant infections.
Strong protection for babies born to Covid-vaccinated moms: study
Babies born to mothers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus during pregnancy were around 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized with severe Covid, a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
Canada protesters dig in as police set to use new powers
Backed by freshly invoked emergency powers, Canadian officials on Tuesday looked to bring an end to weeks of trucker-led protests that have paralyzed the capital Ottawa and snarled vital border crossings with the United States.
Djokovic 'not anti-vax' but prepared to miss out on Grand Slam history
World number one Novak Djokovic has claimed he is not anti-vaccination but would rather skip Grand Slams than be forced to get a Covid jab.
Philippines now at 'low risk' from coronavirus: gov't
The Philippines is now at "low risk" from the coronavirus pandemic as more people get vaccinated and hospital admissions drop, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said Tuesday.
Hong Kong leader rules out China-style lockdown as virus spreads
Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday said she would not impose a mainland China-style hard lockdown as the city faces its worst coronavirus wave to date, even as she vowed no switch to living with Covid-19.
Mongolia reopens borders for vaccinated travellers
Mongolia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated international travellers, state media reported, rolling back coronavirus curbs that had kept the country isolated for two years.
Obama sex education program drove lower teen birth rates in US: study
An Obama-era sex education program that was criticized by conservatives succeeded in reducing teen birth rates in parts of the US that implemented it, a large study said Monday.
Hong Kong leader says city 'overwhelmed' by Omicron wave
Hong Kong's health facilities have been overloaded by an "onslaught" of Covid-19 infections, its leader said, as a rise in Omicron cases threatens to bring down the city's "zero-Covid" policy.
Vietnam to lift Covid-19 restrictions on international flights
Vietnam will lift coronavirus restrictions on international flights for fully vaccinated passengers from Tuesday, the country's aviation authority said in a statement.
Kiwi cops blast use of Barry Manilow songs to clear protesters
Efforts to clear New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters by blasting Barry Manilow songs on a loop have drawn criticism from police officers caught in the crossfire.
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.