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China economy grows 4.8% in first quarter as virus bites
China's economy grew 4.8 percent in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday, warning of "significant challenges" ahead as a resurgence of the coronavirus threatens Beijing's ambitious annual target.
Shanghai reports first Covid deaths since start of lockdown
Shanghai on Monday said three people had died from Covid-19, the first official announcement of deaths from an outbreak which has plunged the megacity into a weeks-long lockdown, sparking widespread anger and rare protests.
L'Imperatrice brings French pop back to Coachella
Two years after the pandemic stymied their debut at the famed Coachella stage, French disco pop band L'Imperatrice is having their California moment.
Coachella returns in all its glittering, neon glory -- mask optional
Revelers in thong bodysuits, glitter eyeshadow and sheathed in neon gathered Friday in the California desert as the first Coachella since the pandemic's onset got underway.
Shanghai residents scuffle with police over virus policy
Shanghai residents scuffled with hazmat-suited police ordering them to surrender their homes to Covid-19 patients, videos on social media showed, providing a rare glimpse into rising discontent in the megacity over China's inflexible virus response.
Shanghai lockdowns could force China carmakers to stop production, XP
Chinese auto makers may have to put the brakes on production if strict Covid-19 curbs in Shanghai persist, said the founder of electric carmaker XPeng, as a prolonged lockdown of the economic hub menaces supply chains.
Shanghai residents scuffle with police over virus policy: video
Shanghai residents scuffled with hazmat-suited police ordering them to surrender their homes to Covid-19 patients, videos on social media showed, providing a rare glimpse into rising discontent in the megacity over China's inflexible virus response.
South Korea drops most Covid restrictions as cases fall
South Korea will lift almost all social distancing measures, the government said Friday, citing a dramatic fall in reported cases of Covid-19 after an Omicron-fuelled surge, but the mask mandate will remain.
Germany arrests Covid protesters for kidnap plot
German investigators on Thursday said they had arrested four members of a far-right anti-lockdown group with pro-Russian leanings for planning violent attacks, including a plot to kidnap the country's health minister.
Pfizer to seek US authorization for third Covid shot in children
Pfizer and BioNTech on Thursday announced positive results from a clinical trial on the safety and immune response of a third dose of their Covid vaccine in children aged five through 11, adding they would soon seek regulatory authorization.
New hope to help advanced Parkinson's patients walk, sleep again
People with advanced Parkinson's disease often struggle to walk more than a few steps or sleep through the night, but new research offers hope of relief from these two debilitating symptoms.
Bolsonaro downplays Brazil army's Viagra order
President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday downplayed the Brazilian military's recent purchase of Viagra, which drew scrutiny from opposition lawmakers and a flurry of jokes online.
World treats crises affecting black, white lives unequally: WHO chief
The WHO chief said Wednesday that the world was treating humanitarian crises affecting black and white lives unequally, with only a "fraction" of the attention on Ukraine given elsewhere.
French prosecutors raid pizza plant after E.coli outbreak
Prosecutors on Wednesday searched a Buitoni frozen pizza factory in northern France, the suspected source of an E.coli outbreak that has left dozens of children sick, police said.
China's imports fall as Covid outbreaks, lockdowns hit demand
China's imports shrank on-year in March for the first time in nearly two years, official data showed Wednesday, hit by coronavirus lockdowns and weakening consumer demand.
Covid pandemic exacerbated rise in STDs in United States: study
Reported cases of many types of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) went up in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the frequency of screenings decreased, an official report said Tuesday.
Shanghai locals sleep at work and ration food as lockdown bites
By day it's Romeo's workplace, by night it's his home. Like many other finance sector workers in Shanghai, he has moved into the office to keep the wheels of commerce turning during a harsh Covid lockdown of the megacity.
Shanghai starts easing lockdown in some neighbourhoods
Shanghai eased restrictions on some neighbourhoods Monday after mounting outcry over inflexible Covid-19 rules that have locked down 25 million people, caused food shortages and left thousands in quarantine.
Speeding west, Ukraine hospital train ferries patients to safety
As the hospital train sped away from the frontline in war-torn Ukraine, electrician Evhen Perepelytsia was grateful he would soon see his children again after almost losing his life.
China slams US virus 'accusations' as Shanghai lockdown drags on
China blasted the United States for making "groundless accusations" about its Covid-19 policy, after surging cases in Shanghai prompted the American consulate to let some staff leave the locked-down megacity.
US warns of 'arbitrary' Covid measures in China
The United States on Saturday warned of "arbitrary" Covid-19 measures in China and said it would let some staff leave its Shanghai consulate amid a surge of infections in the locked-down megacity.
China's health system faces raft of challenges as Omicron hits
China is battling its biggest spike in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, with millions under lockdown and the healthcare system feeling the pressure.
Vaccine supply outstrips demand, access inequity remains
After two years of racing to vaccinate the world against Covid-19, the number of available doses now surpasses demand in many areas.
Ferrero recalls Kinder chocolates in US over Salmonella fears
Italian confectionery giant Ferrero said on Thursday that it had recalled certain varieties of its Kinder chocolates from retailers in the United States over a possible salmonella contamination.
Xi praises China's virus handling as Shanghai prepares 130,000 Covid beds
China's President Xi Jinping praised the country's "tested" zero-Covid strategy on Friday, even as Shanghai authorities prepared nearly 130,000 beds for Covid-19 patients amid surging cases and mounting public anger.
Shanghai lockdown snarls world's busiest port and China supply chains
Shanghai's grinding coronavirus lockdown is slowly clogging China's supply chains, as delays hit the world's busiest container port where staff are tangled in a morass of Covid controls.
Taiwan to move away from zero-Covid strategy: minister
Taiwan will move away from a zero-Covid policy and instead focus on tackling the most severe infections in an effort to live with the coronavirus, its health minister said Thursday.
Shanghai social media unpicks China's virus lockdown story
Videos of a pet dog killed in the name of Covid controls, expletive-strewn songs aimed at Communist authorities and scuffles with hazmat-suited officials –- seething, locked-down Shanghai residents are pouring scorn on China's hardline virus measures via social media.
Arab Israelis flock to West Bank to choose babies' sex
Palestinian fertility clinics in the West Bank are a magnet for would-be Arab Israeli parents seeking boys -- even when risky procedures can endanger the lives of both mother and child.
Covid increases risk of blood clots for up to six months: study
People who have had Covid-19 have an increased risk of developing serious blood clots for up to six months after getting infected, even in mild cases, a study said Thursday.
US warns of 'mass overdoses' from fentanyl-spiked drugs
The top US agency combatting drug trafficking warned on Wednesday of a surge of "mass overdose" cases involving drugs like cocaine spiked with deadly amounts of fentanyl.
US cabinet members, lawmakers positive for Covid after gala dinner
Jokes were apparently not the only thing flying at last weekend's exclusive annual comedy gala, the Gridiron Club dinner, in Washington.