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Thawing permafrost dots Siberia with rash of mounds

In the vast white expanse around Churapcha in eastern Siberia, the ever more rapid thaw of the permafrost is changing the landscape, cracking up houses and releasing greenhouse gases.

'Cruel measure': Dominican crackdown on Haitian hospitals

Still in pain from giving birth, a Haitian mother carrying her newborn was helped onto a migration services bus in the Dominican Republic, joining a family member who was arrested when he visited her in hospital.

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S.Africa's daily Covid cases soar 50% in one day amid new surge

South Africa's new Covid-19 cases shot up by more than 50 percent Thursday from the previous day, official data showed amid a surge of infections driven by two new Omicron sub-variants.

Disgraced surgeon defends windpipe transplants at Swedish trial

An Italian surgeon once hailed for pioneering windpipe surgery but now charged with assault told a Swedish court Thursday the experimental procedures were the result of "teamwork" and that he just wanted to save lives.

Covid pandemic killed 13 to 17 million in 2020-21: WHO

The Covid-19 pandemic killed 13.3 to 16.6 million people in 2020 and 2021, the WHO estimated Thursday -- up to triple the number of deaths officially attributed to the disease.

S.Africa backtracks on masks for children amid Covid surge

The South African government on Thursday retracted its earlier announcement stating school children were no longer required to wear masks amid a surge of infections driven by two new Omicron sub-variants.

S.Africa drops masks for children despite Covid surge

South Africa on Thursday ended mask-wearing for school children despite a surge of infections driven by two new Omicron sub-variants of coronavirus.

Hong Kongers relish beaches reopening as virus outbreak recedes

Filipino domestic worker Marites Saliganan loves getting outdoors on her one day off a week, and after Hong Kong's government lifted a pandemic ban on gathering at beaches on Thursday, she and her friends headed for the sand.

Millions in Beijing urged to work from home to fight Covid

The streets of Beijing's business district were deserted on Thursday as the government called for people to return to work remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by coronavirus curbs.

Millions in Beijing urged to work from home to fight Covid outbreak

Millions of people in Beijing returned to work Thursday, many remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by the coronavirus curbs.

Hong Kong more unequal, less free as Carrie Lam leaves office

Hong Kong has emerged a more unequal city, its freedoms curtailed and international shine dulled after five years with Carrie Lam at the helm, analysts say, as her turbulent leadership draws to an end.

Beijing closes dozens of subway stations, extends Covid restrictions

Beijing closed dozens of subway stations and expanded Covid restrictions Wednesday, constricting movement around the Chinese capital despite logging only dozens of daily cases.

40 million more faced acute hunger in 2021: UN

The number of people facing hunger rose to 193 million last year as conflict, climate change and economic crises ravaged people's livelihoods, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday.

Beijing closes dozens of subway stations as Covid controls tighten

Beijing closed dozens of subway stations on Wednesday as Covid restrictions constrict movement around the Chinese capital despite it recording only dozens of cases daily.

Experts sound alarm over baby tongue surgery

Lea had no problems breastfeeding her newborn son when she took him to see an osteopath in Paris, who nonetheless recommended surgery to cut a "too thick" strip of tissue under his tongue.

Much-maligned rats unlikely to spark next pandemic: study

Rats have been seen as filthy disease-spreaders since at least the time of the plague, but new research shows that rodents and other city-dwelling animals are less likely to cause the next pandemic than previously thought.

Pressure on OPEC+ eases amid oil demand fears

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia meet Thursday with less pressure to open tabs more widely than planned as China's Covid lockdown threatens demand.

WHO warns of obesity 'epidemic' in Europe

The WHO said Tuesday that "epidemic" overweight and obesity rates are linked to over 1.2 million deaths annually across Europe, calling for swift policy changes to reverse the dangerous trend.

Leaked draft shows US court set to strike down abortion rights: Politico

The Supreme Court may be poised to strike down the right to abortion in the United States, US media reported Monday, citing a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would represent a staggering blow to women's rights.

'No choice': Shanghai residents sent out of city during Covid crackdown

In the middle of the night, Shanghai resident Lucy said she and her neighbours were forced into buses and taken hundreds of kilometres away from the locked-down Chinese metropolis to a makeshift quarantine centre.

Beijing tourist sites empty in Covid-stalked public holiday

Major Beijing tourist venues were virtually deserted Sunday and restaurant traffic ground to a standstill, as a typically bustling public holiday was overshadowed by a Covid outbreak that has shunted millions under lockdown nationwide.

Beijing tightens Covid restrictions as long holiday begins

Beijing will amp up its Covid-19 restrictions with additional testing requirements, officials announced on Saturday, as the start of the Labour Day holiday was muted by creeping infections in the capital.

Virus might be behind mystery child hepatitis cases: US agency

Nine young children from Alabama affected by a mysterious hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) all tested positive for a common pathogen called adenovirus 41, a study by the US health agency said Friday.

US drug regulator schedules infant Covid vaccine meeting for June

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced it would hold a set of meetings on Covid vaccines in June that would include deciding whether to authorize them for the youngest children.

Health woes force Celine Dion to postpone Europe tour

Canadian superstar Celine Dion announced Friday the postponement until 2023 of European concert dates for her "Courage World Tour," citing a persistent health issue.

Oktoberfest to return in 2022 after virus hiatus

Germany's iconic Oktoberfest beer festival will once again take place in Munich in 2022 after being cancelled two years running due to the coronavirus, the city's mayor said Friday.

In western Ukraine, displaced children play to forget war

Inside a play tent for displaced children in western Ukraine, 12-year-old Natan said his cat Marquisa was not acting normally, sleeping all day and staying awake all night.

Niger to vaccinate children against malaria

Niger has approved the vaccination of children under the age of five against malaria with a ground-breaking British vaccine, the health minister has told AFP.

China digs in on zero-Covid strategy despite public's frustrations

China must press ahead with its "magic weapon" zero-Covid strategy, health officials said Friday, despite mounting economic costs and more signs of public frustration in locked-down Shanghai.

Vienna show spotlights Rothschild dynasty conspiracy theories

From 19th-century anti-Semitic caricatures to disinformation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rothschild international banking dynasty has been a favourite target of conspiracy theorists blaming it for the world's ills.

Kharkiv children fleeing bombs find refuge in Italy

An Italian aid programme had for years provided Viktoria Shakshyna with a respite from the children's home where she lived in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine. When the bombs began falling, it became her lifeline.

Nepal ganja campaign seeks return of Himalayan high times

Nepal's marijuana ban could soon be up in smoke, as lawmakers mull a return to the liberal drug policies that once made the Himalayan republic a popular pit stop on the overland "hippie trail".

Measles cases soar 400 percent in Africa this year

Africa is facing an explosion of preventable diseases due to delays in vaccinating children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday, with measles cases jumping 400 percent.

Moderna seeks US authorization for Covid vaccine in children under 6

US biotech firm Moderna said Thursday it had submitted a request for an emergency use authorization in the United States for its Covid vaccine for children aged six months to under six years.

La Quotidienne de Bruxelles - Health (English)