
WHO says flu pandemic remains at level 5 of 6
H1N1 flu is not yet spreading in a sustained way outside North America, so the global pandemic level remains at 5 out of 6, a senior World Health Organisation official said on Thursday.
By HT Correspondent | Reuters, Geneva
UPDATED ON MAY 07, 2009 09:19 PM IST
H1N1 flu is not yet spreading in a sustained way outside North America, so the global pandemic level remains at 5 out of 6, a senior World Health Organisation official said on Thursday.
"We remain at Phase 5. That is not changed," said Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general. "We continue to see human to human transmission, community-level transmission, primarily in North America. We are not seeing it yet anywhere else," he told a news conference.

Huawei CFO lawyer says Donald Trump comments a 'salvo' in trade war
AP, Vancouver
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 07:05 PM IST
The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions.

European Union sets itself jobs, training and equality targets for 2030
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:45 PM IST
The EU executive arm said the European Union should boost employment to 78% in 2030 from 73% in 2019, halve the gap between the number of employed women and men and cut the number of young people neither working nor studying to 9% from 12.6%

Most African countries to begin vaccination drives by end of March: WHO
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:43 PM IST
- The world's poorest continent faces logistical and financial obstacles to securing all the vaccines it needs, but the WHO-led COVAX facility has begun to bear fruit.

UK police rule out criminal inquiry into 1995 Princess Diana interview
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters, London
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:39 PM IST
Diana's interview with journalist Martin Bashir, watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain, shocked the nation when she admitted to an affair.

Germany approves AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people over 65 years of age
Reuters, Berlin
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:37 PM IST
Germany declined initially to authorise AstraZeneca's vaccine for those aged above 65, saying there was a lack of evidence from clinical trials confirming its effectiveness.

Hong Kong removed from annual index of the world's freest economies
AFP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:33 PM IST
The announcement is a reputational blow for Hong Kong and comes as Beijing ramps up its bid to quash dissent after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.

US suspends tariffs on UK Goods in Airbus-Boeing dispute
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:31 PM IST
The tariff suspension will last four months to “focus on negotiating a balanced settlement to the disputes”, the UK government said in a statement on Thursday.

California SUV crash victims suspected of being smuggled across US-Mexico border
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters, Los Angeles
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:25 PM IST
Of the 13 people who died in the collision, at least 10 were Mexican nationals, and Mexicans were also among the injured, according to Mexico's foreign ministry.

Philippines may shift to lowest quarantine level as coronavirus vaccines arrive
Posted by Harshit Sabarwal | Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:24 PM IST
The Philippines, which has the region’s second-worst coronavirus outbreak, on Thursday night got more than 487,000 AstraZeneca Plc. vaccines from the Covax facility, which supplies shots to poor nations.

Zimbabwe approves Covaxin, first in Africa to okay India-made Covid-19 vaccine
By hindustantimes.com | Written by Karan Manral, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:31 PM IST
The Indian embassy in Zimbabwe tweeted the announcement on Thursday. On March 3, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited, which has developed the shot, announced that it was 81% effective against coronavirus.

US traffic deaths spike even as Covid-19 pandemic cuts miles travelled
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | AP, Detroit
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:12 PM IST
- The National Safety Council estimates that 42,060 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020, an 8% increase over 2019 and the first jump in four years.

EU's coast guard agency Frontex involved in dozen migrant pushback incidents
AP, Brussels
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:10 PM IST
They gave Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri two months to respond or face action at the European Court of Justice.

Explained: Significance of March 4 behind ‘possible plot’ to breach US Capitol
By hindustantimes.com | Edited by Kunal Gaurav, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 05:54 PM IST
- The House of Representatives moved a planned vote from Thursday to Wednesday night to avoid being in session on March 4.

Turkish Prez Erdogan urges lifting US sanctions on Iran, return to JCPOA
Posted by Harshit Sabarwal | Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 05:52 PM IST
Tehran and Washington have said they want the other side to move first to hold talks to salvage the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Tehran secured an easing of sanctions by limiting its nuclear work.

Security tight at US Capitol after police warn of possible militia attack
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters, Washington
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 05:50 PM IST
The US House of Representatives will not be in session on Thursday, in part because of the threat of militia members attempting to invade the Capitol, according to a Democratic aide.