Lockdown

By Chanka Jayasinghe and Himal Kotelawala  COLOMBO – It’s been five days since Sri Lanka announced the detection of B.1.1.7, the highly transmissible UK-variant of COVID-19, within its borders, and opinion seems divided on whether the…
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By Benjamin Mueller and Carl Zimmer LONDON — British government scientists are increasingly finding the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain to be deadlier than the original virus, a devastating trend that highlights the serious…
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COLOMBO - In its latest report, Oxfam has said that the wealth of Indian billionaires increased by 35% during the lockdown and by 90%  since 2009 to US$  422.9 billion, ranking India sixth in the world after the US, China, Germany, Russia…
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By Mark Landler and Benjamin Mueller LONDON — Britain’s disclosure Friday (22) that a new variant of the coronavirus could be deadlier than the original raised a stir about why such alarming information was put out when the evidence was so…
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NEW DELHI - India kicked off one of the world's largest coronavirus vaccination drives Saturday (16) as the pandemic spread at a record pace and global COVID-19 deaths surged past two million. The World Health Organization (WHO) has…
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By Danny KEMP with AFP bureaus The HAGUE - The European Union started the approval process for its third vaccine on Tuesday (12) after the World Health Organization (WHO) scientists warned that herd immunity from coronavirus was unlikely…
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By Stephen Castle and Mark Landler LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a strict new national lockdown Monday (4) as Britain’s desperate race to vaccinate its population risked being overtaken by a fast-spreading variant of the…
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MOSCOW - Russia on Monday (28) said its coronavirus death toll was more than three times higher than it had previously reported, making it the country with the third-largest number of fatalities. For months President Vladimir Putin has…
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By Stuart Williams with AFP bureaus PARIS - EU countries on Sunday (27) embarked on a vaccination campaign to defeat the "nightmare" of COVID-19, with the first to be immunized expressing emotion after their jab and leaders hailing a…
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By Mark Landler and Stephen Castle LONDON — Britain was all but cut off from the rest of Europe on Monday (21), with flights and trains banned by some 40 countries and freight deliveries halted at French ports, as its neighbours tried…
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