Podcasts about coronavirus (covid-19)

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, May 15: We look at a crucial court ruling in EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's "Pfizergate" scandal. But first, Hungary's government examines a bill that would allow it to shut down media or NGOs considered a threat to national security. Plus, Australian researchers find that Barbie's feet have become flatter over time and it's linked to her growing independence! The Hungarian government is considering an extremely repressive law. There seems to be little interest in the main Hungarian newspapers – except in Telex, one of the last independent news sites in the country. And for good reason: the government is mulling a law that would allow it to monitor, penalise and possibly shut down all independent media and NGOs deemed a threat to national sovereignty. In other words, as Telex notes wryly, the Fidesz party's new bill is similar to the one that has served Russian President Vladimir Putin well in building a dictatorship. Radio Free Europe notes that this bill follows a series of similar repressive moves in the country. In March, Prime Minister Viktor Orban cracked down on journalists and politicians who receive foreign funding. Last month, a constitutional amendment banned public displays of homosexuality and gender diversity, while allowing police to use facial recognition technology. The timing of this bill is particularly interesting. As the Guardian notes, Orban's bill is a move to crack down on dissent ahead of elections in Hungary next year. It comes amid the rising popularity of the Tisza party, headed by Orban's former ally Peter Magyar, who could pose an unprecedented challenge.Staying in Europe, a tribunal has handed down a verdict against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the Pfizergate scandal. French paper Libération takes us through the scandal, which came to light in 2021 after The New York Times published an article about the negotiations of the biggest ever EU vaccine contract with Pfizer. During the first few months of 2021, von der Leyen exchanged several SMS with Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, in the negotiation of a multi-billion-euro contract for Covid vaccines. For its article about the negotiations, The New York Times made an official request for the SMS, but the EU Commission denied the request. It offered various unclear explanations, saying the messages had the disappearing message function or were deleted. The EU's general court ruled yesterday that von der Leyen failed in her obligation to be transparent. As Politico notes, it raises very interesting issues about the legitimacy of SMS and WhatsApp messages as official documents. The judge's "bombshell ruling", as Politico puts it, indicates that the Commission was wrong to deny access to the messages. The Commission says the messages were too boring to count as documents. The judgment suggests that text messages should be considered official documents, but it's not at all binding. Public access to officials' SMS will mostly likely continue to not be granted freely.Finally, we discover a fascinating study led by Australian researchers about Barbie's feet! According to The Conversation, Australian podiatrists were particularly interested in Barbie's feet after a memorable scene from the 2023 film. They decided to study the shape of her feet from 1959 to 2024 – that's 2,750 Barbies in total. What they found is fascinating: basically Barbie's high-heeled feet became flatter over the decades, something that appears to mirror broader societal changes. Barbie ditched her high-heeled posture the more she climbed the career ladder. In the 1960s, you only had tip-toed Barbies. By the 2020s, only about 40 percent wore heels. As Barbie became more diverse and inclusive, but also more athletic and representative in male-dominated fields, her feet flattened. It suggests a correlation between flat-footed Barbie and her emancipation from societal constraints!You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

On March 17, 2020, France, like many other countries around the world, went into lockdown as Covid-19 rapidly spread. Five years on, many infected by the virus still suffer symptoms, a condition known as Long Covid. Complications vary, but often include exhaustion, muscle ache, regular fevers, heart conditions and difficulty concentrating. Some sufferers have seen their lives turned upside down, having had no choice but to give up work and face family members who question if their illness is “real”. In this edition of Focus, Gaëlle Fonseca and Claire Paccalin met with Long Covid sufferers and specialists at the Clinique du Parc near Montpellier searching for answers. 

For many years, the La Défense business district on the edge of Paris was the beating heart of France's corporate and financial sectors. La Défense emerged in the late 1960s as a modernist hub of skyscrapers and commercial infrastructure, with hundreds of thousands of people working there every day. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many of those employees began to work remotely. The neighbourhood has since struggled to attract the pre-Covid crowds, and local business are suffering as a result. FRANCE 24's Natacha Vesnitch, George Yazbeck and Siobhán Silke report.

In a crowded Paris metro car or at the counter of a bustling café, it's easy to forget what loomed over us just five years ago.Yet, on the fifth anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China, the headlines tell a different story: Donald Trump, on his first day back in office, signing an order for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization.We'll examine why the UN health body might lose its largest donor and discuss the grievances surrounding global health leadership. Are we dealing with fringe anti-vaccine groups—or a more profound dissatisfaction?And just as many who fell ill in the early days of the pandemic continue to battle long Covid, have the fear, isolation, and anxiety from lockdowns left a lasting mark on our politics? Five years on, Covid is barely part of the conversation. What crucial issues remain unresolved? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Annarosa Zampaglione.

IN THE PRESS – Thursday, November 2: We take a look at some Arabic press reaction to the Rafah border crossing being opened, 25 days after the October 7 attacks. Meanwhile, one Israeli newspaper questions whether the public will put up with continuous soldier deaths. In other news: a report highlights France's vulnerability to espionage.  Finally, did Boris Johnson really believe you could kill Covid by sticking a hairdryer up your nose?

China's economy grew faster than expected in the beginning of the year at 4.5 percent, on the back of strong export and infrastructure investment figures. GDP is bouncing back after the country put an end to its so-called "Zero-Covid" policy and as the government has pledged to do more to support business. Also today, the Shanghai auto show opens its doors for the first time since 2019 and so does India's first ever Apple store.

China's official manufacturing sector purchasing managers' index rose to 52.6 in February, well above expectations. This comes amid a strong recovery in demand after Beijing lifted almost three years of Covid restrictions. Stock markets in mainland China and Hong Kong reacted positively to the news. Also on the show, we take a look at the strings attached to the US Chips Act, which will provide subsidies to companies willing to make semiconductors on American soil.

For the six months ending in December, the Australian national carrier Qantas posted profits of €920 million. It expects strong demand over the next two years as well. But as FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn explains, dark clouds are still looming over the company and its decision to cut staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also on the show: South African utility Eskom asks its chief to take an early exit, and sandwich chain Subway is launching its own electric vehicle charging stations.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of travelers flew in and out of China without having to submit to stringent centralised quarantine requirements. The change in policy is raising hope in neighboring countries that this will signal the return of Chinese tourists. Holiday bookings have already increased and markets are trading higher on the news, but as we explain, it will take some time for travel to return to what it was before the pandemic. 

Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a truce for January 6th through January 7th to mark the Orthodox Christmas. But the word on the ground in Ukraine is that shelling has continued.The Russian occupiers struck the town of Kramatorsk twice.

China is gearing up for the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 22. The New Year travel rush, known as "Chunyun", begins this weekend. Authorities estimate that 2.1 billion passenger trips will be made during the period, doubling from last year. But the travel rush is set to be highly unpredictable, amid a surge in Covid cases. Plus, the US antitrust regulator proposes a new rule that would enable employees to work for a rival company after leaving their jobs. 

In China, there are fears not just of a Covid wave but maybe a tsunami. Funeral parlours are overwhelmed and hospitals are packed with elderly patients on respirators. This comes after the lifting of China's zero-Covid restrictions following protests. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, is pointing the finger, saying China's official virus data is being under-reported. 

Why did China suddenly go from draconian Covid restrictions to an "anything goes" approach? The nation where the coronavirus originated kept a lid on it for three years and an easing was expected after the October Communist Party congress. But to go from Covid protests in November to suddenly opening the floodgates and stopping the count on casualties makes for a stunning U-turn. 

After Covid came war in Europe. 2022 will be remembered as the year that Vladimir Putin surprised even his own army with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. François Picard's panel weighs the consequences for the planet.

China has now relaxed many of its Covid restrictions, removing requirements for PCR tests in many places and allowing people to isolate at home. The new measures come following a wave of anti-lockdown protests. Although the changes have been welcomed, there's also concern that Covid will spread among a population where many elderly people are not vaccinated. FRANCE 24's former Hong Kong correspondent Oliver Farry gives us his insight into the situation. 

It's the first time that a French president sets foot in New Orleans since 1976. Emmanuel Macron is visiting the former French colony sold by Napoleon in 1803 as part of a three-day state visit to the United States. Thursday's White House state dinner was a first for the teetotaler Joe Biden, who toasted his country's oldest ally with ginger ale.

Cities across China have rolled back some Covid-19 restrictions, requiring less testing and allowing people to isolate at home instead of in quarantine centres. The authorities have been careful not to send any signal that the relaxing of rules were in any way a response to rare displays of public discontent. For more, we speak to Nathan Law, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who was a prominent student leader during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and now lives in exile in London.

Nationwide protests against China's zero-Covid policy have left investors concerned about the outlook for the country's economy. On Monday morning, both the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng in Hong Kong were posting losses. The price of oil was also affected, on the assumption that Chinese demand for crude will be weaker. Also in this edition, we take a look at record online sales during Black Friday.

A Russia in retreat on the battlefield is trying to put the lights out in Ukraine. The hardship comes the same week that the capital got its first snowfall of the season. Kyiv residents are lining up for water in near-freezing temperatures. Ukrainians are wondering if Moscow intends to turn Kherson into another Mariupol. Vladimir Putin had mostly gone quiet since the Russian retreat from Kherson. But he waded back into it when he welcomed a sample of mothers and wives of soldiers ahead of the Russian calendar's Mother's Day. 

Far from being over, the Covid-19 pandemic has created another widespread problem: long Covid, the persistence of symptoms beyond the initial infection. In some cases this can last months and be seriously debilitating. There are 2 million long Covid patients in France. The World Health Organization says there are some 145 million worldwide. However, the French government's scientific council COVARS has concluded that it's a psychosomatic problem. Has enough been done to understand long Covid?

Created to reduce the gaps and inequalities between the different regions of the European Union, the bloc's cohesion policy was caught out by the unexpected arrival of Covid-19. But did it fail to act against the pandemic? We take a closer look.

A strongman who is stronger than ever, or is this the point where Xi Jinping goes too far? A third term for China's president is sure to be a rubber stamped at a 20th Communist Party Congress that will further cement his stature as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. We ask how Xi got here and whether he is overextending.

This week's show is entirely dedicated to China's Communist Party Congress, taking place this week. It's a days-long conclave that meets once every five years and shapes the country's leadership. This year's congress will be particularly closely watched with President Xi Jinping expected to further cement his rule.

Brazil's pollsters got it wrong, very wrong. Not only did far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro rob left-wing predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of a first-round knockout, he can also boast upset wins for key allies in gubernatorial and congressional races. Next up is the October 30 presidential run-off, where Lula still boasts a sizeable five-point lead, but where the momentum undoubtedly is with his rival.

Giới chức y tế đang tiến hành điều tra những địa điểm bị phơi nhiễm sau khi một người đàn ông từ Nigieria trở về Sydney có khả năng nhiễm biến chủng Omicron và đã ở ngoài cộng đồng tại Cabramatta.

As Omicron continues to spread around the world, health authorities and governments are racing to learn more about the variant. Responses to the discovery of the variant have created travel chaos for thousands amid flight cancellations and border closures weeks before the holiday season. - オミクロン変異株が世界中に広がり続けており、各国のヘルス当局と政府は大急ぎでこの変異株についての情報を集めています。この変異株の発見に対応して飛行機の便のキャンセルや国境の閉鎖が行われ、ホリデーシーズンを数週間後にひかえた数千人の旅行が大混乱に陥ています。

Biến chủng coronavirus Omicron đã gây nên sự lo ngại trên khắp thế giới bởi khả năng kháng vắc-xin và có thể khiến đại dịch phải kéo dài thêm. Tuy nhiên một chuyên gia ở Nam Phi cho rằng các triệu chứng cho đến nay vẫn ở mức độ nhẹ và có thể tự điều trị tại nhà.

Khi Âu châu đang phải chống chọi với một làn sóng lây nhiễm COVID-19 mới, cộng thêm thời tiết lạnh giá mùa đông và tỷ lệ chích ngừa không ổn định dường như càng làm tăng thêm mối nguy hiểm, thì câu hỏi đặt ra bây giờ là nước Úc liệu có đi vào vết xe đổ như của Châu Âu hay không?

Nước Áo bắt đầu bước vào giai đoạn phong toả đối với những người chưa chủng ngừa COVID-19. Ai Cập chuẩn bị sản xuất vắc-xin, trong khi Trung Quốc đang phải chống chọi với một đợt bùng phát coronavirus mới.

NSW cán mốc chủng ngừa 90% dân số trên 16 tuổi, victoria ghi nhận 14 trường hợp tử vong vì COVID-19 và ACT chuẩn bị dỡ bỏ nhiều biện pháp hạn chế sau khi tỷ lệ chủng ngừa đạt hơn 95% dân số trên 12 tuổi.

The last of Australia's cities are now out of lockdown, with state and international border reopenings the next milestone in sight. So how will Australia adapt as it shifts away from its long-held COVID-zero approach? - オーストラリアの最後の都市がすでにロックダウンから脱して、州境や国境が再開する次の里程標が視野に入っています。オーストラリアは長い間のCOVIDゼロに向けての取り組みからの方向転換にどのように適応するのでしょうか。

As fully vaccinated residents in New South Wales venture out of their homes, Victoria becomes the only state in the country counting new COVID-19 cases in the thousands. First dose vaccine administration is rising around the country, which gives health officials hopes Australia will soon bring the pandemic under control. - ワクチン接種を完了したニューサウスウエルズの住民が外出の冒険に乗り出す一方、ビクトリアはCOVID-19の新たな感染ケース数が1,000件台を続けている国内で唯一の州となっています。全国でワクチンの一回目の接種が増え続けており、それがヘルス当局にオーストラリアは間もなくこのパンデミックを抑えられるという希望を与えています。

Australia's international border is edging closer to reopening, and in a matter of weeks Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to realise the dream of reuniting with overseas family and friends. But temporary residents have longer to wait - with some weighing-up whether to book tentative flights for themselves or loved ones. - オーストラリアの国境は再開に近づきつつあり、数週間後にはオーストラリア国民や永住者は海外の家族や友人と再会する夢を実現できるでしょう。しかし、短期滞在の住民はもっと待たなければならず、なかには自分自身や親しい人のために飛行機を仮予約すべきかどうかを考えている人もいます。

The United States drug regulator has fully approved the Pfizer vaccine. US leaders hope it will be a catalyst for vaccine mandates for businesses, and that more people will get the jab. It comes on the same day as preparations are completed for the COVID-safe Paralympic Games opening ceremony. - アメリカの薬品規制当局はファイザーのワクチンを完全に認可しました。アメリカの指導部はそれがビジネスにワクチンを義務付ける触媒となり、ワクチンの接種を受ける人が増えるよう希望しています。一方、その同じ日にCOVID-19セーフのパラリンピックの開会式の準備が完了しました。

Adelaide Japanese Community School will organise a Japanese music concert for the students with help from Ms Hisae Wood, retired opera singer and two pianists. Ms Wood and Mr Takaaki Toden, school principal talk about the event. - アデレード日本語補習授業校ではこのほど、元オペラ歌手のウッド久恵さんと二人のピアニストの協力を得て、生徒たちに日本の歌を知ってもらうための「歌とピアノのコンサート」の実現にこぎつけました。コロナ禍でレベル１のCOVID-19規制が残るアデレードからの明るい話題です。東田孝昭校長とウッド久恵さんのお二人にインタビューしました。

A grassroots campaign is calling for big business to better support the local music industry ... and put an end to annoying hold music. Companies are being asked to prioritise Australian songs for their hold music above license-free generic tunes. It comes at a time when the industry is crying out for support. - ビッグビジネスに国内の音楽業界の支援を改善し、うっとうしい電話保留中の音楽をやめるよう呼びかける草の根のキャンペーンが行われています。企業は電話保留中の音楽には、ライセンス料がタダの汎用の曲よりもオーストラリアの曲を優先するよう要請されています。

སིཌ་ནིའི་ཁྱབ་ཁོངས་སུ་སླར་ཡང་བདུན་ཕྲག་བཞི་རིང་སྒོ་རྒྱག་དམ་བསྒྲགས་འཕར་རྒྱང་བཏང་ཡོད་པ་དང་། སྒྲིག་གཞི་གསར་པ་ཁག་ཅིག་ལག་བསྟར་བྱས་ཡོད་པ་རེད། དེ་བཞིན་དེ་རིང་ནས་བཟུང་ནིའུ་སོ་ཐི་ཝལ་མངའ་སྡེའི་ནང་མི་རྒན་པ་ལོ་ཚད་ལ་མ་བལྟོས་པར་ཚང་མས་ AstraZeneca སྨན་ཁབ་རྒྱག་ཆོག་པ་བཟོས་ཡོད་འདུག

ནིའུ་སོ་ཐི་ཝལ་མངའ་སྡེའི་ནང་དེ་རིང་ནད་པ་གསར་པ་ ༦༥ ཐོན་ཡོད་པའི་གསལ་བསྒྲགས་དང་མངའ་སྡེའི་བློན་ཆེན་ལྕམ་ Gladys Berejiklian མཆོག་གིས། རེས་གཟའ་པ་སངས་ཉིན་ནད་པའི་གྲངས་ཚད་དེ་ལས་མང་དུ་འགྲོ་རྒྱུའི་ཉེན་ཁ་ཡོད་ཚུལ་འགྲེལ་བརྗོད་གནང་ཡོད་པ་རེད། དེ་བཞིན་མེལ་སྦོན་ནང་དེ་རིང་མཚན་གུང་ནས་བཟུང་དམ་བསྒྲགས་བཀའ་རྒྱ་ལག་བསྟར་བྱ་རྒྱུ་ཡིན་འདུག

Here are today's top stories on SBS Filipino. - Alamin ang pinaka-mainit na balita ngayong Linggo ng umaga sa SBS Filipino.

National cabinet has agreed to a four-phase plan to move away from lockdowns and restrictions once enough Australians are vaccinated. Each new phase is to be triggered by the achievement of a vaccination threshold, expressed as a percentage of the eligible population. There are no commitment to specific timelines around when the transitions will happen. - ナショナル・キャビネットはロックダウンや規制を行わないようにするため、十分な数のオーストラリア人がワクチン接種を受けて行う４段階の計画に合意しました。その個々の段階への移行は、ワクチン接種を受けられる人々の接種完了パーセンテージで表示されるしきい値を超えることで始まります。いつその移行が起きるかについての特定の日程表は約束されていません。

As the Delta variant of coronavirus makes its way around the world governments are pushing for as many people as possible to get vaccinated. Nearly 2.5 billion people have been vaccinated globally so far (as of 18 June 2021) - コロナウイルスのデルタ変異株が世界中に広がるなか、各国政府は可能な限り多くの人へのワクチン接種を推し進めています。これまでに世界でほぼ25億人がワクチンの接種を受けました。

A New South Wales proposal to bring back international students during the second half of 2021 is being called 'a light at the end of the tunnel'. Under the plan, students can begin returning to Australia under existing quarantine rules. - 2021年の下半期中に留学生を呼び戻すためのニューサウスウエルズの提案は「トンネルの出口の光」と呼ばれています。この計画によると、学生たちは既存の隔離規則のもとでオーストラリアに戻り始められます。

Health officials say a new COVID-19 variant has emerged in Melbourne that is highly transmissible. Melbourne recorded five new cases on Saturday with the city still under lockdown. - ヘルス当局によりますと、極めて伝染しやすいCOVID-19の新しい変異種がメルボルンに出現したということです。まだロックダウン中のメルボルンでは、土曜日に新たな感染ケース５件を記録しました。

Australia's vaccine rollout is showing signs of gathering pace with the daily number of shots administered climbing over one hundred thousand for the first time. The record tally comes as the Federal Government defends its handling of the program against claims it's encouraged hesitancy in the over 50s to take the Astra Zeneca shot. - オーストラリアのワクチン接種は、１日当たりの接種数が初めて10万回を超え、接種にはずみがついてきた兆しが見えています。この記録的な数値が出る中、50代以上がアストラゼニカワクチンの接種を躊躇するのを連邦政府が助長しているという説に対して、連邦政府はそのプログラムの運営を弁護しています。

The World Health Organisation has welcomed a plateau in the global number of coronavirus cases and deaths but has also raised concerns about the emergence of global variants of COVID-19. The comments come as the United Kingdom and other European countries further ease restrictions. - WHO、世界保健機関は世界のコロナウイルスの感染ケースと死者の数が頭打ちになったことを歓迎しましたが、世界のCOVID-19の変異種の出現について懸念しています。一方、イギリスなどのヨーロッパの国々は規制措置をさらに緩和しています。

ནིའུ་སོཌ་ཝལ་མངའ་སྡེའི་ནང་ཏོག་དབྱིབས་ནད་པ་གསར་པ་གཉིས་ཐོན་ཡོད་པས་སྔོན་འགོག་ཆེད་སིཌ་ནིའི་ཁུལ་དུ་སླར་ཡང་དམ་སྒྲགས་བཀག་རྒྱ་བཏང་ཡོད་པ་རེད། དེ་བཞིན་ཨོ་སི་ཊོ་ལི་ཡའི་རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་སྨན་བཅོས་རྟོགས་ཞིབ་ཁང་གིས། ཉེ་ཆར་ཁྲག་ལིང་ཆགས་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ་ཁག་ལྔ་ཞིག་ཏོག་དབྱིབས་ནད་འགོག་སྨན་ཁབ་ AstraZeneca དང་འབྲེལ་བ་ཡོད་པ་འགྲེལ་བརྗོད་བྱས་ཡོད་པ་རེད།

The worldwide weekly coronavirus infection rate has fallen for the first time since mid-February. But COVID-19 related deaths have increased. India and Brazil account for more than half of new infections. - 世界の１週間あたりのコロナウイルスの感染率は２月中旬以来、初めて下がりました。しかし、COVID-19に関する死者は増えました。インドとブラジルが新たな感染ケースの半分以上を占めています。

Pfizer has flagged a potential need for annual booster vaccine shots against COVID-19. It comes as Europe passes the grim milestone of one million deaths linked to the virus. - ファイザーはCOVID-19のワクチンのブースター接種を毎年する必要がある可能性を警告しました。同時に、ヨーロッパでは、このウイルスに関連する死者が100万人の指標を超えるという暗い状態になっています。

Blood clots , although rare, are a risk associated with both the contraceptive pill and the AstraZeneca vaccine. The federal government updated its health advice last Thursday, recommending those under 50 years old get the Pfizer jab instead of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The questions surrounding the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine has raised comparisons with Australia's default contraception, the pill. - 稀ではありますが、アストラゼニカ・ワクチンと避妊ピルの両方に関連するリスクが血栓です。連邦政府は去る木曜日にヘルス・アドバイスを更新して、50歳未満の人々にはアストラゼニカの代わりにファイザーの注射をするよう勧めています。アストラゼニカ・ワクチンの安全性をめぐる疑問で、オーストラリアの既定の避妊薬、ピルとの比較が持ち上がっています。

The World Health Organisation is asking countries to continue distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19. More European countries are stopping their use of the vaccine over concerns about blood clots as a potential side-effect. - WHO世界保健機関はCOVID-19に対するアストラゼニカ・ワクチンの配布を続けるよう各国に要請していますが、副作用として血栓ができる可能性があることを懸念してこのワクチンの使用をとめているヨーロッパの国々が増えています。