Australia revokes Djokovic's visa

Three days before the start of the Australian Open, the Australian government on Friday canceled for the second time the visa of world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, who entered the country on January 5 without being vaccinated against Covid-19.

During an interim hearing before a judge in Melbourne (south-east), the government representative however announced that the Serbian player would not be expelled before justice had ruled on his appeal.

The government intends to place him in detention again on Saturday morning.

Hong Kong Airport Transit Bans

Air passengers from 153 countries will no longer be able to transit through Hong Kong to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the city's airport announced on Friday.

This suspension, which concerns all countries classified as “high risk” for health by the Hong Kong authorities, will take effect on Sunday for a period of one month.

New Downing Street party revelations

The services of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have apologized to Queen Elizabeth II following revelations about parties organized in Downing Street the day before the funeral of her husband Philip, in full confinement.

The revelations of the daily The Telegraph further destabilize Boris Johnson, now contested within his majority.

The British Prime Minister was not present on this occasion, but he made his mea culpa in Parliament on Wednesday for his participation in a previous party in May 2020.

Norway opens vaccination to 5-11 year olds

Norway will in turn extend anti-Covid vaccination to the 5-11 age group on a voluntary basis and without making an official recommendation, the Norwegian government announced on Friday.

- USA: company vaccination obligation blocked -

The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday blocked the decision of American President Joe Biden to impose the anti-Covid vaccine in companies with more than 100 employees, inflicting a major setback on him.

The high court, on the other hand, validated the vaccination obligation for employees of health structures who benefit from federal funds.

CAN: six Tunisian players tested positive

Six players from the Tunisian selection playing in the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Cameroon have tested positive for Covid-19, the Tunisian federation announced on Friday, two days before the second group match against Mauritania.

- More than 5.5 million dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 5,519,380 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources on Friday at 11:00 GMT.

In absolute terms, the United States is the most bereaved country with 846,488 dead, followed by Brazil (620,545), India (485,350) and Russia (319,911).

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.

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