China disinfects international mail

The China Post has ordered its employees to systematically disinfect shipments from abroad, the authorities raising the hypothesis of the arrival in the country of the Omicron strain on mail sent from Canada.

Domestic mail will now be sorted separately, to avoid any risk of contamination from international shipments.

Uganda lifts border controls with Kenya

Uganda's government on Tuesday announced the suspension of mandatory Covid-19 testing at its border with Kenya, after the measure caused huge truck traffic jams and disrupted the country's fuel supply.

The health pass reduced mortality (study)

The health pass has prevented 4,000 deaths linked to Covid-19 in France and boosted national growth in the second half of 2021, according to a study published Tuesday by a body attached to the government.

In Germany and Italy, health passes with similar characteristics have respectively prevented 1,100 and 1,300 deaths, according to this comparative work carried out by the Council for Economic Analysis (CAE), with the assistance of the OECD and the Bruegel Institute.

The world facing the coronavirus Simon MALFATTO AFP

The French Minister of Education in turmoil

The French Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, already strongly contested by teachers who reproach him for the management of Covid-19 at school, found himself further weakened on Tuesday with the revelation by the press that he was in Ibiza on the eve of the start of the school holidays.

It was from this place that the minister had unveiled the new health protocol for schools, only the day before the start of the school year.

Boris Johnson denies lying about a party

Boris Johnson denied on Tuesday that he had been warned that a party contrary to anti-Covid rules was being organized in Downing Street in May 2020, as accused by his former adviser Dominic Cummings.

Present at this event, in full confinement, the British Prime Minister had apologized to the deputies last week, while claiming to have thought that it was a working meeting.

- Hamster slaughter in Hong Kong -

Hong Kong will cull nearly 2,000 hamsters after some of them tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities announced on Tuesday, as the city sticks to a strict "zero Covid" strategy.

This slaughter was ordered after the appearance of cases of Covid-19 in a pet store, affecting hamsters, an employee and a customer.

Fall in new car sales in Europe

New car sales in Europe hit a fresh record low in 2021, held back by the health crisis and shortages of electronic chips that have prevented the production of millions of cars.

More than 5.5 million dead

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 5,543,637 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources, Tuesday at 11:00 GMT.

In absolute terms, the countries that have recorded the most deaths are the United States (851,730 deaths), Brazil (621,166), India (486,761) and Russia (322,678).

The 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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