Briefly

GERMANY

President and his wife test positive for virus

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has tested positive for COVID-19, said the head of state's office on Tuesday. Steinmeier's wife, Elke Buedenbender, also tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. Both have mild symptoms and immediately went into isolation. Germany is currently in the process of lifting most of its coronavirus restrictions. On Tuesday, the national disease control center said more than 222,000 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours along with 264 deaths.

UNITED KINGDOM

Inflation hits 30-year high of 6.2 percent

British inflation accelerated in February to hold at a near three-decade peak on broad price gains, showed official data on Wednesday before a budget update seeking to ease high living costs. The Office for National Statistics highlighted household energy bills－up almost 25 percent from a year ago－and petrol as the biggest drivers of February's price jump. In a blow to poorer households, the ONS said food prices were rising across the board, unlike in normal times when some prices typically go up and others fall.

SOUTH KOREA

Childbirth logs lowest January figure

South Korea's childbirth logged the lowest January figure, keeping a downward trend for 74 months in a row, statistical office data showed on Wednesday. The number of newborn babies was 24,598 in January, down 1.2 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. The low birthrate boosted concerns about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.

FRANCE

10 million birds culled in massive flu outbreak

Some 10 million ducks, chickens and other poultry have been culled in France since November in one of the most widespread outbreaks of bird flu in years, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. Nearly 1,000 sites have reported cases, including at least 450 in the Vendee. Quarantine measures have been taken against the virus and farmers are compensated by the government for losses that can run into the millions of dollars.

Agencies - Xinhua