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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP) — Torrential rains turned the streets of Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan into rivers on Thursday, flooding homes, flipping cars, and killing three people. The city’s firefighters said that two people died in the devastation, but a journalist said he saw the body of a third victim. “In half an hour, the water rose a meter and a half (five feet). We had to take refuge on the roof of our […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Another 1.48 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, a worse-than-expected figure that showed the continuing potency of the coronavirus pandemic. The new claims were a decrease of only 60,000 from the week prior and brought the total since the business shutdowns began in mid-March to more than 47.2 million. Adding to the toll was the 728,120 people applying for benefits last […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Thursday announced 134 new deaths from the novel coronavirus took the overall toll in the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak past 10,000. The Islamic republic has struggled to contain the spread of the virus since it reported its first cases in the Shiite holy city of Qom in late February. Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month […]
DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania (AFP) — A Tanzanian small-scale miner has become a multi-millionaire after uncovering two of the biggest of the country’s precious tanzanite stones ever found and selling them to the government. Saniniu Kuryan Laizer, 52, found the stones weighing 9.27 and 5.1 kilograms (20.4 and 11.2 pounds) respectively in the northern Mirerani hills, an area which President John Magufuli had fenced off in 2018 to stop smuggling of the gem. He sold […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — A cluster of new coronavirus cases has emerged at a warehouse in the Italian city of Bologna used by express courier Bartolini, a local newspaper reported Thursday. The company uncovered 44 asymptomatic cases — including two drivers — after testing all workers at the warehouse in central-northern Italy following the discovery of two members of staff with the virus, the Resto del Carlino daily said. Bartolini (BRT) has closed the warehouse […]
ISALAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan International Airlines said Thursday it had grounded almost a third of its pilots for holding fake or dubious licences, a month after one of its planes crashed into houses killing 98 people. The move comes after the government released a preliminary report into the May 22 crash in Karachi. Investigators largely blamed the two pilots, who ignored flight protocols and had been discussing the coronavirus outbreak when they first attempted […]
KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — DR Congo’s government on Thursday officially declared an end to an Ebola epidemic that broke out in the east of the troubled country in August 2018 and went on to claim 2,277 lives. The outbreak was “the longest, most complex and deadliest” in the 60-year history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo said. It has only been surpassed by the 2013-16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — A woman and two of her children were crushed to death when part of a building collapsed in northern Italy as a third child, a nine-year-old boy, looked on, Italian news agencies reported Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday in the town of Albizzate, on the outskirts of Milan, when a cornice nearly 70 meters (230 feet) long suddenly fell from the one-storey building, crashing onto the street. The woman, of Moroccan […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The Eiffel Tower reopened on Thursday for the first time since France imposed its coronavirus lockdown in March, though tourists will not be allowed to the top of the Paris landmark until later this summer. Journalists from around the world were on hand as about 50 visitors, mainly French, prepared to make the steep climb by stairs to the first two levels, as elevators will remain closed because of social distancing […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Pirates kidnapped five South Koreans and a Ghanaian after boarding their fishing vessel off Benin, Seoul’s foreign ministry and the International Maritime Bureau said Thursday. The Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier with 30 crew onboard was attacked on Wednesday about 60 nautical miles south of the Beninese capital Cotonou, they both said. Seoul’s foreign ministry said five of its nationals were seized along with a Ghanaian, and that the vessel had 24 […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has scrapped the deployment of a multibillion-dollar US anti-missile system, the government confirmed Thursday, days after saying the program had been suspended. Interceptors for the Aegis Ashore system were to be placed in two regions under the costly and controversial programme. But the government reversed course under pressure from local residents concerned about the risks posed by a missile defence system in their backyard. “The National Security Council discussed this […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disneyland in California on Wednesday delayed its planned reopening as coronavirus cases climb in the US state. The resort near Los Angeles, including Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, had planned to welcome visitors back July 17, pending government approval. Disney said in a statement that Californian officials would not issue reopening guidelines before July 4, leaving the theme parks insufficient time to restart as proposed. “Given the time required […]
