International

North Korea’s Kim reappears after weeks of speculation

  by Claire LEE Agence France Presse North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks, state media reported Saturday, following intense speculation that the leader of the nuclear-armed nation was seriously ill or possibly dead. State television showed Kim walking, smiling broadly and smoking a cigarette at what the North said was the opening of a fertiliser factory on Friday in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang. Rumours about Kim’s […]

North and South Korea exchange gunfire at border: Seoul

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean troops fired multiple gunshots towards the South in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula on Sunday, prompting South Korean forces to fire back, Seoul said. The rare exchange of gunfire comes a day after North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks following an absence that triggered intense speculation about his health and fears about […]

Brazilian President’s ‘So what?’ as 5,000 die sparks fury in Brazil

  RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Rarely have two words ignited such a firestorm of controversy. “So what?” said Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday when a journalist asked him about the fact that more than 5,000 Brazilians had died of the coronavirus. The far-right leader’s off-the-cuff comment has been sparking anger ever since, with governors, politicians, healthcare professionals and media figures all weighing in to express their outrage at his lack of empathy. […]

Canada bans assault weapons after deadliest shooting

by Jacques LEMIEUX Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced an immediate ban on military-grade assault weapons in response to the country’s deadliest-ever mass shooting, a rampage that left 22 people dead last month. “These weapons were designed for one purpose, and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time,” Trudeau told a news briefing. He said his government […]

US issues emergency approval for remdesivir for COVID-19 patients

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The experimental drug remdesivir has been authorized by US regulators for emergency use against COVID-19, President Donald Trump announced Friday. It comes after the antiviral made by Gilead Sciences was shown in a major clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some coronavirus patients, the first time any medicine has had a proven benefit against the disease. “It is really a really promising situation,” Trump said at […]

Remdesivir shows ‘clear-cut’ effect in treating coronavirus: Fauci

  WASHINGTON, United States A major new study proves that the antiviral drug remdesivir is effective in saving people with serious cases of COVID-19, top US doctor Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. Fauci, speaking at the White House, said “the data shows remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.” This proves “that a drug can block this virus,” he said, comparing the discovery to the fight for AIDS therapies four […]

US President Trump points finger at China lab as WHO asks to join virus probe

  by Sebastian Smith, with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has said he has seen evidence the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, an assertion that threatened on Friday to turn a global health emergency into a diplomatic crisis. The US president’s statement was immediately undermined by intelligence officials and top diplomat Mike Pompeo, who said: “We don’t know precisely where it began.” But the […]

Australia eyes early end to virus restrictions

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia will consider early easing of coronavirus restrictions next week, officials announced Friday, as the number of local cases dwindled and the economic impact of the crisis fell into painful relief. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the national cabinet would meet on May 8 — a week earlier than expected — to weigh loosening social distancing measures that have kept millions of Australians at home, barred almost all travel and slowed […]

Total OFWs with COVID-19 abroad reach 1,677 with those still in hospitals at 1,025

(Eagle News) – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 33 new COVID-19 cases involving overseas Filipinos, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,677 as of Thursday, April 30. “Today, the DFA confirms almost a total of 1,700 COVID-19 cases among our nationals abroad, of which are 33 new confirmed cases (10 DOH IHR verified), 17 new recoveries, and 2 new deaths”, the DFA said in a statement. The total number of recoveries, […]

More than 2,000 US coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: tracker

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in a 24-hour period for the third day running, according to the latest real-time tally Thursday reported by Johns Hopkins University. The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — recorded 2,053 deaths on Thursday, after 2,502 deaths on Wednesday and 2,207 on Tuesday. At least 62,906 people have now died in the United […]

Trump says evidence ties virus to Wuhan lab, threatens tariffs

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened new tariffs against Beijing after claiming there is evidence linking the coronavirus to a lab in China’s ground-zero city of Wuhan. Asked if he had seen anything giving him a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of the outbreak, Trump replied, “Yes, I have.” The Republican is increasingly making complaints over Beijing’s handling of the pandemic […]

UK ‘past peak’ of coronavirus outbreak: PM Johnson

by Phil HAZLEWOOD / James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain is “past the peak” of its coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, despite recording another 674 deaths in the last 24 hours. The coronavirus death is now 26,711, the world’s third-most highest behind the United States and Italy, after changing its reporting to include community as well as hospital deaths on Wednesday. The UK’s number of confirmed […]