International

A taste of normality as restaurants, churches reopen in Germany

  by Ulas CÜRE with Marion PAYET in Berlin Agence France Presse SCHWERIN, Germany (AFP) — The waiters are wearing masks and there’s no singing in Church, but some Germans got a taste of normal life at the weekend as restaurants and places of worship reopened after weeks of coronavirus restrictions. In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, residents took advantage of the sunny weather to flock to their favourite eateries and cafes for the […]

Rise in German virus infections spurs concern

  by Yacine LE FORESTIER Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s coronavirus spread appears to be picking up speed again, official data showed Sunday, just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country could gradually return to normal. The Robert Koch Institute for public health said Germany’s closely watched reproduction rate (R0) had climbed to 1.1, meaning 10 people with COVID-19 infect on average 11 others. The RKI has warned that for the […]

Fauci among three members of US virus task force to quarantine: media

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci is among three members of the White House’s coronavirus task force who will self-isolate after potential exposure to the pathogen, US media reported Saturday. On Friday, reports that Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary had tested positive heightened fears about senior administration officials catching the virus. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Stephen Hahn, the commissioner […]

French surfer punches shark, survives attack in Australia

SYDNEY, Asutralia (AFP) — A French surfer has survived a shark attack in Australia with only minor leg injuries by punching it twice, local media reported. Dylan Nacass, 23, was surfing at Bells Beach, about 1.5 hours from Melbourne, when the shark attacked on Friday, Nine News said. Video footage shows a shark swimming up behind two men as they paddle desperately to get away. Nacass told Nine the shark latched onto his leg until […]

COVID-19 cases worldwide surpass 4 million; WHO calls for global solidarity to fight disease

  (Eagle News) – Coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed 4 million, and the virus pandemic killing more than 279,000 people, as scientists in various parts of the world race to find a vaccine against COVID-19. It’s a scale that the world has not seen before, and the World Health Organization is stressing that until a vaccine is developed, the world needs to stand together to beat this pandemic. As of the latest tally from Johns […]

US reversal prevents UN vote on pandemic truce

  by Philippe RATER Agence France Presse The United States on Friday stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said. Washington’s reversal came a day after it agreed to the text, negotiators said under cover of anonymity. “The United States cannot support the current draft,” the country’s delegation […]

US suffers biggest job losses in history amid coronavirus pandemic

by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — With shops and factories closed nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly all of the jobs created in the US economy in the last decade were wiped out in a single month. An unprecedented 20.5 million jobs were destroyed in April in the world’s largest economy, the biggest amount ever recorded, the Labor Department said in a report released Friday, the first to capture […]

US VP Pence spokeswoman tests positive for COVID-19

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US vice president’s spokeswoman became the second White House staffer this week to test positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II ,commemoration with veterans in their 90s. News that staffer Katie Miller had fallen ill boosted fears that the White House is at risk of becoming a viral hot […]

Australia plans to lift most virus restrictions by July

  by David MILLIKIN Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s government on Friday unveiled a three-stage plan to get the economy back to a new “COVID-safe” normal by the end of July. Federal authorities have left details of the plan’s implementation up to the country’s diverse states and territories, meaning coronavirus restrictions will remain in place for weeks or months longer in areas hardest hit by the disease. Australia has been one of […]

UN chief says coronavirus has sparked ‘tsunami of hate and xenophobia’

  United Nations (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Friday for an “all-out effort” to end the “tsunami of hate and xenophobia” sparked by the novel coronavirus pandemic, without naming specific countries. “The pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering,” Guterres said in a statement. “Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and COVID-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred.” According to Guterres, […]

NKorea’s Kim sends ‘verbal message’ to China’s Xi

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has sent a “verbal message” to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, state media KCNA reported Friday, after weeks of speculation about his health. The news agency did not explain what it meant by a “verbal message,” and it was not clear if Kim and Xi had spoken directly. The message was “in connection with the fact that China is registering success in preventing the COVID-19 infection,” […]

Up to 190,000 could die in Africa if virus containment fails: WHO

  KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — Up to 190,000 people in Africa could die of coronavirus in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, the World Health Organisation warned on Thursday. The UN health agency cited a new study by its regional office in Brazzaville which found that between 83,000 and 190,000 could die and 29 to 44 million be infected during the period. The research is based on prediction modelling and […]