International

Dutch extend virus measures to end of April

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The Netherlands extended restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Tuesday, saying schools, restaurants and bars will remain closed at least until April 28. The new coronavirus has now claimed 1,039 lives in the Netherlands with 845 new infections reported overnight, bringing the total to 12,959. “It will not surprise you that we indeed decided on an extension until Tuesday 28 April,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. “The progress […]

Turkey virus death toll exceeds 200

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — More than 200 people have died from COVID-19 in Turkey, which has ramped up tests to more than 15,000 a day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Tuesday. Koca shared the latest figures on Twitter, saying that 46 people had died in the last 24 hours, raising the country’s overall death toll to 214. With 2,704 more cases of the novel coronavirus, the official total of those infected has reached 13,531. “The […]

6.5 magnitude quake hits US state of Idaho

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A 6.5-magnitude quake hit the western US state of Idaho on Tuesday with no immediate reports of damage or fatalities. The strong quake, which was felt throughout the state, struck in late afternoon and lasted anywhere between 20 to 30 seconds, residents reported. “That was an earthquake,” the National Weather Service said in a tweet. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake’s epicenter was in a remote mountain […]

Trump warns US headed for ‘very, very painful two weeks’

Washington, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned of a “very painful” two weeks as the United States wrestles with a coronavirus surge that the White House warns could kill as many as 240,000 Americans. “This is going to be a very painful, a very, very painful two weeks,” Trump told a press conference at the White House. Trump described the pandemic as “a plague.” “I want every American to be prepared […]

Coronavirus the worst global crisis since WW II, says UN chief

  By Agence France Presse The coronavirus pandemic is the worst global crisis since World War II, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday, expressing concern that it could trigger conflicts around the world. Guterres said that the scale of the crisis was due to “a disease that represents a threat to everybody in the world and… an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past.” “The combination […]

13-year-old UK boy dies after contracting COVID-19

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A 13-year-old British boy has died days after testing positive for COVID-19, hospital officials and his family said on Tuesday, with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses. The boy, who died Monday at King’s College Hospital in London, is believed to be Britain’s youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic. A 12-year-old girl, whose death was confirmed earlier on Tuesday in Belgium, is thought to be Europe’s youngest victim. […]

Europeans on UN Security Council condemn North Korean tests

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The European members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea’s latest missile tests, describing the launches as “provocative actions.” Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom “are deeply concerned by the repeated testing of missiles, using ballistic missile technology,” by North Korea on March 2, 9, 21 and 29, read a statement issued after an informal high-level UN videoconference. The Europeans noted that Pyongyang […]

New York transformed as US virus death toll exceeds China’s

  by Peter HUTCHISON Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Emergency field hospitals have begun going up in New York’s Central Park and at the home of the US Open, as the number of coronavirus deaths in America on Tuesday surpassed those reported by China. The pandemic has killed some 1,000 New Yorkers and America’s financial capital is in a race against time to dramatically ramp up hospital capacity before cases hit […]

Canada to spend $2billion on medical equipment as virus toll rises

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada will spend $2 billion (USD 1.43 billion) on medical equipment as hospitals fear shortages in the face of the accelerating coronavirus epidemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday. The move came as the country reached the grim milestone of 100 deaths, and as nearly 8,500 cases were reported by mid-day. “For some equipment, we have supply for three to seven days only,” said Francois Legault, premier of Quebec — the […]

Lockdowns may have saved 59,000 lives in Europe: study

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Strict containment measures might have already saved up to 59,000 lives across 11 European countries battling the spread of the new coronavirus, experts in Britain say. Basing their modelling on the numbers of recorded deaths from COVID-19, researchers from Imperial College London said most countries it looked at had likely dramatically reduced the rate at which the virus spreads. Using the experiences of countries with the most advanced epidemics like […]

Algeria’s Bouteflika languishes at home a year after his fall

by Abdellah CHEBALLAH ALGIERS, Algeria (AFP) — A year after the unexpected downfall of Algeria’s longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing octogenarian remains holed up in his plush and medically adopted home, with his detractors still demanding justice. Bouteflika assumed the presidency in 1999, reigning omnipresent over Algeria’s political life until a stroke rendered him largely invisible in 2013. Since he resigned under pressure from protesters and the military in April 2019, the public has […]

Woman at Greek camp virus positive after giving birth

ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece’s migration ministry on Tuesday said an asylum-seeker from a camp near Athens had tested positive for the coronavirus after giving birth at an Athens hospital. The unidentified woman lives at Ritsona, a camp on the island of Evia, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Athens. It was not immediately clear if the infection had taken place inside the maternity hospital. The ministry said another person living with the new […]