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by Jing Xuan TENG Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese government campaign to cast doubt on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling a row with the United States, with a Beijing official promoting conspiracy theories and Washington calling it the “Wuhan virus”. The spat comes as China tries to deflect blame for the contagion and reframe itself as a country that took decisive steps to buy the world time […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said late Thursday. “Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. “Following medical advice, she will remain in isolation for the time being. She is feeling well, is taking all the recommended precautions and her symptoms remain mild,” it said. “The Prime […]
A Philippine diplomat in New York has tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first recorded case at United Nations headquarters in the city, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. The diplomat, who had last visited the UN on Monday, showed symptoms of flu the following day and saw a doctor. “She got the call today that she tested positive for COVID-19,” said a letter from the Philippines mission. “As of today, the Philippine mission […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea — once the largest coronavirus outbreak outside China — saw its newly recovered patients exceed fresh infections for the first time on Friday, as it reported its lowest number of new cases for three weeks. The South confirmed 110 new cases on Thursday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, taking the total to 7,979. But 177 fully recovered patients were released the same day, […]
LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Portugal will close all schools from Monday until at just before Easter to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced. The move will affect more than 1.6 million children and teenagers and remain in force until April 9. Costa also announced a slew of “temporary” measures, including the closure of nightclubs and limiting visitors to retirement homes. Portugal has so far registered 78 cases of COVID-19 […]
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — Thirteen people were injured when two passenger trains collided Thursday in the Egyptian capital, the health ministry said, triggering a brief suspension in nationwide rail services. It said the casualties of the crash involving passengers from Upper Egypt were ferried to Cairo hospitals. The signals tower was not functioning because of bad weather conditions, the rail services said, leading to one train crashing into the other which was stationary. Rail authorities […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Belgium will close schools, cancel all cultural events and shutter bars and restaurants to stave off the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the government said on Thursday. Announced by Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes after a meeting of the national security council, the measures will come into force at midnight on Saturday (2300 GMT on Friday). “This is not a lockdown,” Wilmes said. “We want to avoid situations like Italy. These measures […]
(Eagle News) — The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) clarified on Thursday, March 12, that its earlier announcement of the coronavirus disease spread as a “pandemic” does not mean that countries should give up, and stressed that the COVID-19 is a “controllable pandemic.” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that countries should instead “double down” and work on measures to control and contain the virus with the “political commitment” needed to […]
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The Vatican on Thursday took the unprecedented step of closing all Catholic churches across Rome to stem the spread of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 1,000 people across Italy. The papal vicar for Rome said the churches would reopen when a broader Italian government crackdown on public gatherings expires on April 3. “The faithful are consequently exempt from their obligation to fulfill the festive precept,” a statement […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)– Britain on Thursday said up to 10,000 people in the UK could be infected with the novel coronavirus, as it announced new measures to slow the spread of the outbreak. Government chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said there were 590 confirmed cases but it was “much more likely we’ve got somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people infected”. Britain was on a trajectory of cases “about four weeks” behind Italy and […]
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — Ireland on Thursday announced the closure of all schools and colleges, and recommended the cancellation of mass gatherings as part of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said “schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close from tomorrow (Friday)”, as would state-run cultural institutions. Indoor events of more than 100 people and those outdoor involving over 500 “should be cancelled”, Varadkar said in a statement […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s equality minister has tested positive for coronavirus and has been quarantined with her partner, deputy prime minister and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a government statement said Thursday. “The minister (Irene Montero) is in a good condition and second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias is also in quarantine due to the situation,” the statement said. “This morning, all members of the government will undergo testing,” it added, indicating the results […]
