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LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s year-on-year GDP fell by 30 percent in the second quarter of 2020 as it was badly affected by coronavirus containment measures, the government said on Thursday. Meanwhile, Argentina’s state statistics institute said its economy contracted by almost 13 percent in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. In Peru, mandatory confinement was in place throughout the whole of the second quarter and was only […]
MONTEVIDO, Uruguay (AFP) — Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed 250,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, according to an AFP tally based on official national statistics. The region recorded 6,463,245 infections and 250,969 deaths by 2200 GMT. Brazil is the region’s worst-affected country with 3.5 million cases and more than 112,000 deaths. The South American giant is second only to the United States as the world’s worst-hit country. Peru, where figures released Thursday showed […]
Numbers could go higher if pandemic drags on by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday. The Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy has recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections since May 23, with 845 new cases reported over the last day, health ministry officials said Thursday. The new high comes after the health ministry on Wednesday counted 642 new cases, confirming an upward curve. Six people also died over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 35,418 in a total of 256,118 cases, health officials added. “We are not […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France reported 4,771 new coronavirus cases over 24 hours on Thursday, 1,000 more than Wednesday, health authorities said. The spike in new cases marked the first jump of more than 4,000 in a day since May, although the number of new patients hospitalized at 149 was down on 162 for Wednesday, the DGS public health directorate said. Currently, 4,748 people are hospitalized with the virus across the country, which is down […]
by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Thousands of people fled their homes in northern California on Wednesday as hundreds of fast-moving wildfires spread across the region, burning houses and leading to the death of a helicopter pilot. In Vacaville — a city of about 100,000 people located between the state capital Sacramento and San Francisco — residents were urged to evacuate during the night as the wind-whipped flames […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious diseases official, said Wednesday the government wouldn’t make any future COVID-19 vaccine obligatory for the general public — though local jurisdictions could make it mandatory for some groups, like children. “You don’t want to mandate and try and force anyone to take a vaccine. We’ve never done that,” said Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, during a video […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany has recorded 1,707 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April, official figures showed Thursday. Germany has fared better than many European neighbours in suppressing the virus so far but like elsewhere, the number of cases has jumped significantly over the summer holidays. Much of the rise has been blamed on returning holidaymakers as well as parties and family gatherings. The […]
by Serge Daniel and Malick Konate BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — Army colonel Assimi Goita on Wednesday introduced himself as Mali’s new military strongman a day after a coup that was condemned by the international community but won support from the country’s opposition. The African Union, European Union, the United States and the UN Security Council have all demanded the junta free President Ibrahim Boubacar, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and others taken captive in Tuesday’s coup […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Hurricane Genevieve weakened Wednesday to a Category 1 storm off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, US forecasters said, after bringing rain and high waves to the country’s northwest coast. On Tuesday two people, including a lifeguard, drowned in the resort of Los Cabos after a teenager ignored warning flags and was swept away, Mexican authorities said. The storm, which turned into a Category 4 on Tuesday, was expected to skirt Baja […]
by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Thousands of residents fled a city in northern California on Wednesday as a series of fast-moving wildfires spread across the state, burning dozens of homes and structures. The fire outside Vacaville — a city of about 100,000 residents located between the state capital Sacramento and San Francisco — is part of a series of blazes that have scorched nearly 50,000 acres (20,200 hectares) in the region […]
by Andrew Beatty with AFP bureaus SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s leader called Wednesday for coronavirus immunizations to be mandatory, wading into ethical and safety debates raging around the world as the race to develop a vaccine gathers pace. Almost 30 potential vaccines are currently being tested on humans across the globe in hope of ending a pandemic that has now killed more than 775,000 people and infected nearly 22 million, according to an AFP […]
