Europe

UK companies team up to tackle coronavirus

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline has teamed up with US peer Vir Biotechnology to find antibodies to help fight COVID-19 and “likely” future outbreaks, the pair announced Monday. It comes as UK defence engineering group Babcock said it was collaborating to make 10,000 ventilators, which are in short supply across the country that has seen more than 5,000 deaths from coronavirus. “GlaxoSmithKline plc and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. today announced they have […]

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Italy’s virus deaths jump to 636 after big drop

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy’s coronavirus death toll shot up on Monday from its lowest level in more than two weeks and officials sounded a more cautious note than earlier about a possibly easing of restrictions. The civil protection service said the daily number of official COVID-19 deaths rose to 636 on Monday from 525 the day before. Sunday’s toll was the lowest since March 19. It also represented a drop of 23 percent from […]

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France heading for worst recession since WWII: minister

  PARIS, France (AFP) — France is facing its deepest recession since the end of World War II because of the widespread lockdown to stem the coronavirus crisis, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Monday. “The worst growth figure in France since 1945 was -2.2 percent in 2009, after the financial crisis of 2008. We will probably be very far beyond -2.2 percent” this year, Le Maire told a Senate panel. That figure was subsequently […]

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UK Prime Minister in hospital as queen says united effort will defeat virus

  by Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was taken to hospital on Sunday after failing to shake off coronavirus symptoms, as Queen Elizabeth II said a united effort would defeat the outbreak. The government announced within an hour of the monarch’s rare special address to the country and Commonwealth nations that Johnson had been admitted for further tests as a precaution. Johnson, 55, had been […]

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Spain sees third daily drop in coronavirus deaths

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain saw its third consecutive daily decline in the number of people dying from the coronavirus pandemic as the country recorded another 674 fatalities on Sunday. The health ministry said total deaths were now 12,418, the highest in the world after Italy, since the pandemic emerged in China in December. The 674 fatalities, which were sharply down on the record 950 declared on April 2, represented an increase of 5.7 percent […]

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France reports lowest daily virus toll in a week, total now 8,078

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Sunday reported 357 coronavirus deaths in hospital in 24 hours, the lowest daily increase in a week, bringing the country’s toll to 8,078. The tally included 5,889 patients who died in hospital and 2,189 people in old age homes and other medical facilities, a government statement said. It said there were now 28,891 people with coronavirus in hospital in France — up 748 from the day before — with […]

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Coronavirus pandemic ‘amplifying’ poverty in UK

  by Jean-Baptiste OUBRIER Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The coronavirus pandemic is increasing poverty in Britain, where levels are already high after a decade of austerity triggered by the global financial crisis, according to experts. Official data shows that more than 14 million people in the UK are classed as living in poverty, or nearly one-quarter of the population. Some 4.2 million children are poor, or around 30 percent of the […]

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Italy’s intensive care virus cases drop for first time

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy saw its first drop Saturday in the number of patients receiving intensive care treatment for the coronavirus that had stretched the Mediterranean country’s world-class healthcare system to breaking point. Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called the drop from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday in the number of critical patients an important moment in Italy’s battle against COVID-19. “This is a very important data point because the figure […]

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Spain now has more COVID-19 cases than Italy as total hits more than 124,000

Becomes 2nd country with most number of virus cases after US (Eagle News) – Spain has overtaken Italy in terms of number of coronavirus cases as its total reached 124,736 – which is about 5,000 more than Italy’s number of 119,827. Based on the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University, Italy still had the most deaths at 14,681 while Spain had a toll of 11,744. Spain is now the second country with the most […]

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Spain to extend lockdown until April 25

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday the extension of the country’s lockdown until April 25 in order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “The cabinet on Tuesday will again ask for authorization from parliament to extend for a second time the state of alert until Saturday April 25 at midnight,’ Sanchez said in a televised speech. “With the utmost caution, we believe that this is the time that […]

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Queen Elizabeth II to make special broadcast on coronavirus

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II will make a rare special broadcast this weekend to Britain and the Commonwealth on the coronavirus pandemic, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. “The televised address will be broadcast at 8pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday 5th April, 2020. The address was recorded at Windsor Castle,” a statement said. The queen, 93, has made only three other special addresses during national crises in her 68-year reign and comes […]

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New 4,000-bed coronavirus field hospital opens in London

  by Alice RITCHIE / Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Friday opened a new 4,000-bed temporary hospital to treat the most seriously ill coronavirus patients, as day-on-day deaths surged to a new record and royal officials said Queen Elizabeth II would make a rare crisis address to the nation. Heir to the throne Prince Charles opened the state-run National Health Service (NHS) Nightingale Hospital, which has been built […]

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