International

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 […]

Italy mourns its virus dead at end of fateful month

by Dmitry ZAKS ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy marked a minute of silence and flew flags at half mast Tuesday to mourn the 11,591 people who have died from the coronavirus pandemic that has drastically altered life in the Mediterranean country. The nation of 60 million people has recorded nearly a third of all fatalities caused by the disease around the world. The day of mourning marks a month in which Italy saw more deaths […]

Iran reports 141 new virus deaths, raising total to 2,898

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) –Iran said Tuesday 141 more people have died from the novel coronavirus, raising the official toll in one of the world’s worst-affected countries to 2,898. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 3,111 new infections have been confirmed over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 44,606. He said 3,703 of those hospitalized are in a critical condition and 14,656 have recovered. Iran has been scrambling to contain the COVID-19 outbreak since […]

Spain sees record death toll with 849 fatalities in 24 hours: govt

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Once again, Spain hit a new record with 849 people dying of COVID-19 in 24 hours, hiking the overall death toll to 8,189, the government said on Tuesday. The increase came after a day in which the number of deaths had fallen slightly, raising hopes the epidemic could be reaching a peak in Spain, which has logged the world’s second-highest number of deaths from the virus, after Italy. Another 9,222 people […]

Guinean president announces virus curfew

CONAKRY, Guinea (AFP) —  Guinean President Alpha Conde has announced a night-time curfew and restrictions on movement out of the capital to help curb coronavirus, according to a decree read on national television. In addition to the 9pm-5am (2100-0500 GMT) lockdown, “the movement of people from Conakry to the interior of the country is forbidden” except for special exemptions, said the decree, issued late Monday. The impoverished West African state has officially recorded 20 cases […]

12-year-old infected with coronavirus dies in Belgium

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) –A 12-year-old girl confirmed infected with COVID-19 has died in Belgium, health officials said Tuesday. Fatality from the virus at such a young age “is a very rare occurrence,” said government spokesman Dr Emmanuel Andre, adding that her death “shook us”. The girl had a fever for three days before her death, and tested positive for COVID-19, said another spokesman, Steven Van Gucht. The government gave no other details, notably not saying […]

In Africa, six nations seem so far to be spared coronavirus

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Six of Africa’s 54 nations are among the last in the world yet to report cases of the new coronavirus. The global pandemic has been confirmed in almost every country, but for a handful of far-flung tiny island states, war-torn Yemen and isolated North Korea. In Africa authorities claim they are spared by god, or simply saved by low air traffic to their countries, however, some fear it is lack of […]

Extreme isolation: world’s last virus-free corners hold tight

by Bernadette Carreon KOROR, Palau (AFP) — A coronavirus-free tropical island nestled in the northern Pacific may seem the perfect place to ride out a pandemic — but residents on Palau say life right now is far from idyllic. The microstate of 18,000 people is among a dwindling number of places on Earth that still report zero cases of COVID-19 as figures mount daily elsewhere. The disparate group also includes Samoa, Turkmenistan, North Korea and […]