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BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday he had tested positive for the coronavirus but said he was feeling “perfectly well” and had only mild symptoms. The far right leader has caused huge controversy in Brazil for repeatedly flouting containment measures and minimizing the risk of the virus, which has killed 65,000 people in the South American giant and infected 1.6 million. The test “has come out and it’s positive,” Bolsonaro […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard says he will play when the NBA season resumes in Orlando on July 30 despite concerns the restart might distract from his social activism. Howard announced his decision to join LeBron James and his other Laker teammates in a CNN appearance late Monday, citing his contract and his hunger to win an NBA crown at age 34. “Yes, I will be joining my […]
by Mohamad Ali Harissi DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — With a “welcome” passport sticker and coronavirus tests on arrival, Dubai reopens its doors to international visitors Tuesday in the hope of reviving its tourism industry after a nearly four-month closure. But businesses are mainly betting on those already living in the gleaming desert city to energise its ailing economy and serve as a test run before wary foreign holidaymakers return. “A warm welcome to […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia warned its citizens Tuesday they could face “arbitrary detention” if they travel to China, the latest sign of growing tensions between the two nations. The foreign ministry issued the warning in updated travel advice, which also noted that Chinese authorities had detained foreigners for allegedly “endangering national security”. Australia has already told its citizens to avoid all international travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the updated advice did not […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday it was monitoring a case of bubonic plague in China after being notified by the authorities in Beijing. A herdsman in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region was confirmed at the weekend to have the bubonic plague. Two other cases were confirmed in Khovd province in neighbouring Mongolia last week involving brothers who had eaten marmot meat, China’s state news agency Xinhua said. “Bubonic plague […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-gwen on Tuesday warned of “counter measures” should a sweeping security law China imposed on Hong Kong “damage” the island. The new law has sent chills through self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize, by force if necessary. Beijing has taken an especially hardline towards Taiwan ever since the 2016 election of Tsai because she regards the island as […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The wildly popular video-sharing app TikTok will no longer work in Hong Kong, its makers said, after a new security law imposed by China gave authorities sweeping powers to police local users. The new security law has sparked fears for freedom of expression, and internet giants Google, Facebook and Twitter have put a hold on requests for user data from Hong Kong authorities since it came into force. “In […]
by AFP Bureaus Australia on Tuesday ordered millions of people locked down in its second-biggest city to combat a surge in coronavirus cases, as nations across the planet scrambled to stop the rampaging pandemic. While some countries are worried about second waves of infections, the worst-hit — the United States — was still “knee-deep” in its first, its top expert warned, with cases also surging in India and Brazil. Global COVID-19 cases have surged […]
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Eight passengers were injured in a train derailment outside of the Greek capital Athens Tuesday, emergency services said. An electric train linking the port of Piraeus near Athens to the northern suburbs derailed as it entered the station at Kifissia just after midday, according to initial reports from firefighters. “Seven women and one man were slightly injured and transferred as a precaution to two hospitals in Athens,” a manager of the […]
by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As countries ease their lockdowns, authorities need to recognize the coronavirus can spread through the air far beyond the two meters (six feet) urged in social distancing guidelines, an international group of 239 scientists said Monday. In a comment piece that takes direct aim at the World Health Organization for its reluctance to update its advice, researchers recommended new measures including increasing indoor […]
NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Kenya on Tuesday declared that its school year was considered lost because of the coronavirus pandemic, and primary and secondary pupils would return to class next January. The school year in the East African country runs from January to November, when it climaxes with end-of-term exams. But Education Minister George Magoha said in a statement that the curve of COVID-19 infections was expected to flatten only by December. As a result, […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The US drone strike that killed Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani was “unlawful”, the United Nations expert on extrajudicial killings concluded in a report released Tuesday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, concluded it was an “arbitrary killing” that violated the UN charter. The US had provided no evidence that an imminent attack against US interest was being planned, she wrote. The independent rights expert […]
