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SEOUL, SOuth Korea (AFP) — North Korean authorities have imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they called the country’s first suspected case of the novel coronavirus, state media reported Sunday. Leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting on Saturday to implement a “maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert” to contain the virus, official news agency KCNA said. If confirmed, it would be the first officially […]
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece will prioritize giving coronavirus vaccines to the elderly and high-risk groups if and when they become available, the country’s health minister said Saturday. “If and when a vaccine comes, we will prioritize those who must take it above all,” Vassilis Kikilias told Skai TV. “Who is that? Our very aged fellow citizens, the very elderly, high-risk groups…we will protect those in danger.” He added that vaccines will not be compulsory […]
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Saturday he has tested negative for the new coronavirus more than two weeks after being diagnosed on July 7, attributing his recovery to an unproven malaria drug. “RT-PCR for Sars-Cov 2: negative. Good morning everyone,” the 65-year-old tweeted, along with a photo of himself smiling and holding a packet of hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness against COVID-19 has not been demonstrated in clinical trials. He did not […]
HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — Texas, already struggling with a surge in coronavirus cases, was bracing Saturday after storm Hanna strengthened into the first Atlantic hurricane of 2020, with meteorologists warning of heavy rain, storm surge and potentially life-threatening flash flooding. The Category 1 storm, with wind speeds of around 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour), strengthened to a hurricane overnight and is expected to make landfall by afternoon or early evening, the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — For the second day running, the United States on Friday recorded more than 70,000 new coronavirus cases and more than 1,000 deaths in a 24-hour period, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The world’s hardest-hit country registered 73,795 new cases of COVID-19 with 1,157 additional deaths, the Baltimore-based university’s real-time tracker indicated at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday). That brings the country to a total of 4.1 […]
by Marc Preel with AFP bureaus COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — The World Health Organization expressed concern Friday over a coronavirus resurgence in Europe as Britain joined France, Germany and Austria in announcing tighter mask rules and greater testing. Europe accounts for a fifth of the world’s more than 15 million infections and remains the hardest-hit region in terms of deaths, with 207,118 out of more than 630,000 globally since the virus emerged in China late […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has detected its first locally-transmitted case of coronavirus in nearly 100 days, authorities said Saturday, in a country whose swift and full lockdown won praise for controlling the spread of the disease. “Patient 416” is a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in the southern city of Danang, and the first community transmission since April 16. Local health officials have tested 105 people who had been in close contact with him, the […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported a surge in new coronavirus infections on Saturday, recording its highest figure in nearly four months with dozens of imported cases. The country added 113 new cases, including 86 among people who arrived from overseas, bringing the total to 14,092, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was the second highest figure since March 31, when the country reported 125 new cases. It […]
by Marc Preel with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse The World Health Organization expressed concern Friday over a coronavirus resurgence in Europe as Britain joined France, Germany and Austria in announcing tighter mask requirements and greater testing. Europe accounts for a fifth of the world’s more than 15 million cases and remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 207,118 out of more 630,000 globally since the pandemic emerged in China late last […]
by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The top US health body has issued new guidelines on the reopening of schools, clearly weighting its recommendations in favor of having students return to their classrooms in fall. The updated advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was posted Thursday night, and came a few weeks after President Donald Trump asked the agency to change course. “We owe it […]
ROISSY-CHARLES DE GAUILLE AIRPORT, France (AFP) — France will require on-the-spot COVID-19 tests for people arriving from 16 countries where the pandemic is circulating widely, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday. France does not allow general travel to and from these countries — including the United States and Brazil — so the tests will be for “French citizens who live in these countries or citizens of these countries with an established residence in France” who […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam, one of Asia’s biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species “dead or alive” and vowed to “eliminate” illegal markets across the country. The directive signed by the leader of the Communist country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China. It is a major victory for conservation groups who […]
