Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Tuesday reported zero new coronavirus cases for the first time since the emergence of a cluster in the Chinese capital in June that prompted fears of a domestic second wave. A total of 335 people have been infected since a cluster emerged at the city’s massive Xinfadi wholesale market in early June. Beijing’s health commission said on Tuesday it detected only one asymptomatic case the previous day, which China […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson announced Monday an immediate cut in the price of its tuberculosis treatment course — a move NGOs have long been calling for. Bedaquiline, sold under the brand name Sirturo, was approved for medicinal use in the United States in 2012, becoming the first new tuberculosis drug in 40 years to be given the green light. Johnson and Johnson said it would make its bedaquiline tablets […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Hundreds of drones lit up the night sky in Seoul for a spectacular showcase of motivational and awareness messages as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic. Three hundred unmanned aerial vehicles were programmed to form images above the Han river — which runs through the South Korean capital — for the eyecatching flash mob. The show began with messages reminding people of key precautionary measures, including wearing masks, washing hands […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India on Monday became the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world, as a group of scientists said there was now overwhelming evidence that the disease can be airborne — and for far longer than originally thought. With the globe’s hardest hit nation, the United States, struggling to come to grips with the new normal of social distancing and mask-wearing, officials there warned that some of the country’s […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Authorities in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region have stepped up precautions after a herdsman was confirmed at the weekend to have the bubonic plague. The man was in stable condition at a hospital in Bayannur, the city health commission said in a statement. The commission has forbidden the hunting and eating animals that could carry plague — particularly marmots — until the end of the year, and urged people to report […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar passed the milestone of 100,000 coronavirus cases on Monday, the health ministry said, as the country presses ahead with plans to re-open its economy. The gas-rich emirate has one of the world’s highest per capita infection rates with 100,345 people, 3.65 percent of its 2.75 million population, having tested positive for COVID-19. Almost 94,000 of those infected have recovered and 133 people have died, one of the lowest reported […]
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Chile recorded 10,159 coronavirus deaths on Sunday, as President Sebastian Pinera announced a $1.5 billion aid package to help the middle class, which has been battered by the economic crisis. The death toll is compiled weekly by the Department of Statistics and Health (DEIS) and is considered to be the most accurate for reporting COVID-19 deaths by test results or by symptoms. According to Sunday’s report, there were 7,057 deaths […]
SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Fiji’s 78-day run without coronavirus is over, with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama confirming Monday a 66-year-old man tested positive after returning from India. It is the 19th case in the small South Pacific island nation, and more are now expected. “We’ve confirmed a border case of COVID-19 among a returning citizen while he was securely in the confines of government-funded quarantine,” Bainimarama said. All arrivals to Fiji have to undergo 14 […]
by Jalees ANDRABI NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s top tourist attraction the Taj Mahal will remain shut, officials said Sunday, as the vast nation registered a record daily number of coronavirus cases and opened a sprawling treatment centre in the capital to fight the pandemic. The health ministry reported just under 25,000 cases and 613 deaths in 24 hours — the biggest daily spike since the first case was detected in late January. The […]
