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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The IMF on Wednesday approved a $1.3 billion aid plan for Jordan, made all the more necessary by the global coronavirus pandemic. The program was initially announced at the end of January before the novel virus rocked the world’s economy. “Changes were made to the program to support unbudgeted spending covering emergency outlays and medical supplies and equipment,” the IMF said in a statement. “If the impact of the outbreak […]
by Paul RICARD PARIS, France (AFP) — “Test, test, test”. The World Health Organisation’s prescription for success in wrestling the new coronavirus pandemic under control may seem simple. So why are so few countries able to follow it? While nations like South Korea have been praised for their decisive efforts to control the spread of the virus with mass screening, experts say many other countries have been unable to emulate their approach. WHO chief Tedros […]
by Sophie Pons with Algiers, Rabat and Tunis bureaux RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — In Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, workers in informal jobs fear not only the novel coronavirus, but how they will survive emergency measures that have cut off their livelihoods. “We are stuck at home, with no work and no pay,” said Hakim, a 30-year-old father who until last week worked in a bar-restaurant in the Moroccan capital Rabat. His boss told employees he […]
by Jim SLATER WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Imagine a Masters with fall foliage instead of spring flowers, an NBA Finals just weeks before the usual pre-season training camps and a neutral-site World Series in a warm vacation getaway. Those are just some of the options being eyed by American sports event organizers planning for a return after the coronavirus pandemic eases. Barren months are on the horizon just two weeks after the NBA launched […]
by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Republican opposition to expanding certain unemployment benefits was delaying Senate passage Wednesday of the largest economic rescue package in modern US history, amid fears that New York could be the next epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. The United States now has over 65,000 confirmed cases, the third-highest number globally behind China and Italy. About half are in New York state. “We still have the trajectory going up,” […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — There is a strong chance the new coronavirus could return in seasonal cycles, a senior US scientist said Wednesday, underscoring the urgent need to find a vaccine and effective treatments. Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a briefing the virus was beginning to take root in the southern hemisphere, where winter is on its way. “What we’re starting to see now… […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Mark Esper ordered a 60-day freeze Wednesday on moves by US troops and civilian defense employees overseas in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. The move stopped the deployment or redeployment of some 90,000 US service members for the next two months. It also freezes in place the families of service members who traveled overseas with their deployments. “This measure is taken to aid […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Robots are expected to demonstrate their value for “dirty and dangerous” medical tasks in the fight to quell the coronavirus pandemic, researchers said Wednesday. An editorial in Science Robotics noted that robots can help with telemedicine, decontamination, handling of hazardous waste and monitoring compliance with voluntary quarantines. “Historically, robots have been developed to take on dull, dirty and dangerous jobs,” the researchers wrote. “As epidemics escalate, the potential roles of […]
ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigeria on Wednesday received test kits and protective gear from China’s richest man, Jack Ma, to help fight novel coronavirus, which has so far claimed one life and infected 45 others in Africa’s most populous nation. Nigeria’s top health official, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, told AFP that the country had received 100,000 face masks, 1,000 protective gowns and 20,000 test kits. The equipment will be distributed to frontline health workers and hospital laboratories, […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Metro and rail services in Paris and its suburbs will be cut to a minimum as part of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, officials said Wednesday. Both Paris transport operator RATP and national rail group SNCF have already sharply reduced services since the home confinement orders came into effect on March 17. They apply to all but essential employees and those who cannot work from home. Starting Thursday, about 50 of the […]
by Suzauddin RUBEL with Sam JAHAN in Dhaka KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AFP) — The sewage-soaked alleys and cramped canvas and bamboo shacks that house one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are a horrifying scene for experts watching the coronavirus pandemic creep closer. The wretched conditions in the camps, where most of the stateless Muslims arrived in 2017 to escape a Myanmar military clampdown across the nearby border, are fertile ground for any disease. The public in […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Social distancing appears to be slowing the spread of the coronavirus in New York, the epicenter of America’s pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. In his daily update on efforts to contain the deadly pandemic, Cuomo said projection rates suggested hospitalizations were increasing at a slower rate than before. “The arrows are headed in the right direction,” he told reporters. Cuomo said New York was still “on the way […]
