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by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Air pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles is likely to increase mortality from the novel coronavirus in cities, public health experts told AFP Monday. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) warned that dirty air in urban areas that causes hypertension, diabetes and other respiratory illness could lead to a higher overall death toll from the virus currently sweeping the world. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines were still […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Countries going into crisis mode over the spread of the deadly new coronavirus must not use the emergency measures to suppress human rights, a group of independent UN experts insisted Monday. The rights experts, who are appointed by the United Nations but who do not speak on behalf of the world body, said they recognized “the severity of the current health crisis and acknowledge that the use of emergency powers is […]
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — Hungary became the latest European country to announce drastic restrictions on public life Monday, closing its borders and curtailing movement in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “We are closing Hungary’s borders to passenger traffic,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a speech in parliament on Monday. “The international talks to coordinate this is taking place now, this means that in future only Hungarian citizens will be […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain has registered nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 8,744, the health ministry said on Monday. Over the same period, the number of deaths rose by nine to 297, the ministry’s emergency coordinator Fernando Simon said. The figure for new cases was lower than weekend numbers when 2,000 infections were detected between Saturday and Sunday and the number of deaths […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European Union leaders will take part in a crisis video conference Tuesday to coordinate actions to fight the spread of the coronavirus. “Containing the spread of the virus, providing sufficient medical equipment, boosting research and limiting the economic fallout is key,” tweeted European Council chief Charles Michel. The 27 EU member state leaders will hold their extraordinary summit — called by Michel — one day after the G7 holds a similar […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s ex-military chief Benny Gantz was Monday nominated to form a government, issuing a call for “unity” after a year of political deadlock and amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ll do everything to form in a few days as possible a national, patriotic and broad government… I always wanted unity,” Gantz said, urging his rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to join him. © Agence France-Presse
DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — Liberia announced its first case of the novel coronavirus on Monday, becoming the 27th African country to confirm the illness. The patient is the head of Liberia’s environmental agency and had recently returned from Switzerland, the information ministry said in a statement. “The country has registered its first case of coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19,” it said. “The government urges everyone to remain calm. Health officials continue to search for all […]
by Richard CARTER / Miwa SUZUKI TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Bank of Japan on Monday unveiled a series of emergency monetary policy measures to shore up the world’s third-largest economy, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens a global recession. In a meeting brought forward by two days, the BoJ said it would double its annual capacity to purchase exchange-traded funds and Japan real estate investment funds, the latest global central bank to take emergency action. […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s foreign minister said Monday the rights to coronavirus vaccine research were not for sale, following reports Donald Trump wanted the US to buy exclusive access to a potential vaccine developed by a German biotech firm. The comments, made in an interview with media group Funke, come as scientists raced to develop a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus that has killed some 6,000 people, seen millions placed under lockdown and devastated […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian supermarket chain will start opening its doors exclusively to customers over 60-years-old for one hour a day as part of an effort to ease the burden of panic-buying on the most vulnerable. “Woolworths Supermarkets will be opening exclusively for the elderly and those with a disability to shop from 7am to 8am,” the company said in a statement Monday. The measure is expected to come into effect on Tuesday […]
LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Portugal will close its border with Spain to tourists for at least a month to curb the spread of coronavirus, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Sunday. Goods and people traveling for work will still be allowed to cross the border but not those on leisure trips, he told a news conference after speaking by videoconference with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez. “There will be no tourism between Portugal and Spain […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy on Sunday recorded 368 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, its highest one-day increase to date, taking the total to 1,809, the most outside China, official data showed. The number of infections has reached 24,747, a count released to the media by Italy’s civil protection service said. The northern Lombardy region around Milan remained the European epicenter of the pandemic, officially reporting 1,218 deaths or 67 percent of the Italian […]
