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MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s coronavirus death toll soared past 19,000 on Thursday after another 551 people died of COVID-19, with the numbers reflecting a slowdown after nearly five weeks on lockdown. One of the worst-hit countries in the world, Spain has seen the increase in the number of deaths and infections come down over the past fortnight, with the overnight fatalities taking the toll to 19,130. But there are growing concerns that the toll […]
by Shingo ITO Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday expanded a state of emergency due to the coronavirus to cover the whole country to stem the growing spread of the disease. The declaration allows regional governors to urge people to stay indoors, but with no punitive measures or legal force, the measure is far weaker than strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world. Abe had […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Reduced to sharing goggles and cheap raincoats, Indonesia’s under-equipped doctors are battling a tide of coronavirus infections that is overwhelming its creaky health-care system — and killing their colleagues. Two dozen doctors have died since the pandemic began in the Southeast Asian nation, and critics warn that the official death toll of 459 is way below reality in a country with some of the lowest virus testing rates in the world. […]
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Oil languished at multi-year lows on Thursday, with WTI crude remaining around $20 a barrel as dire warnings about a virus-triggered demand shock overshadowed a deal to cut output. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate made small gains in Asian afternoon trade to $20.05 per barrel at one point. It had slipped below the $20 mark Wednesday, and hit its lowest price in 18 years. International benchmark Brent crude, which also suffered […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday he had still not decided whether to tap an EU economic rescue package designed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. EU member states ended weeks of wrangling and agreed on the 500-billion-euro ($545-billion) emergency plan last Thursday. It includes the use of a 420-billion-euro European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund created during the eurozone debt crisis in 2012. But the ESM is politically toxic […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Over 17,000 people have now died in France from COVID-19, a top health official said on Wednesday, but the total number currently hospitalized has fallen for the first time since the epidemic began. A total of 17,167 people are now confirmed to have died in France in hospitals and nursing homes, Jerome Salomon told reporters, compared with a total toll of 15,729 the day earlier. But he said the difference between […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday posted nearly 2,600 additional deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours, a new record and the heaviest daily toll of any country, Johns Hopkins University said. A running tally from Johns Hopkins showed 2,569 victims at 8:30 pm Eastern Time (0030 GMT Thursday), compared with the same time the previous evening, bringing the total number of US deaths to 28,326 — higher than any other nation. […]
by Dave CLARK Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Prominent French intellectual, Bernard-Henri Levy, argues that the coronavirus epidemic is not an unprecedented health threat but that the way societies are responding is both new and dangerous. In an AFP interview, the 71-year-old philosopher and writer said the so-called “Asian Flu” outbreak in 1957 to 1958 and the “Hong Kong Flu” pandemic of 1968 to 1969 were similar in scale to the current deadly global situation. […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a “profound and pervasive impact” on global mental health as billions struggle to cope with isolated living and anxiety spikes, experts warned Thursday. In a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry, a panel of 24 specialists call for more funding for research into the impacts COVID-19 may have on society’s mental well-being. Two accompanying surveys of the British public […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York has developed its own antibody test that could help detect those immune to coronavirus as the state looks to gradually end its shutdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. He made the announcement as he ordered all residents of the state — the epicenter of America’s coronavirus outbreak — to cover their faces when in stores or using public transit. Cuomo said 2,000 people would be tested a […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States is past the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and that he will announce guidelines for reopening the economy on Thursday. “It is clear that our aggressive strategy is working,” he told a news conference. “The battle continues but the data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases.” Trump added that “these encouraging developments have put us in a […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Wednesday said new deaths from the novel coronavirus remained in double figures for the second day in a row, as the country gradually reopens its sanctions-hit economy. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 94 deaths from the COVID-19 disease were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 4,777. Another 1,512 people tested positive for the illness. That took the total number of infections to 76,389, […]
