Kenya confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday, government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said, without providing further details. Earlier on Thursday, the ministry of health reported three more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected people in the East African country to 31.
Read More »Mali opposition leader taken hostage with six others: party
Mali’s main opposition leader “Soumaila Cisse” is being held hostage with six members of his delegation, his party said on Thursday after they were attacked on the campaign trail in a region where jihadists often strike. Cisse’s bodyguard was killed and two others wounded when unidentified gunmen ambushed the group …
Read More »US charges Venezuelan president with drug crimes
The US has charged Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and other senior officials in the country with drug trafficking crimes. The move, which will increase tensions between the two nations, was announced by Attorney General William Barr. The US also offered a $15m (£12.5m) reward for any information leading to Mr. …
Read More »US unemployment claims hit record
The number of Americans filing for unemployment has surged to a record high as the economy goes into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 3.3 million people registered to claim jobless benefits for the week ended 21 March, according to the Department of Labor data. That is nearly five …
Read More »New Zealand mosque gunman pleads guilty to murder, terrorism
A man accused of deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch a year ago has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder. Brenton Tarrant, 29, also admitted the attempted murder of another 40 people, and one terrorism charge. He had previously denied the charges and was …
Read More »London hospitals facing ‘tsunami’ of coronavirus patients
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses, asserts some hospitals in London have become inundated with a “continuous tsunami” of coronavirus patients and are likely to be overwhelmed within days. Despite hospitals having expanded critical care capacity between five and sevenfold in the last weeks, …
Read More »Coronavirus: Police play Baby Shark to thank people for staying off the streets
Police in Andorra has performed the ‘Baby Shark’ dance on a street as thanks to locals for following social distancing rules and staying home during a coronavirus lockdown. Footage of officers playing the popular children’s song loudly from their vehicle and dancing in the parish of Escaldes-Engordany has amused many …
Read More »Israel to see 40,000 virus deaths after PM brags about healthcare
Up to 40,000 people may lose their lives due to the COVID-19 disease in Israel, the regime’s health ministry predicted, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Israelis were fully protected against the pandemic. Israel’s leading daily Haaretz on Thursday reported the results of a study conducted by the regime’s …
Read More »Tehran says missing former U.S. agent left Iran years ago
Tehran said on Thursday that a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 13 years ago had left the country a long time ago, despite his family saying a day earlier that he had died in Iranian custody. Robert Levinson went missing on Iran’s Kish Island in the Gulf in …
Read More »Spain deaths surpass China, as third of our planet in lockdown
Spain joined Italy on Wednesday in seeing its death toll from the coronavirus epidemic surpass that of China, as more than a billion Indians joined a lockdown that has confined a third of humanity. Markets rebounded after Washington vowed to spend $2 trillion to fend off a US economic collapse, …
Read More »Coronavirus impact spreads across U.S. as Congress readies aid
The burden caused by the fast-spreading coronavirus accelerated across the United States on Wednesday beyond the hot spots of New York, California and Washington state as Louisiana and others faced a severe crush on their healthcare systems. U.S. President Donald Trump issued the latest major federal disaster declarations for Louisiana …
Read More »Egypt deep cleans pyramids site emptied of tourists
Egypt began deep cleaning the area around the Giza pyramids on Wednesday as authorities work to disinfect tourist spots closed down by the coronavirus outbreak. Workers wearing face masks and gloves swept and sprayed the walkways around the bases of the pyramids, as well as the ticket office and a …
Read More »Greeks celebrate Independence Day from balconies amid virus spread
Greeks are celebrating Independence Day indoors, without the usual parades and rallies due to the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of the usual parade by schoolchildren and the annual military parade, this year military aircraft flew over the country to mark the day.
Read More »Istanbul prosecutor indicts Saudi suspects for Khashoggi killing
Istanbul prosecutors said on Wednesday they had prepared an indictment against a close aide to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a former deputy head of general intelligence over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prosecutor’s office accused the two men of instigating Khashoggi’s murder at the …
Read More »Gunmen in Afghanistan kill 25 at Sikh complex, ISIS claims responsibility
Gunmen and suicide bombers raided a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday, killing 25 people before security forces killed all of the attackers, the government said. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. Sikhs have been the target of …
Read More »Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus, symptoms ‘mild’
Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the British throne, has tested positive for coronavirus but is in good health and is now self-isolating in Scotland with mild symptoms. Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is displaying what Clarence House said were mild symptoms but remains in good health and …
Read More »50 Nigerian soldiers killed in deadly Boko Haram ambush
Boko Haram terrorists killed at least 50 Nigerian soldiers in an ambush near Goneri village in northern Yobe state, according to military officials. The attack, one of the deadliest against troops recently, came as the military tried to launch an offensive against the militants that began over the weekend, according …
Read More »64 Ethiopians found dead in a cargo container in Mozambique
Sixty-four migrants from Ethiopia were found dead on Tuesday, crammed inside a freight container in the northwestern Mozambican province of Tete, a senior hospital official said. The victims were discovered in a blue cargo container loaded on a truck. They were surrounded by survivors. Temperatures in Tete currently hover around …
Read More »Trump asked South Korea for equipment in return for business deals, Seoul says
Donald Trump asked South Korea for medical equipment to help fight the coronavirus in return for promises to give US approval to Korean companies, the presidential office in Seoul has said. President Moon Jae-in offered to send the equipment if his country has any spare, his Blue House official said …
Read More »Afghanistan: US to cut $1bn in aid over political feud.
The US is cutting $1bn (£0.86bn) in aid to Afghanistan and threatening further reductions in co-operation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. Pompeo announced the cut following a trip to the Afghan capital, Kabul, where he failed to break a deadlock between two politicians who both claim victory in …
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