Tag Archives: Coronavirus

The UK economy is heading for its worst crash in more than 300 years because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new forecast from the Bank of England. The central bank said Thursday that the British economy could shrink by 14% this year. That would be the biggest annual …

Japan on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, making it the country’s first officially authorized drug to tackle the coronavirus disease. Japan reached the decision just three days after the U.S. drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the treatment. “There has so far been no …

Another 3.2 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in the US as the coronavirus pandemic triggered one of the most expansive job losses in history, with 33 million people seeking aid since the outbreak began. The country has slipped into one of its worst economic downturns since the Great …

An official says the election cannot be pulled off on Sunday, but the vote has not been officially postponed, either. Poland is scheduled to hold a presidential election in just four days but nobody can say whether it will happen or not. Sunday’s election date was set months ago but …

Chinese youngsters in the global virus epicentre of Wuhan filed back to class on Wednesday, wearing masks and walking in single file past thermal scanners. Senior school students in 121 institutions were back in front of chalkboards and digital displays for the first time since their city — the ground …

The European Union faces a deep and uneven recession, according to a new forecast from the EU’s Commission. The bloc’s executive arm predicts a recovery in 2021 but warns that the uncertainty is exceptionally high. The Commission predicts a decline in economic activity this year of 7.5% and slightly more …

A genetic study of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with COVID-19 suggests the new coronavirus spread quickly around the world after it emerged in China sometime between October and December last year, scientists said on Wednesday. Scientists at University College London’s Genetics Institute found almost 200 recurrent genetic …

Iraq’s parliament has approved a new government, after six months without one, as parties squabbled until the last minute over cabinet seats in backroom deals. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s intelligence chief and a former journalist, will head the government but will begin his term without a full cohort of …

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said today, Wednesday, that customs duties should not be used as a weapon, after US President Donald Trump threatened last week with new customs duties as a punitive measure in response to Beijing’s handling of the Corona virus crisis. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told …

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington has “significant evidence” that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. However, don’t expect to see proof any time soon. Speaking at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday, Pompeo opened up his press conference with a broadside against Beijing. …

Spain has extended the state of emergency imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people’s movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown. Parliament approved the measure on Wednesday after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who heads a fragile coalition government, …

At least 90,000 health-care workers worldwide are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, and possibly twice that, amid reports of continuing shortages of protective equipment, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said on Wednesday. The disease has killed more than 260 nurses, it said in a statement, urging authorities …

Italian researchers claim to have developed a vaccine that can neutralize the coronavirus in human cells. Tests carried out at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases, generated antibodies in mice that work in human cells. “This is the most advanced stage of testing of a candidate vaccine …

The press office of the Russian Ministry of Culture announced today, Wednesday, that the Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lubimova was infected with the Coruna virus. “The Minister of Culture, Olga Lubyumova, is working remotely. The results of the analysis of Covid-19 are positive,” said a spokeswoman for the Russian …

The death toll from the emerging coronavirus in Spain has increased by 224 new cases during the past 24 hours, after health authorities recorded fewer than 200 deaths during three consecutive days. The Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed today, Wednesday, that the death toll of the epidemic in the country …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has lashed out at the United States for intensifying its illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation at a time when the country is fighting a deadly coronavirus outbreak, saying Washington should first lift the bans to prove its sincerity in offering help to the Islamic Republic …

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. An antibody that “neutralizes” the novel coronavirus Researchers said they have produced a monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the new …

France accused Apple of undermining its effort to fight the coronavirus by refusing to help make its iPhones more compatible with a planned “StopCovid” contact-tracing app. Countries are rushing to develop smartphone apps, which are seen as a way to help keep the novel coronavirus epidemic in check while reopening …

US secretary of state said there was ‘enormous evidence’ the virus emerged from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China’s state broadcaster CCTV has attacked recent remarks from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, calling them “insane and evasive”. Pompeo, speaking …

congresswoman Ilhan Omar has renewed calls for the US to suspend sanctions against Iran, as the country’s crippled health-care system struggles to deal with the rapid spread of the coronavirus. “We need to suspend these sanctions before more lives are lost,” Omar said via Twitter on Friday, retweeting an earlier …