In Iraq, the World Health Organization has called on the government to continue to tighten its preventive measures against the coronavirus. The representative of the organization, Adham Ismail, said in a statement today, Thursday, that “the first day of lifting the partial ban was not good indicators, regarding adherence to …
Read More »Iraq releases 20,000 detainees amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council on Thursday announced that more than 20,000 detainees had been released so far as part of measures to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak. The council’s statement said that this decision came “in line with the decisions of the [Iraqi] Crisis Cell regarding reducing the risks …
Read More »French study finds smoking may help you RESIST COVID-19
In a reversal of prevailing COVID-19 wisdom, a French study appears to show smokers are less at risk from the virus, affirming the results of an earlier Chinese study. The data aren’t conclusive – but they’re certainly surprising. Nicotine may protect smokers against the coronavirus, according to a paper published …
Read More »Video: ‘Still at the beginning’: Merkel asks Germans for resilience in coronavirus battle
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Thursday to show endurance and discipline to get through the coronavirus pandemic that is “still at the beginning”, and called for a bigger European Union budget to support economic recovery in the bloc. Merkel is worried that Germans are relaxing their social distancing efforts …
Read More »Cocaine prices in France surge thanks to coronavirus crisis
The coronavirus pandemic and the travel restrictions that came with it have severely reduced the supply of illegal drugs entering France, sending prices skyrocketing and users turning to cheaper alternatives. The go-to land routes for drug traffickers crossing into France from the Netherlands and Spain have largely been closed off, …
Read More »Jellyfish filmed swimming through Venice’s now-crystal clear waterways
The incredible flora and fauna of the Venetian canals have been caught on video as the lack of boats on the waterways leaves the water to clear and natural life to thrive. The Italian city world-renowned for its canals has been in lockdown since early March, having been among the …
Read More »Harvard slams Trump while refusing to return federal stimulus check
Trump says he will force Harvard to give back emergency coronavirus funding Harvard says it did not receive aid from a congressional relief fund created for small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic after Donald Trump alleged the university took the money “meant for workers”. In a statement posted to Twitter, …
Read More »Brazilian COVID-19 victims buried in MASS GRAVES as fatalities mount (VIDEOS)
Authorities in the Brazilian city of Manaus have begun burying people who died from COVID-19 in mass graves after the number of people falling victim to the virus dramatically increased. In a somber statement, Manaus City Hall said that the number of burials in public cemeteries spiraled significantly over the …
Read More »Australia seeks probe into coronavirus spread, France and UK say now not the time
Australia sought support for an international probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and major powers, but France and Britain said now was the time to fight the virus and not apportion blame. Australia’s push for an independent review of the origins …
Read More »Video: The animal markets still running despite coronavirus risks
In a bustling meat market on a tourist island in Indonesia on 7 April, a pile of dead bats is laid out for sale on a table next to cuts of fresh pork while a butcher angrily shoos away a customer trying to take pictures of the scene on his …
Read More »US OKs 1st coronavirus test that allows self-swab at home
U.S. health regulators on Tuesday OK’d the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first responders under a …
Read More »WHO warns lifting of coronavirus lockdowns must be gradual
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections. Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for …
Read More »New York schools and hospitals could see 20% cut in funding, governor warns
New York schools and hospitals could see a 20 percent decrease in funding without federal assistance, the governor warned. Governor Andrew Cuomo has put pressure on President Donald Trump and the federal government in recent days because of the assistance his state desperately needed in order to properly fight the …
Read More »Video: Anti-Netanyahu demonstrators in Israel stage unique protest, keeping social distance
Israeli demonstrators turned out in droves to protest the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Mindful of the need for social distancing, they stood two meters apart from each other in a visually spectacular gathering. Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square is often a staging ground for rallies. Tens of thousands flocked to the …
Read More »Brazil’s president criticized for joining anti-lockdown protests
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has come under criticism for joining protesters demanding that restrictions on movement introduced to stop the spread of coronavirus be lifted. Mr Bolsonaro has clashed in recent weeks with state governors who have imposed lockdowns, denouncing the measures as “dictatorial”. As of Sunday, Brazil had more …
Read More »Americans trust Dr Fauci and Andrew Cuomo far more than Trump, poll finds
Far more Americans are placing their trust in what White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are saying about the health crisis than what Donald Trump is saying, according to a new poll from NBC News/Wall Street Journal. Three out of every five Americans …
Read More »New York state epidemic ‘on the descent’: governor
The coronavirus outbreak in New York state — the epicenter of the epidemic in the United States — is “on the descent,” Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday. “We are past the high point, and all indications at this point are that we are on the descent,” Cuomo told a …
Read More »Ventilator from old car parts? Afghan girls pursue prototype
On most mornings, Somaya Farooqi and four other teenage girls pile into her dad’s car and head to a mechanic’s workshop. They use back roads to skirt police checkpoints set up to enforce a lockdown in their city of Herat, one of Afghanistan’s hot spots of the coronavirus pandemic. The …
Read More »People in Mali cast votes in second round of legislative elections
Polling stations open for the second round of legislative elections in Mali, which are being held despite coronavirus and terrorist violence. Polling staff ensures that all sanitary measures are taken to prevent the spread of the virus, although crowds were observed inside the polling stations.
Read More »US conservatives lead anti-lockdown protests in Texas
Dave Littrell stood at a socially un-distant length from his fellow protesters on Saturday. Some shook hands. Others hugged. More than a hundred people rubbed elbows and shoulders, their signs and flags touching, their faces unmasked. Mr. Litrell held his 6-year-old daughter as those surrounding him chanted to reopen the …
Read More »