Day: Apr 17, 2020

GENEVA (REUTERS) - Any "wet markets" that are allowed to reopen after coronavirus lockdowns must conform to stringent food and hygiene standards, World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing on Friday (April 17). Suspicion has fallen on a market selling live animals in the Chinese city of Wuhan as the possible origin … Continue reading Coronavirus: Reopening wet markets must conform to strict standards, says WHO

PARIS (REUTERS) - France said on Friday (April 17) there was no evidence so far of a link between theovid new coronavirus and the work of the P4 research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the current pandemic started. "We would like to make it clear that there is to this day no … Continue reading Coronavirus: France says no evidence Covid-19 linked to Wuhan research lab

WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - Elon Musk's SpaceX will fly American astronauts to the International Space Station on May 27, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrator Jim Bridenstine, setting an official launch date for the mission. The launch, which Bridenstine announced in a tweet on Friday (April 17), will mark the first for Nasa astronauts … Continue reading Nasa sets date for first-ever astronaut flight on SpaceX rocket

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Friday (April 17) said China's real death toll from coronavirus was "far higher," even after officials issued a new count sharply raising the number of dead in Wuhan, where the pandemic began. "China has just announced a doubling in the number of their deaths from the Invisible Enemy. … Continue reading Coronavirus: Trump says China death toll ‘far higher’ than admitted

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Sweden's Princess Sofia has begun doing shifts as a healthcare assistant in Stockholm after completing a three-day course to help ease strained healthcare resources during the new coronavirus pandemic, the Swedish Royal Court said on Friday (April 17). The 35-year-old princess started volunteering at the Sophiahemmet hospital in Stockholm on Thursday. Nurse … Continue reading Coronavirus: Sweden’s Princess Sofia dons scrubs to help with healthcare

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Google said on Friday (April 17) it would waive fees for publishers using its Ad Manager platform for the next five months as part of its efforts to support news organisations reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes in addition to Google's "journalism relief fund" announced this week, which will include emergency … Continue reading Google to waive ad fees as part of journalism relief effort amid coronavirus pandemic

BENGALURU (REUTERS) - Netflix said on Friday (April 17) it had made some documentary features and series, including Our Planet and Explained, available on the company's YouTube channel for free at the request of teachers. The move comes as the coronavirus outbreak has forced educational institutions to shut down, and confined millions of students to their homes, compelling … Continue reading Netflix streams some educational films on YouTube for free as coronavirus keeps people home

LONDON (AFP) - London's transport authorities on Friday announced new measures to protect bus drivers from coronavirus, as colleagues held a minute's silence for 20 who have already died. Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose father was a bus driver, led tributes to the victims as authorities said passengers would no longer be able to use the … Continue reading Coronavirus: London buses step up measures after 20 drivers die

WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is urging the country's allies to re-examine the risks of using Huawei Technologies telecommunications equipment in light of China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "I am very confident that at this moment, this moment where the Chinese Communist Party failed to be transparent and open and … Continue reading US State Secretary Pompeo says China’s coronavirus failure bolsters concerns about Huawei, ZTE

DUBAI (REUTERS) - Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, said that Muslim prayers during the fasting month of Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid al-Fitr feast should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues, Saudi's Okaz newspaper reported on Friday (April 17). "Ramadan's Taraweeh (evening) … Continue reading Coronavirus: Saudi grand mufti says Ramadan night, Eid prayers to be done at home

MADRID (REUTERS, AFP) - Spain's overnight death toll from coronavirus was 585 on Friday (April 17), a rise from 551 the previous night but far off early April peaks as the country starts to loosen the terms of its lockdown. Overnight figures of more than 900 were registered at the height of the outbreak in … Continue reading Spain’s coronavirus death rate rises; government seeks to harmonise data

JOHANNESBURG (REUTERS) - The Covid-19 pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) said on Friday (April 17), calling for a US$100 billion (S$142 billion) safety net for the continent. Africa's 54 countries have so far reported fewer than 20,000 confirmed cases … Continue reading At least 300,000 Africans expected to die in coronavirus pandemic: UN agency