San Francisco, United States | AFP | Uber said Thursday it planned to give out “tens of millions” of masks to drivers worldwide as part of its efforts to boost safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. The global ridesharing giant said it shipped its first order of masks to drivers in …
Read More »COVID-19: British PM Johnson in intensive care
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in intensive care on Monday after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, prompting concern for his health and well-wishes from political friends and foes in Britain and abroad, as the country battles to control the outbreak. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab …
Read More »Malawi president takes wage cut to fund virus fight
Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika said Saturday he was taking a wage cut to help fund the fight against the coronavirus, and ordered his government to the same. Mutharika said in a statement he had ordered the treasury to cut his own salary and the wages …
Read More »FULL SPEECH: Queen Elizabeth II says collective effort will defeat COVID-19
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday thanked healthcare workers on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, promising that a united effort would help defeat the disease. In a rare special televised address, the 93-year-old monarch drew on her experience in World War …
Read More »Coronavirus: All that you need to know
Paris, France | AFP | Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: – More than one million cases – At least 1,082,470 cases of infection, including 57,474 deaths have been reported in 188 countries and territories around the world since the epidemic started in December, according to an …
Read More »DR Congo ‘prepared’ to take part in COVID-19 vaccine testing
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo is prepared to take part in testing of any future vaccine against the coronavirus, the head of the country’s taskforce against the pandemic said on Friday. “We’ve been chosen to conduct these tests,” said the head of the national …
Read More »UK man jailed for six months for ‘virus’ police cough
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A man who coughed on a police officer and threatened to infect him with coronavirus was on Wednesday sentenced to six months in jail in Britain, a police statement said. Adam Lewis, 55, was sentenced under a specific law governing assaults against emergency workers, …
Read More »TRUMP: US won’t pay Harry and Meghan security
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would not pay security costs for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, appearing to confirm that the royal couple have moved to live in California. They reportedly flew by private jet from Canada to Los …
Read More »US lab unveils portable 5-minute COVID-19 test
Washington, United States | AFP | A US-based lab has unveiled a portable test that can tell if someone has COVID-19 in as little as five minutes, it said in a statement Friday. Abbott Laboratories said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given it emergency authorization to begin …
Read More »Buckwheat and condoms: 5 things Russians are buying in pandemic
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians, long used to financial and political crises, are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic by bulk-buying the essentials for life in isolation — including condoms. Here are five things they are stocking up on: – Buckwheat – Buckwheat — or grechka as it is …
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