Colombia’s ELN rebels call ceasefire over coronavirus
The left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group in Colombia has declared a unilateral ceasefire for a month starting on 1 April. The rebels said the ceasefire was a “humanitarian gesture” amid the coronavirus pandemic. More than 700 people have tested positive for the virus...
Coronavirus: Brazil’s Bolsonaro in denial and out on a limb
As the world tries desperately to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Brazil’s president is doing his best to downplay it. Jair Bolsonaro has largely struggled to take it seriously. Going against his own health ministry’s advice earlier in March, and while awaiting the results of a...
Coronavirus in F1: Red Bull’s Helmut Marko told team’s drivers to become infected
Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko said he advised his drivers to become infected with coronavirus while the season is in hiatus. The 76-year-old said he had the idea to bring his Formula 1 drivers and juniors together in a camp, which “would be the...
More French COVID-19 patients flown to Germany and Switzerland
More French patients infected with COVID-19 have been transferred to hospitals in Germany and Switzerland, authorities have confirmed. The German Air Force confirmed on Twitter that one of its planes flew two patients from Strasbourg, in eastern France, to Ulm, in the southeastern German region...
UK PM Boris Johnson and health minister Hancock both have coronavirus
UK PM Boris Johnson and his health minister Matt Hancock have bother tested positive for coronavirus, it emerged on Friday. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” Johnson said in a video posted to Twitter. “I am...
British prime minister Boris Johnson says he has tested positive for coronavirus
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” he said in a video posted to Twitter. “I am now self-isolating, but I will...
Coronavirus: Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus. Mr Johnson said he developed mild symptoms over the past 24 hours, including a temperature and cough. He said he will now self-isolate in No 10 but will “continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference...
Coronavirus: Italian police arrest two men for stealing over 8,000 face masks
Italian police have arrested two men in Brindisi on suspicion of stealing 12,000 face masks during the COVID-19 quarantine. The brothers, aged 23 and 30, from Erchie, are being held on charges of aggravated robbery and the assault of a Chinese shopkeeper. They are accused...
Coronavirus: ‘Europe is in a fight for its life’ says Ursula von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe was in a ‘fight for its life’ as the death toll and infection rate of coronavirus rises across the continent. She told a relatively empty European Parliament that “the world has changed since the last...
Coronavirus restrictions: When does it end and could there be a second wave?
Countries around the world restricted citizens’ movement in a matter of days and many of the more than a billion people trapped at home are now wondering when they can resume a normal life. But several countries in Europe are extending their so-called lockdown policies...
Coronavirus: US overtakes China with most cases
The US now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country, with more than 85,500 positive tests. According to the latest figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, the US has overtaken China (81,782 cases) and Italy (80,589). But with almost 1,300 Covid-19-related fatalities,...
French Christian charity workers kidnapped in Iraq are freed
Four workers from a French Christian charity who were kidnapped in Iraq in January have been freed, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said. The three French nationals and an Iraqi were abducted in Baghdad on 20 January at a time of heightened tensions. Their release came...
Coronavirus: South Africa reports first deaths as lockdown begins
South Africa has announced its first deaths from Coronavirus infection, and said cases there have passed the 1,000 mark. “This morning, we South Africans wake up with sad news that we now have our first deaths resulting from COVID-19,” the health ministry said on Friday....
Coronavirus travel: China bars foreign visitors as imported cases rise
China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits. The country is also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full. Although China reported its...
India coronavirus: $22bn bailout announced for the poor
India has announced a $22bn (£19bn) bailout for the country’s poor to help counter the economic effects of the Covid-19 outbreak. “We don’t want anyone to remain hungry, and we don’t want anyone to remain without money in their hands,” finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said....
India lockdown: Frontline heroes of the coronavirus war
India is at a critical stage in its fight against coronavirus as fears of community transmissions rise. During its lockdown frontline workers are still going out every day to win what one doctor described as “a war India can’t afford to lose”. The BBC’s reports....
Nigeria pours millions into fighting coronavirus
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has announced fresh measures to combat the spread of coronavirus. These include a $26m (£21m) grant to Lagos state and a $13m grant to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Nigeria has recorded a steady rise in the number of...
Fear and uncertainty in wake of Uganda transport ban
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni declared a ban on public transport across the country to stop the spread of coronavirus on Wednesday night. This will have a big impact on millions of people – not only because it restricts their movements but also because it affects...
Cameroon rebels declare coronavirus ceasefire
A separatist militia in Cameroon is to down its weapons for a fortnight so people can be tested for coronavirus. The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (Socadef) said its ceasefire would come into effect from Sunday as “a gesture of goodwill”. It is so far the...
DR Congo capital Kinshasa declares coronavirus shutdown
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s authorities have announced a shutdown of the capital city, Kinshasa, from Saturday to stop the spread of coronavirus Governor Gentiny Ngobila said all residents, apart from essential workers such as medical staff, would have to stay at home for four...
No alcohol, no dog walks: Lockdown life in South Africa
“The night Cyril Ramaphosa became a wartime president” is how a leading columnist for South Africa’s News24 website described the South African leader’s decision to impose a nationwide lockdown to defeat coronavirus. The three-week lockdown, which started just after midnight, is unprecedented. It is the...
Italian nurse who fell ill commits suicide over fears of spreading coronavirus, nursing group says
A 34-year-old Italian nurse treating COVID-19 patients in the hard-struck European country has taken her own life for fear of having spread the illness, according to a nursing organization there. Daniela Trezzi worked in the intensive care unit of San Gerardo of Monza Hospital, according...
Canada asks US not to put troops at border during coronavirus outbreak
Canada has turned down a proposal by the United States to put troops at U.S.-Canada border during the coronavirus outbreak, arguing that such a move would be unnecessary given the low amount of illegal crossings and it would damage relations between the longtime allies. Prime...
Venezuela President Maduro wanted by DOJ for drug trafficking, Barr announces
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday unsealed a searing criminal indictment against Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro and several “co-conspirators,” accusing them of an array of narcotics and trafficking-related crimes, including efforts to smuggle drugs into the United States. At a press conference on...
Coronavirus: What you need to know
As coronavirus continues to spread across the country and the globe, there is important information you should know about the potentially deadly disease, what you can do to mitigate its impact, and how you can keep yourself and others safe. Coronavirus: Symptoms and transmission What...
US works to repatriate up to 5,000 Americans from Peru stranded due to coronavirus
There are close to 5,000 Americans stranded in Peru, and lawmakers are pressuring the State Department to repatriate them back to the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic. AMERICAN FAMILY STRANDED IN PERU, QUARANTINED IN PLACE AFTER CORONAVIRUS CLOSES BORDER The U.S. Embassy in Lima told...
US works to repatriate up to 5,000 Americans from Peru stranded due to coronavirus
There are close to 5,000 Americans stranded in Peru, and lawmakers are pressuring the State Department to repatriate them back to the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic. AMERICAN FAMILY STRANDED IN PERU, QUARANTINED IN PLACE AFTER CORONAVIRUS CLOSES BORDER The U.S. Embassy in Lima told...
World Health Organization director praises Trump’s leadership in response to coronavirus pandemic
The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday praised President Trump for his leadership in handling the novel coronavirus outbreak and said the president is “taking responsibility” for leading the United States’ response to the global pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the...
NYC’s Elmhurst Hospital at coronavirus breaking point as 13 patients die in 24-hour span
New York’s Elmhurst Hospital is at a breaking point amid the coronavirus crisis — with 13 patients dying there in a 24-hour span, officials said Wednesday. The number of deaths recorded at the Queens facility between Tuesday and Wednesday was “consistent with the amount of...
US Army soldiers deploy to New York to help fight coronavirus
More than 200 U.S. Army soldiers are deploying in New York Thursday to provide a “full range of health care services” to the state fighting the most coronavirus cases in the country. The medical personnel from the 531st Hospital Center – based in Fort Campbell,...