Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | People in Sweden with foreign backgrounds are disproportionately affected by the new coronavirus, underscoring the grim reality of segregation and raising fears that a “blind spot” is masking some communities. The wealthy Scandinavian country of 10.3 million has a generous immigration policy, granting asylum and family …
Read More »Will Italy’s coronavirus epidemic fuel the far right?
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy is staring down the barrel of the worst recession since World War II, which could bolster the far-right and damage the country’s love affair with the European Union, analysts say. Much will depend on how Rome handles the easing of the national lockdown, how quickly …
Read More »Global virus deaths pass 150,000 as Trump endorses lockdown protests
Washington, United States | AFP | Coronavirus deaths have surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where President Donald Trump lent his support to protestors rallying against lockdown orders. Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of …
Read More »Chinese help for virus gets wary reception in France
Paris, France | AFP | An operation by France’s Chinese community to help the diaspora during the coronavirus outbreak by distributing masks, disinfectant and gloves has prompted questions and legal problems for some of its backers. Sceptical of the French government’s response to the epidemic, the Chinese embassy, business leaders and …
Read More »COVID-19: Driver from Tanzania traced
UPDATE: Uganda Covid19 ✳ 9,975 tested ✳ 55 confirmed cases ✳ 1 foreign (to be repatriated) ✳ 20 recoveries ✳ 35 active cases ✳ 0 deaths Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | Uganda health officials and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) have traced a Tanzanian driver heading to DRC who …
Read More »Nigeria leader’s top aide dies of coronavirus: presidency
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | The powerful chief of staff to Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the presidency said Saturday. Buhari’s office announced in a statement that it “regrets to announce the passage” of Abba Kyari, who acted as gatekeeper to the president of Africa’s …
Read More »German virus patients are ‘lucky’ ones
Aachen, Germany | AFP | After making it through the first night breathing on her own, 60-year-old Martina Hamacher can only say: “I’ve been lucky.” One of Germany’s earliest coronavirus patients, Hamacher is still tangled in some of the tubes and cables that helped keep her alive for 20 days in …
Read More »Global virus deaths pass 150,000 as Trump says China hiding toll
Washington, United States | AFP | World coronavirus deaths surged past 150,000 Friday as US President Donald Trump accused China of continuing to cover up its toll, even after Beijing revised figures sharply upward for Wuhan, the original epicenter of the global pandemic. COVID-19 fatalities mounted in the United States and …
Read More »Leaders warn Africa short of funds to fight pandemic
Washington, United States | AFP | International financial institutions and African leaders warned on Friday the continent needs tens of billions of dollars in additional money to fight the coronavirus pandemic despite debt freezes and massive pledges of support. In a joint statement, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund said …
Read More »Horrors revealed at virus-hit Canada nursing home
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Elderly residents left soiled and unfed after their caregivers fled the premises, 31 deaths in the space of a few weeks: a nursing home in Montreal has become the symbol of the terrible toll coronavirus is taking in Canada’s long-term care homes. The bleak situation discovered …
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