Category: WORLD NEWS

Nineteen Indians are stuck at the Dubai International Airport for the last 21 days after India announced its COVID-19 lockdown, leaving them tired, homesick and desperate to return home, according to a media report. Most of these stranded persons were in transit when India stopped inbound flights in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gulf News reported. The following few days these stranded persons made the airport benches their home. After COVID-19 tests on March 21 — which was negative for all — they were shifted to the Dubai International…

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The Israeli government approved a tight quarantine of several areas of Jerusalem on Sunday, including the historic Old City, in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the city’s most susceptible neighborhoods. A ministerial committee gave approved the shutting down of movement in and out of several predominantly ultra-Orthodox areas of the city in order to contain the disease that has already resulted in over 100 deaths in Israel and almost 6,000 around the Middle East, the vast majority in Iran. The measure, which takes effect at…

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China’s health authorities on Saturday asked the public to strengthen protective measures and avoid gatherings after a number of cluster infections of the coronavirus were reported in some parts of the country, sparking concerns about the re-emergence of the vicious virus. All localities should intensify screenings and detection of Covid-19 cases, targeting key places and groups with high risks of infection, in order to minimise the risk of an epidemic rebound, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC) said. Noting that cluster infections have been reported in…

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The coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 16,000 lives and infected over 460,000 people in the US, devastating the country’s economy and rendering a record 16 million workers jobless in just three weeks. Of this, the New York metropolitan area, comprising the adjoining New Jersey and Connecticut, alone account for more than 9,000 and 220,000 cases respectively. Globally, over 1.5 million people have been infected so far by the coronavirus and the fatalities stands at nearly 95,000. The United States accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the all the COVID-19…

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In a relief to liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the High Court in London has deferred hearings on a plea by the SBI-led consortium of Indian banks, seeking the indebted tycoon to be declared bankrupt to enable them recover a loan of around 1.145 billion pounds from him. Justice Michael Briggs of the insolvency division of the High Court granted relief to Mallya, ruling that he should be given time till his petitions to the Supreme Court of India and his settlement proposal before the Karnataka High Court be determined, allowing…

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Iran’s supreme leader suggested Thursday that mass gatherings in the Islamic Republic may be barred through the holy Muslim fasting month Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comment in a televised address as Iran prepares to restart its economic activity while suffering one of the world’s worst outbreaks. He is also the highest-ranking official in the Muslim world to acknowledge the holy month of prayer and reflection will be disrupted by the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes. “We are going to be…

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would put a hold on America’s funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of becoming China-centric during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We’re going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We’re going to put a very powerful hold on it and we’re going to see. It’s a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that’s no good, Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference. Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization, receives vast…

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was in hospital due to persistent coronavirus symptoms, has been shifted to the intensive care unit after his coronavirus symptoms “worsened”, Downing Street has said. Johnson, 55, asked UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab to deputise for him as he was moved on Monday to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, a move Downing Street said was a precaution should he require ventilation to aid his recovery. Over the course of this afternoon (Monday), the condition of the Prime Minister…

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Italy has unveiled a record 400 billion euro ( USD 430 billion) stimulus to help businesses hurt by a month-long national lockdown that is like to run on for many more weeks. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday told the nation to be patient in the face of a pandemic that has now officially claimed 16,523 lives in the Mediterranean country and left millions at least temporarily unemployed “We will soon see a new spring for Italy but for the moment we must stay at home,” the Italian leader said…

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China has reported 30 new cases of the novel coronavirus, including five locally transmitted infections, even as nine of the 13 administrative districts of virus-hit Wuhan city were declared low-risk areas’ signifying a gradual return to normalcy, officials said on Sunday. China’s National Health Commission (NHC) in its daily report said other than the 30 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the mainland on Saturday, 47 new asymptomatic cases were also reported. The NHC said 1,024 asymptomatic cases were still under medical observation, including 244 from abroad. Asymptomatic coronavirus cases…

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