France coronavirus death toll close to Spain’s, still world’s fourth highest
The number of people who have died from coronavirus infection in France increased by 544 to 21,340 on Wednesday, the fourth-highest casualty tally in the world, but trailing just a few hundred behind Spain, which has a death toll of 21,717.
Pakistani doctors urge government to reimpose mosque restrictions
Leading Pakistani doctors on Wednesday urged the government and clerics to reverse a decision to allow prayer congregations at mosques during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warning that the spread of coronavirus could spiral out of control.
WHO says it hopes U.S. will reconsider funding, but focus is on ending pandemic
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that he hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives.
‘Incredibly small’ chance of mass vaccine or treatment in next year: UK official
There is an “incredibly small” chance of having a highly effective vaccine or treatment for the coronavirus within the next year, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Wednesday.
Abbas says Palestinian accords with Israel, U.S. null if Israel annexes West Bank land
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks aired on Wednesday that his administration would regard agreements with Israel and the United States “completely cancelled” if Israel annexes land in the occupied West Bank.
WHO chief says ‘virus will be with us for a long time’
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that there were “worrying upward trends” in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America, while also warning that opening up global travel needed to be managed carefully.
Britain’s Zoom parliament makes an almost glitch-free debut
British lawmakers upended 700 years of history on Wednesday, grilling stand-in leader Dominic Raab by video link in an unprecedented but largely successful “hybrid parliament” session forced by the coronavirus outbreak.
Albanian shops, courts, taxis resume work next week, with conditions
Albania, which already began this week to loosen some of the tightest coronavirus restrictions in Europe, will let some more shops, courts and taxis resume business beginning next week, provided that they meet hygiene and social distancing standards.
UK unlikely to have sudden lifting of lockdown: chief medical officer
England’s chief medical officer said on Wednesday it was unrealistic to expect a sudden lifting of all lockdown restrictions, even as ministers say the United Kingdom has reached the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.
UK has enough protective equipment but there may be local shortages: health official
Britain has enough personal protective equipment (PPE) at the national level but there are local shortages that may persist in the coming days, the government’s chief medical adviser said on Wednesday.
