The number of people worldwide who have died with Covid-19 has passed one million, researchers say, with many regions still reporting surging numbers of new infections. The tally by Johns Hopkins University shows that deaths in the US, Brazil and India make up nearly half that total. Experts caution that the true figure is probably…
Africa’s overburdened public health systems, dearth of testing facilities and overcrowded slums had experts predicting a disaster when COVID-19 hit the continent in February. The new coronavirus was already wreaking havoc in wealthy Asian and European nations, and a United Nations agency said in April that, even with social-distancing measures, the virus could kill 300,000…
Amnesty International says it has been forced to halt its India operations due to “reprisals” from the government. The watchdog has also accused the government of indulging in a “witch-hunt of human rights organisations”. Amnesty says its bank accounts have been frozen and it’s been forced to lay off staff in the country, and suspend…
A test that can diagnose Covid-19 in minutes will dramatically expand the capacity to detect cases in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The $5 (£3.80) test could transform tracking of Covid-19 in less wealthy countries, which have shortages of healthcare workers and laboratories. A deal with manufacturers will provide…
A Rwandan court on Monday charged Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” with terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group. Rusesabagina declined to respond to all 13 charges, saying some did not qualify as criminal offenses and saying that he denied the accusations when he was questioned by Rwandan…
Japan’s governing party has elected Yoshihide Suga as its new leader to succeed Shinzo Abe, meaning he is almost certain to become the country’s next prime minister. Last month Mr Abe announced his resignation for reasons of ill health. Mr Suga, 71, serves as chief cabinet secretary in the current administration and was widely expected…
DAVID Cameron has become the fifth former prime minister to criticise a new bill attempting to override the Brexit withdrawal agreement. The Internal Market Bill will come before MPs later, with the government calling it an “insurance policy”. Mr Cameron said he had “misgivings” over it and breaking an international treaty should be the “final…
Protesters have forced several stores of a South African health and beauty company to close, after it ran a hair advertisement they deemed racist. The Clicks advert had pictures of African hair labelled dry, dull and damaged, while an example of white hair was described as fine and flat. Opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)…
The former head of the World Bank has warned the world could look like it did in 1900 if countries don’t work together to tackle the current crisis. Robert Zoellick pointed to the rift between the US and China as a serious threat to the global economic recovery. Mr Zoellick, one of America’s most senior…
India has surpassed Brazil to become the second-worst affected country in the world by the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 90,802 new cases have been registered overnight, taking the total number of cases to 4,204,613. It has taken just 13 days for India to go from three to four million cases, while it took Brazil 25 and the US 16 days….
