Pres Trump says TikTok ‘out of business’ in US if not sold by mid-Sept

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump said that Chinese-owned hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok will be “out of business” in the United States if not sold to a US firm by Sept 15. “I set a date of around September 15, at which point it’s going to be…

Covid-19: Rules on outdoor mask-wearing go into effect for parts of France

Outdoor mask wearing takes effect. PARIS, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rules on wearing masks outdoors in the hardest-hit parts of France take effect on Monday, the latest move to tighten coronavirus restrictions after a nationwide decree last month required people to wear masks in all indoor public places. Pressure is…

France: Drugmaker Sanofi charged with manslaughter over birth defects

The Sanofi logo displayed at the company’s research and production centre PARIS, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French prosecutors have indicted pharma giant Sanofi for manslaughter over birth defects linked to an epilepsy drug, the company said, in a long-running case that has also seen it charged with fraud. The charges…

Poland’s top court rules presidential election result valid

President Andrzej Duda narrowly won re-election WARSAW, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Poland’s Supreme Court says there had been dozens of irregularities, but it approves the results of last month’s hotly-contested presidential election. President Andrzej Duda, who is backed by the ruling populist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, narrowly won…

Covid-19: Zimbabwe struggles with shortage of health workers

Health workers HARARE, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Doctors in Zimbabwe say the country is facing a crisis from a shortage of healthcare workers as the number of Covid- 19 infections begins to rise. Dr Rashida Ferrand, an epidemiologist at the main public hospital in the capital Harare said there are…

Covid-19: Africa in the eye of the storm as cases near one million

Testing in Africa trails global benchmarks GENEVA, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Focus is shifting to Africa with coronavirus infections expected to exceed one million this weekend even as the number of positive cases doubled in just over three weeks.The World Health Organisation has warned that some African nations could emerge…

Covid-19: There might never be a “silver bullet” for coronavirus – WHO chief

GENEVA, Aug 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — Although a number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials, there’s no silver bullet at the moment and there might never be for COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a Monday virtual press conference that…

Covid-19: Top coronavirus advisor warns US in ‘new phase’ of pandemic

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has entered a “new phase” of the pandemic, White House coronavirus advisor Deborah Birx warned, with rural areas just as threatened as major cities. Birx, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, said that local virus mitigation procedures were starting to…

Mexican journalist shot dead, the fourth in 2020

CHILPANCINGO (Mexico), Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Mexican journalist and his police bodyguard were murdered in a hail of gunfire in the southern state of Guerrero early on Sunday, police and human rights officials said. Pablo Morrugares is the fourth journalist murdered in Mexico in 2020. Morrugares ran the PM…

Britain to roll out millions of 90-minute COVID-19 tests

LONDON, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Millions of COVID-19 tests able to detect the virus within 90 minutes will be rolled out to British hospitals, care homes and laboratories to boost capacity in the coming months, the country’s health minister said. They will comprise 5.8 million tests using DNA and 450,000…