Covid-19: Mexican president mourns 39,000 virus dead

MEXICO CITY, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexican president Manuel Lopez Obrador vowed to improve health standards in the nation, which has the fourth-highest coronavirus death toll in the world, as the number of fatalities rose to nearly 39,000. “We want to remember those who died from the COVID-19 pandemic, and…

First Italy trial over ‘migrant pushback’ to Libya

ROME, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The captain of an Italian-flagged ship is to be tried for allegedly forcing migrants back to Libya, in the first such case in Italy. The Asso 28 supply ship picked up 101 migrants near an oil and gas rig in international waters, before taking them…

Covid-19: US records 63,872 new cases in 24 hours – Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States on Sunday recorded 63,872 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally. That put the total number of cases in the US, the nation hardest hit by the global pandemic, at 3,762,081, the Baltimore-based…

UK ‘confident’ Moscow helped hackers target virus vaccine – Foreign Secretary

LONDON, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Foreign Secretary DominicRaab said he was “absolutely confident” in allegations bythe UK and its allies that Russia targeted labs conducting coronavirusresearch, branding the behaviour “outrageous and reprehensible”. Britain, the United States and Canada on Thursday accused a hackinggroup called APT29 of spearheading the online…

Three dead after glacier tour bus rolls over in Canada

MONTREAL, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A glacier-viewing bus overturned on Saturday at a popular tourist spot in the Canadian Rockies, killing three people and seriously injuring several others, news reports said. The all-terrain vehicle rolled off the road near the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta, national broadcaster CBC…

Covid-19: Spain spike continues amid Catalonia restrictions

Mask-wearing is encouraged in Barcelona as the region endures new restrictions BARCELONA, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain’s north-eastern Catalonia region has again recorded a daily Covid-19 infection figure of more than 1,000, as residents endure new restrictions. Health authorities are trying to halt this week’s surge, which has led to…

France: Arson suspected in Nantes cathedral fire

The blaze destroyed stained glass windows and the grand organ NANTES (France), July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fire at the cathedral in the French city of Nantes is believed to have been started deliberately, prosecutors say. Three fires were started at the site on Saturday and an investigation into suspected…

Covid-19: Tracking Africa’s cases; all nations now affected

Most countries on the continent have put in place restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus BRAZZAVILLE, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The outbreak of the new coronavirus has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people.As of July 19, the confirmed coronavirus death toll on the…

Burundi arrests local administrators for robbing returning residents

‘They stripped their victims of their belongings and money’ BUJUMBURA, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in Burundi have arrested 12 people, including local administrators, on charges of robbing residents returning from neighbouring Tanzania, a police spokesman said.The arrests in southern Makamba province took place two days after security minister Gervais…

Gambian MPs debate repealing skin lightening law

Skin bleaching BANJUL, July 20 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Gambian MPs debated a bill aimed at repealing a law passed under former President Yahya Jammeh banning skin bleaching, a widespread practice in West Africa to satisfy certain conceptions of beauty. The bill was not voted on at the end of the session…