Covid-19: More than 900 deaths in Spain for second day

MADRID, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 900 people died in Spain over the past 24 hours for the second day running, government figures showed, although the rate of new infections and deaths continued to slow. Spain has the world’s second-highest death toll after Italy with the virus so far…

Covid-19: World Bank approves initial US$1.9b in emergency funds, half for India

A poor Indian places his fingerprint on a biometric machine after purchasing food rations in Prayagraj, India WASHINGTON, April 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Bank said it had approved an initial US$1.9 billion in emergency funds for coronavirus response operations in 25 developing countries, with more than half the aid earmarked to help…

COVID-19 death toll hits 299 in Brazil, infections reach 7,910

BRASILIA, April 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — The death toll from the novel coronavirus climbed to 299 in Brazil as the number of confirmed cases went from 6,836 to 7,910, the Health Ministry said. In the past 24 hours, 59 COVID-19 patients died, raising the mortality rate to 3.8 percent, and 1,074…

Covid-19: World Bank approves 35-mln-USD loan to fight outbreak in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, April 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — The World Bank approved a loan worth 35 million U.S. dollars to help Argentina contain the novel coronavirus epidemic. The World Bank and the Argentinian government said in a joint statement that the loan will be used to purchase medical supplies for early detection…

Covid-19: Pres Xi says China ready to support Indonesia’s fight against coronavirus

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo BEIJING, April 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to support and assist Indonesia in overcoming the current challenge of the COVID-19 epidemic. In a phone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, Xi…

Covid-19: China to mourn victims on April 4

Yuan Weifang (front), an experienced ICU nurse from Shanghai Seventh People’s Hospital, takes a nap on the bus back to hotel in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province BEIJING, April 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — China will hold a national mourning Saturday for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus…

Libya: UN-backed GNA forces kill 20 Haftar militia members

TRIPOLI, April 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said Friday that its forces killed 20 militia members loyal to renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar in Sirte.The militia members were killed in an airstrike, Mustafa al-Mujie, the spokesman for the GNA-led Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation, told…

20 killed in Congo-Brazzaville as lightning triggers electrocution on first day of lockdown

BRAZZAVILLE, April 3 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Twenty people were killed when a lightning strike damaged a high-voltage power line in a suburb of the Congolese capital Brazzaville, the local mayor and witnesses said.The mayor of Kintele, Stella Mensah Sassou Nguesso, told state radio that seven bodies had been sent to a…

Covid-19: Iran’s official death toll passes 3,000

Iran is the worst-hit country in the Middle East TEHRAN, April 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iran’s official death toll from the coronavirus disease has passed 3,000. Health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour reported 138 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,036. The number of confirmed cases also rose by…

Covid-19 threatens Myanmar’s most vulnerable n displacement camps

Displaced communities in Myanmar are especially vulnerable to the virus  YANGON, April 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) —An estimated 350,000 displaced people across Myanmar are “sitting in the path of a public health catastrophe”, says rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW). Overcrowding, movement restrictions and poor sanitation have left these groups especially vulnerable to the…