Covid-19: US Pres Trump announces 3M deal for millions of masks

WASHINGTON, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump announced a deal with US manufacturing giant 3M to provide millions of facemasks to combat the coronavirus pandemic after a dispute over foreign distribution. “We have reached a very amicable agreement with 3M for the delivery of an additional 55.5 million high…

Covid-19: UN Security Council to hold first talks Thursday, says diplomats

UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN Security Council will on Thursday hold its first meeting on the coronavirus pandemic — by video conference — after weeks of divisions among its five permanent members, diplomats said. Last week, exasperated by the back-and-forth that has paralyzed the council, including between…

Covid-19: Europe looks for lockdown exit strategy as rate of new cases and deaths slows

 Italy hopes to be back on the move soon after seeing virus cases reach a plateau PARIS, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe’s governments have begun to look ahead to the post-lockdown phase of their battle against Covid-19 as curves on the continent flatten. Austria on Monday became the first EU…

Covid-19: US now has more than 367,000 cases; converting stadiums and conference centers into medical sites

A medical worker wheels a body to a refrigerated trailer serving as a makeshift morgue at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York WASHINGTON, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States now has at least 367,507 cases of the coronavirus and 10,908 deaths, according to data…

Covid-19: Africa will not be testing ground for vaccine – WHO

GENEVA, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned as “racist” the comments by two French doctors who suggested a vaccine for the coronavirus could be tested in Africa. “Africa can’t and won’t be a testing ground for any vaccine,” said Director-General, Dr Tedros…

Boko Haram suicide bombers kill seven in Cameroon

Boko Haram fighters YAOUNDE, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Seven people were killed when two suicide bombers, suspected to be members of Nigeria’s Boko Haram jihadist group, attacked a village in northern Cameroon on Sunday, police and a local official said. “Two Boko Haram bombers blew themselves up at around 8pm”…

Covid-19: The three African countries free of virus

JUBA, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Lesotho, Comoros, and São Tomé and Príncipe are the three remaining African countries yet to record a single case of coronavirus. South Sudan which until April 4 was also free of the virus recorded its first case on Sunday, according to government officials. Riek Machar,…

Covid-19: Nigeria seeks $6.9 bln from lenders to fund coronavirus fight

Nigerian Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed ABUJA, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria has requested a total of $6.9 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) to combat the impact of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, the finance minister said. Zainab Ahmed said at a news conference in…

Covid-19: Ghana expected to receive full complement of $100m coronavirus fund from World Bank

Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister ACCRA, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ghana is expected to have full complement of the $100m Coronavirus fund from the World Bank Monday.The money is expected to go into various programmes and activities to fight the pandemic.The World Bank over the weekend approved the first set of emergency support…

Chile drought causing water shortage amidst virus crisis

SANTIAGO, April 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With historically low riverflows and reservoirs running dry due to drought, people in central Chile have found themselves particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic. Years of resource exploitation and lax legislation have allowed mostreservoirs in that part of the country to run dry. “There are…