Day: March 7, 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Pope goes livestream to fight viral epidemic
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VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis decided to deliver Sunday’s prayer by livestream and Italy called in retired doctors as the new coronavirus epidemic gathered strength and emptied streets in Europe’s worst affected country. The 83-year-old pontiff broke with centuries of tradition by enlisting the help of technology to keep crowds from descending on Saint Peter’s Square for
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Babies for sale: An investigation into the Philippines’ adoption trade
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MANILA: Joyce is searching for a baby and she knows there must be someone in the slum who wants to sell their child. The former midwife, whose real name is being withheld to protect her identity, has hooked up nearly 30 desperate mothers from Manila’s poorest neighbourhoods with people who have bought their newborns for ‘adoption’.
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
UN asks 9 countries to delay peacekeeper rotations due to coronavirus
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UNITED NATIONS, United States: The United Nations on Friday (Mar 6) asked nine countries, including China, South Korea and France, to delay by three months the rotations of their UN peacekeeping forces due to the coronavirus outbreak. The request was made to the countries “to maintain operational strength and execute their mandated tasks”, diplomatic sources at the UN
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Kabul victims describe scenes of carnage after attack
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KABUL: Kabul was reeling Saturday (Mar 7) after Islamic State extremists killed 32 people and wounded dozens more, with injured survivors describing scenes of terror as gunmen opened fire in the deadliest attack to hit Afghanistan since a US-Taliban deal. The attack at a crowded gathering in the capital has raised questions about Afghanistan’s abysmal
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Nine Singapore footballers who broke curfew during SEA Games fined: SNOC
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SINGAPORE: The nine Singapore footballers who broke curfew at last year’s SEA Games in the Philippines have been fined by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), a spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday (Mar 7). “On 31 January 2020, the SNOC Disciplinary Committee met with the nine athletes who were involved with two incidents of
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
North Korea slams European nations for ‘illogical thinking’ over missile launches
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SEOUL: North Korea accused European nations of “illogical thinking” on Saturday (Mar 7) after they called a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting to condemn missile launches by the reclusive state earlier this week. Britain, Germany, France, Estonia and Belgium raised North Korea’s latest missile firings at the UN Security Council on Thursday, calling them
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Italy calls in retired doctors to help fight virus
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ROME: Italy on Saturday (Mar 7) began recruiting retired doctors as part of urgent efforts to bolster the healthcare system with 20,000 additional staff and fight the escalating viral epidemic. The measure was one of several adopted by the government during an all-night cabinet meeting that came after the Mediterranean country reported 49 more deaths.
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Coronavirus cases rise in UAE, Kuwait and Qatar: Ministries
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DUBAI: The number of coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates has risen to 45 from 30, the Health Ministry said on Saturday (Mar 7). Kuwait recorded three new cases of coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61, while Qatar reported its 12th case, the health ministries in the two countries said on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
South Korea’s coronavirus cases climb above 7,000, most cases traced to church
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SEOUL: South Korea’s coronavirus cases jumped above 7,000 on Saturday (Mar 7), up by 448 from the previous day, with more than half of the total number linked to a secretive church at the centre of the country’s outbreak, health authorities said. The death toll rose by two to 46, according to the Korea Centers for
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Americans quarantined in Bethlehem hotel in coronavirus scare: Palestinian official
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank: Fifteen Americans have been quarantined in a hotel in Bethlehem as part of precautions against the coronavirus, a Palestinian government spokesman said on Saturday (Mar 7). The city in the occupied West Bank has been in lock down since cases of the virus were recorded there on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement READ: Friday prayers
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
China reports 28 COVID-19 deaths, rise in new infections originating from abroad
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BEIJING: China on Saturday (Mar 7) reported 28 new deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, bringing the nationwide toll to 3,070. The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 28 new deaths. In the provincial capital of Wuhan, 21 people died. Advertisement Advertisement Mainland China had 99 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Philippines records first community transmission of coronavirus, now has 6 cases
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MANILA: The Philippines said on Saturday (Mar 7) it had confirmed its first case of community transmission for the new coronavirus, prompting health ministry officials to call on the president to declare a public health emergency to contain its spread. The case involves a 62-year-old male Filipino who had not travelled abroad recently. Advertisement Advertisement READ: 2
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Sea of meth as Myanmar army smashes three drug labs
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KAWANGHKA, Myanmar: Sacks of heroin and methamphetamine are laid out in endless rows in a remote Myanmar border zone during a rare raid in the heart of Southeast Asia’s infamous “Golden Triangle”. The seizure in one of the world’s biggest narcotics-producing regions put three major laboratories out of business this week and hauled in 43 million
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 7, 2020
Two apartment buildings in South Korea quarantined over COVID-19
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SEOUL: Two South Korean apartment buildings heavily occupied by members of a sect linked to most of the country’s coronavirus cases have been quarantined after dozens of residents tested positive for the disease, an official said Saturday (Mar 7). The move comes as the country, which has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in
