Foreign
WHO refrains from commenting on planned US withdrawal
July 8, 2020, 8:04 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday stopped short of commenting on a recent US decision to officially withdraw from the UN organization at the height of the coronavirus outbreak. The UN office in Geneva said the office of the Secretary-General had been notified by the US… Read More
Ending poverty by 2030 a fading dream: UN expert
July 8, 2020, 3:09 pm
GENEVA – The global coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has pushed more than 250 million people to the brink of starvation and dashed hopes of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, a UN expert said in a report on Tuesday. The report was presented to the UN Human Rights Council by Olivier… Read More
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for Covid-19
July 8, 2020, 9:52 am
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Bolsonaro came down with symptoms on Monday, including a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, cough, and headache, leading to a test at the Brazilian Armed… Read More
Trump administration formally pulls US out of WHO
July 8, 2020, 9:39 am
ANKARA – President Donald Trump's administration has officially withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak, a top Democrat confirmed Tuesday. "Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the US from… Read More
Oil down with more Covid-19 cases in key US states
July 8, 2020, 8:59 am
ANKARA – Crude oil prices were down on Tuesday as the rising number of new coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in some key US states is dampening the outlook for oil demand in the country. International benchmark Brent crude was trading at USD42.66 per barrel at 0648 GMT for a 1.02-percent loss after… Read More
NoKor rules out more talks with US
July 7, 2020, 8:20 pm
ANKARA – North Korea on Tuesday reiterated that it will not hold a dialogue with the US, slamming South Korea for “meddling" in its affairs. In a statement carried by state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kwon Jong Gun, director general of US affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said:… Read More
UN warns of more animal-to-human viruses
July 7, 2020, 6:07 pm
WASHINGTON – Further outbreaks will emerge unless governments take active measures to prevent other zoonotic diseases from crossing into the human population, according to a UN report Monday. Covid-19, Ebola, MERS, West Nile and Rift Valley fever are caused by viruses that have jumped from… Read More
UN: Terrorists must not exploit post-virus fragilities
July 7, 2020, 2:12 pm
ANKARA – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged countries to prevent terror groups from exploiting fragilities caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). "Psycho-social, economic and political stresses associated with Covid-19 have risen dramatically," Guterres said at… Read More
India becomes 3rd worst virus-hit country, cases near 700K
July 6, 2020, 3:49 pm
NEW DELHI – India on Sunday became the third worst virus-hit country in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases after the US and Brazil. India registered 24,248 positive cases in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 697,413, according to the Health Ministry. The death toll… Read More
Nearly 25K virus cases in India in record daily jump
July 5, 2020, 6:18 pm
NEW DELHI, India – With 24,850 new cases and 613 deaths in the last 24 hours, India Sunday saw its biggest surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases. The country’s tally of infections rose to 673,165 as the death toll zoomed to 19,268, according to the Health Ministry data. The total… Read More
WHO suspends hydroxychloroquine trial for second time
July 5, 2020, 3:14 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday said it stopped a clinical trial of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients. “WHO today accepted the recommendation from the Solidarity Trial’s International Steering Committee to… Read More
WHO reports record single-day surge in global Covid-19 cases
July 5, 2020, 1:59 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday reported 212,326 new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day increase since the pandemic broke out. The biggest increase was reported in the Americas region with 129,772 new cases, said the… Read More
China's Covid-19 complex to produce over 100M vaccine
July 3, 2020, 8:59 pm
ANKARA – China has completed the construction of a research laboratory and workshop complex in the city of Wuhan for producing vaccines to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the state-run media said on Friday. While the laboratory is capable of research and studying pathogenic… Read More
Asian countries interested in Russian-made drugs vs. Covid-19
July 3, 2020, 3:15 pm
MOSCOW – Asian countries have expressed interest in Russian-produced drugs and vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said Thursday. In an open interview with TASS, First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman, Morgulov said the… Read More
WHO documents over 176K Covid-19 cases globally in past 24 hours
July 3, 2020, 10:27 am
GENEVA – Over 176,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection were registered worldwide on July 2, with the overall number of such cases exceeding 10.53 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Thursday evening. As of 11 p.m. Moscow time on July 2, as… Read More
Global e-waste surges 21% in 5 years: UN report
July 3, 2020, 9:31 am
GENEVA – The world produced a record 53.6 million tons of electronic waste in 2019, the weight of 350 big cruise ships, a UN report said on Thursday. The report said the e-waste – discarded products with a battery or plug – surged 21 percent over the past five years, predicting that it will… Read More
Jade mine landslide kills over 110 in northern Myanmar
July 2, 2020, 10:14 pm
YANGON, Myanmar – More than 100 miners were killed in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the country’s emergency services reported on Thursday. The landslide in the state of Kachin was caused by heavy rain, triggering a "muddy wave" which buried the miners, the Fire Service said… Read More
UN Security Council adopts resolution on Covid-19
July 2, 2020, 9:34 am
UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution on Covid-19, demanding a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda. Resolution 2532, which won the unanimous support of the 15 members of the council, calls on all parties to armed… Read More
Coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia surpass 153K
July 2, 2020, 8:19 am
JAKARTA – The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Southeast Asian countries rose to 153,171, officials confirmed on Wednesday, including 4,418 fatalities and 86,812 recoveries. At least 2,600 new cases were reported, with 62 people having died of the virus while 1,535… Read More
Asean, Australia diplomats pledge cooperation vs. Covid-19
July 1, 2020, 3:51 pm
HANOI – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australian foreign ministers convened Tuesday in a virtual meeting to discuss cooperation amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and outlining a plan for economic recovery in the Indo-Pacific region. The two… Read More
