April 2020

Coronavirus Overwhelms Ecuador, Police Pick 800 Bodies

Coronavirus Overwhelms Ecuador, Police Pick 800 Bodies

April 13, 2020 7:02 am

Ecuador said police have removed almost 800 bodies in recent weeks from homes in Guayaquil, the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

The police moved in after the disease overwhelmed emergency services, hospitals and funeral parlours.

Mortuary workers in the Pacific port city have been unable to cope with a backlog, with residents posting videos on social media showing abandoned bodies in the streets.

“The number we have collected with the task force from people’s homes exceeded 700 people,” said Jorge Wated, who leads a team of police and military personnel created by the government to help with the chaos …

You Can’t Go - Erdogan Blocks Suleyman Solyu’s Resignation

You Can’t Go: Erdogan Blocks Suleyman Solyu’s Resignation

April 13, 2020 7:01 am
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected Interior Minister Suleyman Solyu’s resignation in the wake of a a much-criticised weekend curfew which caught millions of people by surprise.

Erdogan does not support the resignation and Soylu remains in office, the Communications Ministry said late on Sunday.

The interior minister stepped down Sunday after a chaotic take-off of the measure.

Solyu tweeted that he was taking full responsibility for the 48-hour curfew imposed on Friday in 31 cities.

The authorities came in for a lot of criticism for announcing the curfew only two hours before it entered into force on midnight …

What Those Dying Of COVID-19 Have In Common

What Those Dying Of COVID-19 Have In Common

April 13, 2020 7:00 am

A team of researchers from eight institutions in China and the U.S. has offered a fresh insight into why 85 patients died of multiple organ failure after suffering severe COVID-19.

All individuals whose data the team studied received care at either the Hanan Hospital or the Wuhan Union Hospital between January 9 and February 15, 2020.

The researchers came from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing, and the University of California – Davis and six other institutions.

Their study uncovered a series of factors that the majority of these patients shared.

The study has been published by …

Ramaphosa Gives Okonjo-Iweala Another Job, As AU Envoy

Ramaphosa Gives Okonjo-Iweala Another Job, As AU Envoy

April 13, 2020 6:59 am

The Chairperson of the African Union, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and three other Africans as AU Special Envoys.

Their job will be to mobilise international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Others appointed are Dr Donald Kaberuka, Mr Tidjane Thiam and Mr Trevor Manuel

The Special Envoys will be tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union and other international financial institutions.

Ramaphosa said: “In the light of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries these institutions …

WHO Probes Discharged COVID-19 Patients Testing Positive

WHO Probes Discharged COVID-19 Patients Testing Positive

April 13, 2020 6:58 am

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was looking into reports of some COVID-19 patients testing positive again after initially testing negative for the disease when discharged.

South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been “reactivated” rather than the patients being re-infected.

The Geneva-based WHO, asked about the report from Seoul, told Reuters in a brief statement: “We are aware of these reports of individuals who have tested negative …

Kia Motors Set To Shut Korean Plants Over Virus

Kia Motors Set To Shut Korean Plants Over Virus

April 13, 2020 6:58 am

Kia Motors told its labour union in South Korea that it wants to suspend operations at three of its factories.

The operations would be suspended from April 23 to April 29.

Read Also: Weststar to Introduce Mercedes new GLE in Nigeria

The company opted for shutdown as the coronavirus outbreak weighs on exports to Europe and the United States.

A union official said on Monday the union has not decided whether to accept the plan.

He said there is need to negotiate over pay.

He did not elaborate.

 

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK…

Drogba Offers Hospital For Coronavirus Fight

Drogba Offers Hospital For Coronavirus Fight

April 13, 2020 6:57 am
Didier Drogba has offered his Laurent Pokou hospital to the fight against coronavirus in his country.

Four persons have died in the COVID-19 outbreak in Ivory Coast out of 533 cases.

The hospital the football legend has offered is in Abidjan, the commercial capital.

The head of the city’s regional council, Vincent Toh Bi thanked Drogba for the gesture.

“We thank Drogba for this gift considered as an act of patriotism,” Toh Bi said.

The centre, located in the Attecoube district, is not yet in a working state.

However, it can be used in a period of crisis.

“It’s up …

Italy Posts Best Coronavirus Report In 3 Weeks

Italy Posts Best Coronavirus Report In 3 Weeks

April 13, 2020 6:57 am

Italy on Sunday announced 431 coronavirus deaths.

It was the smallest overnight increase in the country since 19 March.

Then it announced 429 fatalities.

Angelo Borrelli, the head of the National Civil Protection Department said COVID-19 fatalities stand at 19,899.

Read Also: North Korea Calls For Stronger Coronavirus Measures

The confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose by 4,092 and now stand at 156,363.

Globally, as of Sunday, confirmed coronavirus cases topped 1.8m, while the death toll surpassed 112,000.

 

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK…

US Supreme Court To Hear Appeal On Abortion

US Supreme Court To Hear Appeal On Abortion

April 12, 2020 6:40 pm

Abortion rights advocates on Saturday called on the US Supreme Court to urgently intervene to force Texas to reinstate the right to abortion, which has been suspended in the state since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This is the first appeal related to COVID-19 to reach the highest American court, which has been operating only in writing for nearly a month.

The Court, which legalized abortion in 1973 in its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, will have to decide whether a state can suspend the case law in the name of a public health emergency.

This case will …

US Could Start Reopening In May, Top Virus Advisor Says

US Could Start Reopening In May, Top Virus Advisor Says

April 12, 2020 6:39 pm

The United States may be ready to start gradually reopening next month, the government’s top infectious diseases expert said Sunday, as signs grew that the coronavirus pandemic was peaking.

President Donald Trump had earlier wanted the world’s largest economy to be “raring to go” by Easter Sunday, but most of the country remained at a standstill and churches took celebrations online to halt the spread of the virus that has killed more than 20,000 people in the US.

Trump has cast the decision on when to ease the lockdown as the biggest of his presidency as he faces competing pressures …

North Korea Calls For Stronger Coronavirus Measures

North Korea Calls For Stronger Coronavirus Measures

April 12, 2020 6:37 pm

North Korea called for stronger measures against the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic at a meeting presided by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Sunday, without acknowledging whether the country had reported any infections.

The already isolated, nuclear-armed North quickly shut down its borders after the virus was first detected in neighbouring China in January, and imposed strict containment measures.

Officials in Pyongyang and its state media have repeatedly insisted that the North remains totally free of the virus, but Sunday’s report did not make that assertion.

The coronavirus epidemic — which has infected more than 1.7 million worldwide — …

South Asia Pandemic A 'Perfect Storm' For South Asia - World Bank

Pandemic A ‘Perfect Storm’ For South Asia – World Bank

April 12, 2020 6:36 pm

South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years, with decades of progress in the battle against poverty at risk, because of coronavirus, the World Bank said Sunday.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, which have 1.8 billion people and some of the planet’s most densely populated cities, have so far reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots.

The dire economic effects are already much in evidence, with widespread lockdowns freezing most normal activity, Western factory orders cancelled and vast numbers of poor workers suddenly jobless.

“South …

TRENDING

Breaking

𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is a nonpartisan online news portal founded on the truth to provide you with weekly, insightful articles written with precision and current updates on current events from Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general. All of our reports undergo extensive fact-checking to ensure their veracity, and we adhere strictly to the facts, no matter whose ox is gored.

follow on social media

Facebook Twitter Youtube Telegram Linkedin

subscribe to newsletter

© 2018 - 2020 Africa digital news, New York
Powered by

People and Polity