Tag: coronavirus

Pakistan among four countries added to Britain’s travel ban list
3Apr By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Pakistan among four countries added to Britain’s travel ban list

As the world witnesses a sudden increase in coronavirus cases, Britain has said it would add Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the Philippines to its travel “red list”, banning entry of people arriving from those countries unless they are British or Irish nationals.“From 4 am on April 9, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines and Bangladesh will be put on the list, the government said, joining about three dozen other nations mainly in Africa, the Middle East and South America,” the UK government said in a statement on Friday.British High Commissioner Christian Turner informed that only the UK/Irish nationals and those with residency rights will be allowed to travel from to and from 04:00 (UK time) on Friday, April 9.“Anyone arriving into England after that will have to book a managed quarantine h...
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China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials
13Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials

Independent investigators for the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday claimed that Chinese scientists refused to share raw data that might bring the world closer to understanding the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.The investigators who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Wuhan said disagreements over patient records and other issues were so tense that they sometimes erupted into shouts among the typically mild-mannered scientists on both sides.The scientists also said China’s continued resistance to revealing information about the early days of the coronavirus outbreak makes it difficult for them to uncover important clues that could help stop future outbreaks of such dangerous diseases.“If you are data-focused, and if you are a professional, then obtaining data is lik...
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Russia removes travel restrictions from India, Finland, Vietnam, Qatar
27Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Russia removes travel restrictions from India, Finland, Vietnam, Qatar

The travel restrictions from India, Finland, Vietnam and Qatar imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic have been removed by Russia.Confirming the news, the Russian Embassy tweeted: "For citizens of Finland, Vietnam, #India & Qatar the restrictions on entry to Russia, imposed due to spread of COVID19, are being lifted. The corresponding order was signed by Chairman of the Russian Government Mikhail Mishustin on January 25, 2021”.The Russian government's press statement specified that citizens of these states and those who have a residence permit will be allowed to enter Russia through air checkpoints. Russian citizens, in turn, can also fly to any of these countries.Russia had imposed travel restrictions on March 16, 2020, amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. Russia has reg...
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IMF projects 11.5% growth rate for India in 2021
27Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, Market

IMF projects 11.5% growth rate for India in 2021

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday projected a strong rebound in the Indian economy with an impressive 11.5 per cent growth rate in 2021.The IMF’s growth projections for India in its latest World Economic Outlook Update released on Tuesday makes India the only major economy of the world to register a double-digit growth this year amidst the coronavirus pandemic.“In its latest update, the IMF projected an 11.5 per cent growth rate for India in 2021. This makes India the only major economy of the world to register a double-digit growth in 2021,” it said. “China is next with 8.1 per cent growth in 2021 followed by Spain (5.9 per cent) and France (5.5 per cent).”The IMF said that in 2020, the Indian economy is estimated to have contracted by eight per cent. China is the only majo...
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Iran to launch COVID-19 vaccination campaign soon: Rouhani
23Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Iran to launch COVID-19 vaccination campaign soon: Rouhani

Iran will launch its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the near future and the use of foreign-made vaccines will be necessary, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Saturday.According to Rouhani, the use of foreign vaccines is a necessity until locally-made ones become available. No further information about what vaccines may be used during the inoculation campaign was provided.Earlier in January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared a ban on imports of COVID-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom and the United States.Meanwhile, Iranian officials have confirmed that Tehran held negotiations on the potential procurement of vaccines with Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi.Iran began the human trials of its first domestic coronavirus vaccine in late December and said that no...
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Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases
23Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, USA

Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases

The government in Hong Kong has imposed its first COVID-19 lockdown in Jordan, a neighbourhood on the Kowloon Peninsula, after a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases.A statement read: The government made a “restriction-testing declaration”, which requires residents from parts of the bustling neighborhood of Jordan to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing arranged by the government.Residents will be required to stay at their homes until all the residents are subjected to mandatory testing, which the authorities aim to complete under the time frame of 48 hours.Thousands of Hong Kong residents are affected by the lockdown, said the government’s information office.Wong Kam-sin, Hong Kong’s Secretary for the Environment, said that the water from the pipes of several bu...
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China: GDP growth slowest in more than four decades
20Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

China: GDP growth slowest in more than four decades

Official data released on Monday has showed that China’s GDP grew at the slowest pace in more than four decades in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic hit the world.Coronavirus, which has ravaged the world economy, first emerged in central China in 2019. But China also became the first country to bounce back after imposing strict lockdowns and virus control measures.The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said last year was a “grave and complex environment both at home and abroad” with the pandemic having a “huge impact”.The 2.3 per cent expansion in 2020 was a marked slowdown from 2019’s revised growth of 6.0 per cent — itself already the lowest in decades — with the country hit by weak domestic demand and trade tensions.In the last three months of 2020, China’s economic rebound continued...
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Two WHO team members stopped from entering China after failed coronavirus test
14Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

Two WHO team members stopped from entering China after failed coronavirus test

China on Thursday blocked two members of the 13-member World Health Organisation (WHO) team from travelling to the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan after they failed the coronavirus antibody test in Singapore.The WHO first tweeted that the international team of 13 scientists examining the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19 arrived in Wuhan.The experts were to begin their work immediately during the two-week quarantine protocol for international travellers.Later, in a separate tweet, WHO said that two members of that team remain in Singapore after they were "tested positive for IgM antibodies".IgM antibodies are among the earliest potential signs of a coronavirus infection and false positives are also possible with such tests."Two scientists are still in #Singapore comp...
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US calls for release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan
31Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

US calls for release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for the release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over Covid-19 and later sentenced to four years of imprisonment."The United States strongly condemns the People's Republic of China's (PRC) sham prosecution and conviction of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan on December 28. We call on the PRC government to release her immediately and unconditionally," Pompeo said in a statement.This comes after a Shanghai court sentenced Zhang to four years in prison on charges of disseminating information that provokes conflict.Pompeo said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown once again that it will do whatever it takes to silence those who question its official line, even regarding c...
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Pakistan: First case of new coronavirus variant from UK detected
29Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Pakistan: First case of new coronavirus variant from UK detected

The first case of the new coronavirus variant from UK was confirmed in Pakistan on Tuesday after three samples taken from passengers who had returned from Britain showed 95 pre cent match to the new variant.The health department in Sindh said the samples of 12 returnees were taken for genotyping, out of which six tested positive.“Samples of three U.K. returnees show a 95% match to the new coronavirus variant from the U.K. in the first phase of genotyping,” it said in a tweet.The health department said that the provincial government was tracing contacts of these patients and all those who came in contact with them were being isolated.The new variant is considered as 70% more transmissible and has sparked concerns around the world though health experts say there is no evidence that it is mor...
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