International News: 09/08/2020

ASIA

-Coronavirus

New Cases:91,299  (highest new infections within 24 hours)

Total Cases:4,954,491

New Deaths:1,369

Total Deaths:108,058

-Philippines: Health workers have urged the Philippines government to provide them protective gear as the new coronavirus continue to rise in the country. Fabella hospital in Manila staged a demonstration to demand safety measures for health care workers. About 100 people among 1500 employees at the hospital have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The situation in other hospitals is equally dire. "Many staff-members have been tested positive for COVID-19 but we are still working. Some nurses are even working for 12-hours shift.", said Cristy Donquine, a nurse at Manila's hospital.

(Note: The Philippines has so far recorded 126,885 coronavirus cases and over 2,200 deaths.) 

-Pakistan: Pakistan has announced that it will fully resume international flights from August 9, which had been suspended for more than four months because of COVID-19 pandemic. On August 6, authorities allowed the resumptions of domestic flights from all of the country's airports.

(Note: On August 8, Pakistan reported only 14 fatalities from coronavirus in the past 24 hours raising its total COVID-19 related fatalities to 6,068.)

NORTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

New Cases:66,374

Total Cases:6,055,150 (cross 6 million)

New Deaths:1,906 (highest new deaths within 24 hours)

Total Deaths: 233,184

-USA: In the US city of Los Angeles, where coronavirus cases have tripled in recent months, there is one factor being blamed ---people having large parties. Due to this problem laws came into effect on Wednesday giving the authorities the power to shut off water and electricity at properties that host gatherings. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the parties were "super-spreader events" attended by "super-spreader people". "These large parties are unsafe and can cost Angelenos their lives", he told reporters.

-USA: Rapper Kanye West has been dropped from presidential ballot consideration in New Jersey after the court order ruled that the signatures on his petition were invalid. Election lawyer Scott Salmon told, "Literally every single signature on his petition came from the same person. Signatures that were clearly identical, signatures where the signed name didn't match the printed name, where there was a first name but no last name, where it included a street address, but no town."

[*On Monday, West filed to appear on the ballot in West Virginia. He needed signatures from 7,144 registered voters to get ballot in the state.
*West also filed to be on the ballot in Vermont and Arkansas on Monday before the filing deadline. In Vermont, it was the first time he had his vice-president on the filing form--Michelle Tidball, who runs an online Bible study.
*West has already submitted document in Oklahoma, Illinois and Missouri.
*He missed the deadline in South Carolina last month.]

SOUTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

New Cases:74,908

Total Cases:4,698,894

New Deaths:1,573

Total Deaths:158,317

-Brazil: Brazil's COVID-19 deaths reach 100,000 and is expected to climb as most Brazilians cities reopen shops and dining even though the pandemic has yet to peak. Brazil reported its first case of the novel coronavirus at the end of February. The virus took three months to kill 50,000 people and just 50 days to kill next 50,000.

EUROPE

-Coronavirus

New Cases:14,512

Total Cases:3,022,758 (cross 3 million)

New Deaths: 331

Total Deaths:205,944

-Russia: Foreigners whose countries have visa-free travel agreements with Russia will once again be able to come to the country for short business trips, according to a decree signed by Prime Minister. The visa-free visits apply to foreigners holding diplomatic or official passports from a list of 35 countries, not including Europe or the United States.

(Note: In recent weeks Russian officials have gradually began to reopen international travel as its coronavirus have fallen.)

AFRICA

-Coronavirus

New Cases:14,209

Total Cases:1,039,678

New Deaths:413

Total Deaths:22,966

-Zimbabwe: Two students from Ashesi University in Ghana have designed a low-cost pneumonia tests that could lead to better diagnoses and saves lives. Esaw Mhandu, 24, from Zimbabwe and his Ugandan partner Ronald Tumuhairwe, 24 started the DeepEye Initiative project. This project has developed a device that uses sound waves to detect the presence of fluid in child's lungs.

(Note: Pneumonia can be deadly for children under the age of five. It is caused when fluid enters the lungs and causes inflammation of the air sacs, disturbing the process of gaseous exchange and in some cases, leading to death. The cost of pneumonia tests is beyond the reach of many families in Zimbabwe. Chest X-rays are commonly used to diagnose pneumonia, but in Zimbabwe they are expensive--US $50--which is a lot of money for most families. As a result people use cheaper alternative i.e. physical examination. However, in some cases, doctor mistakes pneumonia for malaria until it reaches later stages. By that time, its too late.)

-Mauritius: Fuel spilling from a Japanese wrecked ship that ran aground (off the shore) on a reef in Mauritius two weeks ago is creating an ecological disaster, endangering corals, fish and other marine life around the Indian Ocean island. Mauritius's Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth declared a state of environmental emergency pleading for international help. Environmental group said the spill was likely to be one of the most terrible ecological crisis that Mauritius has ever seen.

(Note: On Thursday Mauritius government said fuel was leaking from the vessel's hull. The leaking fuel is spreading a black stain in the water endangering the diverse marine life that attracts tourist all around the world.)

OCEANIA

-Coronavirus

New Cases:427

Total Cases:22,574

New Deaths:12

Total Deaths:304

-New Zealand: A new analysis has found New Zealand's passport to be the most valuable travel document in the world. The new ranking by Password Index puts the Kiwi's passport in the first place alongside Japan, with both passports granting free-visa travel to 118 countries.