Covid-19: Ivory Coast prime minister evacuated to France for medical checks

Gon Coulibaly is the governing party candidate in October’s presidential election ABIDJAN, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who is the governing party’s candidate in October’s presidential election, was evacuated to France for medical checks. A brief statement from the presidency provided no additional details…

Covid-19: France’s first known case ‘was in December’

A doctor suggests the virus arrived in France almost a month earlier than previously thought  PARIS, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A patient diagnosed with pneumonia near Paris on Dec 27 actually had the coronavirus, his doctor has said. Dr Yves Cohen told French media a swab taken at the time was recently…

Covid-19: US coronavirus deaths rise by 1,015 in 24 hours, lowest in a month – Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Novel coronavirus deaths in the United States rose by 1,015 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Monday — the lowest one-day figure in a month. The Baltimore-based university had recorded more than 1.17 million cases in the country as…

Covid-19: Niger labour minister died from coronavirus – public TV

NIAMEY, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The novel coronavirus caused the death of Niger’s minister of employment and labour, Mohamed Ben Omar, public television announced. The minister’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) reported Ben Omar, 55, had died on Sunday at the main hospital in the capital Niamey but did not list…

Covid-19: IMF releases $226 million to help Cameroon against virus

WASHINGTON, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Monetary Fund approved a $226 million loan to help Cameroon to combat the coronavirus as it faced plunging oil revenues. It was the latest disbursement under its Rapid Credit Facility (RCF), which is aimed at the world’s poorest nations and has been doubled…

US Navy ships in Barents Sea near Russia, 1st time since 1980s

WASHINGTON, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Navy sent four ships this week to conduct Arctic security operations in the Barents Sea north of Russia for the first time in over three decades, the Pentagon said. The move came as US officials said rivals like China and Russia were increasingly…

Covid-19: Virus deaths top 250,000 as billions raised for vaccine push

WASHINGTON, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Global deaths from the coronavirus pandemic topped a quarter-million on Monday, mostly in the US and Europe even as both regions slowly moved away from lockdown and world leaders raised billions towards a vaccine. Official figures showed that Europe is the hardest-hit continent with around…

Update: Tanzanian coronavirus laboratory boss suspended

A committee has been forced to investigate the conduct of the laboratory DAR ES SALAAM, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Director of Tanzania’s National Health Laboratory and its quality manager have both been suspended pending investigation over coronavirus testing kits credibility. The suspension of the top officials comes a day…

Covid-19: WHO says has no proof from US on ‘speculative’ Wuhan lab claims

GENEVA, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization said that Washington had provided no evidence to support “speculative” claims by the US president that the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab. “We have not received any data or specific evidence from the United States government relating to the…

Covid-19: US aviation sector cuts more jobs amid travel meltdown

U.S. airlines are slashing hundreds of thousands of flights, cutting schedules by 80% WASHINGTON, May 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The ongoing US travel crisis is causing thousands of job cuts as the aviation sector waits for passengers to return to the skies but braces for years of lower demand because of…