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International News (601)
August
UAE launches start-up operations at first nuclear power plant
Written by nuke
PHOTO : DHAKATRIBUNE
The United Arab Emirates has begun start-up operations in the initial unit of its first nuclear power plant. This was stated by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on Saturday. The Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, a major oil producer, is being built by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). The plant was originally due to open in 2017 but start-up of its first reactor was repeatedly delayed. ENEC said its subsidiary Nawah Energy Company has successfully started up Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, located in the Al Dhafrah Region of Abu Dhabi. ENEC's chief executive Mohamed Ibrahim al-Hammadi said UAE is another step closer to achieving the goal of supplying up to a quarter of the nation's electricity needs and powering its future growth with safe, reliable, and emissions-free electricity//JP
August
PHOTO : ASENGLISH
More than half million coronaviruses have been confirmed in South Africa. South Africa Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 503,290, along with 8,153 deaths. South African health authorities have said the rate of infection is increasing rapidly, with cases currently concentrated around the capital, Pretoria. South Africa is the hardest-hit country on the continent and accounts for half of all reported infections in Africa. It also has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world after the US, Brazil, Russia and India//BBC
August
Russia preparing mass vaccination against coronavirus for October
Written by nuke
PHOTO : INQUERENET
Russia's health minister is preparing a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus for October, local news agencies reported on Saturday, after a vaccine completed clinical trials. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said the Gamaleya Institute, a state research facility in Moscow, had completed clinical trials of the vaccine and paperwork is being prepared to register it. He said doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated. A source told Reuters this week that Russia's first potential COVID-19 vaccine would secure local regulatory approval in August and be administered to health workers soon thereafter//JP
August
White House signals support for $600 jobless benefit
Written by nuke
PHOTO : FORBES
The White House appears keen to endorse a temporary extension of a $600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit, as the popular boost to both the economy and family budgets is about to expire. As quoted by APNews.com (31/7) the idea is a prominent feature of top-level Washington talks on a major election-season COVID-19 response measure. After late-night talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the two sides took their case to the media Friday morning, with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows appearing before reporters on short notice at the exact moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared at her weekly news conference. Meadows accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate, saying President Donald Trump has instructed him to be “aggressive and forward leaning” in trying to extend the supplemental jobless benefit//APNews
August
Final days of hajj and Eid festival impacted by coronavirus
Written by nuke
PHOTO : WVNEWS
Small groups of pilgrims performed one of the final rites of the Islamic hajj on Friday, as Muslims worldwide marked the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday, amid a global pandemic that has impacted nearly every aspect of this year’s pilgrimage and celebrations. As quoted by APNews.com (31/7) the last days of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia coincide with the four-day Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice,” in which Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor. The pandemic has pushed millions of people around the world closer to the brink of poverty making it harder for many to fulfill the religious tradition of purchasing livestock. In Somalia, the price of meat has slightly increased. Abdishakur Dahir, a civil servant in Mogadishu, said that for the first time he won’t be able to afford goats for Eid because of the impact of the virus on work//APNews
August
Britain delays easing of lockdown as virus spread speeds up
Written by nuke
PHOTO : GETTYIMAGE
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put some of the country’s next steps out of lockdown on hold Friday with just a few hours’ notice, saying the number of new coronavirus cases was on the rise for the first time since May. As quoted by APNews.com (31/7) the government’s top medical adviser warned that it was impossible to fully reopen society without the virus running out of control. Johnson said statistics showed that the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is likely increasing, with an estimated 4,900 new infections every day, up from 2,000 a day at the end of June. Britain has Europe’s highest confirmed death toll in the pandemic, more than 46,000, behind only the United States and Brazil//AP
July
Carrie Lam says, Hong Kong on verge of 'large-scale' outbreak
Written by nuke
PHOTO : BBC
Hong Kong's hospital system could face "collapse" as it grapples with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. This was warned by Hong Kong Leader, Carrie Lam. As quoted by BBC.com (29/7), She said that her city was "on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak" and urged people to stay indoors. New regulations, including mandatory face masks and the closure of dine-in restaurants, kicked in on Wednesday. Hong Kong - which had early success against Covid-19 - is now regularly reporting over 100 new daily cases. Less than a month ago, the average number of new daily cases was under 10//BBC
July
Coronavirus: President Donald Trump sticks by unproven hydroxychloroquine
Written by nuke
PHOTO : BBC
US President, Donald Trump has again defended the use of hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, contradicting his own public health officials. As quoted by BBC.com ( 29/7), he said the malaria medication was only rejected as a Covid-19 treatment because he had recommended its use. His remarks came after Twitter banned his eldest son for posting a clip promoting hydroxychloroquine. There is no evidence that the drug can fight the virus, and regulators warn it may cause heart problems. On Wednesday (29/7), Dr Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, told the BBC that hydroxychloroquine was not effective against the virus//BBC
July
Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid Covid-19
Written by nuke
PHOTO : MCDOWELLNEWS
Muslim pilgrims, wearing face masks and moving in small groups after days in isolation, began arriving in Mecca on Wednesday (29/7) for the start of a historically unique and scaled-down hajj experience reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. As quoted by APNews.com (29/7), the hajj is one of Islam’s most important requirements, performed once in a lifetime. It follows a route the Prophet Muhammad walked nearly 1,400 years ago and is believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.The hajj, both physically and spiritually demanding, is intended to bring about greater humility and unity among Muslims//APNews
July
UN Refugee Agency Urges Mitigation of Deadly Risks for Displaced in Sahel, Lake Chad
Written by nuke
photo : UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the international community to make greater efforts to reduce the deadly risks for displaced people posed by landmines and improvised explosive devices in Africa’s Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions, which have been the site of ongoing conflicts, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. According to the UN agency, mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices that numerous anti-government and non-state armed groups widely use to target security forces are killing and injuring an increasing number of civilians. Among the most affected countries in this regard are Sahel's Chad and Nigeria, the agency added. In a recent incident, four refugee minors were killed and three others injured in a refugee camp in eastern Chad after picking up an unexploded device and trying to open it. Since the beginning of 2020, more than 15 of such incidents have been reported. According to the UN agency, the region is currently facing one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world, with a million people having fled attacks by armed groups against civilians and state institutions, including schools and health facilities. The agency added that the presence of explosive devices is also affecting the delivery of humanitarian aid and development activities//sputnik