Author: News Desk

Australia’s rate of new COVID-19 infections has been sustained at levels much lower than other countries for weeks, but the country has so far retained strict social distancing rules that have closed businesses and confined people to their homes, Reuters reports. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Wednesday the nation’s children could become the silent victims of the coronavirus pandemic, as officials investigate new nursing home cluster. Morrison urged teachers to return to classrooms across the country to join “great heroes” like the medical staff and supermarket workers, stressing the risk that children from disadvantaged families, in particular, lose…

China reported 46 new confirmed cases on Tuesday compared with 89 cases a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. Of the new cases, 36 involved travellers arriving in China from overseas, compared with 86 a day earlier, Reuters reports. The 10 remaining cases were new locally transmitted infections, with Heilongjiang province accounting for eight of them and southern Guangdong province two. China reported a decline in new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the mainland on Wednesday, but there was an increasing number of local transmissions in its far northeast bordering Russia. The northeastern province of Heilongjiang has…

Millions of children are at increased risk of harm as their lives move increasingly online during the lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF and partners said today. “The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented rise in screen time,” said Global Partnership to End Violence Executive Director Dr. Howard Taylor. “School closures and strict containment measures mean more and more families are relying on technology and digital solutions to keep children learning, entertained and connected to the outside world, but not all children have the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to keep themselves safe online.” More than 1.5 billion children…

In response to the directives of the Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on launching a donation account to support the efforts of combating the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Bahrain Chamber announced contributing BD 300,000. In this regard, Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber Sameer Nass hailed the national initiative and expressed pride in the strenuous efforts exerted to combat and eradicate coronavirus. He also voiced confidence in the support of the private…

https://youtu.be/8hJIu_1yuI4 Scores of campaigns and initiatives have been launched in Bahrain to help the needy amidst the prevailing situation. A group of leading media persons from various Media Houses joined to help the expatriate community in Bahrain. The Bahrain Malayalee Media Forum (BMMF) has started distributing food kits for financially constrained individuals. The association of media persons in Bahrain have initiated an awareness campaign among the working class. Masks and food kits were distributed to people who were in dire need. For more information, please contact 36219358, 36658390 and 33483381. Bahrain Malayali Media Forum (BMMF) Executive Members: * Sethuraj Kadakkal (Starvision…

The World Health Organization called on Southeast Asian countries last month to aggressively ramp up efforts to combat the viral outbreak as infections spread. Several visiting participants of a large religious gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in late February reportedly tested positive for the virus after attending the event. Forced apart by the coronavirus pandemic, Southeast Asian leaders linked up by video Tuesday to plot a strategy to overcome a crisis that has threatened their economies and kept millions of people in their homes under lockdowns.

Almost two-thirds of French people found Emmanuel Macron’s speech extending the country’s lockdown convincing, according to an opinion poll published on Tuesday, in a sign the president’s more humble tone had appeased rising criticism, according to Reuters. Acknowledging his country had not been sufficiently prepared early on to face the challenges posed by the new coronavirus outbreak, Macron on Monday struck a more empathetic note in contrast to the war-like rhetoric of his previous speeches. According to the OpinionWay poll for Les Echos newspaper, 62% of the French found Macron’s 30-min speech “convincing”, while 37% said he wasn’t “very” or…

The priority is for the PM to rest and recover. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is continuing his recovery from COVID-19 at his official country residence, his spokesman said on Tuesday, repeating that the British leader will only return to work on his medical team’s advice. “He is continuing his recovery at Chequers,” the spokesman told reporters. “The priority is for the PM to rest and recover and his medical team have advised him not to immediately return to work.”

The aid, which consisted of seven metric tonnes from the UAE and 20 metric tonnes from WHO, will help around 27,000 healthcare workers in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Arab Emirates, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), has dispatched an aid plane carrying approximately 27 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Somalia. The UAE is committed to providing its full support to strengthen global efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, said, quoted by national news agency WAM. “Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, the UAE has…

At least four shopping malls in Saudi Arabia have just granted a rent reprieve to retailers and other tenants in view of the financial impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Swicorp, the fund manager of Swicorp Wabel Real Estate Investment Traded Fund (REIT) said on Tuesday its board has decided to exempt eligible merchants at its four commercial complexes from paying rent for more than a month, from March 17 to April 30, 2020, or until the establishments are allowed to reopen. Last month, the kingdom ordered the closure of shopping malls across the country until further notice to help…