News24 SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has tested positive for Covid-19. He told eNCA during an interview on Thursday that he had no idea how he was exposed to the novel coronavirus. Vavi said he was tested for the virus on Wednesday after catching what felt like the flu on
Africa News Botswana, one of the few democracies to still enforce the death penalty, executed two men convicted of murder on Saturday, March 28. The latest executions bring to four the number of hangings since President Mokgweetsi Masisi was elected last October. 33-year-old Moabi Seabelo Mabiletsa, and his co-accused 39-year-old Matshidiso Tshid Boikanyo, were hanged
AFP China on Wednesday announced it would expel American journalists from three major US newspapers in one of the communist government’s biggest crackdowns on the foreign press, escalating a bitter row over media freedoms. The move against The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal came as the superpowers also feuded
AFP The European Union sealed off its borders Wednesday to try to put the brakes on the ferocious spread of the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of deaths on the continent soared past the toll in Asia. Millions of people are on strict lockdown in Europe, now the epicentre of COVID-19 with more than 3,400
AFP Countries rushed to protect their supply of masks on Wednesday as panic buying, hoarding and theft spread over fears of the deadly coronavirus epidemic, with global health officials warning that stocks of protective gear were rapidly dwindling. The disease, which first emerged in China, is appearing in new countries almost every day, with Iran,
BBC The World Bank has committed $12bn (£9.4bn) in aid for developing countries grappling with the spread of the coronavirus. The emergency package includes low-cost loans, grants and technical assistance. The action comes as leaders around the world pledge to shield their countries from the economic impact of the outbreak. It follows warnings that slowdown
AFP The new coronavirus epidemic swelled on Wednesday with cases in South Korea surging past 1,000 after deaths soared in Iran and infections appeared in previously untouched countries, prompting dire warnings that the world was not ready to contain it. The virus has rapidly spread in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, even
BBC Delhi remains on edge after the third consecutive night of rioting, with reports of Muslim homes and shops being targeted by violent mobs. Twenty people have been killed so far in the deadliest violence the Indian capital has seen in decades. The clashes first broke out on Sunday between protesters for and against a
AFP The deadly coronavirus epidemic spread further outside China on Monday with a surge of infections in South Korea making it the biggest hotspot abroad, while outbreaks worsened in the Middle East and Europe. The number of fatalities in China also continued to soar, with 150 more confirmed deaths, taking the official death toll to
AP The US army, for the first time, will send soldiers from one of its new training brigades to Africa in the coming weeks, expanding the use of the new specialized units as the Pentagon looks at possible troop cuts on the continent. The decision to send a couple hundred soldiers from the 1st Security
AP South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 70 more cases of the new virus, mostly in the southwestern city of Daegu and nearby areas, bringing the country’s total to 833. The spike in infections on Monday came a day after President Moon Jae-in called for “unprecedented, powerful steps” as his government
BBC A suspected far-right extremist has killed at least nine people in attacks on two shisha bars in a city in western Germany, officials say. Chancellor Angela Merkel said there were many signs the attacker in Hanau had acted out of racism. Federal prosecutors are treating the case as terrorism. Turkey says at least five
AFP The death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak rose again on Tuesday but Chinese and international health officials sought to calm global nerves, citing a study showing most cases are mild and warning against excessive measures to contain the epidemic. Nearly 1,900 people have now died and more than 72,000 people have been infected
AFP Police in China have arrested a prominent activist who had been a fugitive for weeks and criticized President Xi Jinping’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic while in hiding, a rights group said on Tuesday. Anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong was arrested on Saturday after being on the run since December, according to Amnesty International. China’s
AP Chinese authorities on Monday reported a slight upturn in new virus cases and 105 more deaths, as the military dispatched hundreds more medical workers and extra supplies to the city hit hardest by the 2-month-old outbreak. The 2,048 new cases followed three days of declines but was up by just 39 from the previous
AFP The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in China passed 70,000 on Monday as international experts began meetings with their Chinese counterparts on how to tackle an epidemic that has caused global concern. The death toll jumped to 1,765 in mainland China after 100 more people died in Hubei province, where the
AFP The coronavirus epidemic could damage global economic growth this year, the IMF head said Sunday, but a sharp and rapid economic rebound could follow. “There may be a cut that we are still hoping would be in the 0.1-0.2 percentage space,” the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, told the Global
AFP A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 43,000 people globally. The latest figures reported by global health authorities as of Tuesday in Beijing: — China: 1,016 deaths among 42,638 confirmed cases on the mainland. In addition, Hong Kong has had 42 cases, including one death. Macao has had 10 cases.
AP Spain on Tuesday resumed the search for 67 migrants missing from a boat trying to reach European shores a day after maritime authorities rescued 119 others from cold Mediterranean waters. A spokeswoman with Spain’s Maritime Rescue agency said the search for the missing rubber boat in the stretch of sea separating Spain from Morocco
AFP The death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak surged past 1,000 on Tuesday as the World Health Organization warned that infected people who have not travelled to China could ignite a “bigger fire” in the epidemic. The rise came after President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to a hospital in Beijing, wearing protective
