This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-live-news-us-trump-threatens-who-funding-uk-boris-johnson-global-cases-latest-updates

The article has changed 46 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 29 Version 30
Coronavirus live news: global trade forecast to fall by up to a third as US sees highest one-day death toll Coronavirus live news: global trade forecast to fall by up to a third as US sees highest one-day death toll
(32 minutes later)
Scientists predict UK will be worst-hit country in Europe; Trump threatens to stop WHO funding; Global cases pass 1.4 millionScientists predict UK will be worst-hit country in Europe; Trump threatens to stop WHO funding; Global cases pass 1.4 million
In an unprecedented move, the Italian government has declared its seaports “unsafe” due to the coronavirus pandemic, and will not authorise the landing of migrant rescue boats until the end of the emergency, writes Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo.
In a decree issued late on Tuesday, the government wrote that “for the entire duration of the health emergency, due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Italian ports cannot be classified as ‘safe places’ for the landing of people rescued from boats flying a foreign flag”.
The measure – the first of its kind in Italian history – appeared designed to prevent rescue boats from disembarking migrants in the upcoming weeks, as departures from Libya have increased in recent days with the arrival of good weather.
The decree, signed by the interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, the health minister, Roberto Speranza, the foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, and the infrastructure minister, Paola De Micheli, also suggests that rescued migrants might include people who have contracted Covid-19.
It adds that “rescued people must be guaranteed an absence of any threat to their lives”, and concludes that at this time the government cannot guarantee the security of migrants’ lives in Italy.
After the number of cases across the continent passed 10,000 last night, the World Health Organization’s Africa regional office has produced a graphic showing the national breakdown in case numbers.
The coronavirus death toll among black and Hispanic communities in New York City has been disproportionately high, the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, said on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.
Preliminary data indicates that black people account for 28% of the city’s COVID-19 death toll, even though they are just 22% of the city’s population, while Hispanic people are 34% of the city’s virus death toll and 29% of its population.
De Blasio acknowledged Wednesday that official death tolls are lower than reality because people who have died at home without being tested for the virus are not included.
Global trade could fall by up to a third this year, the World Trade Organization has said, with its director general issuing a warning that the suffering caused by Covid-19 will be compounded by “unavoidable declines in trade and output.”Global trade could fall by up to a third this year, the World Trade Organization has said, with its director general issuing a warning that the suffering caused by Covid-19 will be compounded by “unavoidable declines in trade and output.”
In a trade forecast published on Wednesday, the WTO forecast 13-32% falls in global trade, giving a wide range because the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak was still uncertain. It said nearly all regions would suffer double-digit declines in trade volumes, with exports from Asia and north America worst affected.In a trade forecast published on Wednesday, the WTO forecast 13-32% falls in global trade, giving a wide range because the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak was still uncertain. It said nearly all regions would suffer double-digit declines in trade volumes, with exports from Asia and north America worst affected.
The WTO said it expected a recovery next year, but that would be dependent on how long the pandemic lasted and the effectiveness of policy responses. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: The WTO said it expected a recovery next year, but that would be dependent on how long the pandemic lasted and the effectiveness of policy responses. WTO director-general, Roberto Azevêdo, said:
More than 250 epidemiologists and public health experts have called for a drastic increase in Covid-19 testing in Latin America and the Caribbean to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.More than 250 epidemiologists and public health experts have called for a drastic increase in Covid-19 testing in Latin America and the Caribbean to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
In an open letter, the scientists call on governments in the region and international organisations to urgently increase efforts to test and track infections. Pointing particularly to Bolivia, Mexico and Venezuela, they warn that evidence suggests the current extent of the outbreak is being badly underestimated.In an open letter, the scientists call on governments in the region and international organisations to urgently increase efforts to test and track infections. Pointing particularly to Bolivia, Mexico and Venezuela, they warn that evidence suggests the current extent of the outbreak is being badly underestimated.
“Social isolation measures will have little effect and will need to be extended if there are no complementary strategies to aggressively detect and track Covid-19 cases,” they warn.“Social isolation measures will have little effect and will need to be extended if there are no complementary strategies to aggressively detect and track Covid-19 cases,” they warn.
The document, organised by Enrique Acosta, a research scientist at the Max Planck institute for demographic research’s population health lab, warns that Latin America is particularly vulnerable because of its precarious healthcare infrastructure, high prevalence of chronic conditions that are risk factors for Covid-19, and housing and economic conditions that preclude effective social distancing and confinement.The document, organised by Enrique Acosta, a research scientist at the Max Planck institute for demographic research’s population health lab, warns that Latin America is particularly vulnerable because of its precarious healthcare infrastructure, high prevalence of chronic conditions that are risk factors for Covid-19, and housing and economic conditions that preclude effective social distancing and confinement.
The letter states:The letter states:
Here is the European Research Council scientific council’s response to the resignation of Mauro Ferrari. Seems like they are not sad to see him go.Here is the European Research Council scientific council’s response to the resignation of Mauro Ferrari. Seems like they are not sad to see him go.
The EU’s most senior scientist has resigned with a passionate denunciation of the bloc’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, claiming he has been blocked from funding treatments and vaccines, Daniel Boffey, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief, reports.The EU’s most senior scientist has resigned with a passionate denunciation of the bloc’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, claiming he has been blocked from funding treatments and vaccines, Daniel Boffey, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief, reports.
Mauro Ferrari, the president of the European Research Council, said he had been “deeply disappointed and disturbed” by the EU’s efforts in reaction to what he described as “a tragedy of possibly unprecedented proportions”.Mauro Ferrari, the president of the European Research Council, said he had been “deeply disappointed and disturbed” by the EU’s efforts in reaction to what he described as “a tragedy of possibly unprecedented proportions”.
“In time of emergencies people, and institutions, revert to their deepest nature and reveal their true character,” Ferrari wrote in a damning statement announcing his resignation.“In time of emergencies people, and institutions, revert to their deepest nature and reveal their true character,” Ferrari wrote in a damning statement announcing his resignation.
Ferrari, a leading research scientist, who told the Guardian in January that his passion for funding breakthrough science had been fuelled by the death of his first wife from cancer, had served three months of his four-year term before handing in his letter of resignation to the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday.Ferrari, a leading research scientist, who told the Guardian in January that his passion for funding breakthrough science had been fuelled by the death of his first wife from cancer, had served three months of his four-year term before handing in his letter of resignation to the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday.
In the letter, Ferrari writes:In the letter, Ferrari writes:
The European parliament has pledged to give free meals to homeless people and health workers during the coronavirus crisis, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels reports.The European parliament has pledged to give free meals to homeless people and health workers during the coronavirus crisis, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels reports.
The European parliament president, David Sassoli, said the European parliament in Brussels would distribute more than 1,000 meals a day, following an agreement with the city authorities.The European parliament president, David Sassoli, said the European parliament in Brussels would distribute more than 1,000 meals a day, following an agreement with the city authorities.
The meals will be distributed from the Helmut Kohl building, an administrative annexe that is not part of the main European parliament headquarters in the Belgian capital.The meals will be distributed from the Helmut Kohl building, an administrative annexe that is not part of the main European parliament headquarters in the Belgian capital.
The agreement follows a similar arrangement in the parliament’s Strasbourg home, where local authorities will take charge of part of a building to carry out coronavirus tests.The agreement follows a similar arrangement in the parliament’s Strasbourg home, where local authorities will take charge of part of a building to carry out coronavirus tests.
Officials said they could not give details on when the meals and tests would start, as these were up to local authorities in charge of the programmes.Officials said they could not give details on when the meals and tests would start, as these were up to local authorities in charge of the programmes.
In a statement, Sassoli saidIn a statement, Sassoli said
The UK’s largest travel firm, Tui, has cancelled all its beach holidays for the next five weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, writes Miles Brignall, Guardian money reporter.The UK’s largest travel firm, Tui, has cancelled all its beach holidays for the next five weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, writes Miles Brignall, Guardian money reporter.
The travel giant said on Wednesday that all package trips up to and including 14 May were being cancelled, while all its Marella Cruises sailings have been suspended until at least June. Tui said:The travel giant said on Wednesday that all package trips up to and including 14 May were being cancelled, while all its Marella Cruises sailings have been suspended until at least June. Tui said:
Currently bookings for the May half-term, one of the busiest weeks in the holiday calendar are set to go ahead, although that looks unlikely. Earlier this week the Foreign & Commonwealth Office extended its ban on all but essential travel outside the UK, and said this would run until further notice.Currently bookings for the May half-term, one of the busiest weeks in the holiday calendar are set to go ahead, although that looks unlikely. Earlier this week the Foreign & Commonwealth Office extended its ban on all but essential travel outside the UK, and said this would run until further notice.
Tui has told affected passengers not to contact the firm, and it will get in touch. It is currently only offering those with cancelled trips the chance to rebook, rather than the full refunds as required by law. Rory Boland, from the consumer group Which?, said:Tui has told affected passengers not to contact the firm, and it will get in touch. It is currently only offering those with cancelled trips the chance to rebook, rather than the full refunds as required by law. Rory Boland, from the consumer group Which?, said:
In Spain, one family is speaking out after being wrongly told that their 84-year-old mother had died from Covid-19, writes Ashifa Kassam in Madrid.In Spain, one family is speaking out after being wrongly told that their 84-year-old mother had died from Covid-19, writes Ashifa Kassam in Madrid.
The country has emerged as one of the hardest-hit by the virus, with more than 14,500 deaths, behind only Italy. Stories of confusion have accompanied the sharp rise in deaths, from cases of mistaken identity to days-long searches for the bodies of loved ones who have passed away.The country has emerged as one of the hardest-hit by the virus, with more than 14,500 deaths, behind only Italy. Stories of confusion have accompanied the sharp rise in deaths, from cases of mistaken identity to days-long searches for the bodies of loved ones who have passed away.
For Mercedes Maroto, the saga began when her mother, Teodora, was admitted to a hospital in central Spain last month. Days later, after a full day had passed without any news, Maroto and her siblings began calling the hospital.For Mercedes Maroto, the saga began when her mother, Teodora, was admitted to a hospital in central Spain last month. Days later, after a full day had passed without any news, Maroto and her siblings began calling the hospital.
It took four attempts before they got a doctor on the line. He informed them that their mother had passed away, Maroto told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.It took four attempts before they got a doctor on the line. He informed them that their mother had passed away, Maroto told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
The news left the family reeling, particularly Maroto’s father. “He kept repeating, between sobs: ‘Now what do I do without you?’”The news left the family reeling, particularly Maroto’s father. “He kept repeating, between sobs: ‘Now what do I do without you?’”
After a sleepless night punctuated with questions – How did she die? Did she suffer? Was she alone? – Maroto’s phone rang at 7:30am. This time it was the funeral home. “Your mother is alive. She didn’t die, they moved her to another floor,” Maroto said she was told.After a sleepless night punctuated with questions – How did she die? Did she suffer? Was she alone? – Maroto’s phone rang at 7:30am. This time it was the funeral home. “Your mother is alive. She didn’t die, they moved her to another floor,” Maroto said she was told.
Now the tears were of joy. “I thought I was dreaming,” said Maroto. She rushed over to the hospital where a doctor helped her speak to her mother on the phone.Now the tears were of joy. “I thought I was dreaming,” said Maroto. She rushed over to the hospital where a doctor helped her speak to her mother on the phone.
While she described it as the “worst experience of her life”, Maroto shied away from casting blame, pointing to the chaos that has taken hold at Spanish hospitals as they scramble to treat the sudden influx of thousands of thousands of Covid-19 patients.While she described it as the “worst experience of her life”, Maroto shied away from casting blame, pointing to the chaos that has taken hold at Spanish hospitals as they scramble to treat the sudden influx of thousands of thousands of Covid-19 patients.
Her mother is now home and slowly regaining her strength. The family has yet to tell her about what El Mundo called the family’s own Easter resurrection tale. “Right now, she doesn’t know anything,” said Maroto. “We’ll tell her when she’s fully healed.”Her mother is now home and slowly regaining her strength. The family has yet to tell her about what El Mundo called the family’s own Easter resurrection tale. “Right now, she doesn’t know anything,” said Maroto. “We’ll tell her when she’s fully healed.”
Pakistan has reported 208 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 4,072, as the World Health Organization representative in the country warned it was facing an acute shortage of nurses.
The most affected province is Punjab, with 2,030 cases of coronavirus infection, followed by Sindh, with 986. So far 58 people are confirmed to have died from Covid-19 across the country, while 467 have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of official figures.
(As I write, the Pakistani English language newspaper Dawn was running with slightly higher numbers, perhaps reflecting its ability to source more up-to-date figures.)
In a message to the nation broadcast earlier, Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, called on people to stay at home for the sake of their elders, and said the Covid-19 crisis would not end any time soon, according to the live blog running on Dawn.
Khan added that he was disappointed by violence used against doctors in Quetta after they staged a demonstration over a lack of personal protective equipment.
The US suffered its highest daily death toll from coronavirus on Tuesday, with 1,858 people succumbing to the disease, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, Ed Pilkington and Joanna Walters report from New York.
The new peak in deaths was propelled by New York City, which remains the most stricken part of the country and which recorded 806 fatalities on Tuesday. The city has now recorded more than 4,000 deaths from the novel virus.
Recent statistics have heartened city authorities, suggesting that new cases and the number of people being treated in hospital might be starting to plateau. But the rising death toll suggests that much suffering still lies ahead.
On Monday some 731 people were killed by Covid-19 across New York state, the previous highest daily jump.
Many know about the British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is out of jail in Tehran but under a form of house arrest waiting to know if she is to be allowed to return to her husband and daughter in London, writes Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.
Fewer know about another dual national Anoosheh Ashoori, who is still being held in Evin Prison and was not one of the political prisoners temporarily released by the Iranian government in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak in Iran.
He is 65 today and this is the desperate message he sent by phone from jail, pleading with the UK government to do more to secure his release. He was sentenced to 10 years jail for spying, and fears he will contract the virus in jail. The only birthday present he wants is to return to his wife and two children in London.
The British and American cybersecurity agencies have issued a joint warning about a rise in cybercrime related to Covid, as attackers take advantage of weaknesses in remote working setups to hack, phish and scam people in self-isolation, Alex Hern, the Guardian’s UK technology editor, reports.
In the advisory, jointly issued by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre and the US’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, internet users are warned to watch out for “emails containing malware which appear to have come from the the director general of the World Health Organization, and others which claim to offer thermometers and face masks to fight the pandemic”.
The agencies have also found cybercriminals “scanning for vulnerabilities in software and remote working tools”, aiming to exploit the absence of corporate IT protections to hack weak links in businesses.
Popular videoconferencing tool Zoom is one such tool, and interest in hacking techniques that could be used against it is “sky high”, according to one report in Vice. Successful attacks against the software, and other videoconferencing services, could be used to enable successful corporate espionage. “Industrial espionage is making millions now. Zoom, GTM, WebEx … all meetings where you needed an insider to get in before,” a source told Vice News.
Other Coronavirus-related scams are less high-tech. Security researchers at McAfee found one posting on a dark web forum where an individual claiming to have recovered from Coronavirus selling their blood to others. For just $1,000, the user offered a sample of their blood or saliva, which could be used harvested for antibodies – if they’re telling the truth.
The Afghan health minister has asked the Taliban to announce a ceasefire to help the fight against coronavirus, as Kabul goes under full lockdown and number of infections continues to surge, Akhtar Mohammad Makoii reports from Herat.
Officials in the country reported 21 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in last 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections to 444 since the country’s outbreak began.
However, due to a lack of some testing materials in Herat, no suspected patients tested for Covid-19 in Afghanistan’s worst-affected area in last 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman said, adding that materials were transferred to Herat this morning. As of yesterday the number confirmed cases in the was 257, including 41 health workers.
The health minister warned that the virus would spread more if people did not comply with the recommended health measures.
“If we do not take this seriously, we will be harmed more than other countries” said Ferozuddin Feroz.
Asking the Taliban to declare a immediate ceasefire, Feroz, the minister of public health, told the paramilitary group that the coronavirus doesn’t know “friend or enemy, so let’s work together and fight against the virus”.
He was in Kandahar to inaugurate a Covid-19 special laboratory, where suspected cases of Covid-19 from Helmand, Uruzgan, and Zabul provinces would be tested.
Lockdown rules will be fully implemented in Kabul by use of force from Wednesday. Health workers and food suppliers, media workers, security officials and telecom services employees are exempt, the interior ministry said yesterday.
Afghanistan has recorded 15 deaths from Covid-19, while 29 patients have recovered.
Lebanon has long been a country that neither war nor crisis could defeat. But with a bankrupt economy, rampant poverty, a political class offering few solutions - and now coronavirus, the resilience of its people is being tested like never before.
Before the pandemic, Lebanon was in economic freefall, unable to pay its debts, or keep a lid on spiralling prices of food and medicine, and to stop a financial meltdown that threatens bank deposits.
Last November before the threat of Covid-19 materialised, the World Bank predicted that the portion of Lebanon’s population below the poverty line would rise from 30% to 50% in 2020. The lockdown imposed on 15 March has compounded an already dire situation and there are grave fears that the large numbers who have lost their incomes since – the majority of the country’s workforce – can no longer meet daily needs.
On Wednesday, the Lebanese government announced a relief plan to reach those already impoverished. But Human Rights Watch says the plan raises more questions than it answers.
“The lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19 has compounded the poverty and economic hardship rampant in Lebanon before the virus arrived,” said Lena Simet, senior researcher on poverty and inequality at the organisation. “Many people who had an income have lost it, and if the government does not step in, more than half the population may not be able to afford food and basic necessities.”
Lebanon had recorded 548 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday night. However, there are fears that political groups are hiding large numbers of people with the virus, which they are treating away from the state health system. The country has arranged flights for expatriates to return, a rescue mission it has flagged as its biggest ever.
Several passengers on an Indonesian ferry jumped into the sea and swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases, as tensions rise over the spread of the disease across the archipelago.
The ferry was blocked when trying to make port in Maumere in the eastern island of Flores, amid fears three crew members on board had contracted the virus, reports Reuters.
Passengers flung themselves into the sea in life vests and swam ashore.
The ferry was carrying 255 passengers, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia, after the neighbouring country imposed a coronavirus lockdown. As of Wednesday, Indonesia had recorded 2,956 cases of the coronavirus and 240 deaths, with many of the cases in the capital, Jakarta, though there is a growing number in other provinces.
A scientist who adapted his veterinary lab to test for disease among humans rather than salmon is being celebrated for helping the Faroe Islands avoid coronavirus deaths, where a larger proportion of the population has been tested than anywhere in the world.
The north Atlantic archipelago currently has only one person in hospital with Covid-19 and it is one of five European countries, along with Latvia, Georgia, Malta and Liechtenstein to so far not have any deaths from the virus.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 969 to 20,549 as of Wednesday, health authorities said, with 147 new deaths.
Reuters reports the country’s total death toll from the disease is now 2,248, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a daily update.
Good afternoon. I’m Gregory Robinson, taking over the live blog for the next hour. If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter to share insight or send tips, I’m on @Gregoryjourno or send me an email at gregory.robinson@guardian.co.uk