UNESCO expresses deep regret over Turkey decision to change status of historic Hagia Sophia
President Recep Erdogan has signed control of the world-famous Hagia Sophia over to Turkey's religious directorate. Lebanon ‘fast spiralling out of control’ leaving many destitute and facing starvation, warns Bachelet UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet warns of a dangerous cocktail brewing in the Middle Eastern country which has already seen so much strife. Illegal trade in fake or faulty COVID-19 products booming, new UN research reveals Fake or faulty medical products are becoming a booming source of income for crime groups around the world. https://news.un.org/en/ 7/9/2020 0 Comments Coronavirus Bulletin #2 At 5:09 PM on July 9, 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 12,377,546 million, and the number of deaths is 556,559 (Worldometers.info).
On July 8th, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced he was infected with the coronavirus (CBC News). The country is second to pass 50,000 deaths from the virus, and many criticize Bolsonaro’s administration for “oppos[ing] lockdowns” and “focus[ing] on the economy” (Coronavirus: Brazil becomes second country to pass 50,000 deaths). Within the Latin American and Caribbean region, the World Bank projects a GDP contraction of 7.2%, whereas growth was predicted before the outbreak (Horwitz, Nagovitch, Sonneland, Zissis). In late June, two New Zealand citizens returning to the country from the UK brought COVID-19 with them. The public was outraged over the fact that the pair, along with dozens of others, were inadequately tested and let free to travel across the country. On July 2, the fallout culminated in the resignation of Health Minister David Clark (Jones). Nearby, Australia is imposing new lockdowns in the city of Melbourne and closing the border between the state of Victoria and the state of New South Wales. Victoria is the second-most populous state in Australia (Katkov). Bloomberg News reports that coronavirus cases are surging across Asia. On Thursday, both Tokyo and Hong Kong “marked single-day highs”: 224 new cases in Tokyo, 34 infections in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan stated that “[w]ith society’s need to resume limited levels of economic and social activities, it’s unavoidable to have new cases” (Bloomberg). Unfortunately, a coronavirus vaccine remains in the works. Top health expert Anthony Fauci remarked in an interview with NBC News that it could take until 2021 for a vaccine to be proven effective. Until then, the world remains anxious for a dam to the problems, societal, economic and medical, that are affecting the world. Works Cited “Anthony Fauci Says Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Proven Effective Or Not By 2021. NBC News.” Youtube, NBC News, 6 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmQnzirhCPQ. “Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive for Coronavirus.” Youtube, CBC News, 8 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5d2_IqDNjU. “Coronavirus: Brazil Becomes Second Country to Pass 50,000 Deaths.” BBC News, BBC, 22 June 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53132225. Hong, Jinshan, and Natalie Lung. “Hong Kong Reports 19 Local Virus Cases as Resurgence Fears Grow.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 8 July 2020, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-08/hong-kong-reports-19-local-virus-cases-as-resurgence-fears-grow. Horwitz, Luisa, et al. “The Coronavirus in Latin America.” AS/COA, AS/COA, 8 July 2020, www.as-coa.org/articles/where-coronavirus-latin-america. Jones, Anna. “Coronavirus: How New Zealand Went 'Hard and Early' to Beat Covid-19.” BBC News, BBC, 10 July 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53274085. Katkov, Mark. “Melbourne Resumes Lockdown As Coronavirus Cases Surge.” NPR, NPR, 7 July 2020, www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/07/888093075/melbourne-resumes-lockdown-as-covid-19-cases-surge. 6/25/2020 0 Comments Coronavirus BulletinAt the time of writing, the total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide since the first infection is 9,708,312. The number of deaths is 491,723 (Worldometers.info).
The U.K. government has announced a new easing of quarantine restrictions beginning July 4th. Notable businesses barred from reopening are “indoor gyms, swimming pools, nail bars and indoor play areas” (BBC News). Importantly, the 2 meter (6 foot) restriction must be upheld even when meeting relatives outside the immediate family. The oil market in Latin America is being withered by the coronavirus. Francisco Monaldi, a Fellow in Latin America Energy Policy, cites the failure of Pemex, the state-owned oil company of Mexico, and the collapse of the nascent oil industry in Argentina as just two of many examples of the rippling effects of the coronavirus on the economy of the region according to a recent article published by the Wilson Center (Saldias). South Korea counted 39 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours Thursday (16 hours ahead of PDT). The country’s disease control agency warns of a “second wave” in the “Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon area”, making up more than a fifth of cases nationwide (Arin). Japan is experiencing a shortage of COVID-19 patients able to participate in clinical trials. Tetsuya Nakamura, who is running a trial of Avigan (a possible COVID therapy) at a central Japanese hospital, believes that “due to the decreasing number of coronavirus infections” clinical research will take longer to proceed (Swift). Israel has announced a partnership with the United Arab Emirates to combat the new coronavirus. This is, per Al Jazeera, “despite the lack of diplomatic ties between the two countries”. The ultimate goal of this research alliance is to “improve health security throughout the region.” UAE’s state-run news agency, WAM, acknowledged that four companies, two from Israel and two from the UAE, would be collaborating on medical projects “including those to combat the new coronavirus” (Al Jazeera). While the world is taking the necessary steps to combat a global pandemic, humankind is still far from fully recovering from COVID-19. Works Cited Worldometers.info. “Coronavirus Cases.” Worldometer, 26 June 2020, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ BBC News. “Coronavirus: Lockdown to Be Relaxed in England as 2m Rule Eased.” BBC News, BBC, 23 June 2020, www.bbc.com/news/uk-53152416. Saldias, Anibal Nicolas. “Dead Cow Bounce.” Wilson Center, www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/dead-cow-bounce. Arin, Kim. “Korea Counts 39 More Cases of COVID-19.” The Korea Herald, 26 June 2020, www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200626000243. Swift, Rocky. “Japan's Success in Curbing COVID-19 Cases Now Hampers Search for Cures.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 24 June 2020, www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-trials/japans-success-in-curbing-covid-19-cases-now-hampers-search-for-cures-idUSKBN23V0E9. Al Jazeera. “Israeli PM Announces 'Cooperation' with UAE to Fight Coronavirus.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 25 June 2020, www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/israeli-pm-announces-cooperation-uae-fight-coronavirus-200625183411488.html. |
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