
Half the Covid-19 patients who go to the hospital in Mexico's border state of Baja California die, an alarming rate that experts attribute to people waiting too long to seek admission because they fear the poor conditions of hospitals.

The southern state of Santa Catarina, which borders with the Argentine province of Misiones decreed on Saturday strict confinement measures following a record death toll from the coronavirus pandemic.

Santa Cruz province in the extreme south of Argentina imposed strict circulation and reunion restrictions plus a suspension of all activities in Rio Gallegos following an outbreak of coronavirus in the provincial capital, according to local media reports.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday he was “absolutely confident” in allegations by the UK and its allies that Russia targeted labs conducting COVID-19 research, branding the behavior “outrageous and reprehensible”.

One of the world's largest meatpackers said they have installed ultraviolet air cleaning equipment in some US plants, as pressure mounts on food companies to protect workers amid growing concerns about airborne transmission of the coronavirus.

Nearly half of Britain's biggest companies think it will take until the second half of 2021 before business recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey on Monday that cast doubt on hopes for a speedier rebound.

The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars early on Monday as it strives to develop its scientific and technology capabilities and move away from its reliance on oil.

Meat plants have been a major factor in the spread of coronavirus in at least three different regions of Brazil, according to the country’s experts. According to the new study conducted by the federal prosecution department the Public Ministry of Labour (MPT), the conditions at the meat plants have directly contributed towards the rapid transmission of the virus.

Coronavirus infections in Brazil no longer appear to be rising exponentially but the country is “still in the middle of this fight” as new cases and deaths grow by thousands every day, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The Argentine government announced on Friday that it has extended the national quarantine aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 to August 2.