Health & Science

• Wednesday, May 6th 2020 - 08:38 UTC

  Lover's visit to top UK scientist, breaking social distancing, forces his resignation

  

  A top scientist who advised British leaders on COVID-19 lockdown measures said on Tuesday he had resigned from a key government panel after admitting to breaking the country's rules on social distancing.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2020 - 07:25 UTC

  UK overtakes Italy reporting the highest official death toll from coronavirus

  

  The United Kingdom has overtaken Italy to report the highest official death toll from the new coronavirus in Europe, figures released on Tuesday showed, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his response to the crisis.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 07:15 UTC

  COVID-19 collapses Ecuador: 30,000 confirmed cases and no certainty on death toll

  

  Ecuador on Monday exceeded 30,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, while the government launched a plan to start gradually relaxing quarantine measures that have been in place since mid-March. Ecuador has confirmed 31,881 cases of COVID-19, with 1,569 reported deaths and a further 1,336 deaths likely as a result of the virus.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 07:13 UTC

  Brazil indigenous leaders call on WHO to set an emergency fund to protect their communities

  

  Indigenous leaders in Brazil have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up an emergency fund to help protect their communities from the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:55 UTC

  China official media calls “Evil Pompeo” a lying clown

  

  China's state broadcaster CCTV on Monday attacked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's “insane and evasive remarks” over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, further fuelling Sino-US tensions.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:46 UTC

  Dramatic boom of flour sales by lockdown baking

  

  A mill is producing a month's worth of flour every week to keep up with demand during the coronavirus pandemic. Supermarket shelves have been stripped of flour by shoppers either panic-buying or taking to lockdown baking.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:44 UTC

  A quarter of UK employees furloughed, and companies claiming £8 billion to pay wages

  

  Around a quarter of employees in Britain have been furloughed and companies have claimed £8 billion from the government to sustain their wage bills during the coronavirus lockdown, tax authorities said on Monday.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:41 UTC

  Australia and New Zealand considering a “travel bubble” between the two countries

  

  New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a “travel bubble” between the two countries, sources said on Monday, even as Australia reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:37 UTC

  Chile ordered new quarantine measures for three districts of Santiago

  

  Chile ordered strict new quarantine measures on three districts in the capital Santiago after a sudden spike in coronavirus cases on Sunday. The health ministry reported a surge of 1,228 new infections, bringing the total to nearly 20,000 nationwide and dealing a blow to hopes it was over the worst of the crisis.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:18 UTC

  Israel research lab isolates coronavirus antibody: “a significant breakthrough”

  

  Israel has isolated a key coronavirus antibody at its main biological research laboratory, the Israeli defense minister said on Monday, calling the step a “significant breakthrough” toward a possible treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic.