- Al Jazeera
Philippines backs Vietnam after China sinks fishing boat
The Philippines has expressed solidarity with Vietnam after Hanoi protested against what it said was the ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese coastguard vessel in the disputed South China Sea. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila expressed deep concern over the reported April 3 sinking of the boat off the Paracel Islands. There were eight fishermen on board at the time. More: Philippines protests 'swarming' of more than 100 Chinese vessels Duterte finds a friend in China but critics cry treason Vietnam demands China withdraw vessel from South China Sea The incident happened at a time when a common approach was crucial in confronting the coronavirus pandemic, it
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Coronavirus: UAE to grant paid leave to select federal government employees
The United Arab Emirates has decided to grant paid leave to select employees of the federal government as part of measures during the country's fight against the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency WAM reported. According to the resolution passed, the decision to grant paid leave also applies to employees whose spouses work in vital health-related occupations, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical jobs that require exposure to infected people, as well as employees of quarantine centers.
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Medical staff in Iran kiss religious relic for coronavirus protection: Report
Medical personnel in a hospital in Iran were seen kissing a religious piece of cloth to protect them against coronavirus, according to a video circulating on social media. The cloth is from the Imam Reza shrine in Iran's Shia holy city of Mashhad. Medical staff were seen lining up in the video to kiss the cloth one after the other. Other videos and images have been shared on social media showing a piece of cloth from the Imam Reza shrine being taken to be touched and kissed by coronavirus patients in hospitals.
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Boris Johnson remains in intensive care, but not on ventilator: Dominic Raab
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care on oxygen but without the need for a ventilator and does not have pneumonia, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday. Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, Raab has said he is “confident” that the prime minister will recover from coronavirus, describing him as a “fighter”. Raab said Mr Johnson remained in “good spirits” and was breathing without assistance. The Queen has sent a message to Mr Johnson's family and pregnant partner, saying they are in her thoughts.
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Coronavirus: Iran death toll spikes to 3,872 with 62,589 infected in total
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus spiked to 3,872 on Tuesday, with the total number of confirmed cases rising to 62,589, according to an Iranian health official. Last Update: 09:41 KSA 12:41 - GMT 09:41
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Surgical, cotton masks do not prevent coronavirus infection: Report
Neither surgical masks nor cotton masks are effective filters to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, according to a new report published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. People have flocked to buy face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, officially known as COVID-19, resulting in shortages of masks globally. Amid shortages of the N95 mask, the so-called gold standard in consumer face masks, many have turned to surgical and cotton masks as substitutes.
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Abu Dhabi taps debt market after Qatar's $10 bln bond sale
Abu Dhabi started marketing US dollar bonds on Wednesday, a document showed, following Qatar's $10 billion debt sale on Tuesday, as Gulf states raise cash amid low oil prices and the coronavirus outbreak. Two sources close to the deal said Abu Dhabi was looking to raise $5 billion to $7 billion with the issuance. A spokesman at Abu Dhabi's department of finance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Like Qatar, Abu Dhabi plans to raise debt in tranches of five, 10 and 30 years.
