Coronavirus: As infections hit one million worldwide, what do the statistics really tell us?
Crucial indicator for governments is rate at which virus is spreading within communities and how quickly it doublesShaun LinternHealth Correspondent
The number of people infected with coronavirus around the world has now passed the one million milestone, as the pandemic continues to grow and spread.
Around a quarter of the globe is now thought to be in some form of lockdown as restrictions on normal life have become essential in the war to prevent Covid-19 claiming more victims.
As the virus rampantly extended its grip around the globe, daily updates on numbers of infections and deaths have become a grim routine for millions of people stuck in their homes regardless of whether they live in Wuhan, Italy, the UK or New York.
China steps up western media campaign over coronavirus crisis
Beijing ‘aims to turn national disaster into global triumph’ with help of TV news channel and Twitter
The Chinese state is ramping up its English-language media campaigns in a bid to defend the country’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, highlight the failings of western governments, and raise China’s standing on the world stage.
Photographs of Chinese aid – dubbed “facemask diplomacy” – arriving at Heathrow on Saturday including boxes labelled “Keep Calm and Cure Coronavirus” have been promoted to UK audiences by the Xinhua news agency. Some younger Chinese diplomats have used English-language Twitter, which is banned within China, to spread false suggestions that the virus may have been started by the west to discredit the Chinese state.
Coronavirus fuels domestic violence in the Middle East
As authorities across the region struggle to contain the pandemic through curfews and lockdowns, few have thought of the knock-on effects. For many women, more time at home means more physical abuse from family members.
For many women in the Middle East and North Africa, physical violence is a part of everyday life. In countries such as Yemen, Morocco and Egypt, at least a quarter of all married women say their husbands have physically abused them, according to a Princeton University study published last year.
Last week Tunisian Women's Affairs Minister Asma Shiri raised the alarm on rising domestic violence as a result of government efforts to curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. After Tunisia imposed a curfew in mid-March, the number of domestic violence cases rose fivefold.
Controversial Soviet-era statue removed in Prague
Prague authorities on Friday said they had removed a controversial Soviet-era statue, despite protests from Moscow, to make way for a World War II memorial.
Plans to remove the bronze statue of Soviet general Ivan Konev triggered a sharp reaction from Moscow last year.
While Konev is regarded as a hero in Russia, many Czechs see him as a symbol of Soviet-era oppression.
Venezuelans face evictions amid Colombia coronavirus quarantine
Venezuelans, many of whom have lost their informal work, face especially 'dark times' under quarantine.
Breyan Romero was forced to leave the hostel he was renting in downtown Bogota, unable to pay his daily rent of $3.
The 24-year-old, who uses a walker due to his paralysed legs, arrived two years ago from Zulia State, Venezuela, in search of a better life. He sold biscuits on the streets, and while the days were hard, he was able to make enough to pay his rent and put food on the table.
Coronavirus: Google reveals travel habits during the pandemic
Google is to publicly track people's movements over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
The tech firm will publish details of the different types of places people are going to on a county-by-county basis in the UK, as well as similar data for 130 other countries.
The plan is to issue a regular updates with the figures referring back to activity from two or three days prior.
The company has promised that individuals' privacy will be preserved.
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