Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.

Spain sees slight hike in daily virus toll with 430 deaths

Madrid – Spain saw a slight increase in the daily death toll from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, with 430 people dying in the past 24 hours, health ministry data showed.

So far, 21 282 people have succumbed to the pandemic in Spain, which has suffered the third-highest number of deaths in the world after the United States and Italy.

 - AFP

UK parliament returns as virus criticism grows

London – The British parliament returns on Tuesday from an extended Easter break, allowing lawmakers to scrutinise ministers as criticism grows of government handling of the coronavirus crisis and deaths outside hospitals increase.

MPs are being encouraged to attend the lower chamber House of Commons via video link for the first time as a result of the pandemic.

"My advice is please stay at home, let's do it remotely," Speaker of the Commons Lyndsay Hoyle told BBC radio. "In times of crisis, we must find new ways of working, just as we have done throughout history."

Social distancing rules demanding people stay two metres apart mean only 50 MPs will be able to sit in the 650-seat chamber at any one time. They are instead being asked to call in via Zoom, an internet video conferencing service, in a first for the 700-year-old parliament.

 - AFP

Food insecurity rising even before coronavirus - report

Paris – Food insecurity was on the rise last year and the coronavirus crisis is likely to further exacerbate the situation, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released on Tuesday by the United Nations (UN).

It found that 135 million people in 55 countries were in living in situations of acute food crises or outright humanitarian emergencies last year. The increase by more than 20 million people takes it to a record level in the four years the report has been compiled.

The report is due to be presented later on Tuesday to the UN Security Council by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation and World Food Programme.

Comparing the 50 countries in the reports this and last year, the number of people in food crisis rose by nearly 10% to 123 million people.

 - AFP

Iran says 1 000 foreign prisoners temporarily released

Tehran – Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday that it has temporary released more than 1 000 foreign prisoners due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, following criticism by UN human rights experts.

"What Iran has done in guaranteeing prisoners' health and granting furlough to them is a significant move" compared with what other countries have done, said judiciary spokesperson Gholamhossein Esmaili.

British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested in 2016 and serving a five-year jail term for sedition, was among 100 000 prisoners temporarily released in March. Her leave had been extended until 20 May, her lawyer told state news agency IRNA on Tuesday.

A panel of UN human rights experts last week called on Iran to expand the list of prisoners it has temporarily released over the Covid-19 outbreak to include "prisoners of conscience and dual and foreign nationals".

 - AFP

Madagascar president launches coronavirus 'remedy'

Antananarivo – The president of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina has officially launched a local herbal remedy claimed to prevent and cure the novel coronavirus.

"Tests have been carried out – two people have now been cured by this treatment," Rajoelina told ministers, diplomats and journalists at the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA), which developed the beverage. "This herbal tea gives results in seven days," he said.

Downing a dose, he said: "I will be the first to drink this today, in front of you, to show you that this product cures and does not kill."

The drink, which has been called Covid-Organics, is derived from artemisia – a plant with proven efficacy in malaria treatment – and other indigenous herbs, according to the IMRA.

But its safety and effectiveness have not been assessed internationally, nor has any data from trials been published in peer-reviewed studies. Mainstream scientists have warned of the potential risk from untested herbal brews.

 - AFP

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