Health

Bahraich (UP), Jul 25 (PTI) Sixty-seven people were booked for taking part in congregational prayers at a mosque here on Friday, police said.

Amid rising cases of COVID-19, large gatherings are not allowed in the state, they said.

WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 150 prominent U.S. medical experts and health professionals have signed an open letter, urging decision makers to shut down the country and start over to contain the surging COVID-19 pandemic.

"Of all the nations in the world, we've had the most deaths from COVID-19. At the same time, we're in the midst of 'reopening our economy,' exposing more and more people to coronavirus and watching numbers of cases -- and deaths -- skyrocket," they said in the letter addressed to the Trump administration, members of Congress and state governors.

24 July 2020; MEMO: The Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad has imposed a fee of $100 on anyone travelling out of the country to be tested for Covid-19. The charge is intended to boost the regime’s acquisition of hard cash in dollars.

Mumbai, Jul 23 (PTI) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday dismissed reports that he has tested negative for coronavirus and called the piece of news "an incorrigible lie".

The 77-year-old actor, who along with actor-son Abhishek, was admitted to the isolation ward of Nanavati Hospital here on July 11, was quick to rubbish stories that started swirling on social media.

"This news is incorrect, irresponsible, fake and an incorrigible lie!" wrote Amitabh on Twitter, tagging a video clip from a TV news channel.

New York, Jul 23 (AP/PTI) The operator of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, the latest retailer to do so during the pandemic.

Mahwah, New Jersey-based Ascena Retail Group Inc., which operates nearly 3,000 stores mostly at malls, had been dragged down by debt and weak sales for years.

Jhansi, Jul 23 (PTI) As many as 120 inmates of district jail here have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Thursday.

The Jhansi district administration on Wednesday said that according to a report, 134 people have tested positive for COVID-19 of which 120 are inmates of the district jail.

Guwahati, Jul 23 (PTI) Over 44 per cent of the 984 prisoners in the Guwahati Central Jail, including peasant leader Akhil Gogoi and student activist Sharjeel Imam, have tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official said on Thursday.

The Gauhati High Court has ordered the Assam government to provide the best treatment to prisoners who have tested positive for COVID-19 after suo motu cognisance of the rising number of cases inside the jails.

GENEVA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Researchers are making “good progress” in developing vaccines against COVID-19, with a handful in late-stage trials, but their first use cannot be expected until early 2021, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said.

WHO is working to ensure fair vaccine distribution, but in the meantime it is key to suppress the virus’ spread, said Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme, as daily new cases around the globe are at near-record levels.

23 July 2020; MEMO: Israel saw a record rise in coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with 1,977 new cases, according to the country’s Health Ministry, Anadolu reports.

A ministry statement said three people succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 54,663, including 430 deaths, and 22,647 recoveries.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned that the government might impose a lockdown if the country sees a surge of 2,000 cases a day.

20 July 2020; MEMO: Israeli soldiers demolished a Palestinian security checkpoint used to test for coronavirus in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa news agency.

The checkpoint was set up by Palestinian security forces at the entrance to the occupied West Bank city of Jenin to prevent the spread of the virus.