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After a string of studies that highlight the possible link between air pollution and Covid-19 deaths , Ian Sample hears from Prof Anna Hansell about the complicated relationship between pollution, health and infection with Sars-CoV-2 Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2xeaDdj

Operators say PM’s claim the virus has been ‘wrestled to the floor’ is premature Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK’s coronavirus frontline has switched from hospitals to care homes, according to sector leaders who have dismissed Boris Johnson’s claim that the virus has been “wrestled to the floor” as premature. Deaths in some of the largest care home networks have surged by more than 70% in the last week or two, operators said on Monday. Official figures due on Tuesday are expected to show a significant increase. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2y3xhW8

Chefs and owners fear bankruptcy as continent’s gastronomic culture remains in limbo If there is such a thing as a European way of life, restaurants like Föllerei in Berlin used to give a pretty good flavour of what it would taste like. In a crammed 40 sq metre (430 sq ft) space tucked away in a side street of scruffy but fashionable Neukölln, the owner, Christiane Föll, has for the last 10 years served up sumptuous Franco-German cuisine, darting between 10 rickety wooden tables night after night to recommend the organic entrecôte , pour another glass of Spätburgunder or share the latest locally sourced gossip. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/35bhpwL

Doctors in Kano state report surge in fatal cases of pneumonia among elderly Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Doctors in Kano in north-west Nigeria are reporting a surge in fatal cases of pneumonia after local media raised concerns over a sudden rise in reported deaths in recent days. Authorities in Kano have denied that Covid-19 is responsible for the wave of fatalities, variously blaming malaria, meningitis, hypertension and other illnesses for the increased mortality. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Yb6TEr

Covid-19 is likely to impact aid for people forced from their homes by conflict and disaster around the world, experts warn Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A total of 50.8 million people around the world were recorded as internally displaced last year, forced from their homes by conflict and disaster. This is the highest number ever, and 10 million more than in 2018. Annual statistics published by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) calculated that by the end of 2019, 45.7 million people were internally displaced – effectively becoming refugees in their own country – as a result of violence in 61 countries. An additional 5.1 million people in 96 countries had been displaced by disasters. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2VLssdf

President Donald Trump said he knows the health status of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and suggested that the world would be hearing additional details “in the not too distant future,” but declined to elaborate further. At a White House news conference on Monday, Trump said he could not “tell you exactly” the status of Kim’s health, then added that he did have a “very good idea” about his condition. “But I can’t talk about it now,” Trump said. “I just wish him well.” Speculation about the 36-year-old North Korean leader’s health accelerated after the Seoul-based news site Daily NK reported April 20 that he was recovering from surgery, citing an unidentified person inside the country. U.S. media outlets subsequently reported that American intelligence officials had been told that Kim was in critical condition after cardiovascular surgery. He was absent at the April 15 birthday celebrations for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the state’s founder and its leader duri...

Yoshitake Yokokura is the latest expert to cast doubt on plans to hold the Games in Tokyo next year Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The head of the Tokyo Medical Association (JMA) has added his voice to speculation that the Tokyo Olympics, now due to be held next summer, could again be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. “Unless an effective vaccine is developed I think it will be difficult to hold the Olympics next year,” JMA president Yoshitake Yokokura told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. “I’m not saying at this point that they shouldn’t be held. The outbreak is not only confined to Japan ... it’s a worldwide issue.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cQJts0