Coronavirus: South Africa virus cases pass half million mark - BBC News

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More than half million coronavirus have been confirmed in South Africa, according to the country's health minister.

Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 503,290, along with 8,153 deaths.

South Africa is the hardest-hit country on the continent and accounts for half of all reported infections in Africa.

It also has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world after the US, Brazil, Russia and India.

Researchers have said the true number of deaths in the country may be far higher.

In other developments:

South African health authorities have said the rate of infection is increasing rapidly, with cases currently concentrated around the capital, Pretoria.

• South Africa's outbreak: Eight lessons for the rest of the continent

More than a third of all infections have been reported in Gauteng - South Africa's financial hub, and a province that has quickly become the epicentre of the national outbreak.

Infections are not expected to peak for another month.

South Africa imposed a strict lockdown in April and May that slowed the spread of the coronavirus.

It began a gradual reopening in June but restrictions - including a ban on alcohol sales - were reintroduced last month as infection rates began to rise again. A state of emergency is also in force until 15 August.

The influx of patients has put an incredible strain on South Africa's hospitals, and a BBC investigation found an array of systematic failures that had exhausted healthcare professionals and brought the health service near to collapse.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that 28,000 hospital beds had been made available for Covid-19 patients but the country still faced a "serious" shortage of doctors and nurses.

Last week the World Health Organization warned that South Africa's experience was a likely a precursor to what would happen across the rest of the continent.

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2020-08-02 00:16:12Z
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Coronavirus: South Africa virus cases pass half million mark - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

More than half million coronavirus have been confirmed in South Africa, according to the country's health minister.

Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 503,290, along with 8,153 deaths.

South Africa is the hardest-hit country on the continent and accounts for half of all reported infections in Africa.

It also has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world after the US, Brazil, Russia and India.

Researchers have said the true number of deaths in the country may be far higher.

In other developments:

South African health authorities have said the rate of infection is increasing rapidly, with cases currently concentrated around the capital, Pretoria.

• South Africa's outbreak: Eight lessons for the rest of the continent

More than a third of all infections have been reported in Gauteng - South Africa's financial hub, and a province that has quickly become the epicentre of the national outbreak.

Infections are not expected to peak for another month.

South Africa imposed a strict lockdown in April and May that slowed the spread of the coronavirus.

It began a gradual reopening in June but restrictions - including a ban on alcohol sales - were reintroduced last month as infection rates began to rise again. A state of emergency is also in force until 15 August.

The influx of patients has put an incredible strain on South Africa's hospitals, and a BBC investigation found an array of systematic failures that had exhausted healthcare professionals and brought the health service near to collapse.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that 28,000 hospital beds had been made available for Covid-19 patients but the country still faced a "serious" shortage of doctors and nurses.

Last week the World Health Organization warned that South Africa's experience was a likely a precursor to what would happen across the rest of the continent.

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2020-08-01 23:13:30Z
CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWFmcmljYS01MzYyNTc4OdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FtcC93b3JsZC1hZnJpY2EtNTM2MjU3ODk

Coronavirus: South Africa virus cases pass half million mark - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

More than half million coronavirus have been confirmed in South Africa, according to the country's health minister.

Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 503,290, along with 8,153 deaths.

South Africa is the hardest-hit country on the continent and accounts for half of all reported infections in Africa.

It also has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world after the US, Brazil, Russia and India.

Researchers have said the true number of deaths in the country may be far higher.

In other developments:

South African health authorities have said the rate of infection is increasing rapidly, with cases currently concentrated around the capital, Pretoria.

• South Africa's outbreak: Eight lessons for the rest of the continent

More than a third of all infections have been reported in Gauteng - South Africa's financial hub, and a province that has quickly become the epicentre of the national outbreak.

Infections are not expected to peak for another month.

South Africa imposed a strict lockdown in April and May that slowed the spread of the coronavirus.

It began a gradual reopening in June but restrictions - including a ban on alcohol sales - were reintroduced last month as infection rates began to rise again. A state of emergency is also in force until 15 August.

The influx of patients has put an incredible strain on South Africa's hospitals, and a BBC investigation found an array of systematic failures that had exhausted healthcare professionals and brought the health service near to collapse.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that 28,000 hospital beds had been made available for Covid-19 patients but the country still faced a "serious" shortage of doctors and nurses.

Last week the World Health Organization warned that South Africa's experience was a likely a precursor to what would happen across the rest of the continent.

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2020-08-01 23:06:55Z
CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWFmcmljYS01MzYyNTc4OdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FtcC93b3JsZC1hZnJpY2EtNTM2MjU3ODk

TikTok hits back as Trump threatens to ban app in US - Sky News

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has responded to Donald Trump's threat of a US ban by declaring: "We're not planning on going anywhere."

In a video aimed at the app's supporters, TikTok spokesperson Vanessa Pappas said it was "here for the long run" and called people to "stand for TikTok".

It followed a suggestion from the president that he would stop the app from operating in the US, as tensions have risen between America and China.

Image: Donald Trump said he plans to ban the app, adding he would use his executive powers to do so

The US has repeatedly warned of a security threat from Beijing and accused it of billions of dollars' worth of intellectual property theft.

China has denied the claims.

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Ms Pappas said: "We've heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. We're not planning on going anywhere."

TikTok later said in a statement: "These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic.

More from China

"We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US.

"Our $1bn creator fund supports US creators who are building livelihoods from our platform.

"TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the US."

Mr Trump said he has the authority to ban the app from his country, and it could be done through executive action as early as this weekend.

"As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.

The US president has signed an order forcing Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the US portion of its app due to national security concerns, according to The Washington Post.

The New York Times and others are reporting that the owner is in advanced talks with Microsoft to sell the US arm.

US military personnel have been discouraged from using Chinese technology over security fears, while Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reportedly told staff not to use TikTok.

Ms Pappas said: "We've heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. We're not planning on going anywhere."

TikTok later said in a statement: "These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic.

"We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US.

"Our $1bn creator fund supports US creators who are building livelihoods from our platform.

"TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the US."

Mr Trump said he has the authority to ban the app from his country, and it could be done through executive action as early as this weekend.

"As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.

The US president has signed an order forcing Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the US portion of its app due to national security concerns, according to The Washington Post.

Reuters news agency says the owner has offered to sell the stake to Microsoft.

US military personnel have been discouraged from using Chinese technology over security fears, while Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reportedly told staff not to use TikTok.

:: Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker

This week, a group of top Republican senators asked the Trump administration to assess the threat that the app could meddle in US elections.

China dismissed the claims, saying it had "absolutely no intention of interfering with the US election", while a TikTok spokesperson said the company was "proactively investing to safeguard our app".

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2020-08-01 21:22:30Z
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TikTok hits back as Trump threatens to ban app in US - Sky News

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has responded to Donald Trump's threat of a US ban by declaring: "We're not planning on going anywhere."

In a video aimed at the app's supporters, TikTok spokesperson Vanessa Pappas said it was "here for the long run" and called people to "stand for TikTok".

It followed a suggestion from the president that he would stop the app from operating in the US, as tensions have risen between America and China.

The US has repeatedly warned of a security threat from Beijing and accused it of billions of dollars' worth of intellectual property theft.

China has denied the claims.

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Ms Pappas said: "We've heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. We're not planning on going anywhere."

TikTok later said in a statement: "These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic.

More from China

"We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US.

"Our $1bn creator fund supports US creators who are building livelihoods from our platform.

"TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the US."

Mr Trump said he has the authority to ban the app from his country, and it could be done through executive action as early as this weekend.

"As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.

The US president has signed an order forcing Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the US portion of its app due to national security concerns, according to The Washington Post.

Reuters news agency says the owner has offered to sell the stake to Microsoft.

US military personnel have been discouraged from using Chinese technology over security fears, while Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reportedly told staff not to use TikTok.

:: Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker

This week, a group of top Republican senators asked the Trump administration to assess the threat that the app could meddle in US elections.

China dismissed the claims, saying it had "absolutely no intention of interfering with the US election", while a TikTok spokesperson said the company was "proactively investing to safeguard our app".

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2020-08-01 16:52:47Z
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ByteDance races to salvage TikTok deal after Trump vows ban - Financial Times

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, is racing to save the video-sharing app’s US operations by making a last-ditch plea to the Trump administration to allow it to sell the unit to Microsoft.

ByteDance has told the White House it is willing to divest its US operation in full through a sale, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The offer was first reported by Reuters.

The appeal came a day after US president Donald Trump vowed to ban TikTok in the US, and said a sale to any party — including Microsoft — would not be an acceptable solution.

“As far as TikTok is concerned we’re banning them from the United States,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One late on Friday, who said he could use executive powers to formalise the decision as early as Saturday. “We are not an M&A [mergers and acquisitions] country.”

The comments left some involved in the talks between Microsoft and ByteDance fearing that any hope of a deal had collapsed on Saturday.

However, others — including ByteDance executives — believe that Mr Trump’s intervention was a negotiating ploy intended to compel the Chinese group to sell the US business in full and at a lower price than it had been holding out for from Microsoft.

There is no guarantee that Microsoft and ByteDance will reach a deal, but the two sides have been secretly discussing a transaction over the past few weeks, according to multiple people involved.

Microsoft president Brad Smith has visited officials in Washington in the past few days to see if a takeover of the business by the US company would address the government’s concerns over TikTok, some of these people said.

Microsoft has a limited presence in social media and believes a deal would allow it to enter a category dominated by rivals such as Facebook, one person added.

In private, TikTok executives and investors have speculated that Facebook, which is preparing to unveil a rival product in America as soon as this week, has been lobbying the US government behind closed doors to ban the app.

The exact price under discussion is not clear, but it is believed to be in the range of between $15bn and $30bn, one person said. Another person said that there has been no agreement on price or terms yet and characterised the discussions as “preliminary”.

It remains unclear how TikTok would separate its US operations from its European and Asian arms.

The US government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, has been undertaking a review of TikTok’s status in recent weeks on national security grounds.

The review by Cfius, which is led by the Treasury department, followed growing concerns over the company’s Chinese roots and data-gathering practices.

As well as considering an outright ban, and a spin-off to a US buyer, the Trump administration has also weighed whether to place TikTok on the so-called entity list run by the commerce department, to restrict its ability to do business in the US.

In an apparent bid to assuage the concerns of its US users, Vanessa Pappas, general manager for TikTok US, posted a video on TikTok on Saturday in which she said: “We’re not going anywhere . . . We’re here for the long run.”

The company also put out a statement on Friday saying: “TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.”

ByteDance has also been in talks with a group of its existing investors, including Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic, about a deal to spin out TikTok. Some of those US investors may be able to take minority stakes under the terms of the proposal put to the White House, one person said.

Microsoft could not be immediately reached for comment.

Additional reporting by Miles Kruppa

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2020-08-01 16:50:00Z
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Muslims sacrifice animals to celebrate Eid al-Adha during scaled back festivities - Daily Mail

Muslims slaughter cattle, camels and sheep in bloody sacrifice to celebrate Eid al-Adha during scaled back festivities because of the coronavirus crisis

• WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 
• Muslims who can afford it sacrifice cattle as part of the celebrations, as well as camels, goats, sheep or rams
• The slaughtered animal meat is distributed to the poor to commemorate Abraham's sacrificing of his son
• Mosques across the world have imposed hygiene rules to prevent the virus from spreading at Eid prayers

By Alice Cachia For Mailonline

Published: 16:56 BST, 1 August 2020 | Updated: 18:04 BST, 1 August 2020

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Muslims around the world continue to celebrate Eid al-Adha as they slaughter livestock amid scaled back festivities because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Today marks the second of the four-day Feast of the Sacrifice, which coincides with the last days of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Eid al-Adha commemorates Muslims' belief that prophet Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God replaced his son with a ram to be sacrificed instead.

Many Muslims who can afford it sacrifice cattle as part of the celebrations, as well as camels, goats, sheep or rams.

Muslim devotees slaughter cattle during the Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, in Lahore

Muslims attend prayers at a mosque in Peshawar in Pakistan. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year and it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage Hajj to visit Mecca

People struggle to control a bull for slaughtering for Eid al-Adha in Karachi, Pakistan

Muslims wearing face masks prepare to slaughter a cow during an Eid al-Adha festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The meat is distributed to the poor to commemorate the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, but the economic crisis means that many cannot afford livestock. 

Rule of the sacrifice include that the animal can only be slaughtered after the Eid prayer, and that is has to be an adult at the time it is slaughtered. 

Water should also be offered to the animal before the time of the slaughter, and every animal that is sacrificed must be completely healthy without any physical defects. 

The coronavirus has cast a shadow over this Eid, with fears of another spike in infections prompting authorities to warn people to minimise movement, avoid cattle markets and refrain from public gatherings to witness the slaughter of sacrificial animals.

Eid al-Fitr, marked in May, was followed by a spike in Covid-19 infections with new daily cases.   

A man checks a cow's head after slaughtering it during the sacrificial Eid al-Adha festival in Banda Aceh

Men gather to slaughter a camel in celebration of Eid al-Adha in Peshawar in Pakistan

Mosques have imposed strict hygiene rules to prevent the virus from spreading at Eid prayers, while families in many countries are unable to gather as they normally would. 

Kosovo and the United Arab Emirates have also closed mosques to limit the spread of the virus.

In Lebanon, Muslim worshippers prayed in mosques under tight security, despite a partial lockdown imposed Thursday that will continue until August 10.  

The pandemic has pushed millions of people around the world closer to the brink of poverty, making it harder for many to fulfill the religious tradition of purchasing livestock.

In Somalia, the price of meat has slightly increased. Abdishakur Dahir, a civil servant in Mogadishu, said that for the first time he won't be able to afford goat for Eid because of the impact of the virus on work.

'I could hardly buy food for my family,' Dahir said. 'We are just surviving for now. Life is getting tougher by the day.' 

Butchers load a truck with meat from livestock during Eid Al-Adha on in Baku, Azerbaijan

A man helps slaughter sheep for Eid al-Adha, which typically sees meat distributed to the poor, in Kabul, Afghanistan

Pictured above, devotees prepare to sacrifice a camel in Lahore as part of their celebrations

Muslim devotees prepare to slaughter a camel during the Eid al-Adha or the 'Festival of Sacrifice' in Peshawar 

Muslim pilgrims keep their distance as they walk around the holy Kaaba while performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca's Grand Mosque, which coincides with Eid al-Adha 

People transport a goat by rickshaw for the start of Eid al-Adha in Mumbia, India, which is taking place in the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic which has pushed many people closer to poverty 

Iranians buy sheep at a livestock market in Tehran today in order to slaughter them for Eid al-Adha 

A man carries a sacrificial goat which is typically shared out to celebrate Eid al-Adha in Denpasar, Indonesia

The hajj pilgrimage has also been drastically impacted by the virus. Last year, some 2.5 million pilgrims took part, but this year as few as 10,000 pilgrims already residing in Saudi Arabia were allowed to take part.

The Saudi Health Ministry said there have been no cases of the Covid-19 illness among this year's pilgrims. 

The government took numerous precautions, including testing pilgrims for the virus, monitoring their movement with electronic wristbands and requiring them to quarantine before and after the hajj. 

Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal, and all had to be between the ages of 20 and 50 years old. 

Sheikh Abdullah al-Manea, member of the Supreme Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia, used the hajj sermon Friday to praise the kingdom's leadership for their 'wise decision' to limit the number of pilgrims and protect human life.

'We thank the positive role of Muslims around the world that have complied with the regulations of the country to protect them from the spread of this virus, which leads to the protection of Mecca and Medina,' the sheikh said. 

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2020-08-01 15:56:57Z
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