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Death toll from COVID-19 passes 100,000 worldwide
The death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 100,000 worldwide on Friday afternoon, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
The fresh figure reached 100,376 as of 1:30pm US Eastern Time, an interactive map maintained by the CSSE showed.
According to the data, a total of 1,650,210 cases have been recorded around the globe. Italy has seen the most deaths, which stood at 18,849 among 147,577 cases. The United States has reported 475,749 cases with 17,925 fatalities.
Other countries with more than 10,000 deaths include Spain and France. (Xinhua)
China tightens quality supervisions on medical exports
The Chinese customs authority on Friday announced it will take quality checks on medical exports that are essential to COVID-19 control and treatment.
Medical masks, protective suits, goggles, ventilators and seven other categories of medical products will undergo a mandatory quality examination before their shipment to other countries. The new rule takes effect immediately, said the department.
Chinese exporters were asked to provide documents to customs to show that their exports have obtained a registration certificate for medical devices from the State Food and Drug Administration and met the quality standards of the importing country or region. (Xinhua)
Russian COVID-19 cases rise to nearly 12,000
Russia has tallied a total of 11,917 cases of COVID-19 in 82 out of 85 regions of the country as of Friday, with the number of infections rising by a new daily record of 1,786, latest official data showed.
The death toll rose to 94 from the previous day's 76, Russia's coronavirus response center said in a statement.
Moscow, the worst hit part of the country, has confirmed 1,124 new cases in the last 24 hours, with the total number of infected rising to 7,822 in the Russian capital. (Xinhua)
50 COVID-19 cases on French aircraft carrier: ministry
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has registered 50 cases of novel coronavirus among the crew, the armed forces ministry said Friday.
Three sailors had been evacuated from the vessel to hospital in the Mediterranean port of Toulon as a precaution.
However, none of the crew who tested positive for COVID-19 and remained on board has suffered "worsening health" so far, the ministry added in a statement. (AFP)
China shortens nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 to 45 minutes
Chinese researchers have developed a new nucleic acid test kit for COVID-19, which can confirm cases in 45 minutes on average, according to the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In addition to being fast, the test kit is also small and easy to carry, making it portable for on-site testing in real-time.
The test kit, free from cold chain logistics, can be stored and transported at normal temperatures, according to the institute. (Xinhua)
Mexico reaches deal with US to cut crude output
The president of Mexico said Friday he has reached a deal with US President Donald Trump to reduce oil output.
Mexico will cut production by 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at a press conference.
Under the OPEC deal, Mexico was to cut its output by 400,000 bpd. But Mexico resisted, and wanted the reduction limited to 100,000. Lopez Obrador said Friday that Trump agreed to cut US production by 250,000 bpd "as compensation" for Mexico. (China Daily)
FIBA announces revised global basketball calendar
FIBA, world basketball governing body, announced a new version of its global basketball calendar on Friday, which sees the Olympic qualifying tournaments rescheduled to June 22-July 4, 2021.
Based on the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the FIBA executive committee held a video conference and reached an agreement on a revised basketball calendar.
The 2021 FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup are also rescheduled to the period between September 1 and 18, 2022. (Xinhua)
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And now for the Question of the Day:
What is the chemical symbol for iron?
(Answer: Fe.)
Today’s quote is from British poet Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
"The history of art is the history of revivals."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)