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World leaders who skipped past UN meetings get their moment
Read full article: World leaders who skipped past UN meetings get their momentVenezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has good reason not to travel to New York for the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. A virtual General Assembly knows no national borders, incurs no travel expenses and allows even the most cautious, prickly or paranoid leaders to have their say without leaving their at-home security bubbles. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte spoke to the General Assembly for the first time in his four years in office. The allegations are likely to be brought up repeatedly at the virtual assembly. Tanzania’s John Magufuli will speak as he seeks a second term in an election next month in which opposition leaders say they’ve faced government obstruction at every turn.
Brits mulling swift return from France after quarantine move
Read full article: Brits mulling swift return from France after quarantine moveBritish holidaymakers in France were mulling whether to return home early Friday to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days following the U.K. government's decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on France amid a recent pick-up in coronavirus infections. The Netherlands, Malta, Monaco and the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Turks & Caicos have also been added to the quarantine list for the same reason. Travel companies are urging anyone considering a swift return home to check whether they will be able to do so. While the number of new infections in Britain is also rising, they are not thought to be increasing at the same pace as in the countries added to the quarantine list. The quarantine decision is a big blow to France's tourism industry, which is heavily reliant on travelers from Britain.
Virus flareups in Europe lead to club closings, mask orders
Read full article: Virus flareups in Europe lead to club closings, mask ordersSome of the toughest new measures were announced in Spain, which has recorded almost 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days. In Italy, also faced with a surge of cases, seaside towns announced new restrictions, including bans on fireworks at beaches. Italy's Health Ministry said 574 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on Friday the highest daily number since May 28. The situation is deteriorating from week to week, the official, Jrme Salomon, said on France Inter radio. Until the cluster was discovered Tuesday, New Zealand had gone 102 days with no reports of infections spreading in the community.