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Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts

Dutch Mink Workers May Be First Known Humans Infected By Animals: WHO

Dutch Mink Workers May Be First Known Humans Infected By Animals: WHO

(AFP) The World Health Organization said Tuesday that Dutch workers apparently infected with the coronavirus by minks could be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission.

The WHO told AFP that it was in close contact with Dutch researchers investigating three cases where the virus appears to have been passed to humans from minks. "This would be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission," the UN health agency told AFP in an email.

"But we are still collecting and reviewing more data to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease," it said.

Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten said Monday that a second worker had likely contracted COVID-19 on a mink farm, while stressing that the risk of further contagion remained low. An initial infection was reported last week on one of two farms near the southern city of Eindhoven, where the disease was discovered in April among mink that are bred for their valuable fur.

The infection happened before it was known that the mink were carrying the virus, meaning that workers did not wear protective clothing at the time. The health ministry said that three people on the farm tested positive for the virus, but said that it remained unclear if more than one of the cases had come directly from a mink.

The exact source of the virus, which first appeared in China late last year, remains unknown, and there is growing pressure for an international probe to determine its origin. In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 5.5 million people, killing nearly 350,000 of them.

Most scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly in a market that sells exotic animals for meat in the city of Wuhan.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated Monday that China had agreed that an investigation of the origin was needed, but did not say when one might begin. "All stakeholders understand the importance of studying the origin, because it's by studying the origin that we can prevent it from happening in the future," he told a virtual press conference.

Since the initial jump to humans, there have been no previous reports of animals being the source of infections. The WHO said however that there have been some instances of COVID-19 patients infecting their pets.

"A number of susceptibility studies have shown that other animal species are also susceptible to the virus and can be infected, including cats, ferrets," it said. The agency stressed that necessary precautions should be taken to avoid infection of pets from close contacts with humans with COVID-19, but insisted that "there is no reason or justification to take measures against companion animals."

bur-nl/rjm/wai

(AFP) The World Health Organization said Tuesday that Dutch workers apparently infected with the coronavirus by minks could be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission.

The WHO told AFP that it was in close contact with Dutch researchers investigating three cases where the virus appears to have been passed to humans from minks. "This would be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission," the UN health agency told AFP in an email.

"But we are still collecting and reviewing more data to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease," it said.

Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten said Monday that a second worker had likely contracted COVID-19 on a mink farm, while stressing that the risk of further contagion remained low. An initial infection was reported last week on one of two farms near the southern city of Eindhoven, where the disease was discovered in April among mink that are bred for their valuable fur.

The infection happened before it was known that the mink were carrying the virus, meaning that workers did not wear protective clothing at the time. The health ministry said that three people on the farm tested positive for the virus, but said that it remained unclear if more than one of the cases had come directly from a mink.

The exact source of the virus, which first appeared in China late last year, remains unknown, and there is growing pressure for an international probe to determine its origin. In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 5.5 million people, killing nearly 350,000 of them.

Most scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly in a market that sells exotic animals for meat in the city of Wuhan.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated Monday that China had agreed that an investigation of the origin was needed, but did not say when one might begin. "All stakeholders understand the importance of studying the origin, because it's by studying the origin that we can prevent it from happening in the future," he told a virtual press conference.

Since the initial jump to humans, there have been no previous reports of animals being the source of infections. The WHO said however that there have been some instances of COVID-19 patients infecting their pets.

"A number of susceptibility studies have shown that other animal species are also susceptible to the virus and can be infected, including cats, ferrets," it said. The agency stressed that necessary precautions should be taken to avoid infection of pets from close contacts with humans with COVID-19, but insisted that "there is no reason or justification to take measures against companion animals."

bur-nl/rjm/wai

Dutch government promises 2bn to 4bn euros to aid KLM: minister

Dutch government promises 2bn to 4bn euros to aid KLM: minister


PARIS (AP) — Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said Friday the government will provide 2-4 billion euros ($2.16-4.32 billion) to help flag carrier KLM survive the devastating impact on its operations of the coronavirus crisis.

Hoekstra said the money would likely be in the form of guarantees and loans to the carrier that has seen most of its planes grounded since the virus began its march around the globe.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The French government announced a “historic” 7-billion-euro ($7.6-billion) aid package Friday to rescue Air France, whose planes have been largely grounded by virus lockdowns around the world.

The Dutch government also was expected to announce an aid package for Air France’s Dutch partner carrier, KLM. Airlines around the world are collapsing or seeking government bailouts, as the past several weeks of travel restrictions have upended their entire industry.

The deal reached Friday will include 3 billion euros in direct loans from the French state and a 4-billion-euro bank loan guaranteed by the state, Air France said in a statement.

Speaking on national television TF1, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the aid was necessary to “save our national airline.” He said the government is not currently considering nationalizing Air France.

In exchange for the bailout, Le Maire said the government would set conditions of profitability and more environmentally sustainable, less polluting policies.

Air France-KLM Chief Executive Ben Smith hailed the “unparalleled vote of confidence” from the government, which is the airline's largest single shareholder.

The company would have run out of cash “in the very near future” without this help, he said. He promised the company would “rethink our model immediately" to stay competitive once virus confinement measures start allowing more air travel.

The French government is also considering a 5-billion-euro loan guarantee for carmaker Renault, Le Maire said.


© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

PARIS (AP) — Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said Friday the government will provide 2-4 billion euros ($2.16-4.32 billion) to help flag carrier KLM survive the devastating impact on its operations of the coronavirus crisis.

Hoekstra said the money would likely be in the form of guarantees and loans to the carrier that has seen most of its planes grounded since the virus began its march around the globe.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The French government announced a “historic” 7-billion-euro ($7.6-billion) aid package Friday to rescue Air France, whose planes have been largely grounded by virus lockdowns around the world.

The Dutch government also was expected to announce an aid package for Air France’s Dutch partner carrier, KLM. Airlines around the world are collapsing or seeking government bailouts, as the past several weeks of travel restrictions have upended their entire industry.

The deal reached Friday will include 3 billion euros in direct loans from the French state and a 4-billion-euro bank loan guaranteed by the state, Air France said in a statement.

Speaking on national television TF1, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the aid was necessary to “save our national airline.” He said the government is not currently considering nationalizing Air France.

In exchange for the bailout, Le Maire said the government would set conditions of profitability and more environmentally sustainable, less polluting policies.

Air France-KLM Chief Executive Ben Smith hailed the “unparalleled vote of confidence” from the government, which is the airline's largest single shareholder.

The company would have run out of cash “in the very near future” without this help, he said. He promised the company would “rethink our model immediately" to stay competitive once virus confinement measures start allowing more air travel.

The French government is also considering a 5-billion-euro loan guarantee for carmaker Renault, Le Maire said.


© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

Coronavirus death toll jumps to three in Netherlands

Coronavirus death toll jumps to three in Netherlands

The death toll from COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands has jumped to three, after health officials reported two more fatalities.

According to the National Institute for Public Health, the deceased were two men, aged 82 and 86. The two had previous medical problems before they were infected with the virus, according to officials. The Netherlands registered its first fatal case, a 86-year-old man who died in a hospital in Rotterdam, on Friday.

The total number of infections in the country increased to 265 on Sunday, from 188 a day earlier.

Health authorities said 131 of these patients had recently been to Italy, the country at the heart of Europe's largest coronavirus outbreak.
The death toll from COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands has jumped to three, after health officials reported two more fatalities.

According to the National Institute for Public Health, the deceased were two men, aged 82 and 86. The two had previous medical problems before they were infected with the virus, according to officials. The Netherlands registered its first fatal case, a 86-year-old man who died in a hospital in Rotterdam, on Friday.

The total number of infections in the country increased to 265 on Sunday, from 188 a day earlier.

Health authorities said 131 of these patients had recently been to Italy, the country at the heart of Europe's largest coronavirus outbreak.

Algeria, Switzerland confirms first cases of coronavirus as number of deaths in Italy rises to 11

Algeria, Switzerland confirms first cases of coronavirus as number of deaths in Italy rises to 11

Bahrain reports six more cases


Algeria has confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, an Italian man who arrived in the country on February 17, state television reported making the country the 2nd after Egypt in Africa to confirmed the China's virus.

The man has been put into quarantine, state television said, citing the health minister.
In Europe, a 70-year-old man tested positive for the coronavirus in Switzerland's southern canton of Ticino, on the border with Italy, Swiss health authorities said, confirming their country's first case.

"The infected person was in Italy about ten days ago and participated in an event near Milan," the Swiss health ministry said in a statement.

People he had been in contact with were currently being identified and put in quarantine for 14 days.

Also, at least 11 people have died as the coronavirus continues to spread in Italy's northern region, according to the head of the country's Civil Protection Department, Angelo Borrelli.

With at least 322 cases, Italy is the worst-hit European country and there are fears the outbreak could affect its neighbours.

In Spain, an Italian doctor at a hotel in Tenerife was confirmed to have the virus - that hotel is now on lockdown. 

And in the UK, three schools have closed after students returned from skiing trips.

The coronavirus has been spreading fast with new cases reported in the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world, with more deaths in Italy.

The virus has now infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700.

In the Arab region, Bahrain has identified six more new cases of coronavirus all coming from Iran, bringing the total number in the kingdom to 23, the state news agency BNA reported, citing the health ministry.

Iran is currently the  worst hit Virus in the region as the country has recorded up to 15 death toll with over  hundred confirmed cases.

Bahrain reports six more cases


Algeria has confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, an Italian man who arrived in the country on February 17, state television reported making the country the 2nd after Egypt in Africa to confirmed the China's virus.

The man has been put into quarantine, state television said, citing the health minister.
In Europe, a 70-year-old man tested positive for the coronavirus in Switzerland's southern canton of Ticino, on the border with Italy, Swiss health authorities said, confirming their country's first case.

"The infected person was in Italy about ten days ago and participated in an event near Milan," the Swiss health ministry said in a statement.

People he had been in contact with were currently being identified and put in quarantine for 14 days.

Also, at least 11 people have died as the coronavirus continues to spread in Italy's northern region, according to the head of the country's Civil Protection Department, Angelo Borrelli.

With at least 322 cases, Italy is the worst-hit European country and there are fears the outbreak could affect its neighbours.

In Spain, an Italian doctor at a hotel in Tenerife was confirmed to have the virus - that hotel is now on lockdown. 

And in the UK, three schools have closed after students returned from skiing trips.

The coronavirus has been spreading fast with new cases reported in the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world, with more deaths in Italy.

The virus has now infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700.

In the Arab region, Bahrain has identified six more new cases of coronavirus all coming from Iran, bringing the total number in the kingdom to 23, the state news agency BNA reported, citing the health ministry.

Iran is currently the  worst hit Virus in the region as the country has recorded up to 15 death toll with over  hundred confirmed cases.

Dutch court upholds shareholder appeal in $50bn Yukos case: statement

Dutch court upholds shareholder appeal in $50bn Yukos case: statement

Russia to appeal Dutch ruling in $50 bn Yukos case: ministry

(AFP) Netherlands,  Hague: A Dutch court Tuesday upheld an appeal by shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos in a landmark ruling, boosting their fight in a $50 billion case for compensation.

The ruling overturns a lower Dutch court's decision in favour of Russia, which had contested an original decision by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that awarded shareholders billions of dollars after Yukos was dismantled in the mid-2000s.

"The Appeals Court in The Hague decided today that a previous ruling in favour of the Russian Federation was incorrect," the court said in a statement, adding an original $50 billion award by the PCA -- an international arbitral tribunal -- "is in force again".

Russia said it would appeal.

The long-awaited ruling comes almost 14 years after the once powerful company filed for bankruptcy and follows a controversial 2014 ruling that ordered Russia to pay out billions of dollars in compensation to its former shareholders.

The PCA that year ruled that Russia had forced Yukos into bankruptcy with excessive tax claims and then sold off its assets to state-owned companies.

It based its ruling on the provisions of a multilateral 1994 accord, the Energy Charter Treaty, which aimed to promote energy security.

It then ordered Moscow to pay more than $50 billion to the former shareholders -- a record award for the arbitration tribunal.

- Shock turnaround -

In a shock turnaround a local Dutch court in 2016 annulled the PCA's decision, saying it was "not competent" to rule in the case, based on the treaty.

But appeals judges disagreed with the lower court's findings, saying "Russia was under an obligation to enforce the treaty unless it was in breach of Russia law."

"This court finds that there was no breach of Russian law."

Yukos' main shareholder GML hailed the ruling.

"This is a victory for the rule of law. The independent courts of a democracy have shown their integrity and served justice. a Brutal kleptocracy has been held to account," chief executive Tim Osborne said in a statement.

Tuesday's decision however may not be the end of the saga: the parties may still fight the decision at the Dutch Supreme Court, officials said.

Moscow "will continue to defend its legitimate interests and, in an appeal, contest the verdict", Russia's justice ministry said in a statement.

Yukos, once Russia's biggest post-Soviet oil company, was broken up after its former owner, Kremlin critic and ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was arrested in 2003.

His arrest came after Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned the nation's growing class of oligarchs against meddling in politics.

Yukos was sold off in opaque auctions to state companies led by Rosneft between 2004 and 2006. State-owned Rosneft was then small, but has since become a leading player among the world's biggest listed oil companies by production volume.

The claimants have since sought to win compensation for what they say are their losses caused by the break-up of Yukos.

- 'Not political' -

The question "relates to the circumstances of the Yukos takeover by the Russian oligarchs during its privatisation in 1995 and 1996," Russian government lawyer Andrea Pinna told AFP ahead of the ruling.

As the former Soviet Union crumbled in the early 1990s, unscrupulous businessmen amassed immense fortunes and influential empires by scooping up former Soviet assets -- particularly in raw materials -- at bargain-basement prices.

"Russia considers that the acquisition of Yukos was only possible through corruption and other illegal acts," Pinna said.

This was "not a political case but purely a legal one in which $50 billion is at stake," the lawyer insisted.

But Emmanuel Gaillard, representing former shareholders, told AFP that "Russia is making considerable diplomatic efforts to try and discredit the players in this case."

"Their strategy is to distort everything, to complicate everything, to make people forget about the greatest expropriation of the 21st century," Gaillard said.

Khodorkovsky, who is no longer a stakeholder, spent a decade in prison on charges of tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement which he and his supporters say were trumped up in revenge for his political ambitions.

He was suddenly pardoned by Putin in 2013 and flown out of the country.

His business partner Platon Lebedev spent more than 10 years in jail for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering after a trial denounced by human rights activists.

Russia to appeal Dutch ruling in $50 bn Yukos case: ministry

(AFP) Netherlands,  Hague: A Dutch court Tuesday upheld an appeal by shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos in a landmark ruling, boosting their fight in a $50 billion case for compensation.

The ruling overturns a lower Dutch court's decision in favour of Russia, which had contested an original decision by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that awarded shareholders billions of dollars after Yukos was dismantled in the mid-2000s.

"The Appeals Court in The Hague decided today that a previous ruling in favour of the Russian Federation was incorrect," the court said in a statement, adding an original $50 billion award by the PCA -- an international arbitral tribunal -- "is in force again".

Russia said it would appeal.

The long-awaited ruling comes almost 14 years after the once powerful company filed for bankruptcy and follows a controversial 2014 ruling that ordered Russia to pay out billions of dollars in compensation to its former shareholders.

The PCA that year ruled that Russia had forced Yukos into bankruptcy with excessive tax claims and then sold off its assets to state-owned companies.

It based its ruling on the provisions of a multilateral 1994 accord, the Energy Charter Treaty, which aimed to promote energy security.

It then ordered Moscow to pay more than $50 billion to the former shareholders -- a record award for the arbitration tribunal.

- Shock turnaround -

In a shock turnaround a local Dutch court in 2016 annulled the PCA's decision, saying it was "not competent" to rule in the case, based on the treaty.

But appeals judges disagreed with the lower court's findings, saying "Russia was under an obligation to enforce the treaty unless it was in breach of Russia law."

"This court finds that there was no breach of Russian law."

Yukos' main shareholder GML hailed the ruling.

"This is a victory for the rule of law. The independent courts of a democracy have shown their integrity and served justice. a Brutal kleptocracy has been held to account," chief executive Tim Osborne said in a statement.

Tuesday's decision however may not be the end of the saga: the parties may still fight the decision at the Dutch Supreme Court, officials said.

Moscow "will continue to defend its legitimate interests and, in an appeal, contest the verdict", Russia's justice ministry said in a statement.

Yukos, once Russia's biggest post-Soviet oil company, was broken up after its former owner, Kremlin critic and ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was arrested in 2003.

His arrest came after Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned the nation's growing class of oligarchs against meddling in politics.

Yukos was sold off in opaque auctions to state companies led by Rosneft between 2004 and 2006. State-owned Rosneft was then small, but has since become a leading player among the world's biggest listed oil companies by production volume.

The claimants have since sought to win compensation for what they say are their losses caused by the break-up of Yukos.

- 'Not political' -

The question "relates to the circumstances of the Yukos takeover by the Russian oligarchs during its privatisation in 1995 and 1996," Russian government lawyer Andrea Pinna told AFP ahead of the ruling.

As the former Soviet Union crumbled in the early 1990s, unscrupulous businessmen amassed immense fortunes and influential empires by scooping up former Soviet assets -- particularly in raw materials -- at bargain-basement prices.

"Russia considers that the acquisition of Yukos was only possible through corruption and other illegal acts," Pinna said.

This was "not a political case but purely a legal one in which $50 billion is at stake," the lawyer insisted.

But Emmanuel Gaillard, representing former shareholders, told AFP that "Russia is making considerable diplomatic efforts to try and discredit the players in this case."

"Their strategy is to distort everything, to complicate everything, to make people forget about the greatest expropriation of the 21st century," Gaillard said.

Khodorkovsky, who is no longer a stakeholder, spent a decade in prison on charges of tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement which he and his supporters say were trumped up in revenge for his political ambitions.

He was suddenly pardoned by Putin in 2013 and flown out of the country.

His business partner Platon Lebedev spent more than 10 years in jail for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering after a trial denounced by human rights activists.

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