Briefly

ITALY

Earliest virus strains 'not from China'

The earliest coronavirus strains spreading in Italy's Lombardy region did not come directly from China, according to a new study. After analyzing more than 300 blood samples of COVID-19 patients from Lombardy between February and April, researchers found that the variant of the virus is observed frequently in European countries, such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and France, but seldom observed in China, said a non-peer-reviewed paper published on Monday on medRxiv, a preprint server for health sciences. The genome sequencing suggested "a transmission chain not directly involving China", researchers led by Professor Carlo Federico Perno of Milan University said in the paper.

BRAZIL

Bolsonaro positive for COVID-19, again

President Jair Bolsonaro has again tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office announced on Wednesday, saying he would extend his two-week quarantine and suspend upcoming travel plans. The Brazilian leader has been in self-isolation in the presidential palace in Brasilia since first testing positive for the virus on July 7. On Sunday, Bolsonaro greeted supporters at his residence, separated by a reflecting pool about two meters wide. Brazil is the country hit second-hardest by the pandemic, after the United States. It has recorded more than 2.2 million infections and nearly 83,000 deaths.

LIBYA

400,000 displaced due to civil conflict

The International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday that there are more than 400,000 internally displaced Libyans because of armed conflict. The North African nation has been suffering escalating violence and unrest that forced hundreds of thousands of Libyans in different cities and towns to flee their homes. It is also plagued by political division between two rival governments, one in the east and the other in the west, both competing for dominance.

Xinhua - Agencies