Washington, United States | AFP | The decade of US economic expansion ended dramatically in the first quarter when GDP shrank 4.8 percent as the coronavirus hit, according to government data released Wednesday. It was the biggest decline in GDP in 12 years as the pandemic forced businesses to …
Read More »US govt reveals details of sunlight study on virus
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Department of Homeland Security revealed to AFP on Tuesday new technical details regarding its highly anticipated study into how ultraviolet radiation destroys the new coronavirus, saying that its experiment had accurately mimicked natural sunlight. A summary of the research was presented last week …
Read More »US registers millionth case as pandemic lockdowns ease
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Tuesday recorded its one-millionth coronavirus case as countries including Spain, Russia and Nigeria took tentative steps back towards normal life by preparing to reopen some businesses. Excitement over partial easing of the lockdowns affecting more than half of humanity has been tempered …
Read More »Trump appears to confirm that NKorea’s Kim is alive
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to confirm that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is alive, saying he wished him well after days of speculation over the dictator’s whereabouts. Asked if he had new information about Kim’s health, Trump said “yes, I do have a very good …
Read More »Lockdowns ease as global infections near 3 million
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spanish children were allowed outside on Sunday for the first time in six weeks as countries eased lockdown measures and reopen economies gutted by the coronavirus pandemic that has infected nearly three million people worldwide. Governments from France to Italy and the United States are gearing …
Read More »Johnson under pressure to explain UK virus plan on return to work
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to return to work soon after his recovery from COVID-19, as pressure mounts on his government to explain how to get Britain out of lockdown. Johnson, 55, has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat, Chequers, outside London …
Read More »US death toll tops 50,000 as some Georgia businesses reopen
Atlanta, United States | AFP | Gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors had a green light to reopen Friday in the state of Georgia as the United States surpassed the grim milestone of 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. As the southern state lifted restrictions on a list of businesses that …
Read More »UN pushes for virus vaccine as Trump disinfectant theory sparks outrage
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The United Nations on Friday launched a global push to speed up production of a vaccine for the new coronavirus as US President Donald Trump came under fire for suggesting injecting patients with disinfectant. The pandemic has upended life around the planet as nations try to …
Read More »COVID-19, the knockout punch for multilateralism?
Paris, France | AFP | The coronavirus pandemic blindsided international organisations, prompted individual states to unilaterally strike out alone and heralded a new chapter in the 21st century’s chief geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. In the post-COVID-19 era, will multilateralism be dead? Regional and international organisations from the …
Read More »Sunlight destroys coronavirus quickly, say US scientists
Washington, United States | AFP | The new coronavirus is quickly destroyed by sunlight, according to new research announced by a senior US official on Thursday, though the study has not yet been made public and awaits external evaluation. William Bryan, science and technology advisor to the Department of Homeland Security …
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