Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has extended emergency coronavirus restrictions for the United States, where his top scientist warned up to 200,000 people could die, as the Russian capital and Africa’s biggest city readied to go into lockdown on Monday. The reassessment by Trump, who had previously said he wanted the country …
Read More »Xi tells Trump China and US must ‘unite to fight virus’
Beijing, China | AFP | China and the United States should “unite to fight” the deadly coronavirus pandemic, President Xi Jinping said in a call with Donald Trump on Friday, as he called for the US to improve relations. The two countries have clashed in recent weeks over the virus, and …
Read More »Trump proposes dividing US by coronavirus risk levels
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump, keen for an early lifting of economically costly social distancing measures against the coronavirus, said Thursday he would propose dividing the United States by risk levels. In a letter to state governors released by the White House, Trump said that better testing now allows the mapping …
Read More »US stimulus plan: what it could do, and what’s in dispute
Washington, United States | AFP | With American life upended, lawmakers in the US Congress are negotiating over a massive stimulus package to help pull the economy out of the steep decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Legislators are still negotiating the $2 trillion rescue which could be the largest emergency …
Read More »Trump criticizes China expulsion of US journalists as tensions soar
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized China’s unprecedented decision to expel American journalists from three major US newspapers, as media advocates feared that tensions between the two powers provided cover for Beijing to target the press. All US journalists from The New York Times, The …
Read More »Every government for itself? Virus poses difficult dilemmas
Paris, France | AFP | With disparate and at times conflicting responses to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, governments across the globe are abandoning any pretence of joint action and instead putting their own health, economic and diplomatic interests first, analysts say. From the United States to Europe, governments have in recent …
Read More »Trump halts travel from Europe in ‘aggressive’ coronavirus response
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump suspended travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days on Wednesday in an “aggressive” effort to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The ban will go into effect from midnight Friday but will not include travelers from Britain, which …
Read More »Trump downplays epidemic fears as virus spreads around world
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has played down fears of a major coronavirus outbreak in the United States, even as infections ricochet around the world, prompting Saudi Arabia to ban pilgrims from visiting Islam’s holiest sites. China is no longer the only breeding ground for the deadly …
Read More »USAID, UBA signs a new partnership deal
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Prosper Africa initiative is partnering with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and the nations of Africa. The partnership will ensure that businesses are equipped …
Read More »US should buy control of Nokia, Ericsson to fight Huawei: US Attorney General
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and its allies should take controlling stakes in Nokia, Ericsson or both to battle Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s dominance of the 5G market, US Attorney general Bill Barr said Thursday. “There are only two companies that can compete with Huawei right now: …
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