Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain said on Saturday it would let in foreign tourists and restart top league football in the coming weeks, accelerating Europe’s exit from strict coronavirus lockdowns, even as the disease continued its deadly surge in parts of South America. Brazil saw its death toll passing 22,000 …
Read More »SpaceX ready to launch astronauts into space for the first time
Washington, United States | AFP | In the beginning, everyone was skeptical. But Elon Musk’s SpaceX defied expectations — and on Wednesday hopes to make history by ferrying two NASA astronauts into space, the first crewed flight from US soil in nine long years. US President Donald Trump will be among …
Read More »Trump: It is time to move from COVID-19 to golf
Trump hits the golf course as US kicks off summer season Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump kicked off the start of the American summer season on Saturday with his first golf outing in two months, underlining his push for a return to normal life in the …
Read More »Anti-viral drug effective against coronavirus, study finds
Washington, United States | AFP | Anti-viral drug remdesivir cuts recovery times in coronavirus patients, according to the full results of a trial published Friday night, three weeks after America’s top infectious diseases expert said the study showed the medication has “clear-cut” benefits. Complete results from the research, which was carried out by US government …
Read More »South America named virus epicenter as Trump seeks US reopening
Washington, United States | AFP | South America is “a new epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has declared, as US President Donald Trump intensified his push to reopen the reeling American economy. Brazil led the surge across South America, its death toll passing 21,000 on Friday from …
Read More »UK set to scale back Huawei role in 5G network: report
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain will reduce Chinese tech giant Huawei’s controversial involvement in its 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light to Huawei’s participation in January, despite widespread domestic opposition and pressure from the United States. But …
Read More »Germans opt for staycations as virus fears linger
Ostseebad Binz, Germany | AFP | Germans usually love their sun-soaked summer holidays abroad. But fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections have prompted a new holiday destination of choice: their home country. On a recent public holiday, it was only 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) in the seaside resort …
Read More »‘Zoomers to Boomers’: US teens learn from crisis volunteer work
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A group of teens in the Los Angeles area are paying it forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, making grocery runs for seniors — and learning some life lessons along the way. “This experience has been really great,” said 16-year-old Mira Kwon as she did …
Read More »Cuba dreading Trump re-election, says diplomat
Havana, Cuba | AFP | The re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States would be “the worst” scenario for Cuba, Havana’s top diplomat in charge of relations with Washington told AFP. “If the Republicans win … it’s a very negative scenario,” said Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, the foreign …
Read More »Hydroxychloroquine shows no virus benefit, raises death risk: study
Paris, France | AFP | A study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients has shown no benefit in treating them with anti-viral drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine and even increased the likelihood of them dying in hospital. Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but pronouncement from public figures including US President Donald …
Read More »