Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump vowed Monday to order a military crackdown on once-in-a-generation violent protests gripping the United States, saying he was sending thousands of troops onto the streets of the capital and threatening to deploy soldiers to states unable to regain control. The dramatic escalation …
Read More »Biden blasts Trump’s photo op in front of riot-damaged church
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump spurred fresh outrage Monday after police used tear gas to clear protesters from outside the White House so he could pose for photographs at a nearby church damaged during civil unrest. The move earned him a sharp rebuke from the city …
Read More »Britain takes its biggest step yet out of lockdown
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Younger children went back to schools in England on Monday and parliament geared up to resume normal service, as the world’s second-worst-hit country in the coronavirus outbreak took its biggest step yet out of a lockdown that police warned was becoming difficult to enforce. Outdoor …
Read More »Music industry pledges anti-racist ‘Black Out Tuesday’
New York, United States | AFP | Major music industry labels are pledging to halt business Tuesday, in solidarity with anti-racist demonstrators demanding structural social change and an end to police brutality. Atlantic Records, Capitol Music Group, Warner Records, Sony Music and Def Jam were among the many organizations vowing that #TheShowMustBePaused, as mass protests …
Read More »Stocks mixed on US riots, virus lockdown easing
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Global stock markets were mixed Monday, with US investors keeping a wary eye on violent anti-racism protests across the country and simmering tensions with China over Hong Kong. In Asia and then Europe, the focus was on the progressive easing of coronavirus lockdowns, offering hope …
Read More »Coronavirus is losing potency, Italian doctor says
Top Italian doctor’s claim virus ‘no longer exists’ sparks row Rome, Italy | AFP | A claim by a leading Italian doctor that the new coronavirus “no longer exists” in the country sparked a furore Monday, with the government urging caution. Italy is preparing this week for the next big …
Read More »Emirates could take four years to return to normal: chief
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | It could take up to four years for Emirates airline’s operations to return “to some degree of normality”, its president said Monday, a day after it announced job cuts over the coronavirus crisis. The Middle East’s largest carrier, which has a 100,000-strong staff and a fleet of 270 …
Read More »Pope fights corruption with new Vatican tenders law
Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis stepped up his battle against corruption in the Vatican Monday with a new law aimed at boosting transparency in tenders and cutting costs as a post-coronavirus recession hits. Convicted mobsters and those guilty of tax fraud are among a list of undesirables now unable to pocket contracts. The …
Read More »Hydroxychloroquine: a drug dividing the world
Paris, France | AFP | Banned in some countries, promoted in others — the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus is dividing opinion worldwide. Scientists looking to find licenced medicines that could be repurposed as a treatment for COVID-19 had started tests of hydroxychloroquine, normally used to …
Read More »Hamilton slams ‘white-dominated’ F1 for silence over Floyd death
London, United Kingdom | AFP | World champion Lewis Hamilton criticised the “biggest of stars” in “white-dominated” Formula One for failing to speak out against racism as protests erupted around the United States. The Mercedes driver warned “I know who you are and I see you” as he accused his fellow drivers of “staying silent” …
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