Category: WORLD NEWS

President Donald Trump has recommended Americans to cover their faces with scarves or homemade cloth masks while going outside to curb the spread of the coronavirus though he would not wear one himself. Citing the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trump urged people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade cloth masks, and to keep medical-grade masks available for the health workers. The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure, Trump told reporters during a press…

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A Russian cargo plane carrying 60 tonnes of medical supplies, including ventilators, masks and other protection gear, needed to treat the patients with COVID-19 landed in the US as the country wrestles with the coronavirus pandemic that the White House has warned could kill up to two lakh people during the next fortnight. The Permanent Mission of Russia to NATO on Thursday tweeted a video of the Russian Ministry of Defence cargo aircraft Ruslan AN-124-100 arriving at the John F Kennedy airport in New York. “MoD cargo aircraft Ruslan AN-124-100…

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A bleary-eyed Chris Cuomo, saying he wanted to be a cautionary tale for his audience, anchored his CNN show from his basement Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Via remote link, he interviewed Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an emergency room nurse and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who expressed worry about one of Cuomo’s symptoms. Brace yourself, Cuomo told viewers, not for a hoax. But for the next few weeks of scary and painful realities. This is a fight. It’s going to get worse. We’re going to suffer. Cuomo…

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US President Donald Trump has said that the next 30 days are very vital for America in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as the confirmed cases of those infected by the deadly disease soured to 164,000 and fatalities crossed 3,100 in the country. His remarks came a day after he extended the “social distancing” guidelines until April 30, expecting the peak death rate from COVID-19 to hit the country in two weeks. “Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days, and this is a very vital 30 days,”…

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The number of deaths in New York state due to the coronavirus outbreak has crossed the 1,000 mark, with Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that thousands of people will pass away before the crisis ends in America’s current COVID-19 epicentre. Cuomo, addressing his daily press conference on the pandemic on Sunday, said the deaths due to the massive virus outbreak in the state sharply rose from 728 to 965 in just one day. At 237, this was the largest one-day increase in number of deaths since the coronavirus outbreak began. By…

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The very idea of “using a disease as a weapon” is viewed with repugnance but the international community must remain vigilant as scientific advances are reducing technical barriers that earlier limited the potential of biological weapons, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. The UN chief, in his message on the 45th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention’s entry into force, said that all countries should reaffirm their unequivocal rejection of the use of disease as a weapon, as well as their commitment to a robust international health security architecture that…

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to US President Donald Trump over the phone to discuss the coronavirus pandemic soon after he took to social media to announce that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has gone into self-isolation. The 55-year-old, who is believed to be the first world leader to have tested positive for the deadly virus, said his symptoms are mild which means he will carry on leading the response to the outbreak in the UK where the death toll jumped by 181 to hit 759 and…

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Forced by the coronavirus pandemic to suspend reelection rallies, President Donald Trump has converted daily White House briefings on the crisis into mini campaign speeches, dominating the airwaves while his main rival sits quarantined in his basement. In a nation paralyzed by fear of the rampaging virus, the White House briefing room podium is the go-to place for primetime television viewers to catch their government’s latest response. At least that’s the idea. But center stage is reserved for Trump and with a little over seven months to election day, the…

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The Senate has passed an unparalleled USD 2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. The unanimous vote came on late Wednesday despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far or not far enough and capped days of difficult negotiations as Washington confronted a national challenge unlike it has ever faced. The 880-page measure is the largest economic relief bill in US history. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, appeared somber and exhausted as he announced the…

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President Donald Trump has a new daily ritual now that the pandemic has put the kibosh on the signature campaign rallies that helped him get elected four years ago: the coronavirus briefing. Standing on the once-abandoned White House briefing room stage flanked by public health experts, Trump holds court with reporters and directly addresses the American people, providing updates on his administration’s efforts to combat the pandemic and trying to demonstrate that he’s in charge. The updates are far more staid than his raucous rallies and lack the adoring crowds…

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