WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has posted a toll of less than 700 new coronavirus deaths for the third day in a row, the Johns Hopkins University tracker said Tuesday. A total of 657 people have died in the past 24 hours as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT), the Baltimore-based institution said. The overall death toll is now 98,875, and the number of cases of infection stands at more than 1.68 million, […]
North America
NYTimes marks grim US virus milestone with front page victim list
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — As the United States approached 100,000 coronavirus deaths, The New York Times on Sunday marked the grim milestone with a stark memorial on its front page — one-line obituaries for 1,000 victims. “The 1,000 people here reflect just one percent of the toll. None were mere numbers,” the newspaper said in a short introduction on the front page, which was entirely covered in text. The United States has […]
New York’s daily virus death toll falls below 100: governor
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The number of deaths in New York state caused by the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours was 84, the lowest one-day total since late March, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday. “The news is good news,” Cuomo said in his daily televised briefing. Hospitalizations, intubations and new infections were all in decline, he added. “In my head, I was always looking to get under 100,” Cuomo said, speaking from […]
COVID-19 lawsuits spreading like a virus through US courts
by Charlotte PLANTIVE Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — While apps for video-conferencing and online courses have flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, so have something rather more contentious: lawsuits. More than 1,300 complaints linked to the coronavirus have already been filed in US courts, according to a daily tally kept by the law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth. “COVID has divided America and it has vast political implications,” Lawrence Gostin, a professor […]
US layoffs surpass 38.6 million as lawmakers debate stimulus
by Chris Stein Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Job losses in the United States are slowing but totaled an unheard-of 38.6 million since the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns began, while officials debate what additional steps will be needed to rescue the beleaguered economy. Another 2.43 million Americans were put out of work last week, fewer than the previous week but still among the highest figures on record, according to the latest Labor […]
US adds 1,255 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 1,255 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 94,661, according to the latest real-time tally Thursday reported by Johns Hopkins University. The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 1,576,542 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported. © Agence France-Presse
US military will no longer ban COVID-19 survivors from serving
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon on Thursday announced that the US military would no longer bar people who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 from serving in its ranks. Defense Department personnel head Matthew Donovan said he had “rescinded” rules on the matter, which the military had put in place in early May out of concern over long-term respiratory damage from the disease. “There was some interim and draft guidance… that I rescinded,” Donovan […]
New US jobless claims slow to 2.43 mn in latest week
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Another 2.43 million US workers were put out of work last week amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to government data Thursday, bringing the total since mid-March to a massive 38.6 million. The Labor Department data on new first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the week ended May 16 was another decrease from prior weeks as the rate of new filings continued to slow, but the job losses remained among the […]
Astra gets $1 billion from US to fund coronavirus vaccine
by Roland JACKSON / Ben PERRY LONDON, United States (AFP) — British pharmaceuticals group AstraZeneca on Thursday said it had secured more than $1.0 billion from the United States to help fund production of its coronavirus vaccine. AstraZeneca is partnering with University of Oxford to develop and distribute a vaccine being trialled in the UK. It comes amid concerns that the United States — which has the world’s highest official death rate from COVID-19 — […]
US coronavirus deaths rise by 1,561 in 24 hours: tracker
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 1,561 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 93,406, according to the latest real-time tally Wednesday reported by Johns Hopkins University. The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 1,550,959 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported. © Agence France-Presse
US fighter jet crashes in Florida, second accident in a week
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US fighter jet has crashed during a test flight in Florida, the air force said Wednesday, the second military air accident in a week in the state. No one was hurt in the incident involving an F-35A Stealth jet as it tried to land Tuesday night, Eglin Air Force Base said in a statement. The pilot managed to eject and is in stable condition. The crash caused no injuries […]
Michigan protesters launch ‘Operation Haircut’ over lockdown
LANSING, United States (AFP) — After mass rallies featuring armed protesters, those angry over the restrictive anti-virus lockdown in the US state of Michigan launched “Operation Haircut” Wednesday, with barbers using their scissors and clippers outside the state capitol. Several hundred demonstrators — some not wearing face masks or practicing social distancing — lined up in Lansing under sunny skies for a free trim from hairstylists. Chairs were disinfected after each haircut. It was the […]





