Tag: US

Brazil’s skeptical president has virus, US starts WHO withdrawal

  by Louis GENOT with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the risks of coronavirus, announced Tuesday he has tested positive, as the United States — the nation hardest hit by the pandemic — formally launched its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN health agency meanwhile acknowledged that there was “emerging evidence” of airborne transmission of COVID-19, which has infected nearly 11.7 million people around […]

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Microsoft, Zoom join pause on Hong Kong data requests

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Microsoft and Zoom on Tuesday joined other major internet firms that have stopped considering requests by Hong Kong’s government for information on users in the wake of China’s imposition of a sweeping new security law. Microsoft and Zoom said they are pausing consideration of data requests by officials or police in Hong Kong, a precaution also taken by Facebook, Google and Twitter. “As we would with any new legislation, […]

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US formally starts withdrawal from WHO

by Shaun TANDON WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally started the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, making good on threats to deprive the UN body of its top funding source over its response to the coronavirus. Public health advocates and Trump’s political opponents voiced outrage at the departure from the Geneva-based body, which leads the global fight on maladies from polio to measles to mental […]

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Australia locks down millions as US struggles to contain virus

  by AFP Bureaus Australia on Tuesday ordered millions of people locked down in its second-biggest city to combat a surge in coronavirus cases, as nations across the planet scrambled to stop the rampaging pandemic. While some countries are worried about second waves of infections, the worst-hit — the United States — was still “knee-deep” in its first, its top expert warned, with cases also surging in India and Brazil. Global COVID-19 cases have surged […]

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US killing of Iran’s top general ‘unlawful’: UN expert

GENEVA,  Switzerland (AFP) — The US drone strike that killed Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani was “unlawful”, the United Nations expert on extrajudicial killings concluded in a report released Tuesday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, concluded it was an “arbitrary killing” that violated the UN charter. The US had provided no evidence that an imminent attack against US interest was being planned, she wrote. The independent rights expert […]

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Virus pushes US hospitals to the brink, India hits record new cases

by Ben Sheppard Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Officials at the epicenter of the worsening coronavirus crisis in the United States warned Sunday their hospitals were in danger of being overwhelmed by the upsurge, as India registered a record number of new cases. In signs of progress, Formula One returned with the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix held behind closed doors, while the Louvre museum in Paris will reopen on Monday after a […]

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US aircraft carriers conduct drills in South China Sea

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two US aircraft carriers have carried out drills in the South China Sea, a US Navy spokesman said Saturday, after the Pentagon expressed concerns over Chinese military exercises around a disputed archipelago. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan conducted dual carrier operations in the waterway to “support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the spokesman said. “These efforts support enduring US commitments to stand up for the right of all nations […]

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Young Americans urged to be more responsible in coronavirus fight

by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Accused of failing to uphold their civic duty, younger Americans are behind the current COVID-19 surge, with several states moving to close bars, beaches and other places that saw huge crowds when lockdowns were eased. The median age for new cases in Florida in the past few days has fluctuated between 34 and 36. In Los Angeles, 40 percent of new cases are among those under 40. […]

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US marks record 53,069 coronavirus cases in 24 hours: tracker

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US notched more than 53,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Thursday, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed, a new one-day record as infections surge around the country. The Baltimore-based university’s tracker showed 53,069 more cases as of 8:30 pm (0030 Friday GMT), bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic reached the United States to 2,735,339. The university also recorded a further 649 fatalities, bringing the […]

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Pentagon: China military exercises will ‘further destabilize’ S. China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon said Thursday it was “concerned” about Chinese military exercises around a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea, noting the maneuvers will “further destabilize” the region. “The Department of Defense is concerned about the People’s Republic of China (PRC) decision to conduct military exercises around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on July 1-5,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The activities “further destabilize the situation” […]

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Japan seeks extradition of two who helped Nissan chief Ghosn escape

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has formally asked the United States to extradite two men who helped former Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn escape the country to avoid prosecution, a court filing showed Thursday. The men — security contractor and former US special forces member Michael Taylor and his son Peter — were taken into custody on May 20 after they were named earlier in a Japanese arrest warrant for participating in Ghosn’s dramatic escape. […]

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US to get latest unemployment figures as virus explodes

by Chris Stein WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The ailing US economy is likely to receive good news Thursday in the government’s June employment report, but surging virus cases could reverse the tentative recovery. The coronavirus pandemic since mid-March has cost more than 22 million US jobs — and as many as 45 million — as businesses were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections. But amid massive government support the economy regained 2.5 […]

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