WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday urged China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy, warning that its proposed national security law for the city would be “highly destabilizing” and face global opposition. “Any effort to impose national security legislation that does not reflect the will of the people of Hong Kong would be highly destabilizing, and would be met with strong condemnation from the United States and the international community,” State Department […]
Tag: US
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 […]
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 military provides P10M worth of PPEs, medical supplies to frontliners in PH provinces
(Eagle News) – The United States military has donated P10 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to ten hospitals in provinces across the country, the US Embassy in the Philippines said on Tuesday, May 19. Aside from PPEs, the medical supplies include disposable gloves, masks, medical clothing, various types of face protection, infrared thermometers and other tools. “Over the next month, this medical equipment will be distributed to fourteen medical clinics, […]
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 […]
Virus vaccine will be ‘global public good’: top US official
by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — If the United States is the first to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus, it has to quickly share it with the world, the head of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, told AFP in an interview. President Donald Trump’s administration has suggested that while it would share its scientific knowhow, it would prioritize the production of doses for the US […]
WHO faces virus probe after Trump threat
by Nina LARSON with Michael MATHES in Washington and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to launch an investigation into its coronavirus response, after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the UN agency and branded it a “puppet of China”. Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial COVID-19 outbreak in central China late last year […]
Rocket hits near US embassy in Baghdad: security sources
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — One rocket hit near the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday morning, security sources told AFP, the first to land in the high-security zone in weeks. The blast could be heard across the Iraqi capital and triggered security sirens at the US embassy compound but did not cause casualties, the sources confirmed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. It follows more than two dozen similar attacks against American interests in […]
US drugmaker reports promising early results from COVID-19 vaccine test
by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna reported promising early results on Monday from the first clinical tests of an experimental vaccine against the novel coronavirus performed on a small number of volunteers. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said the vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, appeared to produce an immune response in eight people who received it similar to that seen in people convalescing from the virus. “These interim Phase […]
US tops 90,000 coronavirus deaths, 1.5 million cases
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday surpassed 90,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 1.5 million confirmed cases, according to a running tally from Johns Hopkins University. The Baltimore-based monitor registered 10,000 deaths in just one week. The US has the world’s highest number of deaths and infections but several countries — including Belgium, Spain, Britain, Italy and Sweden — have recorded more fatal cases per capita, according to the statistical […]
JUST IN: US firm announces ‘positive interim’ phase 1 results for virus vaccine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna reported “positive interim” results on Monday in the first clinical tests of its vaccine against the new coronavirus performed on a small number of volunteers. The vaccine, mRNA-1273, appeared to produce an immune response in eight people who received it, of the same magnitude as that observed in people convalescing from the virus, the company said. The complete results of the phase 1 test, the first […]





