New York, United States | AFP | Anxiety ratcheted up Monday across an eerily deserted New York, America’s coronavirus epicenter, but President Donald Trump said he’d soon call for lifting the lockdown in some parts of the country. Trump — who faces reelection in November and is keen to avoid extended …
Read More »Trump says US on top as outbreak shuts largest cities
New York, United States | AFP | New York and Illinois followed California Friday in locking down to stem the coronavirus pandemic as President Donald Trump declared the United States was already “winning” the war despite a rapid rise in confirmed cases and deaths. The move effectively seals off America’s largest …
Read More »Trump deploys hospital ships in coronavirus ‘war’
New York, United States | AFP | The United States is to deploy military hospital ships to fight the coronavirus, Donald Trump said Wednesday, as he likened himself to a “wartime president” and invoked a Korean War-era law. As America and Canada announced they were closing their border to non-essential travelers, …
Read More »Trump criticizes China expulsion of US journalists as tensions soar
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized China’s unprecedented decision to expel American journalists from three major US newspapers, as media advocates feared that tensions between the two powers provided cover for Beijing to target the press. All US journalists from The New York Times, The …
Read More »‘The Plot Against America’ goes for daring Trump parallel
New York, United States | AFP | US author Philip Roth certainly could never have imagined Donald Trump’s presidency when he wrote “The Plot Against America.” But a new TV adaptation of his bleak 2004 novel, which envisions an alternate history of a fascist United States, certainly suggests a link between …
Read More »Biden clean sweep in 3 states puts him on track for Dem nomination
Miami, United States | AFP | Joe Biden scored decisive victories in all three major Democratic primaries Tuesday, earning him a nearly insurmountable lead over rival Bernie Sanders in their race for the party’s presidential nomination. As the United States grappled with combating the spreading coronavirus pandemic, voters handed the former …
Read More »Europe locks down as global virus panic spreads
Paris, France | AFP | European leaders plan to ban all non-essential travel into the continent on Tuesday, the latest drastic attempt to curb the coronavirus pandemic that has upended society, battered markets and killed thousands around the world. With French President Emmanuel Macron describing the battle against COVID-19 as a …
Read More »Trump tests negative for virus as US expands Europe travel ban
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, his physician said, following concerns over his exposure to a disease that has paralyzed the globe. Trump agreed to the test after coming in contact with several members of a Brazilian presidential delegation visiting his …
Read More »Trump declares state of emergency in coronavirus-paralysed US
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in what critics say was a long-delayed admission of the gravity of the coronavirus crisis that has triggered the shutdown of schools, sporting events, offices and travel in the world’s richest country. Trump’s declaration Friday frees up …
Read More »Beyond human toll, coronavirus could shake up global politics
Washington, United States | AFP | Thousands of people have died, the US response has infuriated European allies, and China has gone on a propaganda offensive. The new coronavirus is shaping up to be a cataclysmic event with far-reaching consequences in global politics. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than …
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