WORLD

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP |  In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: to test a woman who has had contact with a coronavirus patient in Istanbul. Visibly perturbed by the appearance of men in white bodysuits on her landing, …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  The United States on Friday stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said. Washington’s reversal came a …

Las Vegas, United States | AFP |  The marble statues at Caesar’s Palace are fenced off, the Venetian hotel’s gondolas sit empty, and the New York-New York casino rollercoaster has ground to a halt. Even the Bellagio’s famous dancing fountains are “completely shut” due to the coronavirus pandemic, says a surly …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The United States on Friday recorded its steepest job losses in history over the coronavirus pandemic as Europe, faced with rising deaths, moved to keep its borders shut for another month. Hopes have been rising that the worst of the global catastrophe, which has killed …

Paris, France | AFP | Oceans are likely to rise as much as 1.3 metres by 2100 if Earth’s surface warms another 3.5 degrees Celsius, scientists warned Friday. By 2300, when ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland will have shed trillions of tonnes in mass, sea levels could go up …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump evoked the coronavirus crisis ahead of a wreath-laying ceremony Friday at the World War II memorial in Washington to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe. Trump was to head to the memorial near the White House accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, …

Seibersdorf, Austria | AFP | Shortages of materials needed in tests for the novel coronavirus remain  “critical”, according to the head of a UN lab, which is supplying countries with COVID-19 detection kits. In particular the chemical reagents for the tests are still in short supply, said Giovanni Cattoli, head of the Animal Production and …

Paris, France | AFP |  On May 11, 1960, Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was nabbed by a team of Israeli spies after years on the run in Argentina, ending a long manhunt. Ten days later, drugged and dressed as a crew member of Israeli flag carrier El Al, he was …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  Europe marks 75 years since the end of World War II in a sombre mood Friday as the coronavirus pandemic forces the cancellation of elaborate ceremonies even as Berlin declares an exceptional holiday for the first time. Chancellor Angela Merkel will join President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The coronavirus pandemic has hit the United States harder than any other country, sending unemployment skyrocketing and undoing the lives of countless Americans. Meet three of them: – Finding her way – Laya Hamilton was watching President Donald Trump speak on television from the bar …