U.S. Jobless Claims Top 20 Million Since Start of Shutdowns The US Labor Department reported that 5.245 million more Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment last week. The new numbers include independent contractors and others who previously were not eligible for benefits. That brings the total rise in US unemployment …
Read More »Trump’s WHO funding freeze sparks global outcry as virus toll mounts
US President Donald Trump has been heavily criticized for halting funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Philanthropist Bill Gates, a major funder of the WHO, said it was “as dangerous as it sounds”. President Trump said on Tuesday that the body had “failed in …
Read More »Video: NASA Astronaut supports Children of Iraq
Iraqi-American NASA Astronaut, Jessica Meir, has sent an empowering message of support to kids on the Hope Buses in Baghdad, all the way from the International Space Station! In light of the current global crisis, this message reminds us that our family is so important and also bigger than we …
Read More »EU to hold donor conference on coronavirus vaccine
The European Union is set to hold an online fund-raising conference next month to support the creation of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The conference will be held on May 4 in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at …
Read More »IMF: Global economy will suffer worst year since Depression
Beaten down by the coronavirus outbreak, the world economy in 2020 will suffer its worst year since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest forecast. The IMF said Tuesday that it expects the global economy to shrink 3% this year — far worse …
Read More »Video: Andrea Bocelli’s Easter concert draws praise and tears
Kim Kardashian, Hugh Jackman, and Kaley Cuoco are among the stars who have praised opera singer Andrea Bocelli’s moving Easter Sunday concert. The Italian tenor performed a solo show at the deserted Duomo cathedral in Milan on Sunday night (12 April). While no one could attend the concert in person …
Read More »OPEC, Russia approve biggest-ever oil cut to support prices amid coronavirus pandemic
OPEC and allies led by Russia agreed on Sunday to a record cut in output to prop up oil prices amid the coronavirus pandemic in an unprecedented deal with fellow oil nations, including the United States, that could curb global oil supply by 20%. Measures to slow the spread of …
Read More »US senators accuse Saudi Arabia of waging war on US oil
As the OPEC+ deal is pending, US senators from oil states held phone talks with Saudi officials to ensure that Riyadh finally puts an end to the problem “it helped to create” – the ‘oil price war’ that tanked the market. The two-hour phone call, led by Republican Senators Kevin …
Read More »NHS workers’ lives at risk over PPE shortages: British Medical Association
NHS staff still do not have the protective equipment they need to treat coronavirus patients, medics have said. The British Medical Association (BMA) said doctors were putting their lives at risk by working without adequate protection. It comes as the health secretary said 19 NHS workers had died with coronavirus …
Read More »Swiss prosecutors to drop one of cases against ex-FIFA chief Blatter
Switzerland’s federal prosecutor is about to end its investigation into former FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s deals with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to sell World Cup broadcasting rights. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said it has informed all the parties of its intention to close the case and …
Read More »Apple and Google are working together to help track the coronavirus
Apple and Google are partnering to help authorities track exposure to the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology. The two Silicon Valley giants will work on a platform to enable contact tracing, a measure that identifies people who have been exposed to the virus and who they have been in contact with, …
Read More »Video: Indonesian volcano which triggered deadly tsunami in 2018 erupts again
An Indonesian volcano that triggered a deadly tsunami 16 months ago has erupted again, spewing a column of ash up to 15km into the sky. Scientists said Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra, was continuously erupting until Saturday morning, making it the longest eruption there since its …
Read More »Six New Strains of Bat-Borne Coronavirus Discovered in Myanmar
The new types of coronavirus have been found in three bat species. They are thought to have no close links to the strains that cause lethal diseases like SARS, MERS or COVID-19, and it is yet unclear whether they can spill over to other species including humans. Scientists have discovered …
Read More »Barcelona: Six board members resign and criticize club
Six Barcelona board members have resigned and told president Josep Maria Bartomeu they are unhappy at how the club is being managed. In a joint letter, the six expressed concern over the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis for the club. They also criticized the handling of a scandal in …
Read More »Monetary Fund: We are witnessing the worst economic crisis in 90 years
The International Monetary Fund believes that this year the global economy is experiencing its worst recession since the Great Depression, with emerging markets and low-income countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia exposed to high risk. According to Bloomberg, the fund’s director-general, Kristalina Georgieva, said in a speech on Thursday …
Read More »FIFA approves new amendments to the players’ contracts and the summer Mercato
FIFA, on Tuesday, made a series of amendments to players ’contracts and summer Mercato dates due to a global outbreak of the Corona pandemic. FIFA confirmed in an official statement on its website: “He made the decisions in consultation with various stakeholders, after the unprecedented turmoil caused by the Coruna …
Read More »OPEC + sources reveal some details of production cuts
OPEC + sources revealed some details of the production cuts that the coalition intends to implement to support energy markets in light of the decline in oil demand due to the spread of Corona. A source said, according to “Reuters” agency, that the “OPEC +” coalition will cut 10 million …
Read More »US weekly jobless claims hit 15mn as corona crisis deepens
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has hit a staggering 15 million as the coronavirus pandemic has brought the United States to a halt. The country recorded 5.250 million claims for state unemployment benefits for the week ended April 4, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The data …
Read More »Largest supermoon of 2020 rises on a world battling COVID-19
The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose in the night sky on Tuesday over hushed cities, stilled factories and countries in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands worldwide. If the moon is within 10% of its closest distance to the earth at the moment …
Read More »Oil holds near $32 ahead of OPEC-led talks on output cuts
Oil steadied near $32 a barrel on Wednesday, supported by hopes that a meeting between OPEC members and allied producers on Thursday will trigger output cuts to shore up prices that have collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday’s videoconference meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) …
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