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A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump’s personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, raising concerns about the President’s possible exposure to the virus. The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close …

The UK economy is heading for its worst crash in more than 300 years because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new forecast from the Bank of England. The central bank said Thursday that the British economy could shrink by 14% this year. That would be the biggest annual …

Flooding as a result of recent heavy rains has killed more than 260 people across East Africa. Kenya has been the hardest hit with the government recording 194 deaths. In Rwanda, 55 people have died and floods have killed 16 in Somalia. In Uganda, high water levels have trapped an …

At least 13 people have been killed by a massive gas leak at a chemical plant in southern India, with 800 others taken to hospital. The leak from the LG Polymers plant in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state came as people slept. Doctors say patients have been …

Another 3.2 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in the US as the coronavirus pandemic triggered one of the most expansive job losses in history, with 33 million people seeking aid since the outbreak began. The country has slipped into one of its worst economic downturns since the Great …

Donald Trump has said that he will continue trying to revoke all of the Affordable Care Act, even as some in his administration, including attorney general William Barr, have privately argued that parts of the law should be preserved amid a pandemic. “We want to terminate health care under Obamacare,” …

Turkey’s lira briefly fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar on Thursday as investors fretted about depleted currency reserves and the need for foreign financing as the coronavirus pandemic drains the economy. Thursday’s fall to near 7.27 pushed it beyond the record low hit during a 2018 currency …

An official says the election cannot be pulled off on Sunday, but the vote has not been officially postponed, either. Poland is scheduled to hold a presidential election in just four days but nobody can say whether it will happen or not. Sunday’s election date was set months ago but …

Chinese youngsters in the global virus epicentre of Wuhan filed back to class on Wednesday, wearing masks and walking in single file past thermal scanners. Senior school students in 121 institutions were back in front of chalkboards and digital displays for the first time since their city — the ground …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned the United States that Iran will not accept any violation of the UN Security Council resolution that mandates the lifting of an arms embargo against the Islamic Republic, saying the country is absolutely entitled to the ban’s cancellation. “The United States and other countries …

The European Union faces a deep and uneven recession, according to a new forecast from the EU’s Commission. The bloc’s executive arm predicts a recovery in 2021 but warns that the uncertainty is exceptionally high. The Commission predicts a decline in economic activity this year of 7.5% and slightly more …

The Trump administration is drafting a legal blueprint for mining on the moon under a new U.S.-sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords, people familiar with the proposed pact told Reuters. The agreement would be the latest effort to cultivate allies around NASA’s plan to put humans and space stations …

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said today, Wednesday, that customs duties should not be used as a weapon, after US President Donald Trump threatened last week with new customs duties as a punitive measure in response to Beijing’s handling of the Corona virus crisis. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told …

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington has “significant evidence” that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. However, don’t expect to see proof any time soon. Speaking at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday, Pompeo opened up his press conference with a broadside against Beijing. …

The Venezuelan military thwarted an attempted naval invasion by heavily-armed mercenaries coming from Colombia in speed boats on Sunday morning, neutralizing eight fighters and capturing two people Caracas says are US nationals. Venezuelan television has broadcast footage of the confession of Silvercorp USA mercenary Luke Alexander Denman, one of the …

Spain has extended the state of emergency imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people’s movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown. Parliament approved the measure on Wednesday after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who heads a fragile coalition government, …

Israel announced a plan for thousands of new Jewish settlement homes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday as Washington voiced readiness to back de facto Israeli annexations there. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to visit Israel next week, a source said, a sign that he is weighing …

Floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in Kenya have killed nearly 200 people, displaced 100,000 and strained critical infrastructure, officials said on Wednesday. The heavy rain, which accelerated in mid-April, is expected to continue in already hard-hit areas in the coming weeks, the Kenya Meteorological Department said in its …

For the third time in the last 72 hours, a mercenary has been arrested by the Government of Venezuela. A mercenary turned himself into the Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday, following the arrest of several terrorists working on behalf of foreign entities. The mercenary, Romel Mendez, confessed on camera that he …

An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck in the Banda Sea, off Indonesia on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 117 km (73 miles), EMSC said. The US Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.8. The earthquake is not capable of …