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The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied the authenticity of the US reports that it leaked the “Covid-19” Coruna virus from an institute of virology in Wuhan, China. “As for the so-called virus leakage and other hypotheses, it is devoid of any scientific evidence,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Li …

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 …

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has shaken the Myanmar-Indian border region, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The epicenter of the seismic activity was registered 35 kilometers southeast of Myanmar and 168 kilometers southeast of Aizawl in India, according to the EMSC. M5.8 #earthquake (#भूकंप) strikes 160 …

China’s Foreign Ministry has said that claims about the novel coronavirus originating in a lab are not based on science, citing the WHO as it rebuked the latest news story on COVID-19 ‘patient zero.’ “I want to remind you that the head of the [World Health Organization] has repeatedly stated …

Iran’s Navy commander says the force plans to build nuclear-powered submarines capable of operating in international waters for long periods of time amid the growing threats facing the country from the sea. Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi on Thursday highlighted the capabilities of submarines powered by nuclear reactors compared to the …

Nigerian security agents have killed 18 people in their enforcement of measures to curb coronavirus, a figure higher than the documented toll inflicted by the disease, the country’s human rights body said. Africa’s most populous nation has imposed a total lockdown in megacity Lagos and the capital Abuja and set …

A third of the sailors on France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle – 668 out of nearly 2,000 – are infected with coronavirus, the navy says. The ship returned to the French port of Toulon early from Atlantic exercises. Twenty sailors are in hospital, one of them in intensive care. …

US President Donald Trump says the US has “passed the peak” of new coronavirus cases and predicted some states would reopen this month. Trump told the daily White House briefing that new guidelines would be announced on Thursday after he had spoken to governors. “We’ll be the comeback kids, all …

Saudia Arabia has carried out 800 executions since King Salman bin Abdulaziz took power in 2015, according to a British-based human rights organization. Reprieve, which fights for victims of human rights abuses, says that the rate of executions in the Kingdom has almost doubled under his reign, which started on …

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 …

Germany wants to extend social distancing rules by an additional two weeks until May 3, according to a draft proposal agreed between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of the country’s 16 states seen by Reuters. The proposals include reopening schools gradually starting May 4, with priority given to primary …

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 …

The chief commander of Iran’s Army says over 11,000 medical staff of the force have been on the front line in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 disease. “More than 11,000 medical staff of the army have been selflessly working on the front line against coronavirus,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the country’s nationwide lockdown until May 3 in a bid to contain the continued spread of the coronavirus, but said that some states which have avoided outbreaks may be allowed to resume “important activities.” Speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, Modi said …

In early April, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed that he would not hesitate to order the police to shoot and kill those Filipinos who defy the coronavirus-related lockdown in the country. Senator Bong Go, who is also President Rodrigo Duterte’s personal aide, has promised body bags for all those who …

North Korea launched a series of short-range cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast on the eve of the 108th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il-Sung. Fighter jets also fired several air-to-surface missiles in what appeared to be a military exercise ahead of South …

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took to morning TV shows Tuesday to push back against President Donald Trump’s claim of “total” authority to reopen the nation’s virus-stalled economy, noting that a president is not an absolute monarch. “We don’t have a king,” Cuomo said on NBC’s “Today. “We have a …

Thousands of shops have reopened in Austria, as it seeks to ease restrictions brought in to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Garden centers, DIY stores, and small shops can open but with strict rules on social distancing. In Italy, where over 20,000 people have died in the pandemic, a …

Democrat Jill Karofsky has ousted Justice Daniel Kelly from his seat at Wisconsin’s top court in a shock win. The election went ahead despite Democrat calls for it to be postponed, or held by postal voting, owing to coronavirus fears. Justice Kelly is the second incumbent state Supreme Court justice …

A fire that threatened the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant has been contained, Ukrainian authorities said. Emergency services said on Tuesday there were still some “smoldering” parts of the forest floor, but there was “no open fire” left. There had been fears the blaze could threaten the site of the 1986 …