Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community. Videos have been shared on social media showing mobile phone masts on fire in Birmingham and Merseyside – along with the claims. The posts have been shared on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram – including verified …

India is restricting the export of most diagnostic testing kits, as coronavirus cases in the South Asian nation topped 3,350 on Sunday despite a three-week nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the respiratory disease. India, which in recent weeks already banned the export of certain drugs, along with ventilators, …

Donald Trump has warned the US that “there will be a lot of death” this week as he said the country faced its toughest period during the coronavirus pandemic. He was speaking as Johns Hopkins University said the US now had more than 300,000 cases. Speaking at his daily White …

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have adopted fresh measures to tackle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic amid an uptick in the number of patients in both Persian Gulf countries. Saudi Interior Ministry announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighborhoods of the port city of Jeddah starting on …

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance has decided to expand its mission in Iraq by training personnel for the Iraqi army and security forces. Stoltenberg made the announcement on Thursday during a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers where the alliance’s response to the coronavirus …

Britain’s main opposition Labour party on Saturday announced that Keir Starmer had been elected as its new leader, replacing Jeremy Corbyn who resigned after its crushing December election defeat. The 57-year-old former chief state prosecutor defeated Corbyn loyalist Rebecca Long-Bailey and backbencher Lisa Nandy for the top job. Angela Rayner …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the country seeks to follow up on its existing physical distancing plan with a new ‘smart distancing’ initiative to curb the outbreak of COVID-19. Speaking during a meeting in the National Headquarters to Fight the Coronavirus on Saturday, Rouhani said that the first …

US President Donald Trump has claimed that “in many cases” scarves are better than masks for protection against coronavirus. Speaking at his daily press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said that amid a shortage of masks, people can use scarves as an alternative when outside. “In many cases, the scarf …

The US has been accused of redirecting 200,000 Germany-bound masks for its own use, in a move condemned as “modern piracy”. The local government in Berlin said the shipment of US-made masks was “confiscated” in Bangkok. The FFP2 masks, which were ordered by Berlin’s police force, did not reach their …

A police robot has been deployed to patrol areas of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, to ensure that people are observing a coronavirus lockdown. If it spies anyone walking in the largely deserted streets, it approaches them and asks why they are out. They must then show their ID and other papers …

U.S. President Donald Trump notified Congress that he is firing the inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community who was involved in triggering an impeachment probe of the president last year. In a letter to key lawmakers, Trump said he planned to remove the official, Michael Atkinson, in 30 days, …

Five Rwandan soldiers have been arrested after residents of a slum in the capital, Kigali, alleged that they raped women as they enforced a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the army has said. Residents of Nyarutarama have been telling the military prosecution office that the soldiers also …

A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by US scientists has been found to produce antibodies capable of fighting off COVID-19 in the first peer-reviewed study of its kind. The vaccine, which was tested on mice by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, generated the antibodies in quantities thought …

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday published reports for 131 countries showing whether visits to shops, parks, and workplaces dropped in March when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to rein in the spread of the novel coronavirus. Google’s analysis of location data from billions of users’ phones is the largest public …

The US has transferred its military equipment from Iraq to an area near the Syrian city of al-Hasakah, a report by Syria’s official news agency says. A convoy of 20 trucks, loaded with US logistical materials used in military engineering fortifications, took the equipment to a place near al-Hasakah, SANA …

A nurse at a Tennessee care facility where more than 100 people have tested positive for coronavirus has posted a video from her hospital bed after catching the virus herself. Shareka Williams of the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing in Nashville says she wants to convince people that the …

The Malaysian government was forced to apologize after its Women’s Development Department published a series of sexist “tips” to help deal with the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, including advising women to continue to wear makeup and to “avoid nagging.” The campaign was met with fierce backlash online, and the posts have …

A Russian military aircraft, carrying supplies needed to fight the coronavirus outbreak, has landed in New York. The haul was sent after President Trump accepted an offer of assistance from Vladimir Putin. The plane, that took off for its some 8,000-kilometer trek early overnight, has landed in the worst coronavirus-affected …

By Robert Inlakesh Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer and political analyst, who has lived in and reported from the occupied Palestinian West Bank. He has written for publications such as Mint Press, Mondoweiss, MEMO, and various other outlets. He specializes in analysis of the Middle East, in particular Palestine-Israel. …

The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, has strongly condemned the incessant Israeli arrest campaign against Palestinians, arguing that the move clearly shows the brutality and criminality of the Tel Aviv regime, especially as the cases of infection with a new coronavirus in the occupied territories are on the rise. On …