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Australia to end most COVID-19 restrictions by July

Australia will ease social distancing restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the aim of removing all curbs by July. Lauren Anthony reports.




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Syria's mosques open for prayer as coronavirus lockdown eases

Syria's government allowed mosques to open on Friday for worshipers willing to perform prayers. The mosque had remained closed as part of the measures taken to contain the spread of coronavirus.




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Trump says up to 100,000 Americans may die from coronavirus

The president once again raised his forecast for how many Americans may die from COVID-19 as the toll continues to climb. This report produced by Zachary Goelman.




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Exclusive: U.S. drafting pact for moon mining

Sources tell Reuters the White House will soon propose an international agreement governing mining and commerce on the moon, aiming to attract like-minded space-faring countries to update a 1967 agreement on space law.




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Trump tests negative after valet contracts virus

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said it's "one of those things" after he learned that a White House valet tested positive for the coronavirus, noting contact with that person was limited. Gavino Garay has more.




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'Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll' exhibit set to launch at New York's 'Met' Museum

It's only 'Rock and Roll,' but one of the world's preeminent museums likes it; New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will display instruments from Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Kurt Cobain, Lady Gaga and more until October 1. Rough Cut. (No Reporter Narration.)




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Analysis shows Leonardo was ambidextrous

An in-depth study of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest-known drawing has proved definitively that the great Renaissance artist was in fact comfortable working with either hand. Dan Fastenberg reports.




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European coalition takes shape on coronavirus contact-tracing

A European coalition is forming around an approach to using smartphone technology to trace coronavirus infections which, it's hoped, will enable borders to reopen. Joe Davies reports.




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Self-driving cars find use in challenging times

After being sidelined as a non-essential business, some self-driving car companies can put their vehicles back on the roads to make food and other deliveries - a win-win scenario that allows them to continue testing their nascent technology.




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Chicken poo is being used for crowd control now

A town in southern Sweden has turned to a traditional source to try to prevent the coronavirus spreading during an annual festive event on Thursday: Chicken manure. Emer McCarthy reports.




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Britain must rebuild 'sensible politics' says Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the UK to 'rebuild sensible mainstream politics' in the future.




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Exclusive: Bangladesh's Beximco to begin producing COVID-19 drug remdesivir - COO

One of Bangladesh's largest drugmakers, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, will start production this month of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting the new coronavirus, a senior company executive said on Tuesday.




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Pakistan concerned at workers returning from UAE with coronavirus

Pakistan has raised concerns with the United Arab Emirates that many citizens were returning home from the Gulf Arab state infected with COVID-19 and that crowded living conditions for workers in the UAE may be helping spread the virus, officials said on Tuesday.




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Afghanistan distributes free bread as prices soar amid coronavirus

Afghanistan's government began distributing free bread to hundreds of thousands of people across the country this week as supplies have been disrupted during the coronavirus shutdown and prices have soared, officials and experts said.




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India's plans airlift for 400,000 stranded abroad by virus travel restrictions

India will begin flights on Thursday to bring home some 400,000 citizens stranded overseas by travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, prompting some worries over the risk that imported infections could fuel contagion in the country.




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Pakistan excludes religious sect from minority commission

Pakistan's cabinet has declined to include a religious sect that rights group says suffers widespread persecution in a newly formed commission for minorities, after opposition from conservatives in the government, officials said on Thursday.




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Pakistan to start easing lockdown amid sharp coronavirus spread

Pakistan will begin lifting its coronavirus lockdown on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, hours after the country announced its highest daily increase in new cases.




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Exclusive: Large number of COVID-19 cases among Afghan medics spark alarm in Kabul

More than a third of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Afghan capital have been among doctors and other healthcare staff, two senior health officials said on Thursday, in a sign that the war-torn country is struggling to deal with the pandemic.




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Pakistan coronavirus cases surge past 25,000, pace quickens: Reuters tally

Coronavirus cases in Pakistan surged past 25,000 on Friday, just hours before the government was due to lift lockdown measures, with the country reporting some of the biggest daily increases in new infections in the world.




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Indigenous elders channel tough love in Earth Day film

Indigenous elders from Alaska to Australia have come together to deliver some tough love in a new film for Earth Day. Francis Maguire reports.




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BMW cuts outlook, sees coronavirus pain lasting all year

BMW expects the coronavirus pandemic to hit demand and earnings throughout this year, while Volkswagen sees some green shoots with higher Chinese demand. Francis Maguire reports.




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Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus files for bankruptcy

Neiman Marcus Group filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, marking one of the highest-profile collapses yet among retailers forced to temporarily close stores in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Freddie Joyner has more.




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Who let the dogs out? A few Spaniards defy coronavirus lockdown

Under partial lockdown due to the spiraling coronavirus pandemic, Spaniards are allowed to leave home only for essential outings, walking a dog being one of them.




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Novelty toilet roll cakes keep Finnish baker in business

A quick-thinking Helsinki bakery has saved itself from financial ruin due to the new coronavirus pandemic by creating a cake that looks like a toilet roll.




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Sex toy sales take off amid Colombia's coronavirus quarantine

Gerson Monje holds up his cellphone to proudly show off his online sex shop. A red banner reading "sold out!" is plastered across half of the products.




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Superheroes, from near and far, join Indonesia's coronavirus battle

Volunteers clad as Superman and Spider-Man sprayed disinfectant against the coronavirus on Indonesia's island of Java, flanking a colleague wearing the winged helmet of local superhero Gatotkaca who shouted, "Wear masks, wash hands and stay alert."




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President queries Tanzania coronavirus kits after goat test

Coronavirus test kits used in Tanzania were dismissed as faulty by President John Magufuli on Sunday, because he said they had returned positive results on samples taken from a goat and a pawpaw.




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Thailand's pet groomer reopens as new coronavirus cases slow

Chewy and Miley, both two-year-old Schnauzer dogs, are getting their hair cut at a groomer in Bangkok for the first time since the new coronavirus outbreak began in Thailand in January.




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Clawing back normality: Bangkok cat cafe reopens after virus shutdown

As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.




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Australia to end most COVID-19 restrictions by July

Australia will ease social distancing restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the aim of removing all curbs by July. Lauren Anthony reports.




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Austrian ski resort covers glacier after coronavirus cuts season short

With its season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, one of Austria's most popular glacial ski resorts covered its glacier in protective fabric earlier than usual this year to help preserve it for a still uncertain reopening.




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Syria's mosques open for prayer as coronavirus lockdown eases

Syria's government allowed mosques to open on Friday for worshipers willing to perform prayers. The mosque had remained closed as part of the measures taken to contain the spread of coronavirus.




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'Justice finally prevailed' in Michael Flynn case: WH

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany on Friday said it appears that the FBI 'manufactured' a crime in the case of President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, after the Department of Justice moved to drop the case on Thursday.




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Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID-19 fight -WHO

Countries must return to "basic principles" of public health surveillance if they are to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the World Health Organization's (WHO) top emergency health expert Mike Ryan said on Friday (May 8).




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Slovenian cyclists stage anti-government coronavirus protest

Thousands of cyclists took over streets in the center of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana on Friday evening to protest against the government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa and the restrictions it has imposed to fight the coronavirus.




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Drone images show northern French beach deserted in coronavirus lockdown

Beaches nationwide have been shut for weeks as the government put itself on lockdown in mid-March to curb the spread of the virus, which has to date killed nearly 26,000 nationwide.




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Schumer: Reopening states without more tests is 'dangerous'

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday said it was 'dangerous' for the Trump administration to pressure states and businesses to 'reopen without a plan for a dramatic increase in testing'.




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Austrian ski resort covers glacier after coronavirus cuts season short

With its season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, one of Austria's most popular glacial ski resorts covered its glacier in protective fabric earlier than usual this year to help preserve it for a still uncertain reopening.




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Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID-19 fight -WHO

Countries must return to "basic principles" of public health surveillance if they are to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the World Health Organization's (WHO) top emergency health expert Mike Ryan said on Friday (May 8).




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'Justice finally prevailed' in Michael Flynn case: WH

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany on Friday said it appears that the FBI 'manufactured' a crime in the case of President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, after the Department of Justice moved to drop the case on Thursday.




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Slovenian cyclists stage anti-government coronavirus protest

Thousands of cyclists took over streets in the center of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana on Friday evening to protest against the government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa and the restrictions it has imposed to fight the coronavirus.




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Streetwalkers to sweet talkers: Chile's sex workers shift online amid virus lockdown

When the nightclub in which she touted for business in southern Chile was shut down by the authorities as the new coronavirus spread, sex worker Camila Hormazabal was left without access to her sole source of income.




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Dutch restaurant trials glass booths for dining amid coronavirus

A Dutch restaurant has come up with an idea on how to offer classy outdoor dining in the age of coronavirus: small glass cabins built for two or three people, creating intimate cocoons on a public patio.




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Coronavirus-wary Japan tries to take business card ritual online

Japan's time-honoured ritual of exchanging business cards face-to-face is under pressure as the government promotes a "new lifestyle" to combat the coronavirus.




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In the Amazon, an indigenous nurse volunteers in coronavirus fight

Vicente Piratapuia, 69, of the Piratapuia tribe had a high fever and could hardly breathe, but he refused to leave his home on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest's biggest city.




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Greece to reopen ancient monuments this month as it eases coronavirus ban

After standing empty for two months, Greece's ancient sites, including the Acropolis hill towering over Athens, will reopen to visitors on May 18, authorities said on Thursday.




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Clawing back normality: Bangkok cat cafe reopens after virus shutdown

As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.




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Texas nurse expecting Mother's Day baby makes tough choices over virus fears

Samantha Salinas never planned to give birth during a global pandemic, but Mother's Day 2020 may be when her baby finally arrives.




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Train kills 16 workers laid-off in coronavirus lockdown

A train killed 16 migrant workers who had fallen asleep on the track on Friday while they were heading back to their home village after losing their jobs in a coronavirus lockdown, police said.




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India equity mutual fund inflows halve in April as coronavirus keep investors away

Inflows into India's equity mutual funds nearly halved in April, industry data showed, as many investors rattled by stock market volatility due to the new coronavirus and the impact of a lockdown on the economy chose to stay away.