A furious US President Donald Trump on Monday accused the American media of giving unfair coverage to his fight against the Coronavirus and played video clips appreciating his administration's efforts in containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. "I mean, if you had libel laws, they (the media) would have been out of business even before they'll end up going out of business. So it's too bad," Trump told reporters during his White House news conference on Coronavirus. "We really have done this right. The problem is the press doesn't cover it the way it should be," he said. He alleged that several news outlets, including the New York Times, are biased.

"I have never seen a video like that playing in this room. It looks a bit like a campaign ad. Who produced a video for you?" he was asked by a reporter. "That was done by a group in the office and it was done just by — we just put some clips together. I bet I have over 100 more clips even better than them. They were just pieced together over the last two hours," Trump said. The Washington Post alleged that this was a campaign style video. According to Politico, Trump "fiercely defended" his administration's response to the Coronavirus at the briefing, complete with a campaign-ad-like video aimed at bolstering his case.

The US has over 5,50,000 confirmed cases of infections. It has recorded 1,509 deaths related to the pandemic over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 23,529, the most of any country. Trump, however, said the number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide over the weekend, sending clear evidence that the aggressive strategy to combat it is working. He insisted on easing restrictions by May and claimed that he has 'total authority' to take a call on lifting the restrictions that ends on April 30, according to reports. The Trump administration is considering easing the stay-at-home orders from May 1.

"We don't have a king. We have an elected president. The Constitution clearly says the powers that are not specifically listed for the federal government are reserved for the states, and the bounds between federal and state authority are central to the Constitution — one of the great balances of power," CNN quoted Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying. So far, at least 1,21,787 people have died from the virus and 1,947,727 have tested positive.

1,509
Total no. of death recorded in the US in 24 hours

Trump denies plan to sack Fauci

Donald Trump has dismissed rumours that he was going to fire his top medical advisor on the pandemic. Unusually, the evening briefing at the White House began with a statement by the internationally renowned Dr Anthony Fauci, seeking to defuse speculation that he had fallen out with the Republican president. Trump, who on Sunday fuelled speculation by retweeting a critical comment with the hashtag #FireFauci, sought to draw a line under the latest White House turmoil. "I like him," he said of Fauci. "I hear I'm going to fire him. I'm not gonna fire him, I think he's a wonderful guy." But Trump then launched into a sustained assault on other targets, demonstrating his frustration with accusations that he has mishandled the crisis.

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The UNESCO has said news media should be recognised and supported by all governments as an "essential service" to stop the COVID-19 "disinfodemic" that is putting lives at risk. "There seems to be barely an area left untouched by disinformation in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, ranging from the origin of the coronavirus, through to unproven prevention and 'cures', and encompassing responses by governments, companies, celebrities and others," Guy Berger, Director for Policies and Strategies regarding Communication and Information at the UN educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in an interview with the UN News.

According to the UN, unreliable and false information is spreading around the world to such an extent that some commentators are now referring to the new avalanche of misinformation that's accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic as a "disinfodemic". Berger said UNESCO is particularly urging governments "not to impose restrictions on freedom of expression that can harm the essential role of an independent press, but to recognise journalism as a power against disinformation even when it publicises verified information and informed opinion that annoys those in power. "There is a strong case to be made that the media deserves to be recognised and supported by governments as an essential service at this time." He stressed that the need of the hour is to improve the supply of truthful information and ensure that the demand is met.

"We are underlining that governments, in order to counter rumours, should be more transparent, and proactively disclose more data, in line with Right to Information laws and policies. Access to information from official sources is very important for credibility in this crisis. "However, this is not a substitute for information supplied by the news media, so we are also intensifying our efforts to persuade authorities to see free and professional journalism as an ally in the fight against disinformation, especially because the news media works openly in the public sphere, whereas much disinformation is under-the-radar, on social messaging apps," Berger said. The UNESCO official also pointed to a more harmful example of disinformation: encouraging the taking of medication, approved for other purposes, but not yet clinically proven as being effective against COVID-19. He said unfortunately some have capitalised on the pandemic, to spread disinformation for the purposes of advancing their own agendas.

"The motives for spreading disinformation are many, and include political aims, self-promotion, and attracting attention as part of a business model. Those who do so, play on emotions, fears, prejudices and ignorance, and claim to bring meaning and certainty to a reality that is complex, challenging and fast-changing," Berger said. He said in a time of "high fears, uncertainties and unknowns", there is "fertile ground for fabrications to flourish and grow". The big risk is that any single falsehood that gains traction can negate the significance of a body of true facts.

"When disinformation is repeated and amplified, including by influential people, the grave danger is that information which is based on truth, ends up having only marginal impact," he said. Berger noted that some people believe, wrongly, that young people or those of African descent are immune (some disinformation has a racist, or xenophobic, tone), and that those in warm climates or countries where summer is on its way, do not need to worry too much. The likely consequence, he said, is complacency, which could fuel more premature deaths. However, not everyone responsible for spreading untruths is doing so maliciously and well-intentioned people are also uncritically circulating dubious content, the UNESCO official said.

"These different motives require different responses, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, irrespective of intention, the effect of sharing falsehoods is to disinform and disempower the public, with deadly potential," he said. UNESCO has underscored that the rights to freedom of expression and access to information are the best remedies to the dangers of disinformation. These rights "enable governments and the public to take evidence-based decisions about reality, and to put in place responses that are founded on both science and human rights values, and which can get us through the pandemic in the best way", Berger said.

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Nations around the world reacted with alarm Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a halt to the sizable funding the US sends to the World Health Organisation. Health experts warned the move could jeopardize global efforts to stop the Coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said he was instructing his administration to halt funding for WHO pending a review of its role "in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus." The United States is WHO's largest single donor, contributing between $400 million and $500 million annually to the Geneva-based agency in recent years. He has repeatedly labelled COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" and criticised the UN health agency for being too lenient on China, where the novel virus first emerged late last year.

EU 'deeply regrets' move
An investigation by The Associated Press has found that s ix days of delays between when Chinese officials k new about the virus and when they warned the public allowed the pandemic to bloom into an enormous public health disaster. The European Union said Trump has "no reason" to freeze WHO funding at this critical stage and called for measures to promote unity instead of division. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc "deeply" regrets the suspension of funds and added that the WHO is now "needed more than ever" to combat the pandemic.

Stand with WHO: Oz
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he sympathised with some of Trump's criticisms of WHO and China but that Australia would continue to fund the UN health agency. Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, pushed back at Trump's announcement. Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, called said. "This is the agency that's looking out for other countries and leading efforts to stop the pandemic. This is exactly the time when they need more funding, not less. Trump is angry, but his anger is being directed in a way that is going to ultimately hurt US interests."

A selfish decision: Russia
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS, "I's a sign of the very selfish approach of the US authorities to what is happening in the world." Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the country is "seriously concerned" about the US government's decision to suspend funding and hinted at stepping up its monetary contribution to WHO. The WHO did not respond to repeated requests from The Associated Press for comment, but its but Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted, "There is no time to waste".

Now, Trump says states to decide on reopening economy

A day after claiming "total authority" in decision-making, Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would leave it to individual governors to decide on the reopening of the economy in their respective states, which in some cases could be even before May 1. COVID-19 has so far infected over two million people worldwide. In the US, over 25,000 have lost their lives and more than 6 lakhs have tested positive. Over 95 per cent of the 330 million population in the US are under stay-at-home order.

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Beijing: The authorities of the Chinese city of Wuhan - the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic - have recalculated statistics of the coronavirus disease, increasing the number of confirmed cases by 325 to 50,333 and the death toll by 1,290 to 3,869.

"The number of confirmed cases has risen by 325 to 50,333, the number of victims has increased by 1,290 to 3,869," the authorities said via the Weibo social network.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 2.1 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 144,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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The novel Coronavirus has been wrecking havoc in the world with scores of people infected and many lives claimed. Amid a time when countries are imposing lockdown on their citizens, restricting their movements, a digital artist posted a cryptic message of hope with a picture that has gone viral.

Phil Shaw, a digital printmaker posted a picture of a stack of books on a shelf, placed in a way that the titles when read together, forms a message about the pandemic and social distancing. He uses bestsellers such as Stephen King’s It, Adam Thorpe’s Still, Ginger Simpson’s Hope Springs Eternal and Mark Billingham’s In The Dark among others.

The UK-born artist posted the picture on his Instagram page last week, captioned, “Shelf isolation 2 - the story so far...” that has received 2,854 likes so far. The cryptic message in the books kept in the first shelf reads, “"The English patient had caught it on the beach. I should have stayed at home she said. Now she was in quarantine in the dark house of splendid isolation.

The books placed in the second shelf reads, “"Still hope springs eternal with a little bit of luck and personal hygiene. The corona book of horror stories must end soon. Always remember clean hands save lives and when in doubt don't go out!"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Phil Shaw (@philshaw775) onApr 10, 2020 at 1:20am PDT

Since it was posted online, it has been received comments of praise from netizens across the globe. One user said, “this is FANTASTIC!” Another user said, “Wow... Did you have all these books already? Perhaps I should try reorganising my bookshelves.” A user said, “I love how the last book on the top shelf promises the hopeful turn that plays out on the bottom. Bravo!

This is not the first time Shaw has posted such a picture. Here’s another picture of a book artwork where he conveys a message about social distancing.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Phil Shaw (@philshaw775) onMar 31, 2020 at 6:45am PDT

What do you think of this post?

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Do you need a little something to chase away your lockdown blues? A viral video of a dog has been making rounds on social media ‘turned into a helicopter’ while leaping through a four-feet-tall gate that has impressed millions online.

The video clip posted by Helen Laura Morrey on Instagram shows her Lurcher dog, named Maldwyn taking off like a helicopter while leaping through a gate with his tail spinning with excitement. As the video went viral, it has also been shared on other social media platforms too. The video was shot at Merthyr Mawr in the United Kingdom, when Morrey was out on a walk her three dogs.

Morrey wrote on her Instagram that, "Even during times like these I’m blessed to have lovely places on my doorstep to take these 3 out," while adding that Maldwyn "lost his mind and turned into a helicopter."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Helen Laura Morrey (@helenlauramorrey) onApr 4, 2020 at 11:36am PDT

Since the Lurcher’s long leap went viral, it has garnered 20,330 views and counting with many amusing comments from netizens! One user said, "Omg this video cracked me so much! That is one talented dog." Another user said, "This is just pure joy! Makes me laugh every time!!!" A user said, "Beautiful dogs, amazing jumping skills, crazy helicopter tail action, but what also makes this so great is the sound that you make... Wooaaa!!!"

What do you think about this video?

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Thousands of people on Saturday defied the countrywide lockdown to attend the funeral of a Muslim cleric in Bangladesh, triggering fears of rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The news media in Bangladesh reported that thousands of people, without masks and in clear violations of social distancing, participated in the funeral prayers of Khelafat Majlish's 'Nayeb-e Amir' Maulana Zubayer Ahmad Ansari, held at a madrasa in Bertola village under Sorail Upazila of Brahmanbaria district. The cleric had passed away at his home last night.

The gathering was large and the authorities did not stop it, media reports said. Noted Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasreen, who lives in exile in Sweden, tweeted that 50,000 people had attended the funeral prayers, defying the ban on mass gatherings during the lockdown. "Stupid government didn't even try to stop these stupid people," she tweeted.

Like many other countries where religious congregations are turning out to be a major multiplier in the pandemic, the Saturday funeral gathering could become Bangladesh's hotspot for the outbreak. So far, over 2,100 people have tested positive and 84 have died due to Coronavirus in Bangladesh.

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All of Chris Wallace's wedding bookings were either cancelled or postponed due to the Coronavirus, but the UK-based wedding photographer didn't let that deter him. Wallace took it upon himself to recreate a wedding ceremony using LEGO figures lying around his house. He named the bride and groom Florence and Fred, and spent many hours preparing for the wedding. He even staged several scenes and big moments seen frequently in Christian weddings and then proceeded to click photos of them. He used his experience capturing weddings to make it seem natural.

The bride getting dolled up for her wedding

The bride walked down the aisle with a Harry Potter figurine, whereas groomsmen Ghostbusters, Chewbacca and a 1980 Lego spaceman stood at the altar to support the groom. "I've found myself with quite a bit of free time on my hands and thought it'll be a fun thing to do," said the photographer to the New York Post. "The ceremony was held outdoors in the most gorgeous of settings, filled with the greenest of plastic leaves and most colourful plastic flowers," he added.

Posing for a family photo. Pics/carpediemphotographycheshire.co.uk/Chris Wallace

Wallace said: "I tried drawing upon the experiences I had with weddings, to capture the big moments while making it seem natural." As the lockdown is anticipated to last till June, he plans to do another shoot soon.

Girl, I want you real clean!

A New Yorker hung fliers to look for a 'germ free' partner during the Coronavirus crisis

Pic/New York Post

A single man from New York, who is looking for love, hung dating fliers across the city, saying that his potential lover must be healthy, fit and clean.

The man, identified only as Brad, also said in the flier that he is "seeking a girlfriend for Coronavirus and beyond." He describes himself as a healthy, attractive, and well-settled man, looking for "germ-free monogamy". "I was single when the lockdown began and was wondering how and when dating would be possible again," Brad told the New York Post.

"This is no time for casual dating or hook-ups, so I am seeking a long-term and exclusive relationship," he added. Brad said that he has already received responses from "high-quality women" and is looking forward to meeting some for six-foot-apart dates.

Papi Gudia 2.0

An area in Mexico City became one of the most searched addresses on Google Maps this week, after photos of a creepy, doll-covered house located there, went viral on social media. The post was first shared by TikTok user Fernando Mata, who was looking for creepy content for his social media. It later turned out that this was the address of a small esoteric shop, and the dolls were merely an advertising strategy to attract prospective customers.

This teen is a gender-bender

Pics/@puutan_318, Instagram

A Japanese 18-year-old boy, has been getting a lot of attention on the Internet for cosplaying as an Asian schoolgirl. Puutan, whose real name is reportedly Tatsuya, has been flaunting selfies in feminine clothes, as well as a long hair wig. He currently has over 27,000 followers on YouTube, and 23,000 followers on Instagram.

Mexicans want beer to survive quarantine

Mexico's decision to halt production of most non-essential products due to the Coronavirus pandemic, has led to a polarising debate in the country on whether beer should be considered an "essential" during lockdown. "Beer supplies should be guaranteed, because beer helps people get through quarantine on better terms," said the National Alliance of Small Business in a press statement.

Village gets ghosts to keep people indoors

Kepuh village in Indonesia has resorted to an unusual way to ensure that the locals stay indoors. Those who step out of their homes at night will have to face pocong—shrouded ghosts believed to represent the souls of dead people. The pocongs are actually volunteer youths trying to help maintain the lockdown.

Crime junkies can get rich in 24 hours flat

A video streaming service is seeking a true crime buff to make $1,000 (R75K) during the Coronavirus lockdown by watching 24 straight hours of documentaries. The chosen candidate will be given a pre-selected list of true crime documentaries to watch.

Bugging you

A swarm of bugs descended over a beach at Cayton Bay, Yorkshire, leaving locals stunned. The bugs, later identified as European Chafer Beetles, are said to have washed up on a few beaches in the area. The cause is still being investigated. "I was stunned to realise they were living creatures. There were just masses and masses of them," said Sue Weatherill, a local resident, to Daily Mail. Pics/@ChrisBull52, Twitter

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US President Donald Trump has warned China that it should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the spread of COVID-19, upping the ante on Beijing over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump, who has expressed disappointment over China's handling of the disease, alleged non-transparency and initial non-cooperation with the US on dealing with the crisis. "If they were knowingly responsible, yeah, then there should be consequences. You're talking about, you know, potentially lives like nobody's seen since 1917," he said on Saturday.

Trump said his relationship with China was very good till the time the deadly COVID-19 swept across the world. He said there was a big difference between a mistake that got out of control and something done deliberately. He also expressed his doubts over the official Chinese figures on the number of deaths in their country, claiming that the fatalities were way ahead of the US.

A premier Chinese virology laboratory in Wuhan, which is in the eye of the storm for allegedly being the source of Coronavirus, has for the first time refuted the charge that the deadly virus originated from his lab before it spread across the world and wreaked havoc.

Hungry, jobless turn to food banks in US

Thousands of families hit by the pandemic are turning to food banks to get by, waiting hours for donations in lines of cars stretching as far as the eye can see. And with 22 million people out of work seemingly overnight, the charities feeding homeless and scared people fear the day will come when they cannot cope with the tsunami of demand.

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Covid-19 related deaths within the UK's care homes for the elderly and vulnerable doubled within just one week, according to data collected and analysed by a leading representative body for the not-for-profit adult social care sector. The National Care Forum (NCF) report, released on Saturday, demonstrates 2,500 deaths within care homes within seven days, figures which it says highlights significant flaws in the current national reporting of coronavirus related death toll in the UK. It is hoped that this analysis will provide insight and impetus for the government to better address the needs of the care sector, the NCF said. The group's research came as pressure mounts on the British government to start counting deaths within the wider community and care homes to its daily hospital toll figures, which hit 15,464 on this week. Amid concerns that the national statistics presented by the government for coronavirus related mortality rates were not incorporating figures of deaths within residential and nursing homes, the NCF said it led an independent benchmarking exercise.

As many as 47 of its care provider members contributed to the audit, representing 1,169 care services that collectively support 30,217 people across the UK - 7.4 per cent of the overall residential care sector population. The resulting sample analysis suggests that a total of 4,040 people may have died of the deadly virus within UK residential and nursing services before April 13.

The figure of more than 4,000 people passing away of Covid-19 within care homes in little more than one month is devastating. Every death is a loss and a tragedy, said Vic Rayner, Executive Director of the National Care Forum. It is even more worrying to see a virtual doubling of deaths within homes in just one week, clearly indicating that whilst all attention has been on managing the peak in hospitals, the virus has attacked our most vulnerable communities, she said. The NCF said the data should be a wake up call to the government and society as a whole to recognise that its official whatever it takes approach has to be applied equally.

By highlighting the scale of the tragedy, we are giving the government an opportunity to respond with equal effort. It must act immediately and build a `ring of steel' around care homes. They need the right PPE [personal protective equipment], medical monitoring devices, rapid and comprehensive testing, proper funding and intensive research to safeguard the people they care for, Rayner added. The UK's Department of Health has repeatedly explained the focus on hospital deaths in its daily death toll tally on the time lag involved in care home deaths being collated. "Every death from this virus is a tragedy and that is why we are working around the clock to give the social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this global pandemic," a DoH spokesperson said.

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A UK court on Monday dismissed fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya's appeal against extradition to India.

"We consider that while the scope of the prima facie case found by the Senior District Judge (SDJ) is in some respects wider than that alleged by the respondent in India. There is a prima facie case which, in seven important respects, coincides with the allegations in India," a part of the order by the UK court read.

A CBI spokesperson confirmed to ANI that the "UK high court dismissed Mallya's appeal against his extradition to India." The 64-year-old businessman had begun the lengthy appeals process in the UK court in February this year against an order to extradite him to India to face multiple charges relating to the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines.

It followed a ruling by a lower court -- the Westminster Magistrate's Court -- in December 2018 - that Mallya should be sent to India to face the charges, including one of money laundering to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. The businessman fled India in March 2016 and has been living in the UK since then.

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Health officials in Singapore said on Monday that they reported a record 1,426 new Coronavirus cases, out of which 1,410 are foreign workers, including Indians residing in dormitories, health officials said. With the fresh cases, the total number of Coronavirus cases in the city-state stands at 8,014, the Ministry of Health said.

"We are still working through the details of the cases," said the ministry in a statement. A total of 18 foreign worker dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas, as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise. As of Sunday, the cluster at S11 Dormitory at Punggol remained the biggest, with 1,508 confirmed cases.

The next biggest cluster was at Sungei Tengah Lodge, with 521 confirmed cases. Though the dormitories are being disinfected and bedding accommodation re-arranged, most of these were overcrowded, leading to a large number of cases as foreign workers are now undergoing screening and testing. All foreign workers in the construction sector have been placed on mandatory stay-home notices until May 4 as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Manpower and the Building and Construction Authority noted that while the recent rise in the number of infected foreign workers has mostly been concentrated in dormitories, there have been cases at construction sites.

SL won't relax curfew
The Sri Lankan government on Monday dropped its decision to relax the nationwide curfew and extended it to April 27 following a sudden spike of 41 cases in the past 24 hours.

1,410
No. of foreign workers

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Equity benchmark indices slipped by 2.7 per cent during early hours on Tuesday in line with Asian peers after US oil prices slipped below zero dollar a barrel in overnight trade.

US crude futures turned negative for the first time in history following a collapse in oil demand as the coronavirus pandemic derails the global economy.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was down by 870 points or 2.75 per cent at 30,778 while the Nifty 50 edged lower by 248 points or 2.69 per cent at 9,013.

Except for Nifty pharma and FMCG, all sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the red with Nifty metal down by 5.2 per cent, auto by 5.1 per cent and private bank by 4.3 per cent.

Among stocks, index heavyweight Reliance Industries fell by 3.93 per cent to Rs 1,195.60 per share. Metal majors Hindalco dropped by 8.9 per cent at Rs 106.10 per share while Tata Steel lost by 7.1 per cent and Vedanta by 6.6 per cent.

Auto major Maruti skidded by 6.8 per cent to Rs 4,964.70 per share and Tata Motors by 5.2 per cent.

Private lenders IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank dipped by 6.7 per cent, 6.1 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively.

However, those which gained were Dr Reddy, Cipla, Nestle India, Hindustan Lever and ITC.

Meanwhile, Asia shares were in the negative zone after an overnight tumble at Wall Street with US crude futures turned negative for the first time in history. However, it bounced back into positive territory this morning.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell half a per cent. Japan's Nikkei fell by 2.26 per cent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost by 2.38 per cent and South Korea's Kospi slipped by 1.67 per cent.

Overnight stateside, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 592 points lower at 23,650, the S&P 500 slipped by 1.8 per cent to end its trading day at 2,823 and the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 1 per cent to close at 8,561.

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New York: The idea formed on a day when all the news headlines were dire. The coronavirus was surging worldwide; Nashville had lost lives in a devastating tornado and children had their lives upended as they separated from beloved classmates to shelter at home.

But only bad news is never the whole story. Days later, The Associated Press started its daily series 'One Good Thing' to reflect the unheralded sacrifices made to benefit others that normally wouldn't make a story, but maybe always deserved one.

Since March 17, when a Norwegian mom tried to soften the blow of birthdays under quarantine for her two teens by asking via social media that people reach out to them, there have been 35 stories about the ways that everyday people have tried to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The gestures have been grand and small, some as simple as chalk-written messages on a sidewalk thanking healthcare workers at a New Orleans hospital for their efforts.

Music has been a central theme. The series has included stories about a Rio firefighter sharing his love of music from a hydraulic ladder 150 feet up as he played the trumpet for cooped-up apartment dwellers; a virtual rendition of 'Bolero' from the National Orchestra of France, with each musician playing alone at home; the virtual Corona Community Choir with members around the world, performing on Sundays.

If music soothes the soul, food feeds it. There have been six stories that tell of benefactors feeding health care workers, the poor, the elderly shut ins, even volunteers feeding hungry animals at a revered Hindu temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

There have been meals from Brooklyn caterer Israel Frischman for Holocaust survivors who are shut in. The day after the story ran, donations poured in and now Frischman has financial backing for the needed meals.

And simpler fare from the 'Solidarity Menu' started by Emiliano Moscoso who employed his hamburger chain of restaurants in Colombia to feed poor neighborhoods in Bogota.

The delivery of lifesaving supplies has been a storyline as well, from the professional cyclist in Italy who has gone from racing against competitors to racing medicine to those in need, to Yale student Liam Elkind's delivery service. A month after reporting on Elkind's 'Invisible Hands' effort which he started with a friend, he reports that it's ballooned.
'We're making over 1,000 deliveries a week now, and over 10,000 volunteers have joined our group. I feel like I haven't slept in decades, but, honestly, I've never felt more energized,' he said.

Heroes have emerged in youth, from Nova Knight, a 5-year-old firecracker in Alaska imploring her cohorts to wash their hands and postpone playdates, to 16-year-old TJ Kim, who can't drive, but can fly. He uses those skills to deliver much-needed medical supplies across rural Virginia.

The stories have circled the world, from Colombia and Nepal, to Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Indonesia and South Korea where Kim Byung-rok, a shoe cobbler, donated land to help raise money for the fight against the virus.

In the month of stories about the goodness of others, it's no surprise when we doubled back to the previous subjects of the coverage, AP journalists found the obvious: the givers' giving has expanded.

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Oil is doing something that is even making Market veterans shake their heads in wonder. After shedding more than 300 per cent or $56 a barrel in one single day on Monday, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for May delivery gained some ground early on Tuesday, recovering 103 per cent to come back in the positive zone at $1.35 a barrel.

But analysts expect that bloodbath in US oil market may continue well into Tuesday when May future contracts are expiring and traders still left with long positions facing actual delivery of oil may look to liquidate their stock even if they have to pay to do this. In simple terms this means that traders do not want to store crude by taking actual delivery for May and incur cost while not finding any buyers in the absence of demand that has also shrunk sharply by more than a third in Covid-19 pandemic.

"We could again see price of oil in US going into the negative zone on Tuesday. But this could be a lot less sharper than what was witnessed on Monday," said an oil sector analyst asking not to be named.

He said that lower oil prices bore good for India but how much oil companies can gain from US fall is uncertain as the Indian oil companies are not very active in the US markets and trade very small quantities in the spot market. Still some of this oil could be contracted if freight arrangements are worked out on time.

While US oil has shown significant fall, Brent has maintained a fairly steady path. The benchmark Brent oil is still hovering at $ 25 a barrel. The US WTI for June delivery is still keeping its heads up at over $ 20 a barrel. But it would be seen if Covid-19 situation improves in coming days and demand picks up. Otherwise, June oil futures can go the May way.

The decline of oil prices comes despite the recent output cut agreement between the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies.

There were hopes that agreement would stabilise oil prices, but with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing, there has been a large slip in demand that is not letting a pick-up in oil prices.

The current market is oversupplied on shrinking demand, creating a situation of free fall for crude.

The price of oil has now reached a point that it is increasingly becoming difficult for higher cost producers to remain in operation and rather look at declaring bankruptcy.

A lot of US shale producers are in deep trouble and analysts expect that low oil price for few more months will result in a spate of bankruptcies in the US.

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The novel Coronavirus outbreak has created an atmosphere of uncertainty but everybody has been trying to create hope in some way or the other.

This picture is of two fairy penguins standing side by side and comforting each other which watching the Melbourne skyline.

The Twitter user captioned the images, "Couldn't stop thinking about these penguins enjoying the Melbourne skyline together. So I found the original photographer and apparently they're both widowed. I can't handle it."

 

 

 

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Pinguins Part 2. “... Love is the only game in which we win even when we lose” The way that these two lovebirds were caring for one another stood out from the entire colony. While all the other penguins were sleeping or running around, those two seemed to just stand there and enjoy every second they had together, holding each other in their flippers and talking about penguin stuff. Pain has brought them together (see PART 1). I guess sometimes you find love when you least expect it. It’s a privilege to truly love someone, paradisiacal when they love you back. 📸 @tobiasvisuals • (Even though it is very similar to the previous image I thought it’d be a pity to not share it with you guys)

A post shared by Tobias Baumgaertner (@tobiasvisuals) onApr 13, 2020 at 5:01pm PDT

He also explained that the penguins had been standing on the rock for hours. He clicked the pictures about a year ago but shared them once again so that people could enjoy the heartwarming moment during such times.

According to him, it was a volunteer who revealed that the white penguin was an "elderly lady" who lost her partner and the one to the left was a "younger male", who lost its partner too.

"During times like this, the truly lucky ones are those that can be with the person/people they love most. I captured this moment about a year ago. These two fairy penguins poised upon a rock, overlooking the Melbourne skyline and were standing there for hours, flipper in flipper, watching the sparkling lights of the skyline and ocean. A volunteer approached me and told me that the white one was an elderly lady who had lost her partner and so did the younger male to the left. Since then they meet regularly comforting each other and standing together for hours watching the dancing lights of the nearby city. I spent 3 full nights with this penguin colony until I was able to get this picture. Between not being able or allowed to use any lights and the tiny penguins continuously moving, rubbing their flippers on each other's backs and cleaning one another, it was really hard to get a shot but I got lucky during one beautiful moment. I hope you enjoy this moment as much as I did. #lovewillalwayswin." (sic)

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Amid the coronavirus gloom, a Turkish man is giving netizens a reason to smile with his unique antics and helping attitude. The man identified as Burak Soylu dresses up as the famous Marvel superhero Spiderman to help his neighbours amid the global pandemic.

In Turkey, a man named Burak Soylu has been going around dressed like Spiderman.

He drives around in a Beetle, buys milk and groceries for the elderly, and delivers it to their doorsteps.

When he was asked why, he said "My superpower is doing good for the neighborhood." pic.twitter.com/KAYm3hyPyb

— Goodable (@Goodable) April 17, 2020

According to a Twitter post shared by Goodable, just like the 'friendly neighbourhood' Marvel superhero who helps people with his superpowers, Burak dresses up in a Spiderman suit and goes around helping his neighbours, especially elderly people by distributing milk, groceries and essentials at the doorsteps.

In the pictures shared by Goodable, Burak can be seen buying vegetables from the market and delivering it to those in need of help at a time when most countries have imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. While speaking to Goodable, Burak said that his superpower is doing good for his neighbours.

you forgot to add his best pictures.. here they are pic.twitter.com/9feElnkjg5

— Serhan (@serhanbilgin) April 18, 2020

Twitter user Serhan also shared some breathtaking pictures of Burak as Spiderman driving his Beetle and even posing on a tractor. Since the time it was shared, the post has garnered over 10,000 re-tweets and about 4,000 likes.

And he's masked and gloved too! Good one, Spidey! 👏👏👏👏👏

— Omowunmie (@molarah26) April 17, 2020

The post, which has gone viral now has garnered tons of appreciation from netizens. While some Twitterati lauded Burak for helping the elderly amid coronavirus crisis, others talked about how Burak was spreading the safety message by wearing a costume that includes a face mask and hand gloves which are highly important to combat COVID-19.

Now that's what I call a friendly neighborhood spiderman..

— Dequondre Agee (@DequondreA) April 18, 2020

One user said, "And he's masked and gloved too! Good one, Spidey!" while another user commented, "Now that's what I call a friendly neighborhood spiderman..." A third user jokingly said, "So can we say Superman costume is Coronaproof? Hahaha." Talking about the Turkish spiderman's noble cause, a fourth user said, "He also visits disabled kids school and presents toys along with mask."

Here's how netizens reacted to Turkish spiderman's noble work:

Spiderman! Spiderman!
Helps the elderly how he can!
Drives around, in his car!
Buys some food, drives it far!
Look out! Here comes a helpful man!

— Cleodora Silvestri (@drakkenmensch) April 18, 2020

This is truly theirs FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD SPIDERMAN. pic.twitter.com/Mye8pKyvJo

— AbeAbeStudio (@StudioAbe) April 18, 2020

Quality bloke!! Humanity need more people like this!

— The Darge Knight (@DargeKnight) April 18, 2020

😆So can we say Superman costume is Coronaproof? Hahaha 😂

— Özlem (@icbukeydis) April 19, 2020

This is humanity's at its finest

— jack (@jackdilnessa) April 18, 2020

Isn't the Turkish Spiderman living by the well-known proverb of the Marvel superhero, "With great power comes great responsibility".

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President Donald Trump has said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the US to "protect" the jobs of Americans and to fight the "invisible attack" on the country by the novel Coronavirus, a move that was widely criticised by the Democrats, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris.
The outbreak has killed more than 42,094 people in the US, the country with the most fatalities in the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University, and more than 7,50,000 cases have been confirmed.

Details of Trump's executive order were not immediately known. He also did not indicate when he would sign such an order. His announcement comes as his administration seeks to reopen parts of the US from the crippling COVID-19 shutdown.

Donald Trump

However, the NBC News reported that the move "had been under consideration for a while," a senior administration official was quoted as saying by the report. The official said the details about how the plan would be implemented and how many countries would be affected "will be forthcoming," the report added.

Immigration has long been an issue of President Trump. He has been calling for a merit-based immigration system. Since the pandemic began, the administration had already restricted foreign visitors from China, Europe, Canada and Mexico. And also suspended all routine visa services, both immigrant and non-immigrant, around the world. "Trump failed to take this crisis seriously from day 1. His abandonment of his role as president has cost lives. And now, he's shamelessly politicising this pandemic to double down on his anti-immigrant agenda," Harris tweeted.

"It is about the message the president wants to send. He wants people to turn against 'the other.' And, regardless of the valuable contributions immigrants are making to the response and recovery, he sees immigrants as the easiest to blame," Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, was quoted as saying by CNN.

42,094
COVID-19 deaths in the US

Don't rush to ease restrictions, warns WHO

A couple gets ice cream in Ludwigsburg as Germany relaxes curbs. Pic/AFP

The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that rushing to ease Coronavirus restrictions will likely lead to a resurgence of the illness, a warning that comes as governments start rolling out plans to get their economies up and running again. "This is not the time to be lax. Instead, we need to ready ourselves for a new way of living for the foreseeable future," said Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.

Around the world, step-by-step reopenings were underway in Europe, where the crisis has begun to ebb in places such as Italy, Spain and Germany. The pandemic has killed over 1,70,000 people globally, close to two thirds of them in hardest-hit Europe, according to an AFP tally Tuesday at 0935 GMT. In total, 1,70,226 people have died worldwide, including 106,737 in Europe, and there are 2,483,086 recorded cases. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday extended the lockdown till June 1 and urged citizens to "persevere" with the strict restrictions, as the city-state reported 1,111 new cases, a majority them foreign workers living in dormitories, taking the total infections to 9,125.

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The oil market plunged further on Tuesday on concerns over a collapse in demand as the pandemic leaves factories, cars and airplanes idled around the world. The extreme volatility in energy markets highlights investors' worries about the duration of the Coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the economy.

That is in turn weighing on financial markets more broadly, including stocks. The benchmark US oil contract was down $4.78 at just $15.65 per barrel on Tuesday, having traded as low as $11.79 a barrel at one point. The drop comes a day after the price of oil fell below zero on Monday, partly due to technical factors as traders shifted from one futures contract to another. The US oil contract for delivery in May settled at -$37.63 per barrel on Monday, an indication that investors don't want to be left holding oil at a time when storage facilities are almost full and demand is at its lowest since the mid-1990s. The tumult in the oil market reflects uncertainty over where the world economy will head as governments begin to loosen controls imposed to contain the coronavirus.

"We could merely be in the eye of the hurricane as the epicenters of its rage remain centered around demand devastation and crude oil oversupply," Stephen Innes of AxiCorp. said in a commentary. "At a minimum, oil prices will be the last asset class to recover from lockdown" and only when travel restrictions are lifted, he said. Brent crude, the international standard, dropped $45.72 to $19.85. "The historic drop in WTI prices is an indication of the downward pressure which many other crude oil grades could face, given the oversupply situation," Sushant Gupta of Wood Mackenzie said. The volatility in energy markets unsettled stock markets as well. with Germany's DAX stock index losing 3.3% to 10,319 and the CAC 40 in France shedding 3.2% to 4,384. Britain's FTSE 100 declined 2.6% to 5,664.

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In a viral video that left the internet in splits, a dog exposed the owner's fake handstand pose. The video that went viral on Facebook shows a woman pretending to do handstand by lying down and pressing her hands against the wall, while a man on a chair reading a newspaper is seen sitting besides her.

The nearly-perfect clip seemed convincing until the act was exposed when a dog made an appearance in the picture. At that point, the viewers realised that the man and the woman were simply lying on the floor and the handstand pose was created by tweaking the camera angle and successfully tricking people into believing that the pose was legitimate.

Paulinho Martins, who posted this video on Facebook on Tuesday, said in the captions, "Everything was going well, until the dog ruined everything." The video has received over 6.1 million views with more than 48,000 likes and was shared over 225,000 times.

Amid hilarious reactions, users commenting on the post said that they would love to try it out with their friends while one user commented, "Is that spiderdog?" Another user said, "It is not that bad to cheat, well done!" while one more comment read, "It is absolutely obvious, when he touched his glasses. Newspaper fell on him."

What do you think of the video?

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A video of an elderly man tearing up after receiving a gift from his caregiver has melted hearts online and the story behind it is extremely emotional. Ken Bembow, a British war veteran has been staying in a elderly assisting  facility and one of the care givers there noticed that he sleeps with his late wife’s photograph.

As she realized that sleeping next to a picture in a glass frame can hurt him, caregiver Kia Mariah Tobin came up with an idea to give Bembow a unique gift. She gifted him a pillow with his wife’s photo printed on it. The precious moment of Bembow tearing up while receiving the gift was captured on camera and was shared on Facebook that has touched hearts.

The care home where Bembow stays shared the video on their Facebook page, with the caption that reads, “We know our residents are missing their loved ones at this time but let’s not forget those who sadly aren’t here with us anymore.” The caption further detailed how Tobin presented him the pillow.

The video posted last week garnered over 4 lakh views on Facebook with more than 7,000 likes and was shared over 5,200 times. The users commenting on the video lauded the caregiver for giving Bembow a thoughtful gift.

A user said, “What a lovely thing to do, I’m sure lots of residents in isolation would appreciate one. What a wonderful reaction, bless him.” Another user said, “Such a beautiful moment. I can’t stop watching it.” One user said, “Absolutely beautiful!  So thoughtful and so special. What an angel Kia is, and wonderful to see the bond between  her and Ken.”  A user said, “ I cried watching this absolutely beautiful, amazing young lady, she should be so so proud of herself and to the boss, you have a diamond working for you, an absolute diamond.”

What do you think about the video?

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President Donald Trump has said he will place a pause on the issuance of new green cards for the next 60 days as part of his efforts to protect American workers. He also confirmed that he would sign on Wednesday an order partially blocking immigration to the US.

Trump, seeking re-election in November, said his executive order to ban immigration will last for 60 days and apply only to those seeking permanent residence in the country and exempt temporary workers.

"It will help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as US reopens. It would be wrong and unjust for Americans to be replaced with immigrants flown in from abroad," he said.

The US — with 45,000 deaths and over 8,25,000 infections -- is the world's hardest-hit country. About 22 million Americans have lost their jobs since the outbreak.
Meanwhile, a study funded by the National Institute of Health stated that the plan to use hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug, according to a report.

Missouri sues Chinese govt

The US state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government, the ruling Communist Party of China, and other Chinese officials and institutions, alleging that Chinese officials are "responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians." China dismissed as "nothing short of absurdity" and violation of sovereignty the lawsuit.

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Four tigers and three lions have tested COVID-19 positive at the Bronx Zoo in New York, authorities announced, weeks after a Malayan tiger at the facility was confirmed positive and six other big cats were said to be exhibiting similar symptoms. On April 5, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the New York zoo, reported that one tiger had tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first known COVID-19 infection found in a big cat, reports Efe news.

The first big cat, a four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, developed a dry cough and loss of appetite in late March, while Nadia's sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions also showed the same symptoms. "We can confirm that the three other tigers in Tiger Mountain and the three African lions that exhibited a cough have also tested positive for COVID-19," the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday.

The test was done by using a faecal sample so that the animals did not have to be placed under anesthesia, as with the Malayan tiger. "The faecal tests confirmed our suspicion that all seven cats had the infection, and also determined that one tiger at Tiger Mountain that never developed a cough was also positive for the disease," it added. The wildlife centre said that "all eight cats continue to do well. They are behaving normally, eating well, and their coughing is greatly reduced".

"We tested the tigers and lions out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus," said the zoo officials. "The testing of these cats was done in veterinary laboratories and resources used did not take from those being used for human testing," they added.

It is still believed that the animals were infected by an asymptomatic staff member who had contact with the animals before developing symptoms. As of Wednesday, two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first domestic animal cases detected in the US. Both animals live in different areas of New York state, the current epicentre of the pandemic not only in the US but worldwide.

They have mild respiratory problems and are expected to recover soon, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture.

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An innocent game of hide-and-seek ended in a teenager getting stuck inside the washing machine, only to be rescued by fire-fighters. 18-year-old Amari Dancy was playing the game with her cousins when she thought of the washing machine as a good place to hide.

Little did she know that she would end up getting stuck there. One of the cousins saw her stuck in the washing machine, alerted others and called the emergency services for help. The teenager was quoted by NBC News as saying, "We already had hid underneath the bed, in the closet, and we couldn't go down into the basement...So, I was like 'Oh, ok, let's just hide in the washer machine."

Dancy also said that she was relieved after being rescued, "I was really worried to see if they were going to get me out or not. Once they figured out what to do... I just felt relieved. I just wanted to be out of there."

The ordeal faced by Dancy was shared on Instagram by her aunt Naomi Elizabeth, with videos of firefighters wearing masks and rescuing the girl by removing the top of the washing machine to make enough space to pull her out.

 

 

 

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A post shared by É´á´Â€á´Âá´ÂÉªá´Â‡ÊŸɪᴢá´Â€Ê™á´Â‡á´Â›Êœ 👑 (@mikoa_samigeisha) onApr 19, 2020 at 9:10pm PDT

The post shared on Monday garnered 6,087 likes on Instagram with hilarious reactions pouring in the comments.

A user said, "I'm dying over here.. thanks for the laughs." Another user said, "I am glad her hair was did!!!" Third user asked, "Are you okay???? It’s funny and all but still want to make sure you are doing okay....." One user said, "Didnt ya mama teach you not to play with washing machines?"

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Sunlight kills COVID-19 while warmer temperatures and humid weather significantly damage the virus, measured in terms of the virus' half-life or the time it takes to cut its potency in half, according to the latest breakthrough research from the US Department of Homeland Security's most advanced biocontainment lab, released at the White House on Thursday.

The coronavirus outbreak in the US has killed nearly 50,000 Americans and infected more than 860,000 till date. Research around the effect of temperature and humidity has been gaining traction for weeks, these are the most downloaded papers on research websites but this is the first time the US government has put an official stamp on initial results of temperature tests on COVID-19.

"Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both on surfaces and in the air. We've seen a similar effect with both temperature and humidity as well. Increasing the temperature and humidity or both is generally less favourable to the virus," Bill Bryan, chief of the science and technology directorate at the US Department of Homeland Security, said.

In a room at 70-75F temperature with 20 per cent humidity, the half-life of the virus is about an hour, according to Bryan. "But you get outside and it cuts down to a minute and a half, very significant difference when it when it gets hit with UV rays," he said.

According to the same research, the virus' half-life on surfaces reduces dramatically with a combination increase of temperature and humidity. When the temperate is kept constant at 70-75F and only the humidity is cranked up from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, the virus' half-life is shown to crash from 18 hours to 6 hours. If the temperature is increased to 95F, the half-life sinks to barely 60 minutes.

Bryan said this testing was done at DHS' advanced biocontainment lab in Maryland, just outside the national capital. Pointing to charts with data from experiments on the COVID-19 virus, Bryan said the virus half-life plunges "drastically" with exposure to higher temperatures and even minimal exposure to humidity.

Bryan said the DHS biocontainment lab is the only one in America that has the capability to do the kind of testing that has led to the research on the virus' UV and temperature tolerance.

Bryan explained the mechanics of the COVID-19 temperature tolerance experiment in simple terms. He said the virus was first locked into a 5-gallon bucket and suspended in the air inside. "We're able to take a particle of a virus and suspend it in the air inside of this drum and hit it with various temperatures, various humidity levels, multiple different kinds of environmental conditions to include sunlight. And we're able to measure the decay of that virus while it's suspended in the air. This is how we do our aerosol testing."

"While there are many unknown links in the COVID-19 transmission chain, we believe these trends can support practical decision making to lower the risks associated with the virus," Bryan said. The DHS team has also tested the effect of bleach and isopropyl alcohol on the virus, "specifically in saliva and respiratory fluids".

"And I can tell you that bleach will kill the virus in five minutes, isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds, and that's with no manipulation. No rubbing."

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Cash-rich China on Thursday announced an additional USD 30 million grant to the World Health Organization to support its global fight against the deadly coronavirus, days after Beijing expressed "serious concern" over President Donald Trump's decision to freeze US' funding for the UN health agency over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang made the announcement at a media briefing here. The grant will be in addition to the USD 20 million provided by China, the world's second largest economy, earlier to the WHO.

"China has decided to donate another USD 30 million in cash to the WHO in addition to the USD 20 million cash donation to support the global fight against COVID-19 to help strengthen developing countries health systems," Geng said. He clarified that the additional USD 30 million funding was "aimed to COVID-19 response and supporting the health systems of developing countries".

"This is a different thing from the membership dues paid by China," he said. China hinted at stepping up its monetary contribution to the UN health agency on April 15. Beijing's response came a day after Trump announced to put a "very powerful" hold on US' funding to the WHO, accusing the UN agency of being "very China-centric" and criticising it for having "missed the call" in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The US is the largest donor to the Geneva-based WHO.

Trump also criticised the organisation's relationship with China. "American taxpayers provide between USD 400m and USD 500 million per year to the WHO; in contrast China contributes roughly USD 40 million a year, even less. As the organisation's leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability," he said. While announcing the new funding, Geng without referring to Trump's criticism, expressed China's full backing for the WHO and its Director General Dr General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whom Trump has termed as pro-China.

"Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the WHO and its Chief Dr Tedros have been actively fulfilling their duties in upholding scientific, objective and an impartial stance. It played an important role in helping the relevant countries strengthen their pandemic response and promote international cooperation," Geng said.
"As the global fight against COVID-19 is at a crucial stage supporting the WHO is defending the ideals and principles of multilateralism and upholding the status and authority of the UN," he said.

Terming the virus the "common enemy of all", Geng said solidarity was the only weapon to defeat it. "Our donation is made out of support and trust of Chinese government and people for the WHO," Geng said, adding that "this is also our way of contributing to global public health and global efforts against the pandemic" Earlier while responding to Trump's announcement to freeze US' funding for the WHO, another Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian had said: "China expresses serious concern over the US announcement to halt its funding to WHO".

He said China will always support the Geneva-based WHO in playing an important role in international public health and global anti-epidemic response. Asked if China will step-up funding to the WHO to replace the US contributions, Zhao had said, "China has provided USD 20 million to the WHO (to fight COVID-19) and we will study the relevant matter", indicating that Beijing was considering to increase its contribution to the global health body.

Both China and the WHO faced serious criticism over lack of transparency especially about the discovery of the coronavirus in December last year and its silent spread in Wuhan until Beijing imposed a lockdown in the city on January 23. By that time, over five million people from Wuhan were reported to have left for holiday destinations at home and abroad to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which many allege resulted in the spreading of the deadly virus worldwide.

China has denied the allegations of any cover-up, saying it was the first country to report the COVID-19 to the WHO.

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Washington: Girls her age play Candy Crush or like watching cartoons, but 15-year-old Hita Gupta peps up hundreds of lonely Americans, including the elderly and children, marooned in nursing homes due to the COVID-19 lockdown by sending them gift packs and spirit-lifting notes.

The 10th-grade Indian-American student from Pennsylvania's Conestoga High School has an NGO 'Brightening A Day' and is using it to spread love, hope and joy among America's nursing homes' residents, especially senior citizens, to help them keep at bay their boredom arising from the COVID-19 restrictions.

Gupta brightens up their lives by sending them handwritten notes and gift packs containing puzzle and colouring books and a packet colour pencils.

"It saddens me to think of how lonely or depressed many nursing home residents feel because they cannot see their loved ones. Our seniors are already one of the most isolated groups. A research has shown that more than 40 per cent of seniors regularly feel lonely," Gupta told PTI in an email interaction.

"During this uncertain time, which is causing panic among many seniors, it's our responsibility to let them know that they are not alone. I initially started sending gift packs to nursing homes using self-funding. Now, I have sent them to residents of 16 local nursing homes," she said.

Each gift pack contains one puzzle book, one colouring book, and a pack of colour pencils/crayons, Gupta said. "It also contains an uplifting note written by my 9-year-old brother Divit Gupta," she said.

Her NGO has reached more than 2,700 kids and seniors in 50 hospitals and nursing homes in seven different States in the US with hand-made cards on holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day. "We have also sent school supplies and cards to orphanages in India," Gupta said.

Gupta's initiative has won her praise from one and all.

"Need some inspiration? 15-year-old Hita Gupta, from Pennsylvania, USA, is brightening the lives of nursing home residents with gift packs through her NGO, Brighten A Day," the US Embassy in New Delhi wrote on its Facebook page.

"She aims to lift the spirits of those who are in need of some cheer by sending them love, hope, and joy through cards and gifts. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, she is sending handwritten notes and gift packs to cheer the residents and help them overcome loneliness and isolation. More power to you Hita!" the embassy said.

Nursing homes throughout the US are limiting the interaction of senior citizens who remain mostly confined to their rooms. Outsiders are also prohibited form visiting them, resulting in feelings of loneliness and isolation in many of them.

The US is the worst affected country from the coronavirus, with 842,000 infections and over 46,000 deaths reported so far. According to Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, eight in every 10 deaths due to the coronavirus reported in the US are adults, and people who are 65 years old or above.

Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 185,000 lives and infected more than 2.6 million people, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.

China has approved its third coronavirus vaccine for the second phase of clinical trials as it reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 82,816. China has approved three coronavirus vaccines, including the one developed by Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for clinical trials. An "inactivated" vaccine developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) started its clinical trials, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

An "inactivated" vaccine consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity. In contrast, live vaccines use pathogens that are still alive. WIV has been in the eye of the storm in recent weeks as US President Donald Trump and top American officials alleged that the coronavirus may have escaped from there and demanded a probe into it. An official of the WIV denied it, terming the allegation "entirely based on speculation".

A total of 96 persons in three age groups have received the vaccine in the first phase of clinical trial as of April 23. The vaccine has shown good safety results so far and vaccine receivers are still under observation, said the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. The randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine are conducted in Jiaozuo, central China's Henan Province, and the second phase of clinical trial will focus on the vaccination procedure, it said.

The vaccine will also go through the third phase of the clinical trial, and it may take about one year to complete the clinical trial before finally reaching the conclusion on the vaccine's safety and efficacy, it said. China has approved three COVID-19 vaccine candidates for clinical trials. An adenovirus vector vaccine, developed by Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences, was the first to be approved to enter a clinical trial. The first phase of the clinical trial was completed at the end of March, and the second phase started on April 12.

Meanwhile China's National Health Commission, (NHC) said on Saturday that 12 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Friday, of which 11 were imported. The other one was domestically transmitted in Heilongjiang Province bordering Russia. The death toll in the country remained at 4,632 people as no fatalities were reported due to coronavirus on Friday, it said.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 82,816 by Friday, including 838 patients who were still being treated and 77,346 people discharged after treatment. The total number of imported cases of the coronavirus in China increased to 1,629 on Friday, of this 909 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 720 were being treated with 25 in severe conditions, it said. Also on Friday, 29 asymptomatic cases were reported. So far, 983 suspected asymptomatic cases, including 150 from abroad, were still under medical observation, it said.

Coronavirus' first epicentres Hubei and its capital Wuhan had 553 asymptomatic cases under medical observation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The asymptomatic cases were a cause of concern as the government has lifted over two-month lockdown in Hubei and Wuhan after cases abated.

Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested positive for the coronavirus but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. They are infectious and pose a risk of spreading to others.

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Keeping calm and focused towards the task in hand is a recommended recipe for success. A journalist from US is being lauded for doing the same. News reporter Kirsten Welker was reporting a live event and remained unfazed even after dodging two light stands that fell near her becuase of strong windy conditions.

Welker wearing a mask was reporting live from Washington DC on a windy day when two tall lighting fixtures fell near her. However, she calmly dodged the falling stands and continued with her reporting, which has impressed netizens across the globe. Ever since the clip went viral, Welker is being hailed as a legend and received several appreciating comments for her commitment.

With many people sharing the clip, even Welker responded to comments she received in a witty manner. When a sports news website shared the clip saying, “First-round pocket presence”, here’s how she responded:

Put me in, coach!

cc: @Eagles https://t.co/OF3IaULCv2

— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) April 22, 2020

The clip that has received more than 1.4 million views and over 23,600 likes on Twitter was retweeted more than 3,600 times. Users commenting on the video posted about how Welker handle the situation with presence of mind.

“If you can dodge a light stand you can dodge a ball”

— Robert Kurhajetz (@rkurhajetz) April 22, 2020

Legend!

— Jesse Jones (@JesseKIRO7) April 23, 2020

That looks like a scene from a supernatural thriller! Bravo Kristen!

— Roger Clark (@RogerClark41) April 22, 2020

Handled like a BOSS! Booyah!

— SRH (@Bijouxforu) April 23, 2020

She didn’t miss a beat. 👍🌟

— C Colcombe (@ColcombeL) April 22, 2020

pic.twitter.com/FYs4vXJVqV

— Watch Dog (@Usefulnotes_) April 22, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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If you love to cook or bake, you put your heart and soul into the dish, with a hope that it will turn out to be delicious. But if it does not turn out as expected you would feel disheartened. The young girl went through the same, who tried a hand at baking and messed up the dish. Her mother turned to Twitter and asked users to share their cooking fails that helped her to cheer up.

When author and mother of four Shannon Hale tweeted, “My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now”, and asked people to share their cooking experiences that flopped, the twitterati was quick to respond and make the girl feel better.

My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now. Would any bakers out there care to share times you messed up?

— Shannon Hale (@haleshannon) April 19, 2020

Hale’s tweet has garnered more than 11,000 likes and was retweeted 667 times. Many users commenting on the posts shared their epic cooking fails alongwith the pictures of their messed-up dishes to cheer the girl up.

My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now. Would any bakers out there care to share times you messed up?

— Shannon Hale (@haleshannon) April 19, 2020

I write cookbooks and yesterday I forgot the baking powder and soda in my cake pic.twitter.com/imQ9C78mdD

— Julie Van Rosendaal (@dinnerwithjulie) April 20, 2020

I’ve been baking for years (about 50) and I had to cut the sides off my bread today because it was burnt. pic.twitter.com/lbq5RXKEKV

— Gallery Chapel (@gallerychapel) April 20, 2020

Look at this beautiful birthday cake my son made my wife today. Things can be delicious even if messy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Xs2JIzoAmN

— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) April 19, 2020

Look at this beautiful birthday cake my son made my wife today. Things can be delicious even if messy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Xs2JIzoAmN

— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) April 19, 2020

I’ve been baking for years (about 50) and I had to cut the sides off my bread today because it was burnt. pic.twitter.com/lbq5RXKEKV

— Gallery Chapel (@gallerychapel) April 20, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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China has approved its third Coronavirus vaccine for the second phase of clinical trials as it reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 82,816. The approved vaccine also includes one developed by Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for clinical trials. An "inactivated" vaccine developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) started its clinical trials, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The inactivated vaccine consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity. In contrast, live vaccines use pathogens that are still alive. WIV has been in the eye of the storm in recent weeks as US President Donald Trump and top American officials alleged that the Coronavirus may have escaped from there and demanded a probe into it. An official of the WIV denied it, terming the allegation "entirely based on speculation".

A total of 96 persons in three age groups have received the vaccine in the first phase of clinical trial as of April 23. The vaccine has shown good safety results so far and vaccine receivers are still under observation, said the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

72 therapeutics trial underway, 211 in planning stages in the US

A top Trump administration health official has said that as many as 19 therapeutics trial are underway and 211 in planning stages in a bid to find the cure for Coronavirus. "We are leaving no stone unturned to find the antidote for Coronavirus... We don't have any approved therapeutics for the virus but we are actively involved with the academic, commercial and private sector to find it," FDA commissioner Stephen M Hahn told reporters at a White House news conference.

"Seventy-two trials of therapeutics are underway in the United States under FDA oversight and 211 are in the planning stages, so we expect to see more. This includes convalescent plasma as well as antiviral therapies," Hahn added. According to Hahn, work is continuing on finding a vaccine. FDA has authorised two firms on vaccine trials. Hahn said that the FDA has told manufacturers that in order to market anti-body tests in the US, they have to validate their tests.

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More than 900,000 people were infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as of Saturday in the United States, with the death toll exceeding 52,000, while a new study indicated that the virus was likely to be spreading in multiple US cities "far earlier" than Americans knew.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached 905,364 as of 10.30 a.m. (1430 GMT), and a total of 52,042 deaths related to the disease were recorded, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, Xinhua news agency reported.

New York remains the hardest-hit state, with 271,590 cases and 21,411 deaths. New Jersey follows, with 102,196 cases and 5,683 deaths. Other states with over 40,000 cases include Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.

Worldwide, more than 200,000 people died of the disease as of Saturday, among over 2.8 million cases, showed the CSSE data.

The United States suffered the most fatalities. Italy followed with 26,384 deaths. Spain reported 22,902 deaths, France and Britain also reported over 20,000 deaths.

The US states and federal government are trying very hard to balance the public health risk posed by the virus with the severe cost of month-odd shutting down of the country's economy.

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that the unemployment rate around the country, which was near a 50-year low before the coronavirus struck, will surge to 16 per cent by September as the economy withers under the impact of the outbreak.

More than 26 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits since March. White House unveiled on April 16 three-phase guidelines for reopening the US economy, putting the onus on governors of making decisions about their states' economies.

Over a dozen states, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Colorado and Iowa, are moving toward restarting their economies this weekend with some restrictions.

Many other states remain hesitant to take such steps without more robust testing capacity. New York, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan have already extended their stay-at-home orders.

Several states have announced plans to coordinate their response with neighbours. California is moving forward in coordination with Washington and Oregon while governors from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island announced plans to form a joint task force.

A CBS News poll published Thursday said that 70 per cent of respondents believed the country's top priority should be trying to "slow the spread of coronavirus by keeping people home and social distancing, even if the economy is hurt in the short term."

The virus was likely to be spreading in multiple US cities "far earlier" than Americans knew, according to a new research.

"Even in early February -- while the world focused on China -- the virus was not only likely to be spreading in multiple American cities, but also seeding blooms of infection elsewhere in the United States, the researchers found," said a report by The New York Times on Thursday.

In the five major US cities -- New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, as of March 1, there were only 23 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

However, according to a model of the spread of the disease by researchers at Northeastern University, "there could have actually been about 28,000 infections in those cities by then," the report said.

The virus spread on the West Coast of the United States weeks earlier than initially believed, according to new information released by Santa Clara county, California on Tuesday.

Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old San Jose woman, died at home on February 6. Jeffrey V. Smith, Santa Clara county executive, told Xinhua in an email interview that "so far, this is the earliest death in the United States."

Dowd and another 69-year-old man who died at home on Feb. 17 had no "significant travel history," and they presumably caught the virus through community spread, said the county's public health officer Dr. Sara Cody.

"These patients apparently contracted the illness from community spread. This suggests that the virus was circulating in the Bay Area in January at least, probably earlier," Smith told Xinhua. Previously, the first known US death from the virus was on February 29 in Kirkland in Washington state.

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The Hong Kong airport is using several latest disinfection technologies including a full-body disinfection channel and cleaning robots to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 spread.

The disinfection channel is an enclosed facility similar to a telephone booth in size where users can complete disinfection and sanitizing procedures in 40 seconds, the city's Airport Authority (AA) said in a statement on Sunday.

The interior surface of the facility is equipped with antimicrobial coating which can remotely kill virus and bacteria on human bodies and clothing by using the technologies of photocatalyst and "nano needles" Xinhua news agency quoted the AA as saying, noting that the Hong Kong International Airport is the world's first to use the facility.

Currently, the disinfection channel is used by public health staff who bear quarantine duties at the airport.

Autonomous cleaning robots have also been used to ensure thorough disinfection of public areas and passenger facilities at the airport.

The cylindrical robots, equipped with ultra violet light sterilizer and air sterilizer, operate round-the-clock in public toilets and key operating areas in the terminal building, the AA said.

The robots can move around autonomously and sterilize up to 99.99 per cent of bacteria in its vicinity, including both the air and object surfaces, in just 10 minutes.

Besides, the AA is also conducting a pilot test of applying antimicrobial coating at all passenger facilities, including check-in counters, baggage trolleys and elevator buttons, among others.

After completion of the trial in May, the AA will consider implementing it as a long term disinfection measure. Hong Kong has reported 1,037 coronavirus cases with four deaths.

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US President Donald Trump tweeted that his daily Coronavirus briefings were not worth his time, two days after sparking a furore by suggesting patients might be injected with disinfectant to kill an infection.

He appeared to confirm media reports that he was considering halting the briefings, which dominate early-evening cable television news for sometimes more than two hours, out of frustration with questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the US leader stunned viewers by saying doctors might treat people infected with the coronavirus by shining ultraviolet light inside their bodies, or with injections of household disinfectant.

After a strong rebuff of his suggestion by top medical experts and disinfectant manufacturers, Trump on Friday claimed he had been speaking "sarcastically." But he limited that day's briefing, which usually includes himself, Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to just 19 minutes, and did not take any questions from reporters.

And on Saturday, after 50 briefings over two months, the White House did not hold one at all. Trump has used the briefings to occupy television screens and promote his administration's policies, fend off critics and attack political rivals — from opposition Democrats to China to the US media.

Nearly 2,500 dead in 24 hrs
The US recorded 2,494 more coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported Saturday night by Johns Hopkins University. The country now has an overall death toll of 53,511, with 9,36,293 confirmed infections, according to a tally at 8.30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday). The US is by far the hardest-hit country in the global pandemic.

No cases in Wuhan hospitals for 1st time

The number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in China's Wuhan, where the virus first emerged before turning out to be a pandemic, on Sunday dropped to zero for the first time. The last patient in Wuhan was cured on Friday, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China's National Health Commission. Hubei has so far reported 68,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 50,333 in Wuhan. The revised figure raised China's overall COVID-19 death toll to 4,632. The total number of cases as of Thursday stood at 82,692.

Italy ponders what went wrong

As Italy prepares to emerge from the West's first and most extensive lockdown, it is increasingly clear that something went terribly wrong in Lombardy, the hardest-hit region. Italy's total of 26,000 fatalities lags behind only the United States in the global toll. Prosecutors are deciding whether to lay any criminal blame for the hundreds of dead in nursing homes, many of whom aren't even counted in Lombardy's official death toll of 13,269.

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Joining more than 1,000 others, Djemba Diatite stood for hours in line to feed her growing family, grateful for handouts of fruits, vegetables and soap. It was her first time accepting charity, but she had no choice. The pandemic has turned her small world upside down.

With open air markets closed, supermarket prices skyrocketing, an out-of-work husband, two children to feed and another on the way, Diatite said even tomatoes are now too expensive. "This is my only solution," she said.

Clichy-sous-Bois — where fiery nationwide riots started in 2005 — is just 23 km northeast of the French capital, but with its rows of housing projects, restless youth and residents teetering on the poverty line, it feels light years away.

The town mayor, seeing a looming crisis triggered by food shortages, sounded the alarm, and with scattered unrest simmering in impoverished suburbs, the French government announced a plan for urgent food assistance of 39 million euros for communities in need. "I feel the social crisis is growing with confinement," said Clichy-Sous-Bois Mayor Olivier Klein. The government will detail to parliament on Tuesday how it plans to pull the country out of the lockdown.

Boris to be back to work from Monday

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday. The 55-year-old has been recuperating at his prime ministerial countryside retreat at Chequers since he was discharged on April 12 and had put UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in charge as his deputy. Johnson is reportedly "raring to go" and will be back to an initially light work schedule from next week, starting with a meeting with UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

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Pakistan's Coronavirus cases jumped to 12,579 on Sunday after 783 new infections were reported in one day, prompting the government officials and medical experts to appeal to the people to avoid visiting mosques and participating in congregational prayers during Ramzan to contain the spread.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, at least 15 people have died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 269. The number of those recovered also increased to 2,866, it said. So far, 144,365 tests have been done in the country, including 6,218 in the last 24 hours.

As the infections keep growing, Pakistan Medical Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) have urged people to offer prayers at homes and not in mosques. PIMA President Dr Iftikhar Burney warned on Saturday that mosques were becoming a major source of virus transmission.

"Around 6,000 cases for coronavirus surfaced in a month, but the same has doubled in the last six days," he said, warning that the infection would further go up in the coming months of May and June.

The are reports that a 20-point agreement signed by the leading clerics with President Arif Alvi on restricting access to mosques during Ramzan was not being followed completely. Alvi has written a letter to the Imams of mosques urging them to ask worshippers above the age of 50 to pray at home.

783
No. of new infections reported on Sunday

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In the six weeks up to April 19, at least 4,093 people were arrested from across London for domestic abuse offences -- nearly 100 a day on an average -- during the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, the Metropolitan Police has revealed.

Charges and cautions have increased by 24 per cent since March 9, when people with COVID-19 symptoms were asked to self-isolate, compared to last year, Xinhua news agency quoted Commander Sue Williams, the Met's lead for safeguarding, as saying on Sunday.

Domestic incidents, which can include family rows not recorded as crimes, have seen a 3 per cent increase since last year, and jumped by 9 per cent between March 9 and April 19, said the Met Police.

There have been two domestic-related murders recorded in London as police continue to warn of an increased risk of abuse during the strict measures in place, said the Scotland Yard, metonym for the headquarters of the Met Police.

"The COVID-19 restrictions and 'stay at home' instruction is vital to managing this public health crisis, but unfortunately it has also left current and potential victims of domestic abuse even more vulnerable and isolated," said Williams.

The Met Police gave examples of some of the cases it has dealt with in recent weeks, including one in which police discovered that a man reported by a victim was linked to firearms.

"Officers located him within three hours of receiving the report and searched his vehicle, finding two sawn-off shotguns. A cannabis factory was also discovered. The man was subsequently charged and is awaiting trial," said the Scotland Yard in a statement.

Officers were also called to help a pregnant victim in east London, who had gone to a hospital to seek refuge after her partner assaulted and tormented her. Police said he was quickly arrested, but she was unwilling to support criminal action.

However, due to the evidence captured on body worn video, and witness accounts from staff at the hospital, the Crown Prosecution Service supported a victimless prosecution, and the suspect is awaiting trial, said the Met Police.

"Victims should be assured that they can leave their homes to escape harm or seek help, and they will not be penalized in any way for not maintaining social distancing, or otherwise breaching COVID-19 restrictions," said Williams. The UK has reported 154,037 coronavirus cases, with 20,794 deaths.

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The number of the novel Coronavirus cases in Russia has surpassed that of China, where the disease originated. The country on Monday reported 6,198 new confirmed infections, taking the tally to 87,147, reported the Moscow Times.

China has recorded 84,500 confirmed cases since the outbreak last year. The Russian authorities on Monday confirmed 50 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total toll to 794.

Russia is now the ninth country to be worst hit by the pandemic. The virus has spread to all of Russia's 85 regions, but has affected the capital, Moscow, the most. Of all the 6,198 new cases, 2,971 have been registered in Moscow, 576 in the Moscow region and 153 in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

The virus has affected the country's military as well. A total of 874 servicemen in the military have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, Russia's Defence Ministry has said. Four people are in grave condition, including one on a ventilator.

The vast majority of the country has been on lockdown since late March, with only essential businesses — grocery shops, pharmacies, banks — operating and people ordered to stay at home. Military units have already rehearsed the parade -- footage of these rehearsals showed hundreds of servicemen drilling outside Moscow without observing social distancing. A Kremlin spokesman said that the military had their own isolation and distancing protocols which allowed them more freedom.

Spain sees slight spike in daily cases

Spain recorded 331 new deaths in the past 24 hours, up from Sunday's 288, while the political and social debate focuses on the way out of the seven-week lockdown. The total death toll stands on Monday over 23,500, while the number of infections is over 2,00,000.From Friday, people of all ages will be allowed to go on walks or practice sports outdoors, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced.

Singapore records drop in new infections

The tally in Singapore, which for long recorded over 1,000 cases daily, reached 14,423 on Monday after 799 new infections were reported with majority of them being foreign workers residing in dormitories. Around 3,00,000 low-wage workers, mostly from South Asia, work in Singapore in construction and maintenance. Most of them live together in huge dormitory complexes.

New Zealand reported five new Coronavirus cases Monday as the nation got ready to ease the rules on a strict lockdown from midnight. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there hasn't been widespread community transmission of the virus and the country has so far managed to avoid the worst scenarios for an outbreak.

She said it would continue to hunt down the last few cases. From midnight, certain businesses such as construction will be allowed to reopen, but social distancing rules will still apply. Ardern said the nation was opening up the economy, but not people's social lives.

S Korea to reopen schools
South Korea reported only 10 new cases, its 26th straight day below 100 as officials mulled reopening schools amid the slowing caseload. The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday brought the national totals to 10,738 cases and 243 deaths.

At least 1,044 infections have been linked to international arrivals, but such cases have also declined in recent weeks amid tightened border controls.

Prime Minster Chung Sye-kyun during a virus meeting Monday instructed education officials to prepare measures to ensure hygiene and enforce distance between students at schools so the government could announce a timeline for reopening schools no later than early May.

More US states to reopen
In the US, Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana and Tennessee are also preparing to reopen economy, Reuters reported. Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina had already started easing restrictions. "I would stay home if the government encouraged that, but they're not. They're saying, 'Hey, the best thing to do is go back to work, even though it might be risky,'" Royal Rose, 39, owner of a tattoo studio in Greeley, Colorado, told Reuters.

According to reports, the states have started easing lockdown without ensuring measures to trace the asymptomatic cases. Several health experts have warned that a hurry in easing lockdown may lead to a fresh wave of infections. Meanwhile, the White House said the jobless rate would be 16 per cent or higher this month. A record 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment since mid-March.

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The White House released new guidelines Monday aimed at answering criticism that America's coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on 'reopening' the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House's new testing targets were sufficient. Monday's developments were meant to fill critical gaps in White House plans to begin easing restrictions, ramping up testing for the virus while shifting the president's focus toward recovery from the economic collapse caused by the outbreak. The administration unveiled a 'blueprint' for states to scale up their testing in the coming week, a tacit admission, despite public statements to the contrary, that testing capacity and availability over the past two months have been lacking.

The new testing targets would ensure states had enough COVID-19 tests available to sample at least 2.6 per cent of their populations each month, a figure already met by a majority of states. Areas that have been harder hit by the virus would be able to test at double that rate, or higher, the White House said. The testing issue has bedeviled the administration for months. Trump told reporters on March 6 during a visit to the CDC in Atlanta that 'anybody that wants a test can get a test,' but the reality has proved to be vastly different. The initial COVID-19 test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was contaminated, and early kits operated only on platforms able to perform a small number of test per day. While the rate of testing increased as tests developed for higher-capacity platforms, they were still limited by shortages of supplies, from nasal swabs to the reagents used to process the samples.

Administration officials maintained Monday that the limiting factor now is actually the availability of samples from people who have been tested ' either because guidelines on who could be tested are too stringent or because there are not enough health workers able to take nasal swab samples from them. The CDC moved to address one of those concerns Monday, expanding the list of people to be prioritized for virus testing to include those who show no symptoms but are in high-risk settings like nursing homes. And Trump met with leaders of businesses including CVS, Walmart and Kroger, who said they were working to expand access to tests across the country. 'Testing is not going to be a problem at all,' Trump said later in the Rose Garden.

However, many of the administration's past pledges and goals on testing have not been met. Jeremy Konyndyk, a disaster preparedness expert who helped lead the Obama administration response to Ebola, said the administration's testing plans are well short of what is needed. Researchers at Harvard have estimated the country needs to be testing a minimum of 500,000 people per day, and possibly many more. Konyndyk said the aim should be 2 million to 3 million per day. Trump said the current total, up sharply in recent days, is over 200,000 per day. Konyndyk said, 'Over the past month, we've doubled or if you want to be really generous tripled the testing capacity in this country. We need to take where we are now and expand it 10-fold."

The testing blueprint for states provides details missing from the administration's guidelines for them to return to normal operations that were released more than a week ago. It includes a focus on surveillance testing as well as 'rapid response' programs to isolate those who test positive and identify those with whom they had come in contact. The administration aims to have the market 'flooded' with tests for the fall, when COVID-19 is expected to recur alongside the seasonal flu. Trump and administration medical experts outlined the plan on a call with governors Monday afternoon, before unveiling them publicly in a Rose Garden press conference. The White House announcements came as Trump sought to regain his footing after weeks of criticism and detours created in part by his press briefings.

Days after he set off a firestorm by publicly musing that scientists should explore the injection of toxic disinfectants as a potential virus cure, Trump said he found little use for his daily task force briefings, where he has time and again clashed with medical experts and reporters. Trump's aides had been trying to move the president onto more familiar and, they hope, safer, ground: talking up the economy in more tightly controlled settings. Republican Party polling shows Trump's path to a second term depends on the public's perception of how quickly the economy rebounds from the state-by-state shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus.

On Monday, the White House initially announced there would be a Trump briefing, but canceled it as Trump's greatest asset in the reelection campaign ' his ability to dominate headlines with freewheeling performances ' was increasingly seen as a liability. But hours later, Trump it became clear Trump had other ideas. He held court in the Rose Garden for a bit less than an hour. Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said that briefings would be held later in the week but 'they might have a new look to them, a new focus to them.' Trump said he hoped that virus deaths would end up no more than 60,000 to 70,000, slightly revising upward his public estimate of recent days as the U.S. toll neared 56,000 on nearly 1 million cases.

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The UK came together on Tuesday for a minute's silence in the honour of hundreds of healthcare and other workers who have lost their lives on the frontline of the Coronavirus fight across the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who just recovered from a severe coronavirus attack, led the tributes with UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street for the National Health Service (NHS) and other key workers across care homes and public transport.

The tribute comes as the government announced a new time-bound insurance scheme for the families of such public sector healthcare workers who lost their lives while on duty during the pandemic, with a £60,000 Life Assurance Scheme.

"Financial worries should be the last thing on the minds of their families so in recognition of these unprecedented circumstances we are expanding financial protection to the NHS and social workers delivering publicly funded care on the frontline," said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

"Nothing can make up for the tragic loss of a loved one during this pandemic. We owe a huge debt to those who die in service to our nation and are doing everything we can to protect them.

"We will continue to strive night and day to provide them with the support and protection they need and deserve to keep them safe as they work tirelessly to save lives," he said.

He said that bereaved family members will receive a £60,000 lump sum, worth roughly twice the average pensionable pay for the NHS staff, with the cost met by the government. The cases in the UK has reached 1,58,348 while 21,092 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University tracker.

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Many Americans in India who had signed up for airlifts back to the US are now deciding to stay back and "ride it out" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the State Department's top consular official. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee said on Tuesday that many who had enlisted for repatriation from India were not responding to offers of seats on the planes arranged by the department to take them home.

The number of recorded COVID-19 cases in the US reached 1 million on Tuesday, with 58,348 deaths, while India had only 31,368 officially recorded cases with 1,008 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Brownlee said: "Two weeks ago, we had a list of folks and we were pretty sure if we called (the) folks they'd show up at the airport and say, 'Yes, please.' We're now getting to the point on that list, we're having to make multiple calls for individual seats because people are deciding 'No,' they'd just as soon ride it out where they are."

Last week he said that 4,000 Americans had been brought back to the US and 6,000 were waiting for airlifts. India has cancelled passenger flights and rail transportation during the strict lockdown imposed on March 25.

Brownlee had spoken earlier of the massive logistics effort required to bring Americans from around the vast country to Mumbai and New Delhi, the departure points for the chartered flights.

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As 690 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday, Singapore warned against spreading fake news and videos about migrant workers, saying this could disturb the law and order situation in dormitories where a large number of foreign workers have tested positive. A total of 15,641 people, including 12,183 migrant workers, have contracted the virus in the city-state so far.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam warned that such videos can lead to serious law and order incidents. He said the authorities are watching individuals who spread the videos "very carefully". Warning those spreading fake news maliciously, he said, they will be charged if a crime was committed. Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers have been barred from leaving their cramped dormitories to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to a Channel News Asia report on Wednesday.

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The US became the first country in the world to have more than one million cases of the novel Coronavirus. It accounts for nearly one-third of the 3.1 million cases globally on Tuesday, while the fatalities spiked to over 58,300, exceeding the number of American soldiers who lost their lives in the two-decade-long Vietnam War.

'We're coming back strong'
According to the US National Archives, 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975. With 58,355 deaths so far, the US also accounts for one-fourth of the over 2,13,000 global fatalities.

"We continue to pray for the victims as well as for those Americans who are grieving their lost ones and their loved ones. There's never been anything like this. We suffer with one heart but we will prevail. We are coming back, and we're coming back strong," US President Donald Trump said at the White House during his remarks on the Paycheck Protection Programme.

"Now that our experts believe the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, Americans are looking forward to the safe and rapid reopening of our country," he said. "Throughout this ordeal, millions of hard-working Americans have been asked to really make tremendous, tremendous sacrifices. It is sacrifices like nobody thought would even be possible; nobody thought we would ever be talking about something like this," Trump said. Meanwhile, several states have initiated the process to reopen their economies.

Some states reopen
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the phased reopening of his state.
"We are not going back to the way things were until we get to immunity or a vaccine. We will base reopening plans on facts and data, not on ideology. Not what we want. Not what we hope," he told reporters. More than 1,800 people have died due to the coronavirus in California so far. Schools and colleges, he said, could start in July-August.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also announced first phase reopening of the state. Tennessee on Monday allowed reopening of restaurants and later this week retail outlets could resume their businesses. Pennsylvania has announced three-phase reopening of the state beginning May 3. The US, Trump said, is opening up again.

58,355
No. of deaths due to COVID-19 in America

58,220
No. of US soldiers killed in two-decade-long war

People visit Yellow Crane Tower after it reopened to the public in China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

China's parliament to meet on May 22

China on Wednesday said it will hold from May 22 its annual parliament session, signalling that the pandemic that paralysed the country for over three months is finally under control. The third session of the 13th National People's Congress, which was to be held from March 5, was postponed for the first time ever due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

After rolling out exit plan, Spain sees spike

With 325 new deaths, Spain on Wednesday witnessed a slight rebound in fatalities, a day after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his plan to ease the COVID-19 lockdown. Individual exercise, haircuts and other personalised services with an appointment will be allowed from Saturday. COVID-19 has killed 24,275 Spaniards and infected over 2,12,000.

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The US Government, through its aid agency USAID, has announced a grant of an additional USD 3 million to India to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In coordination with the Indian government, the USAID is providing these funds to the Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity (PAHAL) project, an innovative financing platform of IPE Global, USAID said in a statement on Wednesday. US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, stated: "This additional funding to support India in its continuing efforts to combat COVID-19 is yet another example of the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and India."

To date, the USAID has provided USD 5.9 million to assist India in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. This assistance will help India slow the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, disseminate essential public health messages to communities, and strengthen case finding and surveillance. Through the PAHAL project, the USAID will support the National Health Authority to establish a financing facility that can mobilize resources from the private sector to assist over 20,000 health facilities enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), India's health insurance scheme for 500 million poor and vulnerable people.

During the talks on April 04, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Early this month, India, at the request of President Donald Trump, had exported 35.82 lakh tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the US along with active pharmaceutical ingredient or API required in the manufacturing of the drug.

Trump had thanked India for its decision to export hydroxychloroquine to fight coronavirus and lauded Prime Minister Modi for his "strong leadership" in helping "not just India, but humanity" in this fight.

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Almost 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, nearly half of the global workforce, face an immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the continued sharp decline in working hours because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said. Over 430 million enterprises in hard-hit sectors such as retail and manufacturing risk "serious disruption", the UN agency added. The findings appear in the ILO Monitor third edition released on Wednesday.

Globally, there are some 3.3 billion workers. Two billion have jobs in the informal economy, the most vulnerable workers in the labour market. ILO said 1.6 billion in the informal economy "have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living" as a result of the economic meltdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to lockdowns or because they work in hard-hit sectors, these workers globally have seen a 60 per cent drop in income during the first month of the crisis. This translates into a over 80 per cent decline in Africa and the Americas, 70 per cent in Europe and Central Asia, and 21.6 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, the ILO said.

The ILO called for "urgent, targeted and flexible measures" to support both workers and business, particularly smaller enterprises and those in the informal economy.

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In what appears to be an adorable working from home blunder, a video of a weatherman’s pet dog adorably interrupting his weather report has been making rounds of social media.

Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto was presenting the weather report from his home in Florida when his dog Brody entered the room, knocking into his computer and sat on his lap for a brief moment after which he went to find the cameraman, the New York Post reported.

Dellegatto can be heard playfully scolding Brody in the video saying, "This is not very smart," while the pooch begs him for some snacks and pets. Then after letting out a yawn, Brody runs off to look for the cameraman, who was filming the section from Dellegatto’s porch while maintaining social distance. He is heard saying, "Now he can't see Craig, so he's gone crazy trying to find Craig..."

The viral video posted by Andrew Fienberg on Twitter on Thursday managed to garner more than 3.4 million views with over 162,200 likes and was retweeted more than 35,700 times. The caption reads, "This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news."

This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020

Users commenting on the video resonated that this is the best content on Twitter right now, with some pointing out a cute-little detail in the video –a framed picture of Brody on Dellegatto’s desk.

This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020

"Sorry to keep you up" lmao 🤣

— jenjavitis (@jenjavitis) May 1, 2020

Things that are awesome about this: 1. He clearly loves Brody even when the dog is disruptive. 2. Physical distancing with Craig via the window. 3. Craig knows what content we want and focuses on the dog.

— Sara Leiste (@SaraFeistiness) April 30, 2020

So many reasons to love this including the framed photo of the pup placed prominently on his desk.

— Jasmin Ramsey (@JasminRamsey) April 30, 2020

This is weirdly my favorite part of the video.

You don't truly love your pets if you don't have prominently displayed, framed pictures of them in your house pic.twitter.com/WptDYfPRIQ

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) April 30, 2020

What do you think about this video?

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China's warning of trade repercussions from Australia's campaign for an independent inquiry into COVID-19 has rattled Australian business leaders as President Donald Trump's administration urges other governments to back such a probe. China has accused Australia of parroting the US in its call for an inquiry independent of the World Health Organisation to determine the origins of COVID-19 and how the world responded to the emerging pandemic.

Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye used an Australian newspaper interview this week to warn that pursuing an inquiry could spark a Chinese consumer boycott of students and tourists visiting Australia as well as of sales of major exports including beef and wine. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday stood firm on his call for an inquiry and denied any motivation other than to prevent such a pandemic from happening again.

"I don't think anybody's in any fantasy land about where it started. It started in China. What the world over needs to know is how did it start and what are the lessons that can be learnt," Morrison said. "That needs to be done independently and why do we want to know that? Because it could happen again."

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a fertiliser factory completion ceremony, state media reported on Saturday, his first public appearance after 20 days of absence that sparked rumours about his health.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim cut the tape at the ceremony marking the completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, on Friday. Photos released by KCNA showed Kim, dressed in a dark Mao suit, cutting the red ribbon during the ceremony and talking to accompanying officials with a smile on his face.

"All the participants broke into thunderous cheers of 'hurrah!' extending the greatest glory to the Supreme Leader who has brought about a new change in the development of Juche-based fertilizer industry and has led the grand revolutionary advance for strengthening self-supporting economy to a victory with his outstanding leadership," KCNA said. Juche is the concept of self-reliance.

Kim was also quoted as expressing "satisfaction about the wonderful creation". In a report last week, CNN had said that the US was looking into intelligence that Kim Jong-un was in "grave danger" after surgery.

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The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed the emergency use of an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, including one led by an Indian-American physician, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. "I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has an EUA from the FDA for Remdesivir," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.

Remdesivir is given to patients through a vein one time each day for up to 10 days depending on recommendations of healthcare providers. The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced the results of a trial involving more than 1,000 people on Wednesday.

It found that hospitalised COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress got better quicker than those on a placebo. Specifically, patients on the drug had a 31 percent faster time to recovery. "Although the results were clearly positive from a statistically significant standpoint, they were modest," Anthony Fauci, the scientist who leads the NIAID, said. While not considered a miracle cure, Remdesivir's trial achieved a "proof of concept," according to Fauci that could pave the way for better treatments.

Possible side effects of Remdesivir include infusion-related reactions and increases in levels of liver enzymes. "These are not all the possible side effects of Remdesivir. It is still being studied so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time," said the FDA.

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