British Health Secretary Says Nation ‘Coming Through Peak’ of COVID-19 Outbreak 

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock expressed cautious optimism Monday about the COVID-19 outbreak in that country, but said the government is sticking with its lockdown restrictions to continue “flattening the curve.” Speaking at a news briefing in London, Hancock said the nation is coming through a peak in the outbreak but said it would “count for nothing if we let things slip now and risk a second peak.” He urged …

Ukraine Continues Fighting Fires Near Defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Plant

Firefighters in Ukraine continue to battle a series of fires near the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant nearly a month after they broke out.The State Service for Emergency Situations said on April 27 that brigades were still working to extinguish fires in the Lubyanskiy, Paryshivskiy, Dytyatkivskiy, and Denysovytskiy forest districts in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.”The …

Mosque’s Makeshift Morgue Shows Virus Toll on UK Minorities

The holy month of Ramadan is underway, and the Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Birmingham should be full of worshippers. But this year, the main arrivals are the dead. While the mosque in the central England city has been closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, its parking lot has been transformed into a …

European Markets Begin Week in Positive Territory 

European markets are starting the trading week in positive territory as governments around the world begin to gradually lift restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus epidemic.   London’s benchmark FTSE was trading 1.4% higher in Monday’s late-afternoon session, the CAC-40 in Paris had gained 1.9%, and Frankfurt’s DAX index was 2.8% higher.   All of Asia’s indexes made significant …

King’s Day at Home: Dutch Monarch’s Birthday Muted by Virus

The Dutch national birthday party for their king was a muted affair Monday, dubbed King’s Day at Home because of coronavirus restrictions. King Willem-Alexander was celebrating his 53rd birthday with his family at home in their palace in a forest on the edge of The Hague after a mass celebration in the southern city of …

Dutch Students Complete Atlantic Crossing Forced by Virus

Greeted by relieved parents, pet dogs, flares and a cloud of orange smoke, a group of 25 Dutch high school students with very little sailing experience ended a trans-Atlantic voyage Sunday that was forced on them by coronavirus restrictions.The children, ages 14 to 17, watched over by 12 experienced crew members and three teachers, were …

Russia Cuts Off Wheat, Other Grain Exports

The Russian Agriculture Ministry announced Sunday that it was suspending its export of most grains until July 1, seemingly ignoring warnings from international organizations who are asking countries not to disrupt global food supply chains during the current COVID-19 pandemic.The ministry said the Russian cutoff affected shipments of wheat, corn, rye, barley and meslin, which …

UN: Consequences Remain Decades After Chernobyl Disaster

The United Nations says persistent and serious long-term consequences remain more than 30 years after the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.The world body is marking International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day on April 26, the 34th anniversary of the accident that spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of Belarus, …

Greece Tightens COVID Controls at Refugee Camp

The Netherlands is sending urgent medical supplies to Greece to help shield tens of thousands of migrants and refugees following a series of COVID-19 outbreaks in Greek refugee camps. The government in Athens is boosting controls there, but it is also tightening lockdown rules for migrants, stripping violators of asylum rights and slapping them with …

Italians Mark Anniversary of Liberation Under Lockdown

Italians on Saturday celebrated the 75th anniversary of Liberation Day — and the end of World War II fascist rule — under a national lockdown.Stranded at home, they went out on their balconies waving flags, singing, clapping and cheering. Among them were elderly Italians who participated in the resistance movement in the 1940s against German …

Virus Lockdowns an Extra Ordeal for Special-Needs Children

Weeks into France’s strict coronavirus lockdown, Mohammed, a 14-year-old with autism, took a pickax and started hitting the wall of his family’s house.His explanation: “Too long at home, too hard to wait.”The disruptions in daily life caused by the virus pandemic are a particularly trying ordeal for children with disabilities and the people who love …

Cities Angered by Removal of Pro-Kurdish Mayors in Turkey

The mix of fury and disappointment among residents was palpable inside a cafe in the southeastern Turkish city of Mardin after the government replaced the popular mayor with a trustee.One year on from local elections, 40 out of 65 municipalities won by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are now under the control of government-appointed …

Trump, Putin Issue Rare Joint Statement Promoting Cooperation

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, issued a rare joint statement Saturday commemorating a 1945 World War II link-up of U.S. and Soviet troops on their way to defeat Nazi Germany as an example of how their countries can cooperate.The statement by Trump and Putin came amid deep strains in U.S.-Russian …

Recovered Patients With Antibodies Not Immune to Coronavirus, WHO Warns

The World Health Organization warned Saturday that there was “no evidence” that recovered COVID-19 patients with antibodies were immune to a second coronavirus infection.The WHO issued the warning in a scientific brief as it confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide had topped 2.8 million.  Worldwide fatalities exceeded 200,000, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.”Some governments have …

Economic, Environmental Interests Compete in a Post-COVID Europe

The coronavirus lockdown in many European countries has led to less pollution. But policy decisions in coming months will make clear if an economic recovery helps or hurts environmental gains.Europe’s cities, where streets are usually congested, are now quiet, as people are forced to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.Alberto Gonzalez Ortiz, an …

COVID’s Grim Tally Continues to Rise, With Global Deaths Nearing 200,000

The worldwide number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb, bringing misery and pain to all echelons of society.The global count of cases has reached more than 2.8 million people, and more than 197,000 people have died.There have been a growing number of coronavirus cases aboard an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan with a crew …

Unmanned Cargo Spacecraft Docks at the International Space Station

An unmanned cargo spacecraft with food, fuel and supplies docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.Russian Progress 75 cargo ship left the Baikonur Cosmodrom in Kazakhstan, a few minutes before 1 a.m. GMT and transported almost 3 tons of food and other supplies to the ISS.Scientists and staff, both in Baikonur and at …

 Protesting in the Age of Coronavirus 

How do you protest in the era of the coronavirus?  In Russia, “virtual protesters” have clustered outside government buildings, at a safe social distance, and they post messages online demanding more financial assistance from authorities. Young climate change activists have heeded the call by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, the founder of the global school strike movement, to avoid big protests to help contain the novel coronavirus.  “We have to adapt. That is what you have …

Armenia Decries Crimes Against ‘Civilization’ on Genocide Anniversary

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday decried crimes against “civilization” and demanded an apology from Turkey as his country marked the 105th anniversary of the WWI-era Armenian genocide.The genocide is a “crime not only against our ethnic identity, but also against human civilization,” Pashinyan said in a message after laying flowers at a genocide …

Climate Activists Take Global Protest Online During Pandemic

Youth groups are staging a long-planned global climate demonstration online Friday because of restrictions on public protests during the coronavirus pandemic. The student group Fridays for Future, whose past rallies have drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets worldwide, is using a livestream to call on world leaders to act against global warming. Some groups …

Meghan’s Privacy Case Against Tabloid Heard at UK Court

A preliminary hearing opened Friday at Britain’s High Court in the Duchess of Sussex’s legal action against a British newspaper that published what she describes as a “private and confidential” letter she wrote to her father.   Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, for publishing parts of an …