Worldwide news. The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a “plurality of worlds”
Two U.S. space agency NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut landed Friday in Kazakhstan after months on board the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir and Russian space agency Roscosmos Cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka undocked from the ISS in the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft early Friday. Just over three hours later, …
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A public health professor said Friday the British government responded too slowly to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the nation could see as many as 40,000 deaths before the pandemic is over.Speaking remotely, University College London Global Health Professor Anthony Costello told a parliamentary committee the government needs to identify the “system errors” that slowed Britain’s …
Read more “Health Expert: Britain Responded Too Slowly to Virus Outbreak”
Germany’s health minister said Friday the COVID-19 outbreak in that country has become manageable, because the number of patients who have recovered from the virus is greater than the number that are newly infected.Speaking at a news briefing in Berlin Friday, Health Minister Jens Spahn said compared to other nations, Germany is doing well. He …
Read more “German Health Minister Says Coronavirus Now ‘Manageable’”
The United Nations, the European Union and the United States welcomed the release and exchange of prisoners in eastern Ukraine, which has been torn by a 6-year-old armed conflict.The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he remained hopeful this “humanitarian action” ahead of Orthodox Easter “will serve as a positive step toward more progress, including a …
Read more “UN, EU, US Welcome Release, Exchange of Prisoners in E. Ukraine”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the postponement of May 9 celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany in World War II, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a security meeting on Thursday, Putin said events including a massive military parade in Red Square would be postponed until a later date. “In order …
The British government Thursday said it will extend for three weeks its nationwide lockdown intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Speaking at a remote news briefing in London, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said Britain’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies warned that relaxing any of the safety measures currently in place would risk damage to both public health and the British economy. Raab reported 13,729 …
After more than two weeks of forced quarantine, hundreds of refugees in Turkey have been released haphazardly in recent days, with many being left on the streets in locked down coastal areas.Thousands more are expected to be let go in the coming days and weeks.”A bus dropped us off near the coast,” said Samer Alahmad, …
Read more “Turkey Releases Refugees from Quarantine Amid Coronavirus Lockdown”
With the Tour de France pushed back to a late August start, race director Christian Prudhomme is hoping cycling’s showcase event can help bring back a sense of normality to a nation reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.Organizers on Wednesday announced new dates of Aug. 29-Sept. 20 for the race, a day after it was postponed. …
Read more “Rescheduled Tour de France Hoping to Make Nation Smile Again”
The leader of Britain’s main opposition party on Wednesday accused the government of being too slow to impose a lockdown when the novel coronavirus first hit the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially refrained from approving the stringent controls that other European leaders imposed but then closed down the country when projections showed a …
Read more “Britain Was Too slow to Act on COVID-19, Opposition Labor Leader Says”
One year after it was gutted by fire, French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that Paris landmark Notre Dame will be fully restored in five years. In a video statement on his Twitter account, Macron said “everything” would be done to rebuild Notre-Dame in five years, as he promised last year. Un an après l’incendie de …
Read more “French President Recommits to Rebuild Notre Dame in 5 Years “
German prosecutors announced Wednesday the arrest of four Islamic State members accused of planning attacks against U.S. military sites in Germany. A statement said the group had guns and ammunitions needed for their attacks, along with some materials for building explosive devices. The prosecutors said the group had already scouted U.S. Air Force bases in Germany. They identified …
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the U.N. is going to flood the internet and social media with facts and science to counter what he says is a “dangerous epidemic of misinformation” about the coronavirus pandemic. Guterres said the huge amount of falsehoods surrounding the illness is a “misinfo-demic,” full of bad health advice, lies, wild conspiracy theories and “snake oil solutions.” He says all of this is a “poison that is putting lives at risk.” He …
Read more “UN Chief: A Second Pandemic of COVID Misinformation ‘Putting Lives at Risk’”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday the European Union will create a strategic reserve of ventilators for countries “most in need” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.In remarks recorded from EU headquarters in Brussels, von der Leyen said Romania has agreed to host this reserve, and the first 150 ventilators paid for by the …
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The small Italian village of Celleno thought it had escaped the coronavirus — nearly a month into Italy’s national lockdown. No confirmed cases of the potentially deadly virus had been recorded. The more than one thousand residents of the village on the outskirts of Rome breathed a collective sigh of relief.But in the past week …
Read more “Europe’s Nursing Homes Are Likely Coronavirus Hotspots, Officials Fear”
Last week, I had to go out to report and shoot video in Rome during the most surreal Holy Week I have ever experienced. Three of us — cameraman Mark, driver Alfredo and I — decided that our first stop would be Saint Peter’s Square; all of us were wearing our protective masks. Along the way, all …
Read more “COVID-19 Diaries: A Surreal Holy Week in a Rome Without People”
Italy has entered its second month in lockdown and still no one knows when things will ease up. Italians were forced to stay at home during Holy Week and Easter and banned from their usual picnics on Easter Monday. Sabina Castelfranco in Rome was able to visit the eternal city during what she describes the …
India, France and Nigeria are among several countries whose leaders are extending lockdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases worldwide topped 2 million. With the number of infections in his country at more than 10,300, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Tuesday a nationwide lockdown would run through May 3. French President …
Read more “India, France Extend Lockdowns as World Coronavirus Cases Top 2 Million”
Some European countries, including Denmark, Austria and the Czech Republic, are starting to lift the tight restrictions they imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The countries say their quick actions in locking down earlier than their neighbors give them the opportunity to relax their rules.With the number of confirmed cases and deaths decreasing, Spain …
Read more “Walking the Tightrope: Some European Countries Start Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions “
A total of 11,329 people have died in hospitals across the United Kingdom after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 717 in a day, the health ministry said on Monday. The number of confirmed cases has risen by 4,342 to a national tally of 88,621. The deaths numbers are as of 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Sunday, …
Read more “UK Coronavirus Death Toll Rises to 11,329, up by 717 “
Crowds swarm Stockholm’s waterfront, with some people sipping cocktails in the sun. In much of the world, this sort of gathering would be frowned upon or even banned.Not in Sweden.It doesn’t worry Anders Tegnell, the country’s chief epidemiologist and top strategist in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.The 63-year-old has become a household name in …
Read more “As Virus Deaths Rise, Sweden Sticks to ‘Low-Scale’ Lockdown”
Spain is loosening some of its coronavirus restrictions Monday with workers in the manufacturing and construction sectors allowed to go back to work. With the threat of spreading the virus still present, companies are required to provide employees with protective equipment and make sure they maintain the recommended two meters of spacing from other workers. Spain has been …
Master chocolatier Dominique Persoone stood forlorn on his huge workfloor, a faint smell of cocoa lingering amid the idle machinery — in a mere memory of better times. Easter Sunday is normally the most important date on the chocolate makers’ calendar. But the coronavirus pandemic, with its lockdowns and social distancing, has struck a hard blow to …
Read more “Bunnies to the Rescue as Virus Hits Belgian Chocolatiers”
Italy is reporting its lowest number of new coronavirus deaths in three weeks and officials say hospitalization, including the number of patients admitted to intensive care, are also down. Italy has been Europe’s COVID-19 hot spot with more than 156,000 confirmed cases overall. But some Italian experts say the actual number may be much higher because of the high rate of fatalities in nursing homes where many of the …
Read more “Italy Reports Lowest Number of New COVID Deaths in 3 Weeks”
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu resigned late Sunday, taking responsibility for a poorly timed announcement of a weekend coronavirus curfew that prompted thousands of people to rush into the streets.Soylu is one of the most senior figures in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Soylu said: “Responsibility …
Read more “Turkish Minister Resigns Over Criticism of Weekend Lockdowns”