WORLD

Brussels, Belgium | XINHUA | The European Commission on Friday launched new measures offering guarantees for borrowing by micro borrowers, micro- and social enterprises to counter the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the instrument worth 400 million euros (464.5 million U.S. dollars), the European Investment Fund will offer guarantees …

Washington, US | XINHUA | U.S. Senate Republicans and the Trump administration have reached an agreement in principle on the next COVID-19 relief package, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday. McConnell said Senate Republicans will release their proposal, which will focus on kids, jobs and healthcare, next week as …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is canceling the Jacksonville, Florida component of the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) over the coronavirus outbreak. “The timing for this event is not right. It’s just not right with what has happened recently, the flare-up …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  China said on Thursday the U.S. request to close the Chinese Consulate General in Houston will cause serious damage to bilateral relations, calling the move “taking down the bridge of friendship between Chinese and U.S. people.” The consulate general in Houston was the first one …

Washington, US | XINHUA | People could need multiple vaccine doses to immunize themselves against the coronavirus and deploying a vaccine will require a global effort, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said on Wednesday. “None of the vaccines at this point appear like they’ll work with a single dose,” Gates told …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The immediate introduction of a temporary basic income for the world’s poorest people could slow the current surge in COVID-19 cases by enabling nearly 3 billion people to stay at home, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released Thursday. The report, Temporary …

Wenchang, China | XINHUA | China launched a Mars probe on Thursday, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, and taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system. A Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  In his report to Italian parliament on European Union (EU) summit which agreed on a landmark deal over a budget for the next seven years and a massive recovery fund, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday that European leaders have taken a “historic” …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  A renowned British expert on global health has said he did not recognize the remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who attacked the World Health Organization (WHO) during his visit to Britain. According to British media reports Tuesday, Pompeo launched an extraordinary …

Brussels, Belgium | XINHUA | The European Union’s (EU) landmark economic recovery package has largely underpinned the region’s stock market with major shares closing above four-month highs on Tuesday, lifting investor sentiment across the continent amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. After five days of intense marathon negotiations, the 27-member bloc …