Moscow, Russia | AFP | More than 260 million Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, with church leaders asking worshippers to stay at home to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus. Orthodox Christians, the world’s third largest group of Christian believers, this year celebrate Easter a week after Catholics and Protestants because they …
Read More »Forgotten: The dark legacy of Soviet internment camps in Germany
Oranienburg, Germany | AFP | When Germany’s Nazi concentration camps were liberated 75 years ago at the end of World War II, many were immediately put back to use by a new oppressor — the Soviets. A little-known part of German history, the camps continue to haunt the country with victims …
Read More »Virtual mega-concert featuring Stones, Swift celebrates health workers
New York, United States | AFP | A virtual concert packed with A-listers — from The Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift to Billie Eilish — entertained fans around the world with a show celebrating health workers, as billions shelter at home due to coronavirus. Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney …
Read More »Hundreds protest against US virus rules
Concord, United States | AFP | Hundreds protested Saturday in cities across America against coronavirus-related lockdowns — with encouragement from President Donald Trump — as resentment grows against the crippling economic cost of confinement. An estimated 400 people gathered under a cold rain in Concord, New Hampshire — many on foot …
Read More »Central Park, the calm amid New York’s coronavirus storm
New York, United States | AFP | Gone are the softball games, horse-drawn carriages and hordes of tourists. In their place are pronounced birdsong, solitary walks and renewed appreciation for Central Park’s beauty during New York’s coronavirus lockdown. The 843-acre (340-hectare) park — arguably the world’s most famous urban green space …
Read More »Experimental virus drug remdesivir effective in monkeys: study
Washington, United States | AFP | The experimental antiviral drug remdesivir has proven effective against COVID-19 in a small experiment involving monkeys, US government scientists reported Friday. The study, which is preliminary and has not yet been peer reviewed, was designed to follow dosing and treatment procedures used for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a large …
Read More »Coronavirus spotlights Swedish segregation
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | People in Sweden with foreign backgrounds are disproportionately affected by the new coronavirus, underscoring the grim reality of segregation and raising fears that a “blind spot” is masking some communities. The wealthy Scandinavian country of 10.3 million has a generous immigration policy, granting asylum and family …
Read More »Will Italy’s coronavirus epidemic fuel the far right?
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy is staring down the barrel of the worst recession since World War II, which could bolster the far-right and damage the country’s love affair with the European Union, analysts say. Much will depend on how Rome handles the easing of the national lockdown, how quickly …
Read More »Global virus deaths pass 150,000 as Trump endorses lockdown protests
Washington, United States | AFP | Coronavirus deaths have surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where President Donald Trump lent his support to protestors rallying against lockdown orders. Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of …
Read More »Chinese help for virus gets wary reception in France
Paris, France | AFP | An operation by France’s Chinese community to help the diaspora during the coronavirus outbreak by distributing masks, disinfectant and gloves has prompted questions and legal problems for some of its backers. Sceptical of the French government’s response to the epidemic, the Chinese embassy, business leaders and …
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