WORLD

New York, United States | AFP |  This is TikTok’s time. The social video platform which was already a favorite of teens is increasingly being used by adults looking for ways to pass the time during coronavirus lockdowns. Users post short videos — no longer than 60 seconds but often as …

Paris, France | AFP | Churches will be empty this Easter and Passover festivities will also take place behind closed doors owing to the COVID-19 lockdown. Christians will be obliged to turn to services broadcast on television or over social media this year owing to the coronavirus and Jews will mark the Passover holiday in …

Paris, France | AFP | The coronavirus pandemic has caused many thousands of people, including Britain’s prime minister, to need treatment in intensive care units, where severe cases of COVID-19 often receive breathing support. Boris Johnson was moved into intensive care when his condition worsened on Monday, 10 days after diagnosis …

New York, United States | AFP | A key test flight of the Boeing 737 MAX has been pushed back by a month to May due to the upheaval of the coronavirus crisis, two sources told AFP Tuesday. The certification flight, overseen by the US Federal Aviation Administration, is a vital step in clearing the …

Washington, United States | AFP | The new coronavirus isn’t picky about who it infects — so why does data emerging from some states suggest that African Americans are bearing the brunt? Experts say the community is disproportionately impacted by underlying conditions linked to poverty, and often faces challenges in accessing …

Paris, France | AFP | Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: – British PM in intensive care – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting the virus in intensive care after being diagnosed late last month. The 55-year-old is being given oxygen support but was not put on …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Some 1.25 billion workers are seeing their livelihoods threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning it was the “worst global crisis” since World War II. In a fresh study, the International Labour Organization warned that the global spread of the new coronavirus …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis decried “unjust” sentences against “innocent” people on Tuesday, hours after Australian Cardinal George Pell walked free from prison following the quashing of his conviction for child sex abuse. Australia’s High Court overturned five counts of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | WhatsApp on Tuesday placed new limits on message forwarding as part of an effort to curb the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. The new policy limits users to forwarding certain messages to one “chat” at a time, aiming to limit the rapid propagation of content which is …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | With British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in intensive care in hospital with coronavirus, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has stepped in — but he will not have the same power. Here are some of the key questions about who is now running Britain during this crisis. …